You Hit Your Weight Loss Goal. What Now?

You look down at the scale and smile. You're at your target weight. 

Yet even as you bask in the glow of accomplishment, a thought pops into your head.

What now?

You know what you don't want. You don't want to regain the pounds you lost. 

And you may want to broaden your focus beyond weight maintenance to sleep, strength, and other lifestyle factors. Being healthy means so much more than being svelte. 

In today's article, you'll learn the philosophy and tactics for sustainable health after hitting your weight loss goal. Let's start with your mindset. 

What To Do After Reaching Your Weight Loss Goal

Go ahead and celebrate after hitting your target weight. Connect with the positive emotions and enjoy the surge of dopamine for accomplishing a meaningful life goal.[*] 

Ideally, your celebration doesn't involve eating your way through a lifesize gingerbread house. (That won't help with weight maintenance.) A brief detour into Frankenfood won't kill you, though.  

So rejoice, but don't forget what led you to this moment. Because it wasn't your weight loss goal. 

No, it was your weight loss system. Your goal gave you direction, but your system gave you results. 

Your system may have included:

• Dietary measures (carb restriction, portion control, protein targets)
• Exercise
• Sleep and stress management
• The Carb Manager app is for tracking, motivation, and accountability

Applying these systems daily reduced your weight until you hit your goal. 

Everyone has goals, but successful people have systems to achieve them. An example will help illustrate.

Many people aspire to be successful writers, but the few who succeed are long-term systems thinkers. John Grisham's first novel took three years to write and flopped commercially. Undeterred, Grisham kept writing and honing his craft with ritualistic discipline.[*] His second novel (The Firm) sold 7 million copies, and he's still cranking out bestsellers today.  

A similar principle applies to health generally and weight loss specifically. Sound systems drive good results. 

What is the next step after losing weight? Stay on the path that got you there. Let's get more specific. 

Weight Maintenance After Weight Loss

After losing weight, most people gain it back, then lose it again, and so on. This is called yo-yo dieting, and it's about as fun as doing your taxes or navigating the phone tree of your health insurance company. (Welcome to ABC Health. How may we disconnect you?) 

One estimate suggests that 80% of people who lose at least 10% of their body weight regain it after a 

year.[*] We want to prevent that from happening. 

The trick is to stop viewing diets as temporary maneuvers to achieve short-term weight loss goals. If your diet is temporary, your weight loss will be temporary. 

You'll be tweaking your nutritional system for the rest of your life. It's part of being a healthy human. 

Your nutritional weight maintenance system might include:

• Keeping junk food out of the house.
• Using Carb Manager to track macros, micros, and calories. (Managing calories is essential to managing weight.[*])
• Taking the long way to the bathroom so you don't stroll past the office donuts.
• Limiting carbs to reduce hunger and overeating.[*]
• Getting enough protein (at least 30 grams per meal) to promote satiety.
• Wearing a t-shirt that says "Kale-N It".

If you stick with a sustainable system, you'll experience sustainable weight loss. Let's expand our focus now. 

What Can I Focus On Instead of Weight Loss?

Having a weight loss target is fine, but don't make it your sole focus because:

1. Every day you fall short of your goal, you'll feel like a failure. 
2. If and when you hit the target, you'll be directionless in the aftermath. That's a recipe for regression. 

Focus on habits instead. We already discussed dietary habits as the primary lever for weight loss and maintenance. 

But you're in this for the long haul. You want a strong body and healthy mind for decades to come, don't you?

Making that happen means expanding your focus beyond weight loss. You need to think holistically. 

Here are the areas you should concentrate on. 

#1: Exercise

If you care about longevity, prioritize exercise. Regular exercise keeps you functional as you age and reduces the risk of every chronic disease.[*] 

It helps you grow new brain cells, improves mood, and makes you more attractive to mating partners.[*][*] Not bad. 

Exercise does help with weight loss and maintenance[*], but don't expect to eat whatever you like and burn it off in the gym. It doesn't work like that. 

#2: Metabolic health

Metabolic health is another pillar of longevity. Healthy blood sugar levels are associated with lower risks of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and many other modern scourges.[*] 

Reducing carbs is the simplest way to bring blood sugar down. There's a reason Keto is so effective for type 2 diabetes.[*] 

It's wise to occasionally "geek out" by sampling your blood sugar with a blood sugar monitor. (Keto Mojo makes a great device that integrates with Carb Manager.) Do this several times a day for a week to see how your metabolism responds to various foods. 

#3: Sleep 

If you dial in your sleep, the rest of your health falls into place. Getting enough sleep:

• Makes you happier
• Reduces cravings so you can avoid the butter cookies
• Improves insulin sensitivity (metabolic health)[*]
• Makes you look younger
• Enhances exercise performance[*] 
• Boosts your libido[*]
• Lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and other chronic diseases[*][*]

Check out our article on sleep hygiene for tips on optimizing rest. 

#4: Mental health

Your mental health governs the quality of your life. It's hard to enjoy yourself with your mind caught in anxiety, depression, and stress loops. 

To minimize these loops, seek better human connection. Our happiness is strongly linked to the quality of our social ties.[*]

Meditation, exercise, sleep, and anti-inflammatory nutrition also smooth our mental journeys.[*][*][*][*] If you care for your body, your mind will be a friendlier place.

Keep Applying Your Systems

When you achieve your weight loss goal, enjoy the positive vibes. You earned them. 

But remember what got you here. Remember your systems. 

If you want to maintain your progress and improve your health further, keep applying them. Carb Manager is here to help.