Weight loss and weight maintenance are really two sides of the same coin. In reality, the habits that help you drop pounds are the same ones that will help you maintain your weight loss. After all, losing weight isn’t really considered a success unless you manage to keep it off.

If you ask people who have successfully lost weight how they did it, they’ll often say that losing weight is the easy part—but keeping it off is a lot tougher. Sometimes you’re so focused on weight loss that you’re paying more attention to the end results—like what the scale says or how your jeans fit—than you are on establishing new habits. But once you’ve reached your goal, it’s easy for those old habits to sneak back up on you.

Some people are more successful at losing weight than others. Many people set unrealistic goals or try to lose weight too quickly, and this can undermine dieting efforts in no time. Drastic changes, even if they lead to short term weight loss, are hard to sustain. And dieters then convince themselves that they don’t have what it takes to win the battle of the bulge.

Instead, it helps to think more about replacing old habits with new ones and shifting attention away from the end results. In other words, pay more attention to the journey rather than the destination. As new behaviors become established and take hold, the weight will usually take care of itself.

We’ve learned a lot from people who have successfully lost weight and maintained it through two studies. In Germany, the Lean Habits Study1 is following about 7000 successful weight losers. And in the US, more than 4000 people are enrolled in the National Weight Control Registry2. Participants in these studies say that the best weight loss strategy involves establishing new behaviors, rather than relying on drastic or unrealistic diet and exercise plans.

Top 10 Weight Loss Strategies of Successful ‘Losers’

1. They get to know themselves really well

One key to success is learning how to manage your own high risk situations, such as eating when you’re stressed or cleaning your plate out of habit rather than hunger. Successful weight losers are adaptable and plan ahead. They know what situations might get them into trouble and have a backup plan for dealing with them.

2. They get a lot of exercise

On average, the National Weight Control Registry enrollees burn about 2000 calories per week through exercise. That’s a lot. They get about 60-90 minutes of moderate to high-intensity exercise daily. The most popular exercise is walking, and they average 5-6 miles a day.

3. They set goals and monitor their behavior

Setting goals—ones you measure, like how many minutes you will walk, how many calories you will take in, or how many sit-ups you will do—are helpful because you can track whether or not you meet these goals. Successful weight losers keep track of how much exercise they get, and they keep food journals. Sometimes they use a food log to plan meals ahead of time. These self-monitoring strategies are critical and provide much needed feedback on behavior changes.

4. They have regular meal patterns and frequency

Many people get in trouble with their weight because their eating patterns are so disorganized. Successful weight losers report that eating at regular intervals and snacking only when they’re hungry are keys to success. Skipping meals usually backfires. And having routine meal times means that you don’t go long stretches without food, which often leads to excessive snacking or larger meals later on.

5. They eat a low-fat, nutrient dense diet

No surprises here, but a high-quality diet—one with plenty of protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains––is what keeps people satisfied. The fruits, veggies and whole grains are bulky and filling, but their calorie cost is relatively low. Adequate protein is key, since protein is highly satisfying and will keep hunger at bay between meals.

6. They practice portion control

By learning what size portion you need to eat to feel ‘not hungry any more’—as opposed to feeling ‘stuffed’—you can trim your food intake significantly. Portion control strategies include using smaller plates, serving your food in the kitchen (rather than having serving dishes at the table), and using meal replacements such as protein shakes, bars or frozen meals.

7. They practice stress management

Food is so often used as a comfort when we’re stressed, but we usually feel guilty afterwards which just increases the stress and keeps the cycle going. Successful weight losers have learned to find other ways to reduce their stress. They exercise, call a friend, or practice some meditation or deep breathing.

8. They had an attitude adjustment

Many people who have successfully lost weight say that they had to change their thinking about dieting and weight loss. Some felt it was ‘in their genes’ to be fat, or that they couldn’t lose weight because they’d never been successful in the past. Eventually, they faced the problem head on, recognizing that weight loss and weight maintenance success would come through a series of small steps and a lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

9. They adopted a plan, and they stayed with it

Once you have an established routine of how you generally eat and how frequently you exercise, learn to stick with this routine day in and day out. People who have lost weight and are successful in maintaining that weight loss do this—even on holidays or when they go to restaurants. Many dine out less often, because they prefer having more control over what they eat by preparing more meals at home.

10. They have learned to control their environment

Successful weight losers learn how to control situations that are most likely to get them into trouble. The foods that are available in the refrigerator or cupboard at home, in restaurants, at the workplace or in the grocery store are in environments that can be controlled. To gain control over the food environment, keep ‘safe’ foods in the house, choose restaurants where you know you can get the healthy foods that you want, bring appropriate foods to work, and prepare a shopping list before you go to the supermarket.

