Maintaining Bodyweight – My 7 tips I live by

Hello beautiful!

I wanted to share with you what I have been doing for decades to maintain my body weight. This isn’t about weight loss per se, but more about maintaining the weight you’re at or, once you’ve arrived, the weight you might be working toward. Maintaining weight can be easy but like everything worthwhile in life, it comes with effort, habits, and discipline.

1. Drink plenty of water. This is my number one. Why? It truly takes at least a 100 ounces of water intake a day to maintain optimal hydration. And if you’re exercising or moving a lot, you need more. Most people walk around somewhat dehydrated. Dehydration negatively affects every system in the human biome. The nerve pathway that tells the brain you’re hungry is the same nerve pathway that tells the brain you’re thirsty. Sometimes, when you think you might want a snack, what you really need is a big drink of water. The only way to know how much water you’re taking in is to measure it. Fill a 20 ounce bottle of water and ensure you empty it five times a day. Too simple.

2. Weigh. Yes, you must get on a scale. A scale tells you where you’re at and the direction you’re going, up or down. If you added a couple pounds, you are informed and can make small changes to correct it. This is how you keep from gaining weight year after year. Weigh at the same time (or close to it) as you did the last time. In other words, don’t weigh one day in the morning, and the next time at 2 in the afternoon. Weigh time should be relatively consistent. Personally, I weigh every morning. At minimum, weigh once a week. There are some days when I don’t really want to get on the scale because maybe I ate a salty meal or I might have eaten badly. But what has avoidance ever done for anyone? Suck it up buttercup and hop on the scale. Not weighing is a demonstration in denial and avoidance. One day doesn’t define you.

3. Eat till you’re full (not stuffed). As soon as you feel full, stop eating. Full is not stuffed. Full is just comfortable. If needed, you could go for a walk afterward. You don’t feel like sleeping or lounging. This requires discipline and practice. But, I promise, it does get easier. Fill your plate or bowl with what you might eat and most of the time, that’s all you need. Once you’ve mastered eating till full, and you overeat, you’ll rarely do it again because of the discomfort. It’s so empowering having this mastery over food.

4. Reduce sugar intake. Clearly eating sweets, pastries, and sweet dairy products makes maintaining weight very challenging. While steering clear of this type of food is beneficial, this isn’t really what I’m talking about. Sugar lurks everywhere. Browse your pantry and look at the labels on salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, yogurt, condiments, seasoning sauces, fruit juices, and the like. You’ll be surprised where and how you’re consuming sugar. Reduce sugar intake where you can, like buying low sugar or sugar free yogurt, making your own salad dressings, eliminating fruit drinks or fruit juices (better off eating the fruit), and comparing sauce labels to purchase the lowest sugar options (if it’s one you must have). Regarding sweets, pastries, and sweet dairy products, eat minimally and only on occasion. Regular consumption is guaranteed weight gain.

5. Eat greens. Eat a big bowl of greens every day and top it with chopped vegetables of every variety. You can also drink your greens but not out of a bottle (too much added sugar). Make your own green drink at home using a high powered blender. I made a video sharing the ingredients and how I make this. I drink it four times per week. Eating greens not only makes you feel better and provides disease fighting foods, it also promotes good weight. If you’re filling up on greens and vegetables, you’re less likely to eat junk. On the days I drink my green drink, most of the time I’m still eating a bowl of greens.

6. Consistent exercise. Our bodies were meant to move. Not sit. Seven to nine hours is already spent in slumber. It doesn’t matter what type of movement or exercise you do. Walking, cycling, lifting weights, jogging, dancing, group fitness classes, whatever. Just do something at least six days a week. Exercise burns calories, builds muscle, and improves balance. It makes you feel better. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends moderate-intensity exercise 30 min 5 days a week and vigorous-intense exercise 20 minutes 3 days a week, or a combination. Research over the last decade has shown that the lack of exercise is as unhealthy as smoking cigarettes. Yes! Let that sink in.

7. Don’t eat three hours before bed. We sleep better when our stomachs are not full or having to digest food while we sleep. After dinner, don’t snack. It’s more of a habit than being hungry. If you get a hankering for something, sip on low sugar hot chocolate or a flavored tea (don’t add milk or cream). Consuming a small mint or chewing gum can help reduce cravings. If you must snack, choose a low calorie food like a small apple, a few celery or carrot sticks, a small bag of Skinny Pop popcorn, a boiled egg, or 1 to 2 TBSPs blanched nuts (any variety just not the salted or flavored kind). Not eating after dinner  takes a bit of discipline and practice. However, this one thing can show dramatic results.

Consistency creates habits. Good habits feed success. These are my habits I’ve been doing for decades. Sure, do I eat a bowl of ice cream on occasion or a fat laden meal? Of course I do. I just don’t do it all the time. Weighing everyday lets me know where I’m at  so that I can make the necessary adjustments before the situation becomes more challenging than I want it to be.

I hope you’ve found this useful and helpful. Would love to know your own good habits and what you do that’s helped you stay healthy.

Stay grounded in the things that matter, find ways to serve others, and share kindness wherever you are. Continue to rise, reach, and become.