I hope you have followed along with our 2014 Cityline Weight Loss Challenge. We have had an amazing year, with our four winners losing 102 pounds in total! Congratulations to everyone who has participated.
At this stage of the Cityline Weight Loss Challenge, you may have hit your goal weight or are within striking distance of it. For starters — bravo! I am confident you feel much lighter, more energetic and have a surge of health that is priceless. If you have not yet hit your goal weight – no worries, simply continue on plan until you do (which I know you will!).
If you are ready for the maintenance stage, you may be asking yourself the age-old question “I did it — but how do I keep it off?” For so many, there is a fear that you will lose control and gain back the weight. I assure you, there is no reason to worry. By implementing the steps outlined below, you will be well equipped to keep the weight off for life no matter what event or stressor you encounter.
Keep in mind, if you “slip” nutrition-wise (which you will — everyone does), simply return back to the original program posted at www.cityline.ca/weightloss.
To maintain your weight loss results, follow the simple steps below:
1) Do not deny yourself — follow the 80-20 rule of eating. If you are at a party and you cannot stop eyeing the French fries, I have a suggestion: eat some French fries! The long-term goal is not to keep you in a state of deprivation for life — that is not the balance I want you to strike. The goal is to make peace with food so you can enjoy your indulgences, such as trying a bit of dessert, eating a few nachos, or having an extra glass of wine. The key is to eat on track 80% of the time and allow yourself to indulge 20% of the time, such as on weekends and special occasions like birthdays.
2) Avoid diet foods. There is a huge surge in popularity of 100-calorie portion-controlled snack foods for weight loss. Unfortunately, a majority of these foods are filled with processed sugars, making them high on the glycemic index, which when eaten triggers the urge to eat more. I am also not an advocate of over-consuming artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. I have seen far too many people who struggle with their weight over-consume products filled with artificial sweeteners.
3) Eat up to 2 grains per day — occasionally toss your grain into dinner. Whole grains are filled with lots of goodness — fibre, vitamins, phytonutrients and more — but overdoing it can cause weight gain. As we get older, our bodies require less grain, fewer calories and more nutrient-dense options (e.g., foods high in minerals and antioxidants such as colourful vegetables and fruits). As a general maintenance principle, 1 to 2 grain selections per day maximum is recommended. If you find yourself gaining weight, simply cut back on a grain option. In addition, limiting the amount of grain you consume in the evening is advisable for weight maintenance.
4) Continue to eat large amounts of vegetables – Make an effort to consume vegetables a minimum of 3 to 5 times per day. I routinely tell my clients, “If you want to feel alive, you must eat alive foods on a regular basis.” Vegetables are brimming with nutrients and antioxidants and become even more critical to overall health and wellness as we age. Going forward, all vegetables (with the exclusion of starchy vegetables) are considered free foods and can be consumed in unlimited quantities. As far as starchy vegetables go, on maintenance, you can consume starchy vegetables up to 2-3x times per week. To recap, 1 serving of a starchy vegetable is equivalent to:
- Beets (1/2 cup/125 mL)
- Corn (1/2 cup/125 mL)
- Yams or sweet potatoes (1 small — the size of an average baseball)
- Squash (1/2 cup/125 mL)
5) Consume 2 to 3 fruit servings daily. Fruit is a wonderful part of your daily intake and can be included in smoothies, on top of yogurt or as a snack; however, it is best to keep to 2 to 3 options per day. As a recap, 1 fruit serving is equivalent to:
- 1 small piece of fruit (1 apple, 1 orange, 1 grapefruit)
- ½ cup of raw fruit (i.e. blueberries, strawberries)
- ½ of a banana
- 2 small kiwis, apricots or plums
6) Watch your nighttime eating patterns. One of the most important rules of maintenance is to keep an eye on your evening eating patterns. If you find your sweet tooth is creeping back and you are opening cupboards at night to see what you can snack on, this is a red flag. What might seem as “just a couple of cookies” after dinner will quickly turn into a faulty nighttime eating pattern that will cause your cravings to rush back and your weight to slowly creep up. Of all the principles of the maintenance phase, this is the most important one. Most often, eating after dinner is often not an indication of true hunger; rather, it is a sign that something is going on emotionally (stress, boredom, fatigue, wanting a reward, etc.). Stick to free foods for nighttime eating which includes vegetables, vegetable juice, vegetable soup, or sweet herbal teas.
7) Engage in physical activity regularly. “Oh no, I cheated big time last night!” If that is the case, your safety net — or insurance factor — to avoid weight gain is exercise. The truth is, once or twice per week is simply not enough. To keep your energy and mood high and your weight down, engage in physical exercise a minimum of 3 to 5 times per week. As we age, our metabolism slows, we start to lose muscle mass and our “bank of calcium” becomes smaller and smaller. To keep your bones strong, your weight down and to continue to keep your metabolism running at high speed, exercise is a must.
8) Continue to weigh yourself 1 to 2 times per week. When it comes to weight loss, there is a balance between taking charge of your diet and health and not becoming overly obsessed with it. To remain in tune with your body and weight on the maintenance phase, it is important to continue to weigh yourself on an accurate scale 1 or 2 times per week — and no more. Don’t weigh yourself daily. By doing so, you will see fluctuations that are caused by the time of month, bloating, a meal eaten the night before that was high in sodium and so on. Weighing yourself 1 or 2 times per week (pick a day of the week that is your weigh-in day) will help you to properly assess and monitor your weight without being overly preoccupied with the number. Remember, to be consistent, weigh yourself at approximately the same time of day, wearing the same type of clothing.
9) Do not consume alcohol daily. Although some studies do show that drinking daily and in moderation (1 drink for women; 2 drinks for men) has no ill effect on overall health, I am not an advocate of daily drinking as part of a weight maintenance plan. Higher alcohol intake is associated with higher amounts of abdominal obesity and can contribute to cravings, bloating and lethargy. As a general rule, a maximum number of drinks per week is 6 for women and 8 for men, although fewer is better (less is better).
10) Practice 1 day of light eating. For years, I have advocated the practice of 1 day of light eating per week. Why? This very effective technique will help to keep your weight down and will give your digestive system a break — and time to cleanse and digest unwanted food materials. I have also found this to be a very helpful technique for clearing up bloating, constipation and lethargy. Eating lightly does not mean you have to fast or eat next to nothing. On the contrary, what I am suggesting is that for 1 day per week, eliminate grain, red meat and dairy (except for plain yogurt) from your diet and stick to hydrating foods and beverages, lean proteins, high-fibre foods and fruits and vegetables.
11) Keep your fluid intake high. Proper hydration is essential to keeping your weight off and your energy high. If this new habit starts to slip, start making a conscious effort to once again boost your intake of flat water and herbal teas. Continue to drink water with freshly squeezed lemon juice — it will act as a natural daily astringent to your digestive system (and is great for skin too).
Remember, if you start gaining some weight back (5 pounds or more) – do not panic, the original program is waiting for you at www.cityline.ca/weightloss. I also encourage you to food journal every so often to ensure you are continuing to bring a mindfulness to your eating patterns (which is half the battle!).
If you have any nutritional or weight loss questions, I want to hear from you! Simply e-mail me at drjoey@drjoey.com. And…thank you for following along on our Weight Loss Challenge – it has been a wonderful and very successful year!
Wishing you best health,
Dr. Joey
Twitter and Instagram: @drjoeyshulman
www.drjoey.com