Losing weight can be a challenge. Losing weight and maintaining those results can be even more challenging.
According to the International Journal of Obesity, among overweight and obese adults, only 17 percent of those who lost at least 10 percent of their initial body weight were able to successfully keep the weight off. Moreover, those who lost a greater percentage of their initial body weight were even less likely to keep the weight off.
Do you find yourself falling into this trap? Read on for some helpful strategies on sustaining your summer weight loss plan.
Maintenance Tips
Isagenix products are a great starting point to help you succeed in your weight management journey. We’ve also come up with a few strategies for keeping up your healthy lifestyle. After all, you worked so hard to get here.
1. Develop Healthy Habits: At the start of any successful exercise routine and nutrition plan, developing healthy habits is key. Even before you have reached your weight loss goals, you will need to start making good habits early on. This will make weight management much easier, especially when it comes to sticking to the best dietary choices. One key to success is ensuring that you have a high-protein intake both during and after your weight loss periods. This will help you maintain lean muscle, and in turn, burn more fat.
2. Set Firm Goals: It is important to establish goals. You can’t reach a goal if you don’t actually have one. When it comes to maintaining your body weight, keep that goal in mind and hold yourself accountable for staying within that range.
Don’t fall into the guilt trap! Not everyone can follow the system perfectly all the time, and that’s okay! If you slip up occasionally, don’t let it sabotage your results or make you quit. Get back on track when you can, and continue to work toward becoming your best you.
3. Customize Your Diet to Fit Your Lifestyle: It’s important to have flexibility when you are in maintenance mode.
An Isagenix System with Shake and Cleanse Days is still a great way to go, especially with a few modifications. While a normal 30-Day System calls for approximately 1,200 daily calories, you will want to up this to about 1,500 calories (give or take, depending on size, gender, etc.).
The key to successful weight loss and management is to find the right balance that works for you personally. Fun times, such as vacations, birthdays, and evenings out, will always come up. It’s completely fine to enjoy these times! Try to keep your overall diet healthy and practical for your lifestyle. Shake and Cleanse Days are a great tool to fall back on when you start to feel you aren’t maintaining as well as you’d like. During maintenance mode, one to two shakes per day and up to four Cleanse Days per month (no more than two back-to-back) is ideal.
4. Exercise: Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand. Exercising is a great way to break through weight loss plateaus and help you manage your weight, even after you’ve reached your weight loss goals. Whether you prefer a leisurely walk around the block, an intense weight-lifting workout, or something in between, any exercise is great!
Once you’ve hit your goal weight, it’s great to continue building muscle mass with exercise such as resistance training. But what if you don’t want to build muscle and simply want to lose fat? In actuality, you can’t have one without the other. Muscle burns fat and is vital for weight management and keeping your metabolism up. The best way to lose the fat is to build lean muscle with exercise and eating the right amount of protein.
Snack & Meal Options
We’ve come up with a few options for snacks and meals to help you manage your weight and satisfy your taste buds. For more ideas, including recipes, visit the Isagenix Pinterest page.
Snack Ideas:
- Beef or turkey jerky
- Plain Greek yogurt and Fiber Snacks™
- Hummus and veggies
- Cheese sticks
- Celery and peanut butter
- Hard-boiled egg
- Cottage cheese and apple slices
- Whey Thins™
Delicious Meal Ideas:
- Dinner salad with lots of fresh greens (mixed greens, romaine, arugula, spinach leaves, etc.), lean protein of your choice (portion size about the size of your palm), and any other of your favorite veggies. Accompany with chopped nuts, dried fruit, and ¼ of an avocado. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar or a small amount of dressing of your choice.
- Grilled or baked salmon with 2 cups of broccoli sautéed with olive oil and chopped garlic. Serve with ¼ cup cooked farro or whole grain of your choice.
- Chicken salad made with shredded poached chicken breast, Greek yogurt, diced celery, grapes, and pecans. Serve open-faced on one slice of whole grain toast topped with slices of avocado.
Sample maintenance meal plan from in-house Isagenix Nutritionist Gillean Barkyoumb, M.S., RDN:
- 7 a.m.: Breakfast consisting of fruit and a slice of whole-grain bread topped with almond butter
- 10 a.m.: IsaLean® Shake or IsaLean PRO Shake
- 12 p.m.: Lunchtime workout
- 1 p.m.: IsaLean Shake or IsaLean PRO Shake
- 3 p.m.: Snack – any of the above “snack” options
- 5-6 p.m.: Dinner (500-600 calories)
To learn more about weight management, check out this podcast.
