Weight — it’s something that is not always as consistent as we may hope it to be. It’s important to remember that there is always going to be fluctuations, whether it’s because we’ve eaten lunch or drank a lot of water, or because each scale has been calibrated differently, or simply based on the biological activity of all of the cells in our body at any point in time. Our fat stores and muscle mass may remain fairly constant, however the number on the scales can be inconsistent.
We should aim not to concern ourselves with 1–2kgs of fluctuation, but instead incorporate this window into our ‘body weight’. Viewing our body weight as a range, rather than a static number, sets us up with a much more positive mentality around our weight loss efforts. This way we won’t be so disheartened when we see an additional 0.5kg on the scales.
Although Fresh Start have programmes to help kickstart the weight loss journey, we like to think that it’s also setting us up for a new lifestyle. By continuing with the product itself or even just taking on board the learnings gained during those 12 weeks. Fresh Start promotes eating wholesome foods, sourced as close to the land or sea as possible as well as packing plenty of veggies into every dish. Even after we’ve hit our goal weight or have completed the 12 week programme, it’s important to continue practising these learned values and keep up the newly formed habits, to ensure our hard work on the programme is not wasted. This way we can be sure we have achieved a healthy and more importantly, sustainable lifestyle change.
Once we have reached our goal weight, we should work to stabilise our calories in vs calories out, to maintain a steady weight. Staying active is hugely important for ongoing weight maintenance, as well as our metabolism and overall health, so let’s be sure we keep up that great work and level of intensity with the ‘calories out’ portion of the equation.
To balance this equation, we need to adjust the ‘calories in’ to find our weight stability. To do this, let’s think about a factor of the plan we found more challenging. Some of us may miss ordering more freely when dining out, for others it may be a glass of wine on Saturday night, or enjoying some grainy toast with brunch in the weekend. Now is the time we can start adding these back into our week. This will help to ensure we have a positive outlook on our diet and we don’t feel restricted. Remember what we said about mindful eating? Keep this in practice when re-introducing these foods. Recognise the significance of each item, appreciate it and don’t take it for granted. This practice, in conjunction with our attention to portion sizes and knowledge of food groups will help us to stay steady and actually enjoy the process.
For a sustainable lifestyle change, we should continue to view food as nutrients and as sustenance that add to our health, rather than subtract from it. Nutrients are what provide the best satiety, so we should maintain a focus on eating plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables, nutrient-dense wholegrains and pulses and lean, good quality meat proteins.
It can be tricky to navigate our eating after a catered programme such as Fresh Start, as once the 12 weeks is over, we feel like we may be entitled to treats as we’ve worked so hard to get to where we are. But we must remember to stay focused, set new goals and keep our newly formed habits in play so we can continue along the healthy journey.
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