Getting Back on Track: 9 Tips to Lose the Weight and Keep It Off

Life is a journey, filled with seasons that ebb and flow, and going on a weight loss journey is no exception. Striving for perfection every day is an unrealistic expectation that can often lead to frustration and setbacks.

It’s essential to understand that weight fluctuation is a normal part of the journey.

Nobody maintains a perfect physique throughout the year, and that’s perfectly okay. What matters most is your health and well-being.

So, if you’ve veered off course, don’t worry.

Let’s explore these nine tips to help you get back on track, lose the weight, and establish habits for lasting success.

1. Embrace Enjoyable Exercise

Getting back on track doesn’t mean punishing your body with grueling workouts. Instead, focus on exercise that you genuinely enjoy and can sustain in the long term.

Shift your mindset from simply burning calories to the joy of getting stronger. Whether it’s lifting weights, practicing yoga, or holding a challenging Pilates position,find activities that motivate and inspire you.

When you enjoy the process, staying consistent becomes second nature rather than a chore or something you have to do to lose weight.

2. Shift Your View on Food

Say goodbye to restrictive calorie counting and welcome the concept of allowance.

Rather than viewing food as the enemy, understand that nourishing your body is a form of self-care. When you restrict certain foods or a certain amount of calories,they become “off limits” and otherwise, tempting.

With time and patience, allowing these foods into your diet will help you normalize them and therefore, reduce the craving to have them. And when you do crave these types of foods, you end up eating less because you know you can enjoy these foods whenever you’d like.

This shift in perspective helps create a healthier relationship with food, fostering a sustainable approach to weight loss.

3. Manage Expectations

Evaluate your weight loss expectations. Unrealistic goals can lead to frustration and derail your progress.

Maybe you’ve told yourself… “I just want to lose 10 lbs this month.” Well, let me tell you, coming from a professional, that is a lot of weight to lose in a month and 9 times out of 10 is unrealistic.

Healthy weight loss that will stay off is around 0.5-2 lbs a week. This depends on your current weight and lifestyle.

And weight loss in a linear line, continually trending down and not spiking is unrealistic, as well. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, and sometimes weight gain happens.

Instead of being disheartened, reevaluate your expectations, journal your diet, and set achievable goals. Celebrate small victories along the way, and remember that the journey is as just as important as the destination.

4. Take Immediate Action

When you slip up, don’t wait for a new day or week to start over. Get back on track at the very next meal or snack opportunity.

A prime example is going off your diet on the weekend and getting back on track on Monday. I can tell you from experience that you will not magically wake up on Monday ready to take action.

Once you’ve already set the cycle in motion of throwing in the towel and starting fresh another day, it becomes a habit and a tough cycle to kick.

My advice? Start fresh as your next meal or snack! You’ll start to feel GOOD right away and this is the motivation you need to keep going.

Waiting only prolongs the detour, and taking immediate action reinforces your commitment to your health and well-being.

5. Customize Your Routine

It’s time to change your daily routine, but focus on what matters to you, not what external pressures dictate.

Identify the aspects of your life that you want to work on and tailor your routine accordingly. Whether it’s incorporating a morning walk, dedicating time to a hobby, or prioritizing self-care, make choices that align with your values and goals.

Working with many weight loss clients over the past 10 years, I can confidently say that my clients who are successful are the ones who pick their own habits to work towards. If I was to choose what someone should work on, it wouldn’t be genuine.

Create a daily routine that makes you happy. Know that this routine will continually change as you get closer to your goals.

6. Hydrate for Health

Water is a crucial component of any weight loss journey. If you’re not tracking your water intake, you may be dehydrated or not receiving enough fluids.

Proper hydration supports overall well-being, aids digestion, and can even help control appetite. Make it a habit to drink water throughout the day to ensure you stay properly hydrated.

PRO TIP: Avoid drinking all your water at night.

Try an app that reminds you to drink water, write in your work schedule just how much water you need to drink in your day, or even buy a water bottle that tells you how much to drink at each hour of the day.

Setting up constant reminders will help you establish this habit.

7. Set Goals and Establish Systems

Create clear, realistic goals for your weight loss journey, and pair them with established systems or habits.

Plan out your day realistically, and schedule time for self-care, exercise, and meal preparation.

For Example: If your goal is to cook dinner three nights a week, break down the process into manageable steps, from finding recipes to grocery shopping and meal prep.

As you can see, a simple goal of cooking dinner a few nights a week is toughbecause there are so many action steps you have to take prior to accomplishing this goal.

By establishing systems, you make it easier to stay consistent and make progress toward your goals.

8. Plan for Setbacks

Life has its ups and downs, so it’s crucial to plan for setbacks. Prepare not just Plan A, but also have Plan B and Plan C in place to be flexible and react to unexpected situations.

Let’s go back to the example of the goal to cook dinner a few nights a week.

Plan A is accomplishing this goal as planned. Plan B might be having frozen foods (grilled chicken strips, frozen veggies, frozen brown rice) in the freezer to prepare foods last minute. And Plan C might be ordering takeout, but choosing balanced meals (protein, carb, fiber, fats) and being OKAY with the fact that your week didn’t go as planned.

Because if you don’t have a Plan B or C ready to go after not accomplishing Plan A, you throw in the towel and order whatever you feel like eating because you feel defeated. Therefore, not accomplishing your goals.

Being prepared helps you stay on track by adjusting to the seasons of life with flexibility and resilience.

9. Practice Acceptance

Not feeling comfortable in your skin is hard, but enjoying your weight loss journey means being happy every day. Practice saying positive affirmations about your body.

Achieving a specific weight goal isn’t going to give you the satisfaction you think. That type of happiness is temporary.

Focus on what makes you currently happy that isn’t related to your body because when life has its ups and downs and your weight fluctuates, you can always choose happiness.

Happiness starts from within.

Embarking on a weight loss journey is not about achieving perfection every day but about embracing the imperfections and finding sustainable solutions.Understand that life is a series of seasons, and your health is a lifelong journey.

By enjoying exercise, shifting your view on food, managing expectations, taking immediate action, customizing your routine, prioritizing hydration, and setting clear goals, you can get back on track and create habits that lead to lasting success.

Remember, it’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey, and each step forward is a victory in itself. So, lace up those sneakers, savor that wholesome meal, and let this be the start to a journey you enjoy and never have to restart.