Cardiac Connection > Nutrition & Fitness > Keeping the Weight Off After You've Lost It

For months now, you�ve been counting calories and stepping up your physical activity. It hasn�t been easy, but it�s certainly been worth it. Your clothes fit better. Your friends and colleagues have congratulated you on your weight loss. You�re feeling great! And now comes the really hard part: keeping it off.

Donna knows this from personal experience. �When I completed theWeight by Design program*, I was thrilled with my weight loss and how much better I felt, but I was also nervous,� she recalls. �I wanted to continue to lose weight and build on the knowledge that I gained in the program, but I didn�t want to do it alone.� So the next step Donna took was to the Healthy Path, a dynamic Healthier by Design program open to anyone who wants professional support and accurate information relating to weight maintenance or continued weight loss. For Donna, it�s been a very positive experience. �We�re all there to support each other,� she says. �It�s not really about how much you lose, but about making your life healthier.�

A different way of looking at life
�Making your life healthier� is also the goal of the 5,000 individuals in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR, www.nwcr.ws) -- individuals who have successfully maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for a minimum of one year. A study found that the only common characteristic among of NWCR participants relative to weight loss was that the vast majority (89 percent) used both diet and physical activity to lose weight. However, there were some striking similarities in how they maintained their weight loss. Specifically, they reported:

eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet (High-carb, you say!? Yes, as in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains � wholesome carbohydrates all.)

eating breakfast almost every day

frequent monitoring of weight (from daily to once a week) as an �early warning�

participation in 60-90 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day. Walking was the most popular activity, but swimming, biking, and aerobics classes were also mentioned.

Health Design nurse Stephanie Weisser, RN, CDE, a leader of both the Weight by Design and Healthy Path programs, understands � and teaches � that these activities and the mind set that goes with them can represent a new way of living your life. �You learn to look at life differently,� she says. �You make exercise a part of your everyday life, just like brushing your teeth. And you plan. Plan what you�re going to buy at the grocery store, plan your meals and snacks, plan to eat light prior to going out to dinner or to a party. Once you get into the swing of it, it might still be an effort, but it�s no longer exhausting.�

And that�s exactly what Donna has found. She has taken the formidable task of weight control and integrated it into her daily life. �Besides participating in the Healthy Path and other physical activities, I try to make good choices at every meal every day. They might seem like small steps at the time, but they add up to the really big reward of a healthier me.�

*Weight by Design is a 17-week weight management program led by Health Design nurses and dietitians. The program is designed to help participants lose 10 percent of body weight, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduce risk for heart disease and diabetes. For more information about Weight by Design or the Healthy Path, call 215-918-5900.