Sticking With It

Losing weight and keeping it off is one of life's greatest challenges. For many, keeping the weight off is harder than losing it.

The key to successful weight maintenance is to balance calories taken in with calories burned.

How Exercise Helps.
As you exercise, you burn more calories. When you increase your muscle mass, your body burns more calories all the time-even when you sleep. Research shows that people who exercise are more likely to keep weight off. But remember what else you need to do-keep eating less.

How You Think About Yourself.
To succeed at weight loss, you may need to change the way you think. Here are some tips:

• Don't make your weight loss program the center of your life. It needs to be a key part, but not the center. Have fun, take vacations, and don't put things off until you get to a certain size.
• Learn to love yourself for who you are. When you lose the weight, you'll still be the same person inside. Make a list of your good qualities and repeat them daily if you need to.
• Set realistic goals. You don't need to be perfect at your diet or your exercise. Allow some flexibility so you can stick with it in the long run.
• If you "fall off the wagon," don't be too hard on yourself. Relapse is normal, and when you learn from it, you become stronger. Just jump back on the wagon.

How To Motivate Yourself.
To lose weight and keep it off, you need to know what to do and make yourself do it. The latter is the hardest part.

• When you really want something, and you are ready, you will make it happen.
• Keep a log of your efforts. Keep track of your exercise, food intake, or weight if this helps you stay on track.
• Be good to yourself. Praise yourself for the hard work you put into your weight loss efforts.
• Get support from family and friends. People who have support are more likely to succeed. If it helps, find a weight loss buddy.

 This is the end of Carb Counting 101, now Continue on to Exercise