how do you keep weight off?

[Fozzy13]

if a person goes on a cut and they are hardcore about it...how do they keep it off? they gotta be at it forever? Once you reach your goal does it become easier? or as soon as you slow down on the cardio the weight will come back>?

[eLiTe_J_]

Hi there, i cut down to 145 from 170. I was a big junk food eater before hand (like most people who wound up being a little bit bigger for their liking). On my cut i just cut out all the processed foods/ice cream/candy/fried foods/soda and concentrated on whole wheat pasta/greens/tuna/chicken/brown rice/various fruits and other vegs/oatmeal. I pretty much eat all that still and on occasion i'll have a soda or some ice cream or a pizza on friday night but not in the amounts i used to. And i stick to working out 6 days of the week ( i run 5 miles a day) and i've maintained my weight no problem! Its a lifestyle change that i undertook and i am enjoying every second of it. And as i said before, if you want to indulge just do it in moderation while working out and it will be very easy to maintain!

[hankst]

The weight only comes back if you decide to go full retard after you reach your goals.

[Dominikm]

be 'reasonable' during the week, have some fun and let go on the weekend and still lift 3x a week. That should about do it, but think about it... If you cut down to abs for being huge and then go bulk it's still gonna take quite some time before you develop even a small gut again... So don;t got nuts and you will be fine.

[logicspeaks]

I'm currently cutting at a 1000 cal a day deficit, and I still eat 2500 cal a day, so I almost find it hard to see how I'm going to manage to eat at mainenance once I do finish cutting - nevermind the eventual bulk. I figure by the time you spend months focusing yourself on real changes, they will stick with you even when you're "done".

[Gx7Pyro]

there are reasons why so many people are on yo-yo diets; they lose the weight, they gain it back, they lose the weight, etc etc. it does become somewhat easier, just because you look in the mirror and you are impressed with yourself (vain, i know, but true). when you look in the mirror and arent impressed with yourself anymore, you go cut again.

but you defintely need some self control. nothing beats a good burger, fries, a cold pepsi, and a milkshake for dessert, but you cant have that every day. and you cant get into the rut of saying, "well, im not impressed with my body anymore, but im still not as big as i was before, so i dont need to cut right now." thats how you return to your original weight.

being fit is a lifestyle choice. you cant just cut the weight and go back to how you were eating before, or you will gain it all back (and maybe even more). so yes, you basically have to be at it forever, but that is a very grim way of looking at it; just because you are eating better forever does not mean you cant still have those fatty foods we all enjoy. just have it in moderation. have a pizza/beer night with the guys, just not every weekend. eat fast food only when your badly craving it, not for lunch every day. and the little things help too - if you are stuck eating mcdonalds for a week for some reason, get the burger, but omit the fries and soda. it might be unnatural at first, but after a month or two, you will get used to it and wont even think twice about eating like that forever.