I’m tired of dieting. I’ve been a very successful dieter, every six months or so I go on a diet, lose weight and then, before I know it the weight is back. What can I do to keep the weight off once I lose it?

One of the things you can do is to be realistic about how much weight you lose. When you lose weight you need fewer calories to sustain the lower body weight. If you aspire to an unrealistic body weight you will be unable to eat such a low calorie level and won’t be able to keep off the weight. This is yet another reason to aim for weight loss in relatively small increments – losing 10 to 15% of body weight may be easier to sustain.

Many people also think that once they lose the weight that they will be able to maintain it because they wouldn’t want to go through that pain ever again. The reality is that the easy part is losing the weight. It takes constant vigilance to keep the weight off. Weighing oneself, tracking food intake, remaining active, managing portions, engaging in alternate activities – there is so much effort that must go into maintaining weight and many are not prepared for this over the long term.