It’s so gratifying to watch patients release their excess weight and regain vibrant wellness.
And it’s humbling to see the hard work patients put in, and the sacrifices they make to become healthier for themselves and their families.
So we don’t take it lightly when we hear patients say things like “I’ve lost weight, now how do I keep it off?”, or, “I’ve reached my goal weight, how do I stay here?”
One way we help patients maintain their progress and continue to improve is through our monthly maintenance plan. This plan offers ongoing treatment, support, and encouragement to patients who have completed our weight loss program.
We also offer support through my monthly empowerment webinars. These 60-minute online sessions take place on the first Tuesday of each month and address a variety of important topics related to weight loss, weight management, and wellness. These online events are always free and open to everyone. The webinars are interactive, so bring your questions.
You’ll also find at least one new article on our blog each month, inspired by questions we receive from patients.
With that in mind, here are my favorite weight management tips to help you look and feel your best.
- Be Mindful of Nutrition
- Stay Hydrated
- Use Supplements Strategically
- Move Your Body Regularly
- Love Yourself
- Surround Yourself with Support
1. Be Mindful of Nutrition
Maintain a Balanced, Protein-Rich Diet
Nutrition comes first—before and after you’ve reached your weight goal. With patients, we emphasize the importance of making good food choices and maintaining a clean, balanced diet for life. I ask ongoing maintenance patients to continue to eat ample protein and good fats and keep carbohydrates to a healthy minimum. When you do eat carbs, select items that are high in fiber. High-fiber foods are more nutrient dense than starches and simple carbohydrates, are more filling and satisfying, and digest more slowly so you avoid the sugar spike after eating them.
You can find dozens of delicious healthy recipes on our website, all approved for our weight loss program and monthly maintenance plan. We’ve collected recipes for all meals, occasions, and moods, and we add more recipes to our website each month.
Weight Management Tip: Weigh Your Food
Along with what you eat, how much you eat is very important. Today’s portions are often too large, especially at restaurants. One of the first things we ask patients to do when joining our 12-week weight loss program is to begin weighing food with a food scale. I like Escali food scales, which you can purchase online or in-person at our weight loss clinics. Weighing your food helps you keep weight off and stay healthy by not eating too much or too little protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
2. Stay Hydrated
We all know water is essential for life. Did you know water is essential for weight loss and weight management, too?
Even a small amount of dehydration (too little water) can have a negative effect on metabolism and cause weight gain. Water is especially important on a carb-restricted weight loss plan. Normally, our bodies store large amounts of water in carbohydrates. With carbohydrate intake reduced, more fluid intake is necessary to compensate.
How Much Water Should I Drink?
Each person’s hydration needs are different and change based on many factors including exercise, weather, and food intake. In general, I recommend patients in my weight loss program drink 128 oz of liquid throughout each day. Water should be at least 64 oz of the total. The other 64 oz can be water or other fluids.
Weight Management Tip: Flavor Your Water
Try infusing your water with fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Adding natural flavors to water can make it easier and more palatable to drink large amounts of water and stay hydrated throughout the day. For example; lemon, cucumber, mint, rosemary, and other natural ingredients are ideal for infusing into water. Add what you like to a pitcher of water and let it sit for a few hours and you'll have infused water to enjoy.
3. Use Supplements Strategically
Unfortunately, food today isn’t what it used to be. Modern farming and food processing methods often reduce or eliminate the essential nutrients which were once naturally present in the foods we eat, leading to nutritional imbalances in our bodies. A side effect is we find it difficult to achieve our weight loss and weight management goals.
Supplements help us get the nutrients we need to stay healthy. They support our body at the cellular level, to help us feel vibrant and strong. Supplements reawaken the body’s fundamental ability to heal, repair, and rejuvenate.
3 Great Weight Management Supplements:
1. Probiotics
One of the first supplements I’ll typically recommend for weight management is a high-quality probiotic.
Our gut biome plays a major role in our metabolism. People who have a hard time with weight loss also tend to have an unhealthy gut. Why? Some gut bacteria create fat instead of energy and vital nutrients. The right probiotics promote the growth of gut bacteria that produce energy instead of fat.
