Judging from the recent statistical data in relation to the exponential increase of overweight and obese people worldwide, a lot of individuals who feel unhappy with their bodies, even when it is objectively considered to belong to the normal scale, follow some kind of weight-loss diet plan and stick with it forever. Others, probably happier people than the previous group, if they decide to follow a weight-loss diet plan they do it for a specific period and stop when the goal is attained. But, dieticians find it imperative that upon the successful completion of any weight-loss plan, the individual that has managed to loose the desired weight has to follow a maintenance diet that will assist them to avoid putting the lost weight back on. Usually, this stage is twice as long in duration in comparison to the initial weight-loss plan followed.

The stage of preserving your “new” body figure is a specific time period during which the person that followed a weight-loss diet plan has to continue paying attention on the quantity and the frequency of the meals he/she consumes, so as to manage to keep the new fit and healthy looking body type. During this period of time the individual “learns” again how and what to eat or avoid and this continues up until the moment that it is feasible to select the adequate amount of food as this process has now become natural. The hardest a weight-loss plan was and the longer it lasted, the longer will the maintenance stage be. In average, this preservation diet plan lasts one to two months, during which the weight fluctuates a bit before stabilizing on a specific and desired weight. That is the reason why experts advice a person that decides to follow a weight-loss plan to loose 3 to 5 pounds more than their goal, since these extra lost pounds are going to be added again to his/her weight during the maintenance stage.

The success of a diet does not depend solely on the outcome, meaning the actual number of pounds lost, but rather on the ability of the person to keep the “new” weight number stable in the future. Thus, the maintenance stage is considered to be a crucial stage for the total successful outcome of a weight-loss effort. During this stage, since the individual is happy with the results of his/her efforts and does not have any more to carry the stress of the effort, it is actually the best period to train the body to eat healthy and develop a nutritional consciousness. If one cannot learn to eat right at this stage it will probably never be feasible for them to learn.

According to dieticians and other nutritional experts the maintenance stage is extremely important. If a person that has avoided certain types of foods is again free to taste whatever he or she likes, then the weight lost will be again gained and the whole effort will be a waste. By following simple rules and setting limits to oneself and tangible goals, people can gain control over their weight and can be optimistic about keeping it steady in the future.

Jonathon Hardcastle
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