After you’ve reached your target healthy weight, the next step on your health journey is to optimize and maintain your healthy weight by continuing to implement healthy habits. Additional benefits for maintaining a healthy weight are linked to decreased risk of disease, better sleep, and living a longer life. If you turn healthy eating habits into healthy lifestyle habits, you're more likely to maintain your healthy weight. Here are some keys to success for remaining in your target weight range:

• Make healthy food choices. When confronted with a choice between what looks good and what is good use Stop. Challenge. Choose. to make the nutritious selection that will be more beneficial for your long-term health.
• Track food intake. Tracking your food intake makes it easier to identify any corrections you need to make to your diet. Try using an app that provides specific calorie and nutrient counts so you can easily pinpoint your habits and make choices in a mindful way.
• Healthy motion. Burning calories and increasing metabolism are necessary for maintaining a healthy weight. In addition to NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen recommends thirty minutes a day of moderate activity. For more information, please see Dr. A’s Habits of Health Chapter 16. 
• Plan ahead. Plan meals in advance to avoid being hungry and making unhealthy decisions. Keep Fuelings or healthy snacks in your car or backpack so you can grab and go.
• Stay hydrated. Drinking water regularly helps promote fullness and can help keep calorie intake in check. Try drinking a glass of water before your meals and aim to drink at least 64 oz. daily.*
• Manage stress. Stress is an appetite stimulant and a common trigger for impulsive eating. Try meditation, exercise, or keeping a stress journal to help manage your stress. For more information, please see Dr. A’s Habits of Health Chapter 25.
• Use your support system. Reach out to your OPTAVIA Coach or Community for extra motivation. Having a support circle can help keep your goals and accountability in perspective.

Ask me, your OPTAVIA Coach, for other tips to maintain your healthy weight on your journey to Lifelong Transformation, One Healthy Habit at a Time^®.

* Talk with your healthcare provider prior to changing the amount of water you drink as it can affect certain health conditions and medications.

It is summertime and barbecue season is upon us! It can be difficult staying on track amongst the smell of the grill, but by keeping to healthy choices and having a plan you can stay on course. Follow these tips at your next barbecue:

• Lean Proteins. Stick to lean cuts of protein like sirloin tips, flank steak, skinless chicken breast, and fish. Lean cuts are high in protein but lower in fat and calories. Make sure that whatever protein you choose is not battered or with bread.
• Vegetables First. When filling up your plate, think vegetables! Skip the dip and fill up on non-starchy vegetables like salad, asparagus, broccoli, celery, and cucumbers. Non-starchy vegetables are low in calories, a great source of fiber, and should be the majority of your plate whether cooked or raw.
• Drink water. Drinking water is always important, but it’s essential during the summer months when the weather is warmer. Keep your water bottle handy and filled to help you stay hydrated. Avoid alcohol and sugary drinks which add extra calories, stimulate your appetite, and cause dehydration.
• Be Creative. Opt for a bun-less burger or use lettuce as the bun. Put your protein and vegetables on a kebob stick and grill them for a different taste. The healthy combinations are endless.
• Bring a healthy dish. If you’re a guest, bring your favorite healthy side dish to share. That way there’s a healthy option available that you know you’ll enjoy.
• Focus on family and friends. Instead of making food the focus of the event, have fun enjoying time with friends and family. Start up a game of backyard kickball or badminton!

Ask me, your OPTAVIA Coach, about other tips for staying on Plan at a barbecue on your journey to Lifelong Transformation, One Healthy Habit at a Time^®.

Finding Freedom and Joy

“It seemed with every major life change I gained weight: marriage, moves, and children. I used food to cope with stress and didn't realize how much I unconsciously snacked.”

After having her fourth child, Hilah gained more weight and felt she had hit rock bottom. Food was her comfort and she was consumed by negative thoughts about herself. After trying many diets with no success, she felt that her only option was surgery.

“I needed to take care of myself so that I could take care of my family and be an example of health for my children. The clinic couldn't get me in for a month, but I did not want to wait that long. I had a friend who had lost a lot of weight* on the OPTAVIA Program, so I got in touch with her Coach. I decided to commit 100% to OPTAVIA.”

Hilah realized that she needed to change her unhealthy habits and mindset for her positive changes to stick. She learned to keep busy with other things and not to food to cope. Several months later, Hilah lost 105 pounds* and her clothes were six sizes smaller.  Her biggest transformation was in her mindset.

“I have freedom and joy again and I feel like myself! I enjoy life now. I jumped on the trampoline for the first time ever with my children and I went skydiving!”

Hilah has found a new take on life and now she’s paying it forward.

 “I’ve become an OPTAVIA Coach and help people achieve their health goals. I hope to be able to inspire others and be a positive example for others.”