2. Fish Oil
Fish oil is my favorite supplement for general wellness, and one I recommend frequently for weight management.
To start, fish oil is a potent anti-inflammatory. Excess weight is an inflammatory condition. To release excess weight, the inflammation needs to be reduced and kept in check.
Fish oil provides so many important benefits for the body, you may be surprised to learn we also recommend it to our weight loss patients for powerful brain support. Optimal brain function is crucial as you progress through your weight loss journey; becoming more clear and focused, and developing healthy new habits for life. Omega 3 fish oils rejuvenate the brain by stimulating the growth of new cells. Fresh new brain cells support fresh new thoughts, emotions, and behaviors as you transcend old ways and awaken to your healthier new self.
3. Vitamin D with K2
Did you know that recent research puts Vitamin D more on the level of a hormone than a vitamin? That is to say that Vitamin D impacts the entire body and health, system-wide. Vitamin D is essential for overall wellness.
When it comes to weight management, Vitamin D helps optimize metabolism through healthy thyroid function, supports proper glucose metabolism, and assists with insulin resistance.
New science also shows the importance of taking Vitamin D3 with K2. Vitamin K2 helps to ensure the calcium transported by the Vitamin D is absorbed by your bones where it’s needed, rather than accumulating in deposits in your arteries.
4. Move Your Body Regularly
It’s important to move our bodies frequently. Even gentle movement does wonders for the body, mind, and spirit when performed consistently and with purpose. This article provides some of my favorite options for gentle exercise and frequent movement. I ask my patients to find a few activities like these that they enjoy, and incorporate them into their weekly routines. Regular movement improves circulation, stimulates endorphins, helps us connect with our breath, and allows us to release old habits as we transform ourselves.
5. Love Yourself
Losing weight and improving your health begins with loving yourself inside and out. Each of our thoughts informs our energy, and our energy transforms into our physical experiences. My self-love roadmap offers tips to help you practice self-love, raise your self-esteem, and fortify your spirit for your ongoing journey.
Self-Love Tip
None of us has the power to go back and change our past. But we all have the power to choose what stories we tell ourselves about it and whether those stories are empowering or disempowering. Choose to write yourself the most empowering story possible about your journey so far. Love yourself the way that you are. Appreciate what brought you to this moment, even the hard parts. Release the negative emotions that have been weighing you down and holding you back, so that you can move on and claim the bright future that is waiting for you.
6. Surround Yourself with Support
“You’re the average of the five people spend the most time with.”
There’s a lot of truth in this statement from motivational speaker Jim Rohn. The people we fill our lives with have a big impact on how we ourselves develop.
As much as possible, surround yourself with positive, supportive people. People who see your efforts and results and offer encouraging words and supportive actions. Sometimes this means making new friends or being careful about how much time you spend with existing friends, family, and co-workers.
Similarly, it’s important to spend as much time as possible in calm, empowering environments. Enjoy the benefits of nature. Spending time outdoors helps us connect to the natural rhythms and harmonies of life. Fresh air, sunlight, saltwater, and forest terpenes are free gifts from mother nature that restore our spirits. Indoors, cultivate environments that are calm, quiet, and free of clutter and stress triggers.
My team and I are here for you at our weight loss clinics in Palm Harbor and St. Pete. Schedule a consultation today and receive the support you need for your ongoing weight management and wellness journey.
“I’ve been going to the clinic for years and am very happy. I’ve lost 30 lbs over all and have kept it off for 3 years now.”
—Kelly M., Palm Harbor
“I’ve tried other weight loss plans before, but the one Dr. Lara offered me is working. I’ve been going to them for 24 weeks now and I am down 80 pounds. The staff is incredible and I get happy on weigh-in day cause I get to see them again.”
—John D., Clearwater
“I always have the best experience when I come to Dr. Lara’s office. Great staff, very friendly and caring. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. My weight loss journey continues and I’m so happy with my continued weight loss. There are some great recipes available and the staff are great motivators.”
—Susan S., Clearwater