10 Best Ways Battle Weight Gain and Keep it Off

Anyone who has tried to reach their ideal weight can tell you that the real battle is not losing the weight but keeping it off. You can greatly reduce your food intake and begin vigorously exercising in a dieting blitz to prepare for your summer vacation, but if you don't make some real lifestyle changes, your skinny jeans won't be waiting for you when you get back! I am still working to reach my ideal weight, but I have lost over 40 pounds so far, and have managed to keep them off for two years now by changing countless bad habits and staying motivated. This is what has worked for me:

Get seriously motivated! For many people, just wanting to be skinnier doesn't make it happen. I planned to lose weight for a long time, but it wasn't until my daughter was born that I became really motivated. I wanted to set a healthy example for her, so I began making positive changes in my lifestyle. What will it take to really motivate you? Whatever it may be, if you find the right motivation, it will carry you through the tough times.

Lower you expectations! This isn't a race, so don't set yourself up for failure. Instead, set small goals for yourself and relish in the little victories. I originally wanted to lose at least five pounds week, which is manageable for some people, but for me, I was just consistently setting myself up for failure and then becoming quite discouraged about losing weight in general. Once I lowered my weekly weight loss expectations, I became considerably more likely to keep working to effect lasting changes.

Start out slow! Allow some adjustments to become habits before adding other changes. Once you've decided to lose weight, you may have every intention of cutting back on calories, eliminating fast food and soft drinks, drinking eight cups of water a day, lifting weights, going for a walk, going for a run... etc. If you can manage to do all these things right from the start, that's awesome, but you are NOT a failure if you can't. If you make changes in increments, you may just find that some of the changes you dreaded making at the beginning are a lot easier to make once you have started losing weight.

Find some way to work in daily reminders. Short term weight loss is often prompted by a given event, like a family reunion, so it's easy to remember to stay in shape. However, if you want to keep the weight off in the long run, find some way to keep that goal in mind. I signed up for Sparkpeople.com and really enjoy finding a few weight-loss related emails in my Inbox every morning.

Get outside support. Sometimes, just telling people that you are working on something makes you more likely to really stick with it. I thought about losing weight, but it wasn't until I really started talking about it, that I really committed to it.

Be flexible. It is not the end of the world if you eat ice cream or can't find time to work out on a given day. Hopefully your weight-loss is going to be permanent, and that's a long time! There are going to be times when you slip up, and that's okay. If you hold yourself to such rigid standards, you could find yourself becoming too frustrated and falling off the wagon altogether.

Give your eating habits an overhaul, but remember to pace yourself. Work towards eating smaller portions and minimizing desserts, fast food and soft drinks. It's okay to snack, but be smart about what you choose to snack on: do a search for "negative calorie foods" for some great suggestions.

Get moving! Find ways to work movement into your day. Stop trying to find a parking spot a little closer to the door. Work in an after dinner stroll. Take your dog for a walk. Get on the floor and play-wrestle with your kids.

Start enjoying a healthy hobby. Toss a ball around with a friend. Pick up Ultimate Frisbee. Join a recreational sports league. Go hiking at a local park. Rent a canoe. I started hiking every once in a while, and now I hike several hours a week.

Not to be too commercial, but the Nintendo Wii has totally revolutionized my down time. I really enjoy a good board game or movie marathon, but my family has also added the Wii to our family night agenda, and that has gotten everyone moving! There are also many games out there that incorporate a dance pad, and those will really get you sweating!

There are so many ways to lose weight, and everyone is a little different. What works for one person may not work for another, but I hope some of these hints help.