EZTakaful’s 6 week weight-loss programme Projek Evolusi came to an end with flying colours! Congratulations to our Ultimate Champions Ain and Jefrri who lost 5.2kg and 11.4kg in 6 weeks. After 6 weeks of blood, sweat and Herbalife Nutrition supplements our Super 6 contestants have lost kilograms left, right and centre!
Just like Ain and Jefrri you may have lost some weight too! Wahoo! You’ve worked hard and met your weight-loss goal. You can look in the mirror with pride and post your new look on social media to show off to your friends and family. Be proud of yourself, weight loss is something that requires a lot of commitment and dedication.
So…now that you are happy with your new size, the next question now is how to maintain this level and stopping yourself from putting the kilos back on.
The answer is straight forward – don’t stop doing the things that helped you slim down in the first place. If smarter food choices, exercise and healthy habits have led you to your goal weight and size, don’t quit!
Question 1: How different should my diet be so I don’t put weight back on?
The eating habits you adopted to lose weight must be the same ones you employ to keep those pounds off. How much food you need to maintain your target weight will depend largely on how physically active you will be.
If you ramp up your exercise level, you can eat a little more. Experiment by adding foods to your diet in 100-calorie increments. Focus on nutritious foods like whole grains, fruit, vegetables, yoghurt and lean protein. Once you find you start to gain weight, you’ll need to cut back your calorie intake, or add more exercise to your routine.
If trips to the gym become less frequent, you’ll need to cut back your food intake. Mind you, once you’ve lost weight, your body burns fewer calories than it did when you were heavier. So it’s advisable you cut some calories from your food plan to prevent the pounds creeping back quickly.
Question 2: How do I stay motivated to exercise?
We are human; we know it’s much easier to push ourselves when we are working towards a goal than when we have already achieved it. So how can I make the trips to the gym a routine, or even a regular habit?
You need to stay hungry and focus on progressing beyond your original ambition. It doesn’t need to be a big leap, it just needs to be enough that you challenge yourself to move forward. Instead of “I need to go to the gym today,” it becomes: “I wonder if I’ll be able to pick up that weight that I couldn’t pick up last time?” Instead of run up one set of stairs, try two or three? Why not?
Question 3: How do I avoid temptations and my old bad habits?
The answer is simple: Embrace Your New Life! Weight loss is just the beginning of a new and healthy life. If you look at it as the end of the road, you are likely to slip and regain weight. There’s always a bigger mountain to climb, another race to run! Remember what got you into trouble in the first place. Was it too much meat? Eating when you’re stressed? Too many junk food and sweets? You know yourself well enough to know when you’re falling back into old habits. So embrace the changes and even add a few more, trying all sorts of new things: new hobbies, new foods and new friends. It’s such a great time to redefine yourself.