Friendly Reminder: Maintaining Your Weight is Different than Goal Weight
Hey there,
Let's talk about a very important topic that is near and dear to my heart. GOALS. We all have them. We all need them. Goals help keep us driven, motivated, and intentional.
Do you know your why? Is it to lose weight? Can we shift this to maintain the weight you lose. Our goal is very important in setting the stage for your actions. The side effect of a normal relationship with food is a normal weight. Read that last bit again. If we switch our focus then we can stay the course and that's the real GOAL. Staying the course, and learning how to maintain the weight you lose, isn't it?
"Maintaining your weight" and "goal weight" are two very different concepts related to body weight and health. Let's break down each term:
Maintaining Your Weight:
Definition: Maintaining your weight means keeping your current body weight relatively stable over time (it’s okay to fluctuate a little). It happens when you listen to your body and you are consistent. Did you know our bodies like the same amount of food in weight as the day before and our mind usually drives us to make this happen. With small changes like eating every three hours, only as much as we need in the moment we are eating- we can recalibrate our metabolism and balance our blood sugar.
Purpose: Weight maintenance is a balanced body. We all have set points at which our metabolism runs smoothly. Ensuring our health. We have small fluctuations based on sodium, hormones, alcohol and workouts. The best day to weigh yourself is Thursday, in the morning. It's easy to maintain your weight when you follow the Six Simple Rules.
Focus: The focus of weight maintenance is on preserving and staying at your current weight and we do this by listening and honoring what our bodies need, rather than actively trying to lose or gain weight.
Goal Weight:
Definition: Your "goal weight" refers to the specific weight you aspire to reach that is healthy for your body. It's based on your weight/height ratio. It's a target weight that helps your body maintain healthy levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and triglycerides.
Purpose: Ideally having a body fat goal is a much better idea. Making sure your body has a high level of lean body mass versus fat mass, this is essential to long term health.
Focus: Achieving your goal weight/body fat involves efforts to have a healthy relationship with food and your body.
So, let’s recap, the real goal is to practice behaviors that will help you to maintain your weight. And the right weight depends on your individual health goals, preferences, and what you feel to be a healthy and sustainable body weight for your body. It's important to approach any weight-related goals with a focus on overall health, balanced nutrition, and a sustainable lifestyle. As always, I recommend using my Six Simple Rules to guide you.
