How To Maintain Your Goal Weight And Not Gain It Back

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On the JJ Barnes Blog, after writing about improving my health and fitness for 2024, I decided to check out top tips for how to maintain your goal weight and not gain it back once you’ve achieved it!

Remember back in January when I declared 2024 the year I’d finally prioritize my health and fitness? Well, guess what? It’s actually been sticking! I’ve been feeling stronger, more energized, and nourishing my insides with loads of health food. But with all this progress, a new question popped into my head: how do I keep this momentum going? Sure, I smashed my initial goals, but what about maintaining them?

The problem is, once most people reach their fitness goals, they fling out everything they learned during the journey, and I want to avoid being one of them! Basically, it goes back to bad habits that got them to their previous weight in the first place. Seriously, this is far more common than you might think! It eventually gets to the point where some negative health effects happen,, too, such as needing to focus on a healthier gut, low energy, and even self-confidence, which can take a nose dive if you’re not careful. 

However, with the right mindset and strategies, you can maintain your weight loss and enjoy your new, healthier self without the fear of bouncing back. So, with all of that said, here’s what you need to know when it comes to keeping the weight off for you, all while still enjoying life!

Embrace a Balanced Lifestyle

One of the most common pitfalls after achieving weight loss is reverting to the old eating habits that led to weight gain in the first place. Instead of thinking of your weight loss journey as a temporary diet, embrace it as a permanent lifestyle change. But you have to understand that diets are often restrictive and not sustainable long-term. 

Instead, focus on eating a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods. During the weight loss journey, you most likely learned all about this, but you should have been incorporating plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains- basically whole foods and next to no processed foods, right?

But that’s not all, though. Do you pay attention when you’re full? If you’ve been on weight loss injections or even medications, you may have started to pay more attention to fullness. When you’re full, you’re full. You shouldn’t feel the pressure to clear your plate, and you shouldn’t have eyes that are bigger than your stomach, either. 

So, the second you’re feeling full, it’s best to stop eating and save your food for later. This is probably the biggest thing to pay attention to as diet and the full feeling are usually what causes unhealthy habits to come back and to make the weight come back too.

You Need to Keep Moving

Exercise shouldn’t stop just because you’ve reached your goal weight- another major mistake that people make! You have to understand that regular physical activity is crucial for maintaining weight loss and overall health. So, it’s best to just find an exercise routine that you enjoy, whether it’s walking, cycling, swimming, or dancing. The more you enjoy it, the more likely you are to stick with it. 

So, if you already found one you love, then keep at it! It’s going to massively help with preventing any weight gain. Ideally, you’re going to want to aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week. Incorporating strength training can also be beneficial as it helps build muscle mass, which can boost your metabolism and help you burn more calories even at rest.

Monitor Your Weight Gain Regularly

While you don’t need to be obsessed with the scales, keeping an eye on your weight can help you catch any small gains before they become significant. Again, it’s about preventing yourself from slipping back into any unhealthy habits. So, weigh yourself once a week at the same time of day to get an accurate picture. This can help you stay accountable and make adjustments to your diet and exercise routine if you notice the numbers creeping up.

How Have You Been Managing Stress?

It’s not just thinking, “Oh, I can eat this, and I’ll still stay skinny.” Sure, this is one reason why people gain weight, but it’s also about stress. Actually, stress can be a significant trigger for overeating and weight gain. So, it’s really important to find healthy ways to cope with stress, such as practicing mindfulness, meditation, or yoga. These are just three examples, but you can’t use food or alcohol as a means to cope with stress; it’s honestly a really bad idea. Instead, it’s best to just have regular physical activity, socializing with friends and family, or even engaging in a hobby, which can also help reduce stress levels.

Don’t Skip Meals

So, for some people, it’s not the mindset of eating whatever they want and they’ll maintain their weight; it’s the other way around. They think that skipping meals will help keep them skinny. But honestly, skipping meals, especially breakfast, can lead to overeating later in the day. So, no matter how tempting it might be to keep that slim figure, you’re seriously better off focusing more on eating regular meals. 

For example, you should start your day with a nutritious breakfast that includes protein, healthy fats, and whole grains. Eating regular, balanced meals keeps your metabolism running smoothly and helps you maintain steady energy levels throughout the day.

It’s Best to Keep Planning Your Meals

Alright, so it’s pretty common to see a nutritionist or even buy meal kits when you’re losing weight (such as Slim Fast, Weight Watchers, Atkins, etc.), so there are a lot of options out there. But for the most part, when someone reaches their goal weight, they think they can stop planning their meals altogether. But you built up a habit of planning your meals and planning your meals was exactly what helped you out. So why stop that? 

So, think of it this way, by planning your meals ahead of time, you can ensure that you have healthy options available and are less likely to resort to unhealthy convenience foods. Take some time each week to plan your meals and snacks, and prepare what you can in advance. This not only helps you stay on track but can also save you time and money.

Get Enough Sleep

Did you know that lack of sleep can affect your hunger hormones? That’s right, this can actually make you feel hungrier and more likely to overeat. So it’s best to just try and aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Do you have a regular sleep cycle?