20 Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss

Do-overs: They're what your parents use to give you when you missed an easy hole on the

mini-golf course. But sadly, with adulthood, comes "grown-up" responsibilities, leaving little

to no time for second shots—especially when it comes to your long-term happy weight.

Shedding pounds takes countless hours of dedication, so if you've already gone through the

grind to reach your goal weight, do you really want to do it again? We didn't think so. You

probably want permanent weight loss.

So, go ahead and pat yourself on the back for all that you've accomplished. But while you're

at it, why not start thinking about how you're going to maintain your new body for the long

haul? To help make it possible, we've come with easy ways for how to lose weight and keep it

off permanently!

Pick a few permanent weight loss tips from the list below, stick to 'em like it's your job, and prepare to stay in your skinny jeans for life.

1 Don't do fad diets

Within two years of dieting, between 18 and 30 percent of dieters can regain over half the

weight they lost, according to research presented at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the

Endocrine Society. The reason? They all slimmed down with the help of a diet, which by

definition is short term and doesn't produce life long results. To hit your goal weight and

stay there, you need to make permanent changes to your lifestyle. Not sure how? Check out

these healthy eating habits for some inspiration.

2 Strength train

While it's possible to lose weight without doing a single pushup or burpee, in order to keep

it off permanently, physical activity is must, says James O. Hill, PhD, co-founder of

the National Weight Control Registry: a 25-year ongoing, prospective investigation of long-

term successful weight loss maintenance.

But not all workouts are created equal. Although cardio gets all of the glory, interval and

strength training are the real heroes in the world of weight maintenance. These methods of

exercise will help you replace flab with hard, sexy muscle which will boost your

metabolism and make it easier to keep off those sneaky pounds.

For the best results, do strength or interval training twice a week and aim for an hour of

physical activity a day—that could mean walking, swimming or running errands. Just get off

your tush and move! Why an hour? The majority of successful losers (90 percent!)who have

maintained their weight loss for an average of 5.5 years report moving for about an hour a

day, according to the National Weight Control Registry.

3 Walk when you can

To ensure you fit in those 60 minutes and fit in more daily steps, rethink your commute. On

the days that I have to skip the gym, I force myself to walk home from work instead of

hopping in a cab or taking the bus. If you drive to work, cycle to the office once a week or

park your car further away from the entrance. However you decide to do it, the more steps

you take, the better. The majority of people (52 percent) who have lost weight and kept it off

report walking for an hour a day, according to an Obesity study.

4 Only eat if you're hungry—not bored

Constantly eating when you don't need the fuel is a major contributor to weight gain. Before

you pop something into your mouth, ask yourself why you're eating. (We're lookin' at you

Ms. Office Candy Bowl.) Are you actually hungry or are you just angry, stressed, anxious, or

bored? If it's any of the latter feelings, healthy snacks like carrot sticks and apples won't

seem appealing. If you're not hungry enough to eat a plant, vow to not eat anything at all.

5 Weigh yourself

Recent Cornell University findings suggest that shying away from the scale can cause those

former pounds to sneak back onto your frame—not what you want! According to senior

author David Levitsky, people who weigh themselves daily and track the results are more

likely to lose weight and keep it off than those who check in less often. The method "forces

you to be aware of the connection between your eating and your weight," Levitsky said in

a press statement. "The scale also acts as a priming mechanism, making you conscious of

food and enabling you to make choices that are consistent with your weight.

6 Exercise in the morning

We already told you that sticking to a fitness routine is an absolute must for weight

maintenance but that doesn't make finding the time—or motivation— after a busy workday

any easier. The solution to the problem: Wake up an hour and a half early and fit in your

workout before heading to the office. If you're up at 5 a.m. with nothing else to do but break

a sweat, odds are pretty low that you'll skip out on your boot camp or spin class.

7 Put your workouts on your schedule

Can't bear the thought of rising before the sun? At the beginning of each week, take out a

planner and schedule all of your workouts for the day's ahead. If you just let your week and

unfold randomly, odds are far lower you'll fit in your fitness. Schedule an appointment with

a trainer or a friend, book a class, or fit it in at home.

8 Meal prep

Your workouts aren't the only things you need to plan ahead to stay fit for life, you'll also

need to map out your meals. "People have a much better chance of having a slim waistline if

they plan when they are going to eat and what they are going to eat," says Mark Langowski,

celebrity trainer and founder of Body By Mark Wellness. "Before I go to bed, I look at my

schedule for the next day and plan out what I am going to eat and where I will eat it. If you

let the day begin without planning, it will be 3 p.m. before you know it and you'll wind up

making an unhealthy decision."

9 Store healthy meals in the freezer

Registered dietitian and Fellow of the American Academy of Nutrition and

Dietetics, Christine M. Palumbo, RD agrees but takes a slightly different approach meal

prep: "Identity three meals you can prepare with pantry staples and start cooking. Store the

meals in your freezer so you always have something healthy on hand when hunger strikes.

For example, my go-to meals include risotto with frozen shrimp and asparagus, vegetable

barley, and red lentil soup. Your goal should be to replace the meals whenever your stash

starts running low."

10 Find a supportive fitness group

How much your close friends weigh, plays a major role in how much you'll weigh,

say Harvard School of Public Health researchers. In fact, their findings suggest that a

person's chance of becoming obese increases by 57% if a close friend is obese—and it makes

sense: If your buddies all love meeting up for burgers and beers on the reg, it will be really

hard to stay on track with your healthy lifestyle. Our advice? From time to time suggest

getting into other types of activities like yoga or a healthy cooking class. You could also

consider hosting get-togethers at your house so you can control the menu.

Another tip: Try to meet new people who enjoy living the healthy lifestyle you now lead. (A

gym class or hiking group is a great place to introduce yourself!) This will help add a healthy

balance to your life, without kicking your long-time besties to the curb.

11 Eat often

Eating frequently might sound counterintuitive if you're trying to keep the pounds off, but

munching consistently throughout the day is key to blood sugar and hunger management,

explains registered dietitian Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN. When you eat something every

three or four hours, it keeps your metabolism humming and you'll never get too hungry.

This ensures you'll always be in a position to make smart diet decisions which is key to

keeping the weight off long term.

12 Hold the extras

Despite conventional wisdom, maintaining a major weight loss doesn't mean giving up

croissants and cookies for good. It does, however, require cutting calories where you won't

miss 'em anyway so indulging from time to time won't do any damage to your waistline.

Swap fries for apple slices at McDonald's, keep the cheese off your sandwiches and salads

and ask for the sauce on the side when you dine out at a restaurant. Believe it or not, these

simple tweaks will save you hundreds of calories—without drastically altering the taste of

your meals.

13 Eat breakfast daily

Get this: 78 percent of National Weight Control Registry members—who have lost an

average of 66 lbs and kept it off for 5.5 years—regularly eat breakfast, according to a report

published in Obesity. Though researchers haven't discovered a definite connection between

the morning meal and weight loss, one theory is that when you start your day with

something healthy and satiating it helps set a healthy tone for the rest of the day.

14 Keep triggers away

Almost everyone has heard the rule that it's okay to eat anything and everything so long as

you do so in moderation—but that may not be the best approach to lifelong weight

maintenance, according to 2015 PLOS ONE findings. The study of 6,814 people found that

the majority of the time, varied diets lead to weight gain.

"Though it can be scary to imagine completely cutting out the foods that you love, eating

everything in moderation is actually near impossible—especially when it comes to foods

with addictive properties, like sugar. You'll likely find yourself going back for more and

more which can slow your weight loss results," explains registered dietitian Cassie Bjork,

RD. "That's why it's actually more beneficial to completely cut out the foods that increase

your cravings and keep you wanting more." For example, if you know that chocolate is your

#1 trigger food it's best to cut it out altogether rather than trying to stick to a small serving.

15 Limit yourself to three

Fun fact: National Weight Control Registry members, who have all lost 30 pounds or more

and kept it off for at least a year, eat 2.5 meals per week at a restaurant—and only 0.74

meals per week at fast-food restaurants like Burger King and McDonald's—according to

an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition report. And we have to say, it's a smart move.

Limiting the number of times you dine away from home is an easy way to keep excess

calories, salt, sugar, and fat off of your plate without a second of thought.

16 Focus on flavonoids

Sure, all fruits and veggies are healthy and low-cal, but did you know that when it comes to

keeping away those waist-expanding pounds, flavonoid-rich foods like bananas,

strawberries, grapes, pears, onions, peppers, and celery are the best bets? In a 2016 British

Medical Journal study of 124,000 middle-aged and older people, those who ate a diet rich

in flavonoid-filled foods maintained their weight better than those who didn't—and it makes

a lot of sense. Earlier findings suggested that the naturally occurring plant compounds could

ward off inflammation and fat absorption.

17 Stay consistent

"Holidays, vacations, crazy work weeks…it doesn't matter. Every week, people who remain

lean, stick to their healthy habits," Langowski tells us. "My most successful clients are the

ones who stay consistent with their workouts throughout the year; they don't let anything

get in the way of their workout! It's like putting on their pants or brushing their teeth and is

something that they wouldn't think of not doing!"

The same mentality should hold true for your diet, too. The majority of people who lose

weight and keep it off, report that their diet is the same on both the weekends and

weekdays, according to an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition report. Simply put, don't

go crazy eating wings, pizza and cheat meals just because it's Saturday. Your body doesn't

care what day of the week it is, and neither should you.

18 Limit screen time

Curious what else successful losers do? Well, we'll tell you one thing they don't do: Netflix

and chill. The average American watches 28 hours of TV per week, while the NWCR

reports that those who have shed 30+ pounds and kept it off for at least a year, log fewer

than 10 hours per week in front of the boob tube.

19 Follow the plate rule

Counting calories may have helped you lose weight initially, but as you might have guessed,

it's not a habit you can maintain for life. Instead, hold onto your flat belly and lose weight

permanently with the help of the plate rule. "I never recommend counting calories to any of

my clients," says Smith. " Instead, I tell them to fill 50% of their plate at each meal with non-

starchy vegetables like kale, broccoli and carrots. This ensures that they'll take in a fair

amount of fiber, which promotes satiety and weight maintenance."

Unrefined carbohydrates like beans, sweet potatoes and whole grains should make up a

fourth of the plate and the last fourth should be reserved for lean proteins. Research backs

Smith's claim: A Brigham Young University College study found that women who consume

more fiber have a significantly lower risk of gaining weight than those who eat less of the

nutrient, likely because they consumed fewer overall calories throughout the day.

20 Don't get discouraged

Last, and most importantly: don't get discouraged if the scale swings upwards a bit.

Vacations, holidays, and stressful life situations happen, and not to mention, weight

fluctuations are totally normal. If you feel your pants getting tighter, take it with a grain of

salt but don't forget about it. Examine what you're doing differently and commit to getting

back on the bandwagon—it's as simple as that! And always remember, maintenance is a

marathon, not a sprint; you're in this for life!

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