Many people who lose weight gain it back. According to nutrition expert Sophie Deram, the percentage of people who suffer from weight fluctuation is as high as 80%. In addition to the aesthetic aspect, the yo-yo effect is harmful to health. The causes of this phenomenon also reveal a lifestyle that is not recommended.

People who follow restrictive diets are more likely to gain the weight back or even more. Therefore, our first tip for maintaining a healthy weight is to avoid nutritional terrorism. Cutting out carbohydrates, gluten, fat or any other nutrient can lead to deficiencies, poor body function and the yo-yo effect.

So, sustainable weight loss starts with the strategies you adopt. The less restrictive the diet, the more likely you are to maintain the results.

Make healthy eating a lifestyle

Many people return to their old eating habits when they reach their weight goal. This way, the body tends to return to the way it was before the diet. In addition to the increased caloric intake that you start eating again, the body, which has undergone a restriction, starts a mechanism to store energy, fearing a new deprivation.

Therefore, the best thing to do is to change your eating habits once and for all. Instead of following a diet that has an expiration date, focus on a healthier diet. The guidelines are basic, but for those who have always been used to fast food, it may take time to incorporate new habits. Don't give up, expand your palate and try out recipes to make your journey easier.

Remember to include more natural foods in your diet and don't be fooled by healthy products. Check to see if it's just marketing. Good ways to identify it are to check the label and look beyond the calories, see if there is added sugar, excess industrial additives and others.

Return to your eating routine when you make exceptions

A healthy diet is made up of moments in which food plays roles beyond nutrition. Eating is a social act, often involving sharing special moments with those we love. It is also a form of satisfaction. All of this is healthy, as long as it occurs in a balanced way.

So, when you break your eating routine, don't assume that all is lost. To gain one kilo, you need to consume about 7,000 more calories. Our daily average is 2,500 per day. In other words, you need to eat almost three times more than usual. The mistake is to think that an exception can become the rule because what was done before no longer works because of one day or a single piece of cake.

The best strategy is to resume your diet at the next opportunity. This way, you won't overdo it and you'll start to build a more harmonious relationship with food.

Listen to your satiety

Another golden tip is to understand when we are satisfied. Often, when we are offered food, we think that we have to make the most of it. But the right thing to do is to understand how much food is necessary to satisfy our desire and even hunger. Eating slowly, enjoying the food, helps a lot to be more aware and reach satiety faster.

Just as you need to know when you’ve had enough, listen to your cravings. Ignoring them can result in overeating later. So, eat consciously, not too much, not too little, but just enough.

Plan ahead

Don't have time and before you know it, you're already using the app to order food? The worst time to think about what to eat is when you're hungry. Satisfying your hunger with easy options can be a trap. So, plan to have good options at home, both ingredients and ready-made dishes. This way, you'll significantly reduce the amount of food you eat on impulse.

Having good options on hand also helps when you feel like eating something that isn’t necessarily due to physical hunger. When you’re out and about, having a Bold protein bar in your bag is a great strategy when you’re in places where there’s little or no healthy snack options. You can also bring along healthy sandwiches and other convenient foods so you don’t end up eating poorly due to a lack of options.

Move around

To maintain your weight after losing weight, there is a mathematical question. We need to burn the calories we consume. We already use up some of them in our body's basic functions, such as breathing, digesting food and all other processes. We have already shown how basal metabolism works. When calories exceed what we need, we tend to gain weight.

Physical exercise is a strategy that helps maintain a balance between what we consume and what we spend. Furthermore, by improving our body composition, with more muscles, our basal metabolism increases. The process of maintaining muscle is faster than that of fat.

Don't forget that exercise and nutrition are the perfect combination for preventing and improving most diseases. So, find a sport or activity that you enjoy so that movement can help you maintain your weight.

Stress and sleepless nights also make you fat

You've lost weight and despite your best efforts, you're still unable to keep it off. In addition to your diet and physical activity, you should also monitor your sleep and stress levels. High levels of stress and sleep deprivation promote the release of cortisol, a hormone that leads to the accumulation of fat, especially in the abdominal region.

These two factors also affect satiety hormones, which increases appetite. According to studies published in Science Advances, simple sleep deprivation reduces protein levels, a nutrient essential for maintaining muscle.

So, pay attention to stress and sleep, managing them well will help you have a good diet, a better quality of life and maintain your weight after losing weight.

Weight is not the main indicator of health

Maintaining your weight is important. However, you must seek health in an integral way. It is true that being overweight interferes with your health, but we must not forget about good cholesterol levels, balanced micro and macro nutrients, energy levels and much more.

Stay tuned for more health and surreal life tips.