Weight Maintenance

Don’t Go Nuts!

November 16, 2015 By James Salmons

A major theme on this site over the next few months, or even years, will be on identifying and discussing factors that affect weight maintenance after dieting loss.

There are many weight loss programs that help people lose weight, but sadly most people regain their losses in as little as a year. That is not acceptable.

A Subtle Food Risk

One of the more subtle temptations that can often lead to gaining weight for even the most health conscious people is the attraction of healthy, nutritious foods that still have lots of calories. It is one of those that became the first real threat to my weight maintenance program not long after I got my weight down to its appropriate level.

Nuts of various kinds are quite nutritious and used properly can be a valid part of a person’s diet as it has been for me. But they can also be a dangerous food to have around if not used properly.

In the last week or so…

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Fitness Report: October 2015

October 1, 2015 By James Salmons

What a exciting month in my Getting Fit at Last program! This has been a pivotal month for me in a number of ways so I am eager to write this report, in part because it will help me pull together my thinking about the path ahead. If you are taking time to read this I hope it will give you something to think about as well.

Why a Change in Direction is Required

If you read last month’s report you already know that after sixteen months of slow but consistent weight loss, averaging about four pounds a month, I have reached my target weight of 175 pounds. That represents a weight loss of over 80 pounds altogether.

From time to time I may continue to show the weight loss progress chart, especially in posts about the weight loss plan itself, but it will not be every month and the chart may be a bit smaller than previously (smaller as shown here). But since the weight loss phase is over we will now move on to some other areas of focus.

The primary focus for our next stage as far as weight is concerned will be on weight maintenance. As I have pointed out a few times before, I consider this the most critical stage of any weight loss program and one that is absent in most cases as evidenced by the fact that almost everyone who loses weight gains it back in the next year.

There are a number of other areas I want to work on. In particular I want to give some more attention to my exercise program. But just as my first year (a little more actually) has focused on weight loss, I will give absolute priority to weight maintenance for several months. If I only achieve one thing it will be that until I can feel confident with it being permanent.

A New Direction in Eating

The most enjoyable aspect of my change to weight maintenance is not that I get to eat more, although that is a nice benefit. The best part is that I am discovering new and more tasty foods.

Let me take these two ideas in turn, however, since I do want to share how I am eating more as well as discuss what I am eating.

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Little Known Secret to
Maintaining Weight Loss

September 20, 2015 By James Salmons

There is, I have discovered, a little known secret to maintaining weight loss. It is not inherently obvious to most people so few ever think of it. But once you do think about it, its value is clear.

Take up a new hobby! Not just any hobby but a certain one. Cooking. It may not be a necessity, but it can be a definite help.

Even if you never considered it before or thought it to be enjoyable, get into it. You do not need to spend an inordinate amount of time on it, but make cooking one of your enjoyable hobbies and it will do wonders to help you maintain your weight at its proper level.

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Fitness Report: September 2015

August 31, 2015 By James Salmons

If you read my most recent (the previous) post, you know that this month marks a major milestone in my personal getting fit at last program. On August 16th I reached my weight loss target goal of 175 lbs.

Altogether I have lost over 80 pounds. Beginning at just over 255 pounds, I now weight under 175 pounds. The achievement feels great, but I am very much aware that this is just a transition point, even as far as my weight is concerned.

So What Goals Are Next?

Naturally I have been anticipating this moment for a while and giving it some thought. Nevertheless, I recognize that I must give a lot of additional serious thought to the transition into my next stage….

There may be more, but I can readily see a few things that are absolutely essential. I will need to:

Accurately identify the requirements of a workable weight maintenance program, one that will adequately control calories and at the same time be practical and easily adopted.
Develop a written action plan including motivational steps that will enable me to permanently shape my eating habits for long term success.
Project an eating program that will…
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Target Weight Loss Achieved!

August 16, 2015 By James Salmons

Today I am putting a new day on my holiday calendar, August 16th—a day in 2015 that will live down in history, my personal history that is, as the day I reached a major goal—seeing my weight drop below 175 pounds for the first time in decades!

Now to celebrate!

My Long Weight Loss Journey

In April of last year I made a decision that dramatically changed the course of my life. After years of neglecting my health in general, and living with a lot of excess weight most obviously, I came to the point of making a serious commitment to get fit.

The most pressing part of that effort was to shed at least 80 pounds. Losing weight was only one part of what I recognized would be essential, but it stood out as a priority beginning point because it affected and in many cases limited my potential for achieving others.

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How to Modify Frozen Diet Meals

June 15, 2015 By James Salmons

One secret I have found to migrating from a low calorie weight loss plan to a long term maintenance plan is learning how to use frozen meals like those from Weight Watchers (Smart Ones) and Lean Cuisine as a base, making a few improvements to suit your needs. Here are a few of my thoughts and suggestions—ideas that work for me.

Start With the Right Attitude

A lot of success in any area is learning how to think about what you are doing, and that is true in this case as well. Any change or adaptation should be done for a reason.

These meals are often fine just as they are, and I appreciate the way they help make weight loss easier by offering good meals with sometimes a very limited number of calories. You do not need to “fix” anything unless there is a legitimate reason to do so.

Often, however, there are good reasons for improving dishes as far as enabling them to better meet your personal needs as you transition to a long term healthy eating pattern. My intentions here are to share some of my goals and how I try to reach them.

Adding More Size to the Meal

While working hard to lose weight, it is obviously necessary to eat a good number of meals that we think of as just a way to get by until we can eat a snack or another meal. We discipline ourselves to do it because we are committed to our weight loss goal. But this is not a good long term permanent approach to eating.

There are a number of ways to add to a meal designed to assist with weight loss and make it a fully satisfying one for a long term regular healthy eating. I have been experimenting with these ideas for some time, to some extent even before I thought about allowing myself to increase my daily calorie intake much.

The easiest way is…

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