By Kristy Shreve Powers

If you have reached your weight loss goal, congratulations! You've succeeded where many have failed. However, you probably realize that it's not over. Many people lose weight only to gain it back after they stop dieting. The tips here will help you not to fall into that trap.

Diet

If you've lost weight by making slow, gradual changes in your eating habits, then you're in good shape. You just continue doing what you were doing before. You might be more lenient with yourself in allowing yourself treats from time to time than you were when you were trying to lose, but you should still limit the quantities of "extra" foods you consume -- like desserts, wine, candy, or McDonald's milkshakes. Choose healthy foods, eat regular meals, and combine proteins, fats and carbohydrates in each meal so you feel satisfied without overloading on calories.

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If you lost weight on a calorie or food-restricted diet, or by eating pre-packaged meals, then you will need to learn new eating habits almost as if you're starting a new diet. Going back to your pre-weight-loss eating habits will most likely take you back to your pre-weight-loss weight. You need to find foods that fit into your lifestyle, leave you satisfied, and yet don't include a lot of empty calories. You may even need to find a new "diet plan" that can help you develop good habits. You can find a good low-fat diet that doesn't restrict calories too much, and use it for meal planning and recipe ideas until cooking and eating healthy feels natural to you. The best thing is, you won't even have to feel bad about a little cheating on that plan!

Exercise

You've probably also been exercising a lot to lose weight. Regular exercise is an important part of the life of a healthy person! You may not need to do it as frequently, but continuing to exercise regularly will be a key to maintaining your weight.

If you've been doing any strength training, weightlifting, or toning as part of your exercise plan, it's really important to keep that up. Strength training builds muscle, and muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you're resting. Your new "set point" is based on your more muscular body. To keep in this weight range, you need to keep your body toned -- for life.

In fact, the habits you've adopted to lose weight -- diet and exercise -- should really be incorporated into your life for good. If you've been using a diet and exercise plan that you don't enjoy, look around for alternatives. Finding a form of exercise that you look forward to doing into your senior years is a great idea. Tennis, anyone?

The National Weight Control Registry

The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), founded by doctors at the Universities of Colorado and Pittsburgh, conducts studies of thousands of successful weight losers and weight maintainers. Psychology Today's article "Fit for Life -- Keeping the Weight Off" highlights four important behaviors of people in the NWCR registry who successfully kept off their weight:

1. Regardless of the diet they used initially to lose the weight, the successful weight maintainers made a low-calorie and low-fat diet part of their lifestyle change.
2. Out of almost 3,000 NWCR participants who lost 30 or more pounds and kept the weight off for at least a year, nearly 80% ate breakfast every single day.
3. They exercised enough to burn about 2,800 calories per week (equal to walking about four miles a day). Regular physical activity was the best predictor of people who kept off the weight.
4. They used self-monitoring in the form of regular weighing, food journals, exercise logs or other records so they would notice changes and respond to them right away. (Go to www.changingshape.com/dietandnutrition/journal/ for a printable nutrition journal.)

Other tips:

• Never skip meals. This sets your body up to behave as if you were starving -- it will begin to conserve calories and make it harder to lose or maintain weight.
• Eat healthy but give yourself a treat every once in a while. Though junk food, fast food and sugary sweets aren't meant to be eaten every day, treating yourself to a small portion of that food you really love can enhance your enjoyment of eating.
• Keep the company of people who support your weight loss. There may be people in your life who feel threatened by or jealous of your changes -- and they may not even realize it. Whether or not they recognize their insecurities, there are a thousand small ways they can sabotage the new you.
• Plan a strategy to deal with emotional eating. Make a list of activities you like to indulge in as a special treat. Maybe it's taking a long, hot bubble bath, or plunging into a new magazine or book without any interruptions. