How to Maintain Your Weight Loss by Walking

Well done, you've successfully managed to lose the weight you wanted to. It was a battle but you got there in the end, but the biggest battle is yet to come. How do you maintain your weight loss?

Most of the people I know are ecstatic when they have lost a few pounds and are impossible to upset when they have achieved their target weight, yet these same people, less than a month later, are more miserable than ever because the weight they fought so hard to lose has reappeared with a vengeance, often with an extra pound or two to boot!

Why? Resorting back to the old lifestyle is the culprit.

The battle for weight loss is fought on two fronts; diet and exercise. What happens when someone reaches their weight loss goal is that they stop their diet and exercise programs that they reached that goal with and resort back to their old lifestyle and diet. Needless to say this old lifestyle and diet is the very same that made them overweight in the first place!

Why people think that once they have lost weight they can revisit their previous lifestyles and the weight will stay off is beyond my comprehension but millions of yo-yo dieters do just that, and then complain that they can't lose weight effectively. The trouble is people enjoy their lifestyles and want to be slim also; something has to give and the constant indecision is what leads to the yo-yo effect.

Peoples’ misconceptions about losing weight is that once they have lost it they can stop the diet and the exercise, the truth of the matter is that to maintain your weight you now have to find the right balance between calorie intake and calorie usage.

In order to have lost this weight you must have been burning more calories than you were eating therefore you can afford to ease off a little without putting any weight back on. For many, who don't like exercise, it would be the gym workouts that they found grueling and miserable, now that in itself isn't too bad as long as you have a replacement that will be able to burn enough calories for you to be able to maintain your weight; and walking is ideal for this.

Here are three things to consider before taking up walking:

1. Always consult with your doctor. You may well feel perfectly fit and healthy but as a precautionary measure always check with your doctor, he may be able to advise you on a good structured schedule that you will be able to follow.

2. Get yourself a pedometer. A pedometer is a device that counts the number of steps you have taken and then will calculate the distance you have walked, a brilliant little piece of equipment, and really cheap as well. But don't go setting yourself a minimum distance to walk, look to set yourself walking goals and targets extending them as you become fitter and fitter. You never know, you might actually start to lose even more weight!

3. Wear the right attire. Once committed to walking for weight management ensure you are always as comfortable as possible by wearing comfortable shoes and clothing, a pair of ill fitting shoes or clothing that causes discomfort are the most likely reasons why people give up walking as a health activity.