Statistics indicate that permanent weight loss is very difficult to achieve. About 80% of dieters who lose weight, re-gain it all and more within 1 -  5 years. But to lose weight permanently is possible. After all 20% of the dieters do. To manage and maintain your new post diet weight you must develop a few post diet skills.

5 Tips To Permanent Weight Loss

1. The first skill to learn is to keep your metabolism from slowing down. Studies show that during dieting your metabolic rate may fall as much as 10%. Apparently, it takes up to a year to recharge your metabolism to normal. If you do not stimulate your metabolism, you will definitely start gaining weight when you will stop dieting.

   You can overcome this, however. Until your weight stabilizes, you need to alternate dieting with normal eating. Restrict your calories for 5 days (eat only as much as during your diet) and eat normally for two days. This way during the week you eat less and on the weekend may indulge (please do not overdo your indulging).

2. The next step you take during the time when you are alternating low and normal calorie intake. Begin to slowly increase the amount of food you eat during the low calorie days. Add 50 – 100 calories each day of the first week post diet. If you normally have 1000 calories on these days have 1050 – 1100 each day, for one week. Keep adding the extra amount every week until you reach your weight loss maintenance level. Once you reach your maintenance or goal weight, permanent weight loss is within your grasps. You can easily control the fluctuations in your weight by following tip #5.

3. Avoid alcohol as much as possible. As you may know alcoholic drinks are full of calories. For example, a scotch drink contains 95 calories and a glass of wine 70 calories. If you mix alcohol with juice or soda add another 100-120 per drink. Please do not be fooled by diet drinks. Diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners and they are known to cause weight gain.

4. At times you may "cheat" and consume foods that are clearly not good or healthy and ones that may sabotage your goal of permanent weight loss. If you do at times fall pray to your cravings and "cheat", do not stress about it. What you need to do is to compensate for it and burn the calories you took in. A brisk walk or an extra workout may help.

5. The last point I want to mention is your "weigh – in". There is a controversy about weighing yourself regularly. New evidence indicates that you should weigh yourself regularly, often, and at the same times. At the maintenance level of your weight loss progression You may want to weigh yourself as often as once per day. This will actually help you to keep your weight in check and permanent weight loss will be more likely. The reason for this is, that when you notice that you gained weight 2-3 pounds, to bring the weight down is much easier than to lose 10 pounds.

To lose weight permanently may seem to be hard to achieve, but it is not impossible. It definitely takes a lifestyle change. Sometimes even that change you have to fine tune.  It  may be hard work but permanent weight loss is worth it, for your health, for your self esteem and for your life.

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