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Anyone who has ever lost any weight will tell you that keeping it off is often harder than losing it to begin with. I am no exception. Here are some tips to help you stay fit and maintain your weight.

I know I said I was going to get back on my Gazelle at the beginning of the year. I keep getting distracted by life… and putting off the exercise. It’s something I really need to do. My weight is ok, and I’m still within my range. It doesn’t take me much time to lose five to ten pounds, thankfully. I don’t need help with motivation, I just need to set myself a schedule or goal. Wouldn’t it be easier if we made this a group effort, and make each other accountable? Hmmm. Maybe we should do this!

Here are some tips for maintaining a lean body.

• Avoid foods with refined sugars in them, such as candy, sugared sodas, etc. These are horrible for your body.
• Track your calories by measuring your portions, and weighing your food. You’ll know how much fuel you’re putting into your body.
• Reduce fatty foods, such as red meat. Try to stick with chicken or fish.
• Don’t cut fat out of your diet entirely. Your body needs fat, and especially essential fatty acids. Oil is important.
• Eat more often throughout the day. Six smaller meals instead of three large ones tend to speed up your metabolism and satisfy you easier.
• Increase your daily exercise. Thirty minutes per day will help, even if you’re only walking. Try to add in some type of cardio and resistance training.

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Download the video to review these tips on keeping weight off. And be sure to download my top 50 weight loss tips ebook.

Tips for Keeping the Weight Off

They say a picture says a thousand words, and the differences between these two profiles are quite visible. Consider, however, that the photo on the left was taken a full month into my plan – when I had already lost 15 pounds (160 from 175)! Losing weight isn’t much fun, nor is gaining weight – but in the end, whichever way you have to go, the results should speak for themselves. I’ve lost about 25 pounds of fat in the past three months…

It’s not a “true” before and after photo. If you really care to look, this snapshot was taken two weeks into it (168 from 175). The worst ones came before I started, like at Seattle Mind Camp or Northern Voice. Ponzi thinks I’ve come down as far as I can go – weighing in at 147 yesterday. I believe, however, that I’ll get to between 140 and 145 before all is said and done.

Captain 147

Oh boy. I can’t believe I’m admitting this.

Since moving to Seattle, I’ve gained a whopping 30 pounds. It’s not time to go on a diet – it’s time to remember the lifestyle that put me at 142 well over a year ago. I’ve dropped weight (significantly) twice in my life: the first time (to 123), by low carbing it; the second time (to 142), by watching calorie intake and working out. Third time’s the charm?

I knew something wasn’t right when I accused Wicket of shrinking my pants. Like, half of my closet doesn’t “fit” anymore. Fat sure sneaks up on you quickly, eh? It’s my own fault – my own laziness and ignorance has brought me to this bloated state. I’m not quite Stay-puft Marshmallow Man size, thankfully (no offense to those who are). However, it’s time to nip my fat butt in the bud.

Each time I’ve set out to conquer my weight issues, I’ve learned something new – lessons which (for the most part) have stayed with me throughout the years. When I started low carbing, I stopped drinking sugary drinks outright (not even diet colas pass my lips). I also stopped eating partially hydrogenated foods (those evil trans fats I’ve been warning you about). Been that way ever since the late ’90s. The last weight loss happened through the skilled hands of Ponzi, who helped prepare calorie-conscious meals while I hit the Gazelle / Ab Lounge and quit coffee. Truthfully, I really don’t drink coffee anymore. Mostly. So where did I go “wrong?”

I stopped watching the scale. I had one too many snacks throughout the day. I didn’t watch my meal portions. I picked up a few sweet drinks for brief periods of time (thanks, Starbucks). I stopped working out every day. I stopped thinking about what I was doing, and what “not thinking” was doing to my body. That’s my takeaway this time – that *MUST* be my takeaway.

I’m Captain 173 today, heading down the same path that put me at 142. Gnomedex 4 was my target point (starting somewhere in the low 160s as I recall). I’m shooting for -30lbs by Gnomedex 6 at the end of June 2006. Egads. This is going to be an uphill battle, as I’m not taking any diet supplements or doing anything wacky. “Eat right and exercise” is always the safest, best bet for anybody.

I’ve printed out a simple chart that I’ve taped in front of our bathroom scale upstairs. I’ll be weighing myself in every morning (at roughly the same time every day), recording the weight in the line next to the date. I’ve got a 40-minute routine on the Gazelle every day, followed immediately thereafter by a 5+ minute stint on the Ab Lounge. Meals will be monitored, snacks will be measured. I’ll post my progress here every week.

30 pounds. It’s doable.

Captain 173