12 tips to stabilize your weight after a diet

Stay focus !

You have been on a diet for several weeks . Between healthy eating, moderate physical activity and motivational advice , you have managed to reach your healthy weight . Congratulation ! But beware, there is no question of slacking off: bad habits are just waiting to return... Also, to keep your pretty figure without depriving yourself, here are 12 tips to apply daily, without moderation.

Eat smart

In the post-diet phase, there is no question of going back to eating anyhow. Without falling into constraint, it is rather a question of eating intelligently: " Eating must be a thoughtful and conscious act ", explains Damien Galtier, dietician and nutritionist specializing in therapeutic education. We therefore avoid devouring a plate of pasta in two minutes flat in front of an episode of Game of Thrones .

At mealtime, we focus on tastes, textures, sensations… and we take our time! 10 minutes is the minimum. “ It's just as good whether you eat at the table, at your desk or in the street! “, adds the expert. Thus, the feeling of satiety comes naturally, and we neither eat too much nor too little.

Combine foods well

Diet version food, we understand it well: green foods (almost) at will, yellows in moderation and reds from time to time. Except that after the diet, we no longer walk around with our color code at the bottom of the handbag.

The idea to keep in mind is to automatically associate foods that seem "red" to us (i.e. fattier, sweeter than the others) with "green" foods (those that are nutrient rich, not too sweet, salty or greasy). “ If you eat a plate of fries, for example, combine it with a few lettuce leaves, suggests Damien Galtier. And for a chocolate cake, add fresh fruit. »

In this way, your body will benefit from a wide range of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins) and you will then be satiated: goodbye snacking !

Get organized on a daily basis

Saturday night: the fridge is empty, and it's too late to go shopping? Too bad, it will be fast food… Stop! “ The best way to keep a balanced diet is to get organized ,” warns Damien Galtier. Also, to avoid compulsive snacking and meals with 4,000 red points, we establish our menus in advance, we write the shopping list little by little, and we plan in advance so as not to be caught off guard. “If you know you have a busy week ahead of you, feel free to cook on the weekends and freeze a few small meals. Or, consider buying easily processed foods that won't take too much time in the kitchen. " Simple but effective !

Ask the right questions

Here, a craving for sweets! What if, before putting your nose in the fridge, we asked ourselves the right questions, just to avoid cravings ? "It's about differentiating hunger from the simple desire to eat," argues Damien Galtier. So before jumping on the packet of cakes, we sit down for a few minutes, calmly, and analyze what we feel.

Are we hungry because we feel lonely, sad, bored? If so, the best solution is still to take your mind off things: go out, make a phone call to a girlfriend, watch a movie… It's all good to think about something else. And if, on the contrary, we are really hungry, we fall back on a healthy and balanced snack, for example a fruit, a slice of wholemeal bread with ham or a low-fat dairy product.

Don't let the sport down

Thirty minutes of physical activity a day is a minimum to keep a nice figure. But if you don't have time to run to the gym every day, you'll just adopt good daily fitness reflexes: take the stairs rather than the elevator, get off a bus stop earlier, etc..

Swimming, jogging, tennis… It doesn't matter what sport: the most important thing is regularity. A little effort a day, the main thing is to stick to it! Bonus for those who are still reluctant: sport releases endorphins in the body, the hormone of pleasure and well-being

Keep Zen

Stress is the number one enemy when watching your weight. Indeed, when we are under pressure, we tend to crave fatty and sugary foods more and store fat more easily, especially in the abdominal area. And it's all because of cortisol, the stress hormone. Also, to keep our new silhouette, a single watchword: relaxation!

First, before each meal, we take a moment just for ourselves: we calm down, we close our eyes, we breathe deeply, and we relax. A few seconds are enough. Then, every week (and this, even if we are overbooked), we reserve a pampering appointment: a good hot bath, a manicure, a solo walk. Then, we are on the attack again… and we minimize the risks of compensating for our anxiety on food!

Manage the excesses

With the end of the regime, our social life started again. Restaurants, aperitifs , barbecues with friends... No question of depriving yourself. Obviously, the next day, we feel guilty. Do not panic: an excess, it is made up for. First, we focus on a detox day based on light foods (vegetables, white fish, fruit, low-fat yoghurts, etc.) and, above all, we remain attentive to our feelings: we don't force ourselves to eat if the we are not hungry.

Then, we think of hydrating well (water, broth, infusions... 1 liter minimum) to boost elimination and avoid fat storage as much as possible. Finally, if we have the courage, we will walk in the fresh air for at least 30 minutes, without forgetting to breathe well, to eliminate toxins.

Sleep well

Bad nights make you fat : this is the conclusion of a recent American study, conducted by the University of California. Using MRI techniques , the researchers understood that lack of sleep had an impact on the area of ​​the brain involved in the mechanisms of hunger and food desire. As a result, when you sleep badly, you are more likely to be attracted to fatty and sugary foods, and therefore to accumulate the kilos of snacking.

In addition, lack of sleep also affects our mood... and, as we know, depression leads directly to the cake cupboard! To avoid this, we put into practice a few simple tips: avoid alcohol and caffeine in the evening, bet on soothing colors in the bedroom, reduce light and noise when sleeping, prepare a small infusion with bedtime… Anything goes to sleep like a baby.

Keep a diary

A food diary is a bit like a slimming coach. Moreover, it is proven: according to a study published in 2012 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , women who use one have less difficulty than others in maintaining their healthy weight. How it works ? Every evening, we take five minutes to write down everything we have eaten and drunk during the day, as well as the physical activity practiced.

Excel table, memo on smartphone, draft notebook, post-it… All media are good: the idea is to be able to take a step back from our calorie intake and, therefore, to be able to spot excesses more easily than will have to be compensated. In short, an effective and unrestrictive way to stay slim on a daily basis...

Drop the scale...

… for the seamstress meter. Indeed, our weight is not a sufficient indicator when you want to monitor your figure: from one day to the next, it can vary... and give us cold sweats. The seamstress tape measure is used to concretely observe the evolution of our silhouette. We use it once a week to measure our hips, waist and thighs . And we note the results in a small notebook to have a reliable and objective overview of our situation.

Also See: Lose Your Weight Within a Week Easily