Losing significant weight requires dedication and perseverance; patients may also need to manage unintentional sabotage from family or friends who try to undermine them unknowingly.
Research studies that track individuals who successfully maintain weight loss have revealed several key strategies, including self-monitoring, social support, physical activity and meal planning.
Self-monitoring
Studies show that self-monitoring can be an integral component of changing behaviors relating to weight loss. People who possess higher self-efficacy for managing energy intake and expenditure (eating behaviors) typically achieve greater success rates.
Self-monitoring requires an individualized approach. Determining the most appropriate recording frequency based on your client’s schedule, ability and the targeted behavior (for instance recording eating behaviors every day is more effective than once every week).
Furthermore, it’s also vital to provide clear instructions and provide assistance for record-keeping. Some clients may prefer using an app on their smartphone or keeping a checklist in a journal for record-keeping purposes. In addition, providing feedback on monitoring assignments will build motivation towards positive change as well as enable you to identify barriers to achievement – ultimately strengthening your effectiveness as a health/fitness professional.
Physical activity
Physical activity is essential to successfully losing weight. Exercise helps burn calories and build muscle mass for higher energy expenditure and decrease feelings of deprivation; keeping track of physical activity helps people feel accountable and many free mobile apps exist that track food intake and exercise habits.
Studies have demonstrated that pedometers can significantly increase daily walking among overweight individuals. When combined with counseling techniques such as goal setting, performance reviews and descriptive praise they can further increase walking levels and ultimately result in improved outcomes.
Though some dieters may regain the weight they have lost, most can maintain long-term success by adopting effective weight loss strategies. People who have successfully kept off the pounds typically possess strong motivations for living the lifestyle they want and an awareness of how their habits impact their health; when facing obstacles or challenges they make sure to utilize behavioral techniques such as self-monitoring and physical activity.
Social support
Social support is essential for maintaining weight loss. This assistance may come from family, friends, co-workers, health professionals or community support groups – people with strong networks often enjoy higher self-esteem, less unhealthy behavior and increased physical activity levels.
This mixed-methods study explored participants’ perceptions of how participation in HELP PD affected eating and exercise habits of their surrounding social support system. Results, which focused on knowledge dissemination and motivation themes, indicate that behavioral interventions could benefit by considering how their activities impact SSP lifestyle habits.
Participants felt HELP PD helped them spread information on healthy eating and exercising. Furthermore, they believed it had a positive influence on SSP lifestyle habits – such as increased awareness of ingredients used in food products as well as changes to how SSPs prepared meals; additionally they witnessed changes in frequency and location of exercise behaviors by these SSPs.
Meal planning
Meal planning involves selecting recipes, compiling a grocery list, and prepping or washing food in advance to reduce daily stress levels and make selecting nutritious meals that support weight loss goals easier. Plus it saves money, prevents food waste, and reduces trips to drive-thrus or unhealthy restaurants!
Meal plans can be useful tools for those struggling with impulsive eating and poor diet quality, but they must not be blindly adhered to. Blindly following a rigid meal plan without making any room for choices or flexibility could foster unhealthy relationships with food that compromise weight loss efforts.
Generic meal plans distributed online or created by nutrition coaches often do not work long-term as they fail to take into account individual preferences and lifestyle considerations. A registered dietitian can assist in designing a personalized plan tailored specifically to meeting each person’s individual needs for long-term behavior change.