The Top 10 Ways to Stay on Track Once You Hit Your Goal Weight

Article posted in: South Beach Diet
ways to stay on track

Hitting your goal weight and reaching the maintenance phase of South Beach Diet is a cause for celebration! And since The Palm crew is your number one cheering squad, let us be the first to share some tried-and-true tips, tricks and ways to stay on track once you’ve reached this brand-new phase of South Beach.

Keep reading for our top 10 ways to stay on track once you reach your goal:

1. Redefine your goals

weight loss goals

Working toward your weight loss goal, you had a singular focus for the mental and physical effort you put into meeting that goal. And now that you’re on the other side, you might be riding the wave of momentum and worried about falling off track now that you’re not working toward a specific goal.

The fix? Set some new, challenging goals! This might be as simple as trying a new activity like biking or kayaking. Or maybe you’d enjoy training for a foot race, cycling event or triathlon. Enjoy time outdoors? Find a challenging hike in your area that you can work up the strength and endurance to complete over time.

2. Stay accountable.

ways to stay on track

One of the easiest ways to stay on track is to continue logging your meals, water and workouts in a food journal.

Continuing too keep a food diary means that you’re still thinking about what, how and when you’re eating, which keeps you in the mindset of thinking about your food choices and making sure you’re eating in the way that fuels you and makes you feel the best. It keeps you tuned in to your mind-body connection with food and hydration throughout the day, too, which will make it easier to stay on track with the new healthy eating habits you’ve adopted by following the South Beach plan!

3. Continue eating often.

eat often

Carry your South Beach meal plan set-up through to weight maintenance. Each day aim to enjoy a breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and evening snack. As you know by now, eating this way ensures you don’t ever reach the danger zone of hunger. However, as long as you get in enough calories, you can switch up your meal plan to better fit your life.  You can continue to eat six times a day (with three meals and three snacks) if that works best for you. However, you may find that three larger meals work best for your lifestyle. Rearrange your daily layout to suit your preferences and fit your schedule.

Stick mostly to the foods you enjoyed throughout your weight loss phase, too: proteins, healthy fats and vegetables. These are the backbone of a healthy diet for everyone—not just for people trying to lose or maintain their weight. Your body now needs and craves these nutrients and is depending on you to fuel it properly.

Stay smart and give yourself the same advantage now that you had in your weight loss phase—a solid plan. Figure out your meals for the week ahead of time and make sure you always have a few snacks on hand in case a meeting goes too long or you have to run an errand or pick up the kids at a different time than planned. Set yourself up for success so that you don’t give yourself reason to race to the drive-thru once you’re ravenously hungry!

4. Find excitement in trying new things.

try new things

Excitement is key in staying happy and connected to making healthy choices and living a healthy lifestyle. Now that the excitement of losing weight each week has waned, channel that excitement into trying new things. For example:

  • Look for new fruits and veggies to mix into your meal plan for the week.
  • Check out farmer’s markets nearby and meet the farmers who grow food in your community. Get connected to the food that you’re nourishing your body with.
  • Try a healthy cooking class. Many markets have started offering classes like this, and much of the time they’re free! Check out the offerings in your town.
  • Join a walking or running group to sync up with other people in your area that share the same values when it comes to being active and staying healthy.
  • Or get into a group fitness class at your gym or a local studio. This is a fun way to get out of your comfort zone and try something new while opening up the opportunity to connect with others who are doing the same.

These are just a couple of ideas to get the wheels turning on how you can incorporate new foods, recipes and fitness into your routine so you can stay excited about the reasons you chose this healthy lifestyle to begin with. This’ll help you stay motivated and keep you from falling back into old habits as you move forward.

5. Check in with the scale.

scale

We don’t want you to go overboard worrying about the number on the scale—as you know it can fluctuate a little throughout the week or month, and this is perfectly fine and normal. No cause for alarm.

But don’t fall off the other end and not weigh in at all. By keeping an eye on things, you’ll know how your current diet is impacting your weight. This way you can make any necessary tweaks to your food choices, portion sizes and hydration that you need to, in order to stay on the right track.

If you notice the number on the scale start to creep up above your goal weight, not to fear. You know how to handle this thanks to South Beach. (This article will tell you exactly what to do! >)

6. Keep a (not-so) secret snack stash.

three small containers filled with different flavored protein powders. healthy snack ideas

It’s ok—encouraged, even—to keep a bunch of quick and easy snacks on hand. Just make sure they are healthy and South Beach-approved! Be sure that your fridge, freezer and pantry is filled with smart, South Beach-approved options that you love, such as protein shakes, nuts and yogurt. This tip can help you on those days when you’re too busy to think about what to eat—plus, you know you’re always covered for a quick and easy snack when life gets busy.

7. Rediscover your social life.

social life

Plan some fun activities, join a team, go out dancing, meet up with old friends—in other words, if there are certain activities you used to enjoy but perhaps have dropped the ball on at some point, now is the time to get your groove back! You’ve gotten used to a healthier and more active lifestyle, so why not get out there and enjoy yourself? This is where your hard work pays off!

8. Keep your fitness up.

keep your fitness

Activity became part of your daily life during your weight loss phase of South Beach. In your maintenance phase, it’s equally as important. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends between 150 and 250 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week for the prevention of weight gain.

To make this goal more digestible, aim to break that down into daily segments. Try to get in at least 30 minutes each day and try not to skip too many days in a row. That way, you won’t find yourself near the end of the week trying to cram 250 minutes of exercise into just a couple of days. Keeping it to shorter sessions makes it a much more attainable goal.

If you haven’t discovered weight training, consider adding some resistance moves to your routine now to help maintain your weight. It’s a great way to build lean muscle, which is important to help sustain a healthy metabolism.

9. Make up your mindset.

mindset

When you think of a diet as only a quick-fix to get you to your weight loss goal, rather than a choice that you make to lead a lifestyle that’s better for you and your health, it’s easier to give that up in favor of your old habits—and gain back the weight you lost.

But you know that’s not the case with South Beach. The plan sets you up for success, helps you make lifestyle changes—not quick fixes—and teaches you how to implement the principles of the diet out in the world on your own.

So, remember why you wanted to lose the weight to begin with, and why you chose South Beach to help get you there. Make up your mind that this is a lasting solution for you and your health.

10. Be flexible.

ways to stay on track

Get rid of any rigid ideas of what makes up a healthy lifestyle. Don’t be afraid to eat out, to go to parties, to watch the game with friends or to hit up happy hour with your coworkers. Now that you know how to stick to the South Beach principles in any situation, let them be your guide for how to navigate these situations. Trust yourself and your body to lead you to the foods and beverages that will nourish, provide energy and make you feel the best.

And if you have some extra chips and dip, or a cupcake here and there—it is nowhere near the end of the world! South Beach is all about learning how to enjoy your life, real life, while sticking to the healthy principles you know so well, for a majority of the time.

It’s moderation, it’s making healthy choices as often as you can, and it’s also about enjoying yourself, not feeling deprived and not being scared to enjoy your life without the fear of backsliding. Trust the knowledge you’ve gained, trust your body, trust the choices you’ve made and the hard work you’ve put in up to this point. That’s what got you all the way to your weight loss goal. You did it—and you can follow these ways to stay on track! You’ve got this!

Looking for more guidance on weight maintenance? Check out the helpful articles below!: