After working your booty off, restricting your diet, drinking all the water, and staying focused your efforts have FINALLY paid off and you have achieved your goal weight! WOOHOO! Soooooo what do you do now? Hit the buffet and carb load as a reward? You could respond that way, but why not show your pride by keeping the weight off?
This is where things can get tricky, and truthfully, where many people fail.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but after you lose the weight, you are still not done. In fact, long term health and weight maintenance doesn’t really have an end-point. You might have started with a “30 day challenge” or something similar, but day 31 is not the time to revert back to old habits. Unfortunately, that is exactly what a high percentage of people do after losing weight, which is why so many gain it all back.
The good news is, just having the awareness that weight loss is a marathon and not a sprint sets you up for success! If you worked hard for 30 days (or a year, or whatever) to achieve your goals, you likely started some new habits that were uncomfortable at first, but eventually became the norm. Why would you give up those new habits when you FEEL so much better now? (Sounds pretty silly when I put it that way, huh?) Usually this tendency to slack off stems from a desire for comfort, or maybe from social pressures from others. Both are hard to ignore, I know, but it can be done.
So how can YOU break the cycle?
First, go ahead and celebrate! Ideally, you should reward yourself with something not related to food. Go shopping for clothes that fit your new bod, or invite your trainer for a spa day (heehee). Do something that makes you feel good and confident, something that makes you want to maintain your new healthy habits! A new wardrobe can be a very effective incentive to keeping your new figure on point.
Second, try not to think of unhealthy food as something you “get to eat now.” Donuts didn’t suddenly become nutritious because you haven’t eaten them in a while. Try rephrasing your words by saying “I don’t eat that stuff” or “I work too hard to throw it away on those empty calories.” Avoid the mindset that your aren’t “dieting” anymore so you can eat crap again. Good nutrition choices are now in your present tense, not past tense or future. Forever.
Third, keep weighing yourself and keep tracking what you eat, just not AS strictly. If you were weighing yourself daily to lose weight, maybe once a week is enough now to keep yourself from gaining. If you were tracking your calories and keeping a strict deficit to get to your goal, now just track foods you aren’t sure about and focus a little more on macros and nutrients, learning about the VALUE of your food. Mindful nutrition is part of your lifestyle now and those disciplines should only get stronger (like your solid core)!
Lastly, find a reason to keep progressing. Set a new goal to focus on, maybe based on performance rather than weight loss. Sign up for a 5k or a half marathon. Check out a new exercise class or themed gym to keep some variety in your life. Motivate a friend to start a workout routine with you as their inspiration! Always look for ways to keep moving, and keep your health as a top priority.
No matter what, don’t every downplay your accomplishments. Any positive change you make for the sake of your health should be appreciated! Be proud, be confident, and be the best version of YOU that you can be!
steeltemple.fitness 
I loved this post today. I especially loved the part about taking your trainer on a spa day. WE might have to do that after I reach my next goal. Great content. Even though I am not there, it gets you thinking of what your life will be like going forward after you do hit your goal. Nice job and thank you.
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