Are you Smart Enough to Maintain the Lost Weight Off your Body?

Maintaining a Healthy Weight is All About Energy Balance 

Losing weight is hard, but maintaining the weight loss is harder. If you are one of those who have lost and found the kilograms several times in your life, it is time to revisit the basics of a healthy weight:

• Improve health by preventing weight gain or stopping recent weight gain.
• Improve health with minor weight reduction (5 percent to 10 percent of body weight).
• Eat smarter, workout more and stay positive. These enhance your health status even if you don’t lose any weight at all.
• Healthy weight is all about energy balance. Here are three smart steps to success:

Eat Foods from all Food Groups
Our body needs fuel to pull through a hectic day. For such energy, ensure that you eat foods from all the food groups to get your day’s required energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. Simple way to consume more produce is to eat one fruit and one vegetable as a snack every day. This is quick, easy, tasty and nutritious. While out for shopping, look at the four corners of the supermarket to make smart choices:

• Fruits and vegetables from the produce section
• Whole grains from the bakery section
• Low-fat milk and low-fat dairy products from the dairy section
• Lean proteins from the meat/fish/poultry department

Portion Control

The biggest nutrition challenge faced by people today are from foods such as candies, snack foods and sugary drinks containing excess fat and sugar content. Eating right does not mean you have to completely stay away from sugar and fat. The main concern is to consume smaller portions and avoid empty-calorie foods as much as possible. Many people are not aware of the permissible portion sizes of various items and the information on portion sizes at www.firsteatright.com is of great use to such people. Such portion control along with restriction of sugar intake helps to keep us fit. You can drink water instead of sugary drinks, eat unsweetened yogurt for dessert and choose low-fat dairy products.

Be Physically Active

Along with eating habits, physical activity also plays a critical role in maintaining our body weight. Most of us consume more calories than we burn out. Try to incorporate more time for activity. A healthy body requires 30 minutes of moderate to intense activity every day. To reach a desired healthy weight, you need to be physically active longer (60 minutes a day) or participate in more intense activities. If you are working out for 15 minutes, try to squeeze another 15- or 20-minute workout sometime during the day.