What to Do After You Lose Weight?
Is there a hole in your life where your diet used to be? If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, reaching your target could leave you wondering what to do next with your new and thinner self.
Give yourself credit for making changes to enhance your health and be prepared for more work ahead. Slimming down affects more than your waistline. Take a look at what’s in store for your body, mind, and relationships.
Things to Do for Your Body After Lose Weight
Reaching a healthy weight is worth a few less pleasant side-effects. These are some common issues you may face.
- Eat less. A recent study found that the contestants on The Biggest Loser regained most of their weight due to slower metabolism and increased hunger cravings. If you want lasting success, you’ll need to keep watching your portions.
2. Train for strength. Boost your post-diet metabolism by building up muscles that burn more calories than fat. Lift weights or do push-ups.
3. Tighten your skin. Depending on your age and how much weight you lost, you might look saggy skin. If it does not bounce back in time, surgery or compression garments can help.
4. See your doctor. Are you taking prescription medications? Ask your doctor about lowering the dosage since being overweight could have aggravated chronic conditions. Also, if you experience stomach pain, look into testing for gallstones.
Things to Do for Your Mind After Lose Weight
Your brain may need time to catch your new figure. Pay attention to your mental and emotional wellbeing.
- Adjust your image. Do you realize that dress sizes shrink and you take little space on public transport? Buy new clothes and check the mirror to develop a truer picture of what you look like now.
2. Deal with feedback. You may like how others treat you with more respect, or you may hate their superficiality in accepting you just because you’re thin. Remember, their attitude says more about them than you.
3. Resolve other issues. Overeating can cover other concerns, and some dieters feel abandoned when weight loss does not automatically make you happy. Manage your expectations. Also, now that you are thin, you can move your resources to tackle other challenges.
4. Enjoy life. There are so many wonderful things you can do now that may have been difficult when you were larger. You can spend more time playing with your kids and sleep sounder at night.
Things to Do for Your Relationships After Lose Weight
In an ideal world, your significant other would be cheering you on. In reality, things are more complicated.
- Offer reassurance. Your partner may feel threatened by your appearance, and friends may wish they were in your shoes. Tell others that you still enjoy them.
2. Find the middle ground. There may be some compromising in the store if you used to socialize by eating pizza, and now you want to play tennis. Avoid nagging your loved ones. When they are ready, encourage them to join you in becoming more active.
3. Move on. On the other hand, you may have outgrown some relationships. If you feel that someone is trying to undermine you, it could be time to wish them well and keep your distance.
Dropping excess pounds has more pros than cons. Weight loss gives you more energy and lowers your risk for serious conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Keep these benefits in mind while you’re managing the trickier consequences so you can lead a longer and more fulfilling life.