1 Westenhoefer J, et al. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 28(2):334-5.

2 Wing R, Phelan S. Am J Clin Nutr 2005 82:222-5S.

Susan Bowerman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND – Senior Director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training

If more people really thought about how much their digestive systems do for them every day, they might be more inclined to take better care of their digestive health. Your digestive system has a huge job – it breaks down the foods that you eat in order to make nutrients and energy available to the body, and it is responsible for steering unwanted waste out of the body, too. On top of that, your digestive tract is a key player in immunity – the cells lining your digestive tract help protect your body against bacterial and viral invaders that could make you sick.

And, your brain and your digestive tract are in constant communication with one another. An incredible amount of information travels between your gut and your brain – so much so, that the nervous system that resides in your digestive tract is often called the body’s “second brain”. This system alerts the “first brain” if you’ve eaten something you shouldn’t have, and also keeps tabs on your hunger level and your mood.

And yet, many people abuse their digestive system – by filling it with highly processed foods, or eating too much, or eating too fast – and pay little attention to it until something goes wrong.

Key Components to Digestive Health

In the most general sense, what you eat and the way you live your life influences the health of your digestive system. A nutrient-rich, balanced diet helps to nourish all of your body’s cells, including those in your digestive tract. Fiber, fluids and regular exercise all help to keep you regular, and taking care of your “second brain” by keeping your stress levels in check can also help to promote digestive health.

Fiber and Fluids Support Digestive Health

Perhaps one of the most important dietary components for digestive health is adequate dietary fiber.

Most people think of fiber as the substance that helps to keep the digestive process moving. And certain fibers do just that. But not all fibers function exactly the same way, which is why we often talk about two types of fiber – insoluble and soluble fiber – both of which contribute to digestive health, but in different ways.

Insoluble fiber – sometimes called “roughage” – isn’t broken down by the body but it absorbs water, which adds bulk. This type of fiber – found in vegetables, bran and most whole grains – helps to speed the passage of waste through your digestive system, which helps keep you regular.

Soluble fiber– found in foods like apples, oranges, oats, barley and beans – thickens and swells up when it comes in contact with liquid. So, when you eat these foods, they swell up in the watery environment of your stomach and help to fill you up. But another important feature of soluble fiber is that it functions as a prebiotic – which means that it encourages the growth of the good bacteria in your digestive tract.

Your digestive system houses tens of trillions of microorganisms – made up of thousands of species – taken together, this bacterial colony is sometimes called the “gut microbiome”.

These bacteria help your body extract nutrients from your food, they help with the production of certain vitamins, and they protect the health of the digestive tract by keeping out dangerous foreign invaders. But this mini ecosystem residing in your gut appears to do even more – there is evidence that your gut microbiome may also influence your body weight, memory and mood, too. So, it’s important to provide these bacteria with their preferred source of fuel – in the form of soluble fiber.

You can also introduce beneficial bacteria into your system directly – in the form of probiotics found in certain foods. Fermented foods such as yogurt and kefir, pickles and sauerkraut, miso paste and olives are all natural sources of beneficial bacteria.

Since soluble fibers dissolve in water – and insoluble fibers trap it – it should come as no surprise that adequate fluids are important in keeping your digestive system running smoothly. But you also need water to produce saliva and digestive juices, and to transport nutrients to your cells, so taking in adequate fluids every day is vitally important to your digestive health.

Exercise and Stress Reduction Support Digestive Health

Regular exercise also supports digestive health in a couple of ways. As your muscles contract and your breath deepens during activity, the natural contractions of your intestinal muscles are stimulated, too, which helps to move food through your system. Exercise is also a well-known stress reducer, so it can help reduce digestive upsets that can occur in response to negative emotions.

The connection between your brain and your “second brain” in your digestive tract is something you’ve probably experienced in the form of a “gut reaction”. When stress or anxiety strikes, your brain sends a signal to your gut – and the next thing you know you’ve got a churning stomach.

The signals travel in the other direction, too – from gut to brain. When something in your digestive system isn’t quite right, an alert is sent to your brain, often before you even notice anything is wrong. Either way, this brain-gut connection suggests that keeping your digestive system in tip-top shape is vital to your sense of well-being.

The diet and lifestyle steps you take to keep yourself healthy are the same ones that promote digestive health, too. A diet that includes plenty of fiber from colorful fruits and vegetables and whole grains, adequate hydration, and regular exercise are all key factors. And take time to enjoy your meals – you’ll be more relaxed, and less likely to overeat, too.

Susan Bowerman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND – Senior Director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training