Keeping it Going
Key Points
- There are four key areas that will help you lose weight and keep it off:
eat breakfast every day;- control your portions and energy balance;
- be active every day;
- self monitor and act early if getting off track.
- Celebrate your weight loss achievements and note all the health benefits that your weight loss brings.
- To help you stay on track, regularly review your motivation for achieving a healthy weight and reassess goals you aim to achieve.
Topics
- Successful weight maintenance
- Healthy weight for life
- Reflect on your achievements
Introduction
Congratulations on reaching Week 18 of the Healthy Weight For Life™ program, and for setting your healthy weight journey on track. The program officially ends this week, however it is up to you to keep your healthy weight on track for life!
This module outlines four key areas for successful weight maintenance. It also offers you the opportunity to reflect on why you started this healthy weight journey 18 weeks ago, and the motivators that will help you keep going.
1. Successful weight maintenance
There have been many studies on what contributes to successfully maintaining weight loss. Here are four key areas that will help you succeed:
Eat breakfast every day
Don't ever skip breakfast. Refer back to "The importance of a healthy breakfast" module covered in Week 13. Remember that if you choose the right foods for breakfast, your body will be sufficiently fuelled and you will be less likely to over-eat during the rest of the day.
If time is an issue in the mornings:
- Have a KicStart™ - it's quick and easy to prepare and has all the nutrients you need to start the day.
- Prepare breakfast the night before and refrigerate - you will save precious time and ensure a balanced breakfast by planning ahead.
- Take something you can eat on your way to work or keep nutritious breakfast options at work - taking healthy food from home is better than buying take away.
Portion control and energy balance
To maintain your weight you need to maintain your energy balance equation, that is ensuring that energy in = energy out. Remember, if we eat and drink too much energy (even if it is from healthy food) and don't expend that extra food energy in physical activity, we will inevitably gain weight.
Rely on the tools and habits you've developed throughout the Healthy Weight For Life™ program to maintain your energy balance:
- Pack lunches and snacks every day, even if you are staying at home.
- Use your Portion Planner Disc to determine the content of your evening meal.
- When eating out, keep the Healthy Weight For Life™ breakfast, lunch or dinner healthy portions in mind.
- Spread your meals and snacks evenly throughout the day to help regulate blood glucose levels.
Be active every day
- Be active in as many ways as possible, both with incidental activity as well as planned or structured exercise.
- Minimise the amount of time spent sitting eg. use stand up desks or stand up when on phone calls.
- Maximise your incidental activity by choosing the more energetic option, such as walking whenever possible rather than driving.
- Aim to maintain your 30 minutes of planned activity every day.
- Find fun or social activities that you enjoy doing and will look forward to.
Self-monitor and act early if getting off track
- Measure your weight and waist weekly and record it on your personal weight and health record or on your online member hub.
- Use a pedometer, activity tracker or smart phone to track your daily walking target.
- Be aware of any patterns of behaviour that are detrimental to maintaining your healthy weight and swap them for new, healthier habits.
2. Healthy weight for life
Even though you will generally look better when you lose weight, the greatest advantage is that you will be healthier. Note how much weight you have lost throughout the Healthy Weight For Life™ program. A reduction of just five to ten percent of your starting weight can greatly improve your health. You may experience any or all of the following improvements:
- lower cholesterol
- stabilised blood sugars
- a reduction in your blood pressure
- less joint pain and increased mobility
- not to mention the mental health benefits associated with a healthier lifestyle.
The Healthy Weight for Life program is designed to improve nutrition and to help you put in place important lifestyle habits. Consider your health not as a destination, but rather as the vehicle in which you travel through life's journey. Take the time to look after your "vehicle" (this might include eating well, regular exercise, good sleep etc) in the same way that we make sure our car has air in the tyres and is serviced regularly so that it runs well, making the journey smoother and more enjoyable. We want our "vehicle" to be capable of taking us to the destinations we choose to enjoy, like playing with the grandkids, or walking on the beach, or maintaining our physical independence so we can live in the home of our choosing.
Celebrate the benefits of achieving and maintaining your healthy weight. You'll realise long term health benefits if you stay with a Healthy Weight For Life™ attitude and implement all the knowledge you've acquired over the past 18 weeks.
Remember to recognise milestones and celebrate the little goals you've achieved along the way to your ultimate long term goals. Take time to reflect back on how much you've achieved, and how far you've come, and congratulate yourself for a job well done!
3. Reflect on your Achievements
At the beginning of the program, 18 weeks ago, you completed a personal reflection about your motivation for enrolling in the program and what you hoped to achieve. Now is a good time to reflect on the reasons you started this journey, and the motivation you have for keeping it going!
- Why did you decide to participate in the Healthy Weight For Life™ program? Have your expectations been met?
- Revisit the goals you set in Week 2 "Goal Setting". Have you achieved your goals? How far have you progressed to achieving your goals?
- Are there any other goals you would like to achieve?
- New SMART goals I would like to achieve: (make sure they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time framed)
- What additional lifestyle changes would you like to make?
Congratulations on the progress you have made. Be confident that you now have the tools and the know how to be able to achieve and maintain a Healthy Weight for Life. Keep doing what you're doing - it's working!
End of Phase Three - Self Assessment
What have you learned from Phase Three? Take this quick quiz to find out.
1. Skipping breakfast will help you lose weight.
(True or False)
2. 1 glass of wine (1 "extra") = __________ minutes easy walk (1 "activity block").
3. Intrinsic motivation is more effective for maintaining healthy lifestyle changes than extrinsic motivation.
(True or False)
4. Plateaus are a normal part of the weight loss process and provide an opportunity to reassess your weight loss strategies
(True or False)
5. Which of the following is not a strategy for maintaining motivation:
a) Set yourself a challenge
b) Do it alone
c) Include variety in your routine
d) Use technology
e) Reward yourself.
6. Which of the following is not one of the four keys to successful weight maintenance?:
a) Eat breakfast every day
b) Portion control and energy balance
c) You can eat as much healthy food as you like
d) Be active every day
e) Self-monitor and act early if getting off track