6 Ways To Stay Accountable For Weight Loss

If you lose weight and then gain it back, you probably have not figured out ways to stay accountable for weight loss. Many people say that the hard part is not losing weight, but keeping it off.

My clients who stick with it and continue in groups, private sessions, or working with a buddy on their own are the ones who are the most successful keeping those troublesome pounds off. Those who start the process, lose some weight, and then decide they are good on their own are the ones who are more likely to gain the weight back.

Here are six tips to stay accountable for weight loss, and succeed in reaching your goal and making slimness your new norm.

Join a Group or Do Private Work With a Qualified Weight Loss Coach

You will benefit from insights and tips that a good weight loss coach can give you. If in a group, you will learn from others and feel supported by group members. Since you will be reporting regularly about your weight and eating habits, you will be more motivated to do something to see results before your next session rolls around.

Taper Off To Checking Back With Your Coach at Longer Intervals

My experience with people has shown me that losing some weight and going off on your own is not a good plan initially. Eventually, you will learn your best methods to stay slim and take off pounds right away that you might gain back on vacations, dinners, etc. But until that time, it’s in your best interest to periodically stay connected to a group or with someone in individual sessions. If you start with once a week sessions, you can then go to every other week, and then to once a month. Once a month  seems to be a good place for most people to stay for some time once they have established confidence and good eating habits.

Work With a Buddy or Small Group

Stay accountable for weight loss by working with a friend, your spouse, neighbor, relative, co-worker — anyone who you can share goals with. It might even be a small group of people, like your immediate family or a few people you work with. Check in with them daily and offer support without judgement. Sometimes people like to set a time a walk or work out together as part of their accountability.

Weigh In Every Week

Research has shown that people who weigh themselves at least once a week are more successful at losing weight. Initially seeing the number on the scale can be distressing, but can also be the spur to action. Keep in mind that everyone’s weight fluctuates, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t lose one week when you know you have eaten well.

Plan a Strategy for Weight Maintenance with Holidays, Celebrations, and Vacations

If you’ve struggled with weight, you probably know that some of the biggest challenges happen around these special times. There are ways you can plan around it. One is to up you exercise and trim your eating before you go away, so that the extra weight you lose will compensate for what you gain on these special occasions. You can also do the same after the occasion(s) or trip.

Another strategy that works for some people is to plan ahead what they will be eating, loading up more on veggies and salads than on rich foods, empty carbs, and desserts.

Chewing each bite of food 32 times (one bite for each tooth) is a great way to slow down your eating, enjoy your food more, and improve your digestion. If you are in a social situation and can’t actually count, just focus on chewing your food until it’s liquified.

Be Willing To Give Up a Food for Awhile

If you stay stuck at the same weight, even though you know your eating habits are much better, it’s extremely helpful to do an experiment and give up one type of food that might be keeping you stuck. Frequent culprits are dairy, sugar, and wheat. You may be surprised to find that if you stop eating dairy (cheese is often very hard for people to give up) or sugar, the pounds will start to drop off. When that happens, you will be more naturally motivated to put that food or foods aside for awhile. You might find that you feel so much better without them, that you don’t even want to go back.

What To Do Now?

Now that you have six ways to stay accountable for weight loss, the next step is to choose one way that resonates with you. Keep at it until it becomes a natural part of your daily life. Then you can add another. This way you won’t be overwhelmed trying many things at once.