In Part 1 of this series How to keep those pounds away, I described the Medifast diet Transition phase, the phase you go through once you have achieved your weight loss goal, on your way to the Medifast diet Maintenance phase. I will conclude this series with the details on the Maintenance phase.
The goal of the maintenance phase is to keep your desired weight that you achived through Medifast weightloss plan for the rest of your life. Hence the goal of this phase is simple: Not to gain wait. Remember that you took in less calories that you burned during the dieting phase? In this phase you ensure that you can keep the calorie intake similar to what you burn to give your body a steady state of weight.
As you did with the 5 & 1 plan (5 lean meals & 1 green meal), you can continue eating 6 meals a day, snacking every 2-3 hours. But now, you can cut back on the Medifast meals to just 2-3 times a day. Happily eat fruits, low fat dairy, whoile grains and even high carb vegetables as long as you stay within your personal daily calorie limit.
How do you know you are keeping those pounds away? Simple! Weigh yourself once or twice a week regularly to give yourself feedback if you need to make any adjustments in your calorie intake. It is best to weigh during the same time of the day each time for consistent reading. I keep a scale in my bathroom, and just step on it every now and then in the morning while brushing my teeth. Keep it convenient, and in no time you will be doing it regularly without any effort put into it.
If you see an upward trend, and if you exceed your desired weight range, no worries. Do what is called a Medifast Blitz, where you follow the Medifast 5 & 1 plan for just a few weeks to reach your desired weight.
Just like you did during the 5 & 1 dieting, keep drinking a lot of water during transition and maintenance. water helps your body cleanse the toxins, helps keep your skin looking fresh and healthy, and maintain muscle tone. Dring at least 8 glasses of water (64 Oz). You can also drink any other calorie-free drinks like tea, diet soda etc if you like.
The study shows that those that get support along with their weight maintenance strategies succeed much more easily. Help from a frend, co-worker or a family member can help you at your goal easier. Some people prefer formal weight maintenance groups like WeightWatchers but that is not necessary for everyone to achieve the goals.
Final tip is to include a little exercise as part of your day. Park your car farther at work or when you go for shopping. Use stairs instead of elevators. You will be surprised how much your body will pay you back for these little exercises.
To summarize, you can keep your pounds away with the Medifast diet maintenance plan by following some of these tips:
- Eat healthy breakfast everyday
- Eat low fat meals 6 times a day + eat fresh vegetables. Simply keep your calorie intake to what you burn
- Drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday
- Add exercise to your regular day
- Monitor your weight and act early if you see the upward trend
- Get support
I wish you good luck in keeping your weight to where you want it to be! I know it can be done and done easily: I am doing it, so can you…
