1. Make Friends With
Your Scale
You might have a love-hate relationship with
your bathroom scale — normal daily fluctuations can be maddening when all you want to see is 1
fewer pound. But it can still be a very useful tool, says J. Graham Thomas,
PhD, an associate professor at the Miriam Hospital and Brown Medical Center in
Providence, R.I., which runs the National Weight Control Registry. In fact, 75
percent of the 10,000 successful dieters enrolled in the registry weigh
themselves weekly, and 38 percent do so every day — giving the scale a
resounding endorsement for weight-loss maintenance. “Weight creeps up over
time, so our members find that this is the best way they can keep track and
make immediate corrections in their diet,” Thomas says.
2.
Use A Tape Measure To Stay On Track
A very exacting way to measure success is with a cloth tape
measure, says Sue Gebo, RD, assistant professor at the University of
Connecticut. By measuring your waistline, hips, bust, and even thighs and
calves, you can record tangible progress toward your goal with the kind of
detail that a scale can’t give you. Because muscle takes up less volume than fat, you’ll see inches drop, even when there might
not be a corresponding change on the scale. It’s very empowering — and
encouraging — Gebo says.
3.
Use A Food Diary
“I’m a huge fan of ‘tracking’ when it comes to food because I
think it is an excellent tool and is easier than people think,” says dietitian
Melissa Dobbins, RD, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
She notes that you can list the foods or calories you’re eating, or simply mark an “X” on the calendar for every day you met your
daily goal to, say, eat healthier snacks or avoid nighttime eating.
One accountability trick she
recommends is to write down what you plan to eat before you eat it, not after. “The power in
this is that it really increases your awareness more and makes you think
literally twice about a food before you eat it,” she says.
4.
Save Your Skinny Jeans
Some people keep a pair of "fat pants" as a tip-off to weight loss that starts to creep back, but this technique isn’t
effective for everyone. You might be better off keeping a different pair of
pants handy — ones you know you always want to fit into, says Cristina Harder,
RD, of the Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill. “Some people like
to keep a pair of pants that is not far from their goal around so they know
when they reach it. As for having a pair of fat pants, I have all my clients
get rid of anything like that once they reach their goal so they know that
there’s no going back.”
5.
Go Steady With Your Diet BFF
Having a 'we're in this together' buddy not
only reinforces accountability, but also provides positive weight-loss and
weight-maintenance motivation. You can call your buddy if you find yourself
wavering, and you won’t be inclined to hit the snooze button and skip your
morning walk if your friend is depending on you, too. “You can even get a
little competition going, and have one buddy give a reward to the other if they
stay on track — just be sure it isn’t a hot fudge sundae,” Gebo suggests.
6.
Keep the Big Picture in Mind
Setting a specific goal can be a very effective weight-loss strategy. “One of the most common reasons
people come to see me is because they are working towards a goal, like their
child is getting married, or they have got a reunion coming up, or they have gotten
divorced and they want to start dating again,” notes Daisy Merey, MD, PhD, a
bariatric medicine specialist in West Palm Beach, Fla., and author of The Merey Way to Healthy Weight.
However, she notes, be careful not to focus so much on a single transitory
milestone that your plan falls apart afterwards. “I had one patient who slimmed
down because she was going on a cruise, but then she ate like mad on the
cruise, and it all came back," Dr. Merey says. Set permanent objectives,
too, such as living longer or even feeling more comfortable in your clothes.
7.
Chart Your Fitness Feats
Experts agree that physical activity is key to maintaining weight loss, and one
of the best ways to stay on track is to keep a fitness log. It can be as simple
as marking an “X” on a calendar on days you exercise — it’s motivating to see a
chain of Xs that you won’t want to break. Or opt for a more sophisticated
record of accountability, noting each time you do strength training and
aerobics. “At the end of the week, I have my clients tally it up," Dobbins
says, "and they are usually very encouraged to find they did more exercise
than they thought."
8.
There's An App For That
Ever wish you had a drill sergeant who could put you through
your exercise paces? You might not be able to afford a personal trainer who pushes you to complete reps, stick to your weight loss diet, and set new
goals, but you can have a virtual one, courtesy of one of the hundreds fitness
apps available. Dobbins likes MyFitness Pal, Lose It!, and SparkPeople, to name
just three.
9.
Push Yourself With A Pedometer
Walking is one of the easiest exercises around, and with the
right motivation you can add to your daily tally. An inexpensive pedometer is a great accountability aid that can prompt you to forge further ahead to
reach fitness goals. “We strive for people to get to 10,000 steps a day, which
is about five miles,” Harder says. “That may seem like a lot, but if you have a
pedometer and you see that you’re at 8,000 steps, you’ll be more inclined to
put on your sneakers and head out after dinner for one more walk.” There are
even apps that can turn your Smartphone into a pedometer, including a free one
from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
which is affiliated with the Harvard Medical School.
10.
Create Your Own Rewards Program
Losing weight and maintaining that ideal weight is a JOURNEY, Harder says, so she recommends that her clients set up little
rewards along the way to keep them on the right path. “Maybe it’s a size goal,
a weight goal, or an inches goal — the trick is to reward yourself along the
way," she says. "It’s another way of staying accountable.” It worked
for one of her clients who was a bartender and realized that drinking was
adding unwanted calories to her diet. Harder says the woman "decided not
to drink, so, after a certain number of days, she got a massage or facial or
went to see a movie.”
If you have anything that has helped you on your journey that can inspire other Moms, please feel free to share.
Have a great weekend, Moms!
