10 things to consider for maintaining longterm weight loss.

1.  Your change in eating has to be in terms of a healthy lifestyle-not a diet! To do this you will have to stay motivated and focused untill the new lifestle becomes a normal 'behaviour' So make somecognitive shift s i.e. see yourself moving towards a healthy lifestyle as a new, slimmer you. Not moving away from obesity. Research shows there is more success when you do it this way. This is a journey into the unknown for a lot of readers. So like any journey
   into an unfamiliar territory use a map! This will look like a personal action plan of change-break your journey down into goals and map out the areas were 'bandits may lurk! i.e. know what may cause you to slip up along the way and start by making some 'lapse' strategies to help you stay on your route!
2. Organise yourself by planning your changed eating habit. Get rid of all the 'bad' food that is your down fall. Make a weekly plan of your food, vary it and start thing like a healthy person.
3. As mentioned above-think healthy. You are what you eat but also you become what you think. Eat smaller portions, dish up your food on a smaller plate. Take at least 20 mins to eat it and ALWAYS put you cutlery down whilst chewing your food.
4. Dont get seduced. Marketing spends billions $£ a year on this so beware. Never do your food shopping when hungry-this will help reduce you purchasing high fat food (try it!). Avoid 'Eat all you can' establishments. Eat off a small plate and leave some of your food. Always share a dessert. Dont have 'bad' snacks conveniently placed around the office or home. Always fill your small plate with 'low density' foods first that leaves less space for the pasta/rice/meat. Dont but special offers/2 for the price of 1 etc unless they are whole food/fruit or veg. I bet you will not end up buying many as its always the calorie dense foods that are pushed this way. Low fat or Lite foods seldom are!! Read the label often they are re-inforced with fruit sugars to maintain the taste.
5. Dont 'not' eat you favourite foods. If you like fries have them but only as a special treat. Dont skip meals and ALWAYS start with a good whole food breakfast that will start you off the right way.
6. Always eat the French/Italian way-slow and relaxed. This will help you enjoy food. Always put food on a plate and never eat out of the packet, as you cant judge the quantity you eat so accurately. Avoid distractions when eating-like the T.V. as you eat faster than if you were chatting to others around you. This also allows you to concerntrate on what your eating.
7. Slow is good when eating. Avoid fast food as it is designed to eat in a hurry and on the go. Drink water before a meal. Salad as a starter will encourage you to chew more so slowing you up. Also the same for hot soups. Make eating social so talk with friends and family when eating.
8. Make meals varied. Colour, smell, taste should be varied to keep you interested. Remember this is longterm lifestyle change so dont get bored.
9. YOU MUST GET ACTIVE Dieting may lose you the weight but for long term maintainence of your new slimmer body if you dont exercise you will lapse. So if your not active start thinking like an active person. Go slow at first and as your energy levels improve increase your activity. Muscle mass burns the calories so ensure you do resistence training and pait it up with High Intensity Exercise. If your a runner or cyclist put much faster efforts into you regimes. There is a wealth of evidence that this raises and keeps the metabolic rate higher for longer. You are also more likely to succeed if you do it with a friend or collegue. Why not join a club or get a personnel trainer. You become like the people you associate with so think healthy!
10. Lastly balance your life as well as your eating-get a harmoney going that ensure this is not a stress

I hope you find this useful. I have included a few books you may find useful or you could try serching yourself. Also I have written more about this on a hub-

For more information go to
http://turneroftaunton.com/?cat=374
http://allstomach.blogspot.com/
http://hubpages.com/hub/Strategies-to-review-weight-A-review-of-the-evidence
http://hubpages.com/hub/HowvisualisationCANmakeyouslimmer
http://hubpages.com/hub/10-things-to-consider-for-maintaining-long-term-weight-loss
http://hubpages.com/hub/What-todo-when-your-weight-loss-slows-or-plateaus-An-analysis-of-ideas-to-kick-start-it-up-again
http://hubpages.com/hub/antioxidants-and-food
http://10thingstoconsiderforweightlossmainta.blogspot.com/
The author-Ian Turner, has worked in health for 25 yrs. He has worked in clinical and managerial positions in the NHS and gained a MSc in Strategic Health from Exeter University in England. He is widely published and a keen athlete, mountaineer and gym goer. Additionally he is a qualified NLP practitioner, CBT trained counsellor, Psych-dynamic trained therapist and Ericksonian hypnotherapist.

Go for it!