Keep the weight off

Take it off. Now you've got it off, keep it off. The first part is easy. The second part sometimes seems nearly impossible.

Last year you tried the latest miracle diet. You bought that hot new diet book right off the bestseller shelf. Maybe the kilos didn't exactly melt away as promised, but at first you did lose weight, but then the weight loss slowed down. The fad diet didn't seem so new any more; the new diet just didn't feel healthy; you nibbled a few sweets and felt too guilty to continue.

You aren't alone. For every 20 dieters who lose weight, only one keeps the weight off in the long term. But don't despair, you can beat those odds.

Diet traps

A survey conducted by the British Dietetic Association in 2004 found that a third of people questioned ended up heavier than their original weight only weeks after dieting.

Here are some common diet traps:

• Eat all you want and still lose weight. Sounds too good to be true? It is. The laws of physics still apply. Your extra weight is energy stored as fat. To lose weight, more energy has to come out than goes in. Energy is measured in calories. When you move your body, you burn calories. When you eat or drink anything other than water, you take in calories. If you burn more than you take in, you lose weight.
• I have to starve myself to lose weight. Very low-calorie diets are dangerous. This should only be done with medical supervision, and only when there is a medical need to lose a lot of weight as fast as possible. Gradual weight loss is healthier, and much easier to sustain long-term.
• I have to diet to lose weight. One diet after another isn't the answer. A consistent plan for a healthier lifestyle lays the groundwork for lasting weight loss.
• A fad diet worked for my friend. We all know someone who went on a diet and swears by it. These diets rarely work for long. A sudden change in your eating habits can lead to a pattern of quick weight loss followed by rebound weight gain once you go back to a normal diet.
• Lose 10 kilos in two weeks Early weight loss from fad diets is usually from water loss. The bathroom scales may show that you lost weight, but it is not weight from fat. Most experts say that losing half a kilogram a week is an excellent goal. This means eating 500 fewer calories a day. This can be done by learning and practicing healthy eating habits.

Diet programmes

There are lots of diet programmes out there. Before you sign up for one, ask these questions:

• What are the health risks?
• What data can you show me that your programme really works?
• Do your other customers keep their weight off after they leave the programme?
• Do you have a weight-maintenance programme? Does it cost more?
• What kind of supervision do you offer? What credentials to these supervisors have?
• What's involved? Are there special foods, counselling visits or exercise plans?