My #1 Weight Loss Maintenance Tip

Wanna know my number one weight loss tip???

Drumroll, please….

And the answer is….Exercise!

Yes, you heard that right…good ole’ exercise.

Yep, any cardio that you love (that gets your heart rate up) at least three times a week.

Background

As you all know, losing weight is no small feat. It takes a huge amount of discipline, focus, delayed gratification…and sacrifice. Needless to say, it is not for the faint heart — which is why, sadly, so many abandon their efforts before seeing any benefit.

And for those that are disciplined enough to put in the work and make it to the end, there is a staggering amount of people that gain it all back. According to an article distributed by the Cleveland Clinic, titled Why People Diet, Lose Weight and Gain it All Back, at least 80% of people gain the weight back.

And while we know continuing to make good eating choices is the number one factor in maintaining weight loss, exercise is also a very large factor.

Honestly, when you are young with a really good metabolism, you can lose weight with exercise alone…without making too many changes to your diet. I can attest to this personally. In my younger years, I could easily lose weight with exercise alone.

But when your body becomes accustomed to exercise, diet is the most important factor. But exercise is still very much a huge part of the equation.

Action Plan

Well once you’ve put in the blood, sweat, and tears to reach your goal, it’s time to fight like hell to maintain it. And exercise will help to cover a multitude of sins.

Let’s be real. While (if you’re smart) you will continue to eat similarly to the way you did when your goal was to lose weight, those strict guidelines will ultimately loosen up…and there will be some added cheat foods and days.

But if you don’t go crazy, you can still maintain it, but only if you commit to exercising regularly to offset the damage. Exercise must be a regular, non-negotiable, come hell or highwater part of your routine.

It could be raining or snowing outside, you could have had a bad week at work, the car could have broken down, and you could be functioning on very little sleep… and yes, you still have to work out!

If you are going to have success, you have to make up your mind that exercise is a non-negotiable.

Trial and Error

I truly know firsthand what a huge godsend exercise is in the process of maintaining weight loss once you’ve worked so hard to lose weight.

Years ago I lost about 20 pounds using the NutriSystem weight loss plan. I really liked this plan at the time because it was a no-brainer. I didn’t have to think about anything because everything was already set up and outlined for me.

I worked so hard to lose the weight and I maintained it pretty well for about ten months. Exercise was definitely my secret weapon. I was pretty young at the time, so while I definitely tried to watch my food choices and portion sizes afterwards, I definitely pushed the limits a lot.

I pushed the limits so much to the point that my co-workers would joke about it. They would laugh and ask, “How in the world do you manage to keep her weight down??” Because I surely would not hold back when it came to the delicious goodies at the midday meetings.

I was on top of the world and doing so good until one week I didn’t feel that great (emotionally), and I decided not to work out, and I probably only worked out once the following week.

Sadly, by the end of the second week, the weight started to come back on with a vengeance. In about a month’s time, I had gained back all the weight.

Needles to say, I was devastated. But I learned a very valuable but hard lesson through that experience.

The Lesson

And that lesson is that you must workout weekly at least three times a week to maintain your weight. Now, I never go a week without working out at least twice a week. But honestly, we should all be working out regardless to achieve optimal health and wellness.

Honestly, I can get away with two times a week…but three is best. And from my personal experience, the earlier you can workout towards the beginning of the week, the better. And the first two days should be consecutive to get the maximum metabolism boost. I love to always workout on Saturday and Sunday to start the week off right. Then I’ll probably try to workout again by Wednesday.

So much of the weight loss battle to success is trial and error. It’s a learning process, and it often involves initial failure. But if you don’t give up, you can regroup, pull yourself together, and do better going forward.

If you don’t allow the failure to deter you, you can begin again, apply the lessons, and ultimately have great success.

So, if you want to maintain that weight loss that you’ve worked so hard to get, then start today to prioritize exercise as a regular part of your weekly routine.