How do I maintain weight-loss?

September 11, 2009, 4:28 pmYahoo!7

Fitness and weight loss expert Donna Aston tells how to keep the kilos at bay after you've lost a large amount of body fat.

Weight Loss

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Q. I recently lost 33 kgs over an 8-month period by dieting and exercising. Now I am trying to maintain my new weight. I'm puzzled as to how many kilojoules I need and how much I need to keep working out?

My details are: height—166 cms; weight—57 kgs.

I work out five days a week for 45 minutes doing a spin/bike class at the gym and then on Day 6 I do a core workout in addition to the bike class.

My daily diet is:

8am—500 ml water
9am—low-carb ham salad wrap
10.30am—apple
Cup of tea
Lunch—low-carb salad wrap; 500 ml water
Cup of tea
Afternoon snack—yoghurt; 500 ml water
Cup of tea
Dinner—grilled chicken breast with vegetables
Water
Sugar-free dark chocolate

Cup of tea

Thanks,

Nikki, Tasmania

A. Wow! Congratulations on your amazing weight loss.

It is a common dilemma to establish a new healthy lifestyle to maintain a newfound physique. Your body is a mirror image of your lifestyle, so it's important for long-term maintenance (of weight and health) that you achieve the right balance.

You obviously have great discipline and dedication, but I sense that you're feeling a little exhausted by your strict routine and would like to find something you can sustain. Your current Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR—the minimum energy required to sustain your body) is approximately 6,000 kilojoules a day. In addition to this you are burning in excess of 2,000 kilojoules a day in exercise. Essentially you are burning more than 8,000 kilojoules a day and you are consuming only 5,200 kilojoules.

It's okay to have some calorie deficit, however if you eat less that your BMR you risk lowering your metabolic rate and making fat loss and/or maintenance very challenging. To remedy this and bring some balance into your regime I'd recommend the following:

• Drink more water each day (to calculate water requirements, divide your weight by 28. In your case 57kg÷28=1.96 litres. You may require more to facilitate your exercise regime.

• Your diet is low in kilojoules and low in some essential nutrients, namely essential fatty acids (omega 3), iron, fibre and antioxidants from colourful fresh plant foods. It’s important with the amount of exercise you do that you are consuming foods that provide optimum nutrition. I suggest red meat twice a week, oily fish at least twice a week, flaxseed oil in salad dressings and an additional serving of salad or vegetables at lunchtime. Once you are consuming adequate nutrients you'll feel fuller for longer and you will have more strength and energy.

• Your exercise regimen is predominantly cardio-based. Try adding some strength training 2-3 times a week to ensure you do not lose valuable, fat-burning muscle tissue. Your muscles need recovery time between taxing workouts, so I suggest the following regime: Monday, Wednesday, Friday—total-body strength training, including core plus intense cardio; Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday—30-minute walk (to allow recovery).

I appreciate it's difficult to make changes to your diet and exercise regimen after relying on it to successfully lose such a significant amount of weight, but if you continue with your current regime I fear you will burn out and risk injury and/or immune system suppression—not to mention lack of motivation.