It would take time and effort to achieve or maintain your ideal body weight. Gaining a healthy weight will offer many benefits to our body and overall health.
Obesity and being overweight will give you a higher chance of having severe health problems, such as cancers, type-2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. Based on research studies, 34.9% of adults in America are obese, and over 68% are overweight.
With correct calculations, you will know how much exercise and diet you need to maintain the ideal body weight. You need to know your numbers and maintain a healthy lifestyle to have a healthy body weight range. Doing so will help you avoid diseases and even improve the quality of your life.
How to Maintain An Ideal Weight
Perhaps you are already in your ideal weight- you exerted enough effort and worked hard enough to achieve the best version of yourself. Should you stop there and go back to your past lifestyle? And that is what we are going to discuss now. How would you maintain your ideal weight now that you have already achieved it?
Be watchful, observant, or vigilant.
Individuals who achieved success in maintaining their healthy weight continue to monitor their progress and regularly check their weight. And this is what you should do too.
Regularly check your weight. If you noticed that you lost weight or gained so much, you would need to take steps to prevent it and get back to your ideal weight. This will help you know when to increase or decrease your food intake or exercise.
Create a journal where you can write down your activity and food intake. This way, you will ensure that you are achieving your goals.
Maintain a regular eating schedule.
It is better to eat the same food every day instead of eating a lot on holidays, weekends, or special occasions.
Find a healthy diet and follow it consistently. Avoid or, more importantly, do not skip a meal. An eating schedule will allow your metabolism to slow down and prevent you from burning more calories when at rest.
Avoid junk foods for snacks. Instead, find healthy snacks like a protein bar or protein shakes; this will keep you satisfied and full without consuming too many calories and fat. If things prevent you from eating well, address the issue right away. For instance, losing a tooth can affect how you enjoy food, so make sure to get a replacement tooth from your dentist.
Get enough sleep and rest.
An average person will gain more weight if they don’t sleep or are restless. It is vital to get enough sleep to maintain your ideal weight easier. But of course, you need to do it without sacrificing good quality or a healthy lifestyle.
It is ideal to get 7 to 9 hours of good quality sleep every night to achieve the rest your body needs. When you’re tired, it is more likely that you will sleep soundly.
Get regular physical activity.
It is essential to regularly perform physical activities or exercises to maintain your healthy and ideal weight. You don’t need to stop working out or doing exercises when you have already achieved your goal. However, the intensity of your workouts should slightly change.
Regular physical activities can help you maintain your weight, and they can also lower your risk of having diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, strokes, and cancers. A sedentary lifestyle will affect your metabolism. Even though you do not eat more, you are still more likely to have extra fats and gain weight.
If you find yourself busy and do not have much time for a workout or exercise, it is a good idea to avoid sedentary activities. These activities include avoiding the elevator and taking the stairs, parking your car a little far, walking daily, and avoiding sitting more often. These can help you to avoid having a sedentary lifestyle.
Eat slowly and deliberately.
Savor each bite on your food, and it will make you feel more satisfied and full for a longer time. It is a good habit to put your fork down after every bite. Slowly chew your food, and eat at the table. This habit will help you understand when you are hungry and cues of satiety.
Plan when you will go shopping for groceries. List all the things that you will buy. It is better to shop when you are full or not hungry. You are more likely to be attracted to unhealthy junk foods such as chips, soda, or coke when you are hungry. Bringing a list with healthy foods will help you remind what a must is and what is not.
But most importantly, do not give up. There will always be distractions and setbacks when reaching your goals, so remember that staying committed is important. Bear in mind that keeping a healthy weight is fundamental in living a better quality of life.