Is there a magic formula for keeping a weight loss off for life?  

Here are some odd things I do that have helped me maintain a 50-pound weight loss since 2001(I would also love to hear some of your weird weight maintenance ideas).

1)  Muffins.  Only eat the top.  Then throw the rest away.  Muffins are treats, and I won’t deny myself one if I really want one.  I simply eat the top (that’s where all the good stuff is), and don’t feel guilty if I throw the rest away.   

2) Do combo meals.  Combine breakfast/lunch, or lunch/dinner.  I find this easier to do on weekends, whenever I’m a little out of routine.  It helps save calories.  This means eating only two meals a day, instead of three.  This is easy to do if I have slept in and by the time I eat breakfast it’s almost time for lunch (breakfast/lunch), or by the time I eat lunch it’s fairly close to dinner (lunch/dinner).  Who made up that three-meals-a-day rule anyway?

3)  Skip a meal every now and then.   For example: If I eat too much at lunch, I don’t eat dinner.  On days like that, my husband will be a good sport and fix something for himself, and I miss the calories of dinner that night.  And no weight gain on the scale for me the next day.

4) Use salsa for salad dressing.  This a great calorie saver.  I use it at Chipolte fast-food Mexican

restaurant, on grilled chicken salads, or at home.  I love salsa and will look for any excuse possible to eat it, so this is an easy, low-calorie, low-fat, tasty option.

5)  Find a favorite, low-cal snack.  My favorite snack is 10 salted almonds and a small can of V-8.  It’s only 100-120 calories, satisfying, heart-healthy — and doesn’t make me gain weight.  I eat that snack morning and afternoon.  Read “Confessions of a V-8 Addict” for more information and a funny video.

6)  Eat a “safe” breakfast and lunch 4-5 days a week. Have low-cal yogurt (60 calories) and 1/2 grapefruit for breakfast; salad with six different kinds of vegetables and 3 ounces of turkey for lunch, 4-5 days per week.  If I stick with this, the weight stays off — if I vary it too much, I’m in trouble. Why mess with the formula?  

7)  Have treats.   I love Peanut M&Ms every now and then, 250 calories a bag. It helps me break the deprivation  ”Binge/Diet” cycle.  You gotta have treats.

8)  Dance.  Whenever you can, do something fun — like dance!  You don’t have to go anywhere official — just remember to have a good time.   My husband and I like to dance out on the back porch, or around the pool table when we play pool upstairs at our house.  My friend, Wendy, likes to crank up the tunes while she cleans the house.  Dancing burns calories, and makes you happy.  Perfect for living the thin lifestyle!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 at 7:37 am and is filed under Health. Tags for this post: Bathroom scale, BMI, buffet restaurants, Burning Calories, calorie, Calorie Calculator, Calorie Counting, calorie myths, Calories, Counting Calories, Diet, Diet Ideas, fat calories, fat grams, hcg, Health, Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Living, Keeping Weight Off, Lap-Band, Losing Pounds, nutrition, overeaters anonymous, real age, thermic vegetables, trans-fat, Weight Loss, Weight Maintenance, weight management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.