Making The Transition From Losing Weight To Keeping It Off
The transition from losing to maintaining can be frightening for a teen who’s worked hard at slimming down and needs to figure out how to stay at his or her new weight. For teens who have been following a more restrictive approach, the transition can be even more difficult than for those who used an eat less/eat more approach. I asked the teens how they negotiated the transition from losing weight to keeping it off.
Some worked with a registered dietitian. Jon S. says, "I got to a weight that was healthy and tried to adjust my lifestyle so my eating and exercise habits maintained my new weight. But it seemed that I kept losing weight. Eventually, I met with a dietitian to make sure I was able to find that [calorie] level to maintain while in my new lifestyle."
Some went by trial and error and used the scale as a guide. Wes G. says, "It was trial and error. I paid attention to what I was eating and weighed myself once a week. If I was up a little, I’d cut back. At that point, I was familiar enough with the foods I was eating to know where I was getting too many calories."
Some used the same strategies that they used to lose weight but ate a little more. Ally S. explains, "I started adding a little back to every meal. For example, I used to only have one serving of cereal with milk for breakfast. Now I have two servings of cereal and milk. Instead of just a yogurt and salad for lunch, I’ll now have yogurt, salad, and carrots with peanut butter."
Some learned more about the nutritional value of foods. To figure out what she could eat to maintain her slimmer weight, Margaret G. educated herself through magazines and sites. However, she says, "I think I might have taken it a bit far with learning things that were too specific, such as calorie counts and specific vitamins. I definitely don’t follow that now, but I’m aware of what I eat. I’m able to make healthier choices without over-obsessing on what I’m consuming."
Some took advantage of exercise. Stina B. had on her list of transition strategies, "And, of course, exercise, exercise, exercise!"
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Some tuned in to their bodies. Amber M. emphasizes, "Being able to recognize biological hunger from psychological hunger is very important." She says it took her a long time to make the distinction. Aaron T. says of his transition, "I think that part of what happened was a reformation in the way I think about food. Now my body just knows what to eat and how much."
