Lose Weight — for Good

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Exercise can make the toughest part get easier.

If you’ve ever struggled to lose weight, only to see it return, you know that keeping the pounds off can be harder than losing them in the first place.

Why? Short-term techniques like simple dieting can help you drop pounds but aren’t likely to work over the long haul, says Joan Saxton, M.D., a Brown & Toland physician who specializes in weight loss. “Fad diets are called fads for a reason,” she says. “To lose weight, you must exercise. Exercise is the best thing for general health and maintaining weight loss. You have to put in fewer calories than you put out. It’s not very sexy, but that’s the truth.” In a small study of 100 patients in Dr. Saxton’s own practice, for example, 90 percent of the subjects who exercised successfully maintained most of their weight loss. The others, who only dieted, “gained it back, and then some,” she says.

Some tips to help you keep your pounds off:

• Continue to work out. Experts recommend a combination of cardio workouts and strength training. Moderate activity like walking helps, too. Squeeze in some extra steps as a part of your commute: Try parking your car farther away or get off the bus one or two stops sooner and walk. If you suffer from flagging motivation, make a date with a workout buddy or trainer — you’ll be less likely to skip workouts.
• Don’t skip meals. Although you may be tempted to cut calories by skipping meals, especially breakfast, don’t. When you skip meals, your metabolism slows, and it’ll be harder for you to burn calories when you do eat.
• Keep a food log. “Keep a written record, not a make-believe, mental record,” Dr. Saxton says. “That makes you accountable — just like a checkbook register does for your spending.”
• Get on a scale several times a week. The quicker you notice your weight creeping back, the quicker you can adjust and get yourself back on track.
• Treat yourself with nonfood rewards. When you’re first losing weight, the external “strokes” and compliments from friends are plentiful. Later, fewer people notice. That’s when you need to remind yourself of the health benefits. Keep a picture of how you used to look as motivation. Splurge on something nice to reward yourself for your hard work.