by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: June 29, 2009

The best way to keep off the pounds is to develop good lifestyle habits and to continue following them. People who have never struggled with their weight often maintain that they eat what they want, when they want, making the rest of us envy their position. However, the reality is usually that they have a built-in cut-off point: they automatically know when they've had enough to eat, and so eat no more. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the majority of people who find that unhealthy habits creep into their lifestyle until they become the norm. Once you've got into bad habits it can be hard to change them, and it can be even harder to lose weight. It is therefore preferable to adopt habits which won't lead to weight gain in the first place.

Diet is obviously key to enabling you to maintain a healthy weight, since weight gain involves the consumption of more calories than the number your body uses. It is therefore wise to familiarise yourself with what constitutes a healthy diet. You don't necessarily have to count every calorie that passes your lips, but it is helpful to know which kinds of food contain the most amount of calories, and whether they are simply empty calories or if they provide you with some nutritional benefit. You might want to start off by looking at the nutritional guidelines on the back of food packaging, so that you soon become learn whether you are on the right track or not.

Obviously eating lots of fruit and vegetables is a good way to keep off the pounds, as they generally contain relatively few calories and provide you with a range of vitamins and minerals. You also need to incorporate protein, which can help you feel fuller for longer, and complex carbohydrates which give you energy, as well as some fats into your diet. It is obviously junk food, full of saturated fat, salt and sugar, which is generally best avoided. If you get into the habit of reaching for an apple instead of a bar of chocolate you are making progress.

To keep off the pounds it also helps if you get into the habit of eating regularly, making a special effort to eat breakfast. Eating regularly keeps your metabolism elevated, helping burn calories quicker. You won't get to the stage of feeling extremely hungry, and so are less likely to gorge yourself on the nearest available high-calorie foods. Your energy levels will be stable and your concentration levels will be high, and thus it is good to get into a routine of eating frequently, rather than skipping meals thinking that you will be saving on calories.

Finally, to keep off those pounds you need to get active. With more people commuting to work and sitting all day at their desks, there is a tendency for them to avoid doing any exercise citing lack of time. However, instead of watching television when you get home you could go for a walk, or if you happen to commute to work you could cycle instead of driving. After all, exercise is probably the most effective way of helping you to maintain a healthy weight. If you manage to get into a routine of eating well and exercising you will reach a point where you won't even have to think about your weight; it will look after itself.

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