Lesson 9: Take a Break and Maintain

The road to Healthy is a long one. Every now and again you need a break from all the hard work you’ve been doing to get to Healthy. Now, this isn’t license to eat whatever you want and to stop taking care of yourself. Remember, this is a new lifestyle.

What I mean by taking a break, is taking a break from your weight loss. Instead of trying to go full speed ahead until you’ve reached your goal weight, try taking some time to maintain the weight loss you’ve already accomplished. We all need weekends to recuperate from a long week at work, and the same is true for weight loss. We need periods of rest from constantly trying to make that scale move. Taking a break from weight loss, will also help you to practice your new permanent healthy habits and see if you have them all down, or if there are a few you need to work on.

While on your weight loss break, still weigh yourself every so often to make sure you stay within a few pounds of the weight you were at when you started your break. Keep an eye on your water intake, food intake, and exercise, to make sure you are keeping up with your healthy habits, though you don’t have to track everything as stringently as you would if you were trying to lose weight. If the scale moves too far in the wrong direction, simply try harder the next day to get in some extra exercise, or fewer calories, or more water.

Taking a break to maintain can be helpful especially during the holidays when there tends to be more food around. When you’re trying to lose weight, you have to have a calorie deficit. But, if you’re trying to maintain your weight, you are bale to eat a little more without feeling guilty that the scale may not have moved by your next weigh in. So, take a moment to review your new healthy habits and commit them to your memory, and then set them aside for a while and take a break to maintain. The road to Healthy will still be there when you’re ready to continue on your trip.