Kim Bielenda
Health Solutions Coordinator

Weight Management – 5 Tips to Keeping the Weight Off

Losing weight is difficult but keeping it off can be a whole other issue. To make sure all your hard work pays off, here are some simple tips to keep your body in the shape you worked so hard to achieve take a look at these 5 simple tips:

1. Focus on whole foods. Turn in your packaged meals for more whole foods if you want to maintain a healthy weight. Whole foods are those that nature provides, with all their edible parts! For example, fresh produce gives you more energy and helps reduce weight gain. It also may protect you from cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes.
2. Snack smarter. Snacking is not always a bad thing. It is the snack choices that can get us into trouble. Anything sugary and full of white flour will give you a quick burst of energy then leave you to crash. What you need is fuel, not something that offers no nutritional value. Instead of chips and cakes grab an apple, yogurt, handful of almonds, veggies, or celery.
3. Stay hydrated. Some people confuse thirst with hunger. You can end up eating extra calories when a glass of water is really what you need. When you find yourself contemplating a stroll to the vending machine, make sure you are adequately hydrated before you give in to the snack attack.
4. Eat less food, more often. To avoid feeling deprived you need to eat less food, more often. Granted, small meals do not work for everyone, but if you want to feel satisfied all day, then spreading out your meals is a great idea! Also, smaller meals can really make a big difference in your energy level and how you feel. Larger meals are harder to digest and often leave you feeling sluggish.
5. Do not deprive yourself. Not eating enough calories in a day is almost a guarantee to overeating later in the week. You may have been on a strict diet that limited the amount of calories you consumed, but it will be next to impossible to maintain that level of commitment now that you have reached your goal weight. Never let yourself feel like you are starving. Once you are that hungry, every healthy tip you read or heard will go straight out the window.