What It Takes to Keep the Weight Off to Help Control Your Diabetes: Lessons From Successful Losers

Reaching goal weight as part of a diabetes control program is a wonderful achievement. A great victory. But for some people, the joy of reaching goal is diminished by anxiety about maintaining this new, lower weight.

This concern is understandable. In fact, many people who lose weight put those kilograms back on, and more. But don’t be discouraged by this fact, because regain isn’t inevitable. You can keep the weight off! Sometimes people lose the weight several times before they master the skills that enable them to maintain their weight loss—but they do master them.

This Well-being article describes what it takes to keep the weight off from a Lifestyle perspective.

• It explains what recent research tells about people who have lost weight and kept it off.
• It describes some insights that weight loss “masters” have discovered about themselves and about losing weight.

What It Takes

Researchers have identified four basic tactics used by successful “losers.”

Combine Diet and Exercise. Successful weight losers, and diabetes managers, have made significant changes in their eating and exercise habits.

Keep Track. Self-monitoring is a critical strategy for maintaining diabetes control. Consistent self-monitoring and successful diabetes management go hand in hand.

Weigh Yourself Frequently. Some people can see and stop weight gain quickly by adjusting their food intake and/or boosting their physical activity. (You may choose not to use this strategy if you think it will make you anxious. Some people can judge how well they’re maintaining by how their clothes feel.)

Practice Self-Control. Another study showed that successful weight losers tend to have a good sense of control over their eating. Successful long-term weight maintainers continue to use behavior-change techniques they learned when they were actively losing weight — like those you’ve been learning and practicing in the Diabetes Control for Life™ Program.

Bits of Wisdom

Anne Fletcher, M.S., R.D., author of Thin for Life: 10 Keys to Success From People Who Have Lost Weight and Kept It Off, offers insights shared by the more than 200 people she interviewed. She refers to them as “masters.”

• Accept that no one but you can do this for you. The person responsible for your weight is you. However, you certainly can ask for help and support from your support network. Also, you want to lose weight and keep it off for personal reasons — not because someone else wants you to. And not just to be thinner for some upcoming event, like a wedding or class reunion.
• You’re not perfect. No one is. Accept yourself as who you are. Use positive self-talk as often as possible. Recognize and celebrate your accomplishments instead of dwelling on your failures.
• Change your attitude about weight control. View the changes you’ve made as lifelong changes. Instead of seeing the strategies you use to lose weight as separate from those to maintain your weight, realize they’re one and the same. Instead of eating smaller portions, less fat, and more vegetables for weight loss, realize that these are the same habits you’ll want to continue to keep the weight off, to help manage your diabetes. Accept that you can’t return to your old eating habits that put the weight on to begin with.
• Nip small weight gains in the bud. Set an upper limit for your weight. If your weight reaches that point, take action immediately. Stick with your action plan until you see your weight come back down.
• Believe in yourself. With each step you’ve taken toward eating healthfully and exercising regularly, you’ve seen that you can take control of your life and your diabetes. You will continue to become more self-confident in all areas of your life.

Summary

• Keeping weight off as part of your diabetes control plan is possible. It can be a challenge, but research indicates that it may not be more challenging than losing weight.
• Four key strategies for maintaining weight loss include:
  • Using both diet and exercise
  • Keeping track of food intake
  • Frequent weighing
  • Ongoing use of lifestyle skills
• People who have successfully lost weight as part of their diabetes control efforts have many lessons to share. Among them are to:
  • Accept that your weight is your responsibility.
  • Remember that you are not perfect.
  • View the changes you’ve made as lifelong changes.
  • Nip weight increases in the bud.
  • Believe in yourself.