Tips for Maintaining Weight Loss
Topic Overview
Avoid unplanned eating and drinking
Having regular low-calorie snacks throughout the day along with regular
smaller meals is a good way to manage your hunger. Plan snacks as part of your
overall calories for the day, and avoid eating unplanned calories.
- Do not sample the food while
cooking.
- When tempted to snack between meals, substitute a glass of
water with lemon and snack on carrot or celery sticks. Avoid sweetened drinks like regular sodas, special coffee drinks, energy drinks, and juices. They
add a lot of calories.
- When you feel the urge to snack, try an activity that does not involve eating, such as taking a
bath, reading a book, or a hands-on activity.
- Make dinner the last thing you eat until breakfast.
- Measure one portion of a snack into a bowl so you aren't tempted to keep reaching into the box or bag.
Limit alcohol
Alcohol
provides a lot of calories and no nutritional benefit. The number of calories
in an alcohol drink depends on the amount of alcohol it contains. The
following are estimates of the number of calories in alcohol drinks.
- Beer: 153 calories and 13.9 grams of alcohol in 12 fl oz (355 mL)
- "Lite" beer: 103 calories and 11 grams of alcohol in
12 fl oz (355 mL)
- Table wine: 123 calories and 15.4 grams alcohol in
5 fl oz (148 mL)
- Gin, rum, vodka, whiskey, and other "hard"
liquor [1.5 fl oz (44 mL)]:
- 97 calories and 14 grams of alcohol (80 proof)
- 110
calories and 15.9 grams alcohol (90 proof)
- 124 calories and 17.9 grams alcohol (100 proof)
Drinking 1 beer at dinner every night adds more than 4,500 extra
calories each month. This is a little more than an extra
1 lb (0.5 kg) of body weight a month. If you
drink, limiting alcohol will help you lose weight.
Make mealtimes pleasant
A meal is more than just
eating food. It can also be a social event, a time to communicate with family
and friends, and a time to relax.
- Eat slowly and enjoy the food.
- Do not
watch television or read while you eat.
Use a meal plan to help control what you eat
- Plan meals ahead of time(What is a PDF document?).
- Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are comfortably
full.
- Limit how much you eat out, especially early in your
weight-loss program.
Stay active
Physical
activity helps you burn more calories. Experts say more than 5 hours a week (aim for 60 to 90 minutes a day) of moderate activity can help you lose weight and keep it off.1
Moderate exercise is safe
for most people, but it's always a good idea to
talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. Start by doing a
short warm-up, such as walking or riding a stationary bike. And
stretch briefly.
References
Citations
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2008).
2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (ODPHP
Publication No. U0036). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Available online:
http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
|---|
| Primary Medical Reviewer | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
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| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator |
|---|
| Last Revised | April 13, 2011 |
|---|
Last Revised:
April 13, 2011
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2008).
2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (ODPHP
Publication No. U0036). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Available online:
http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx.
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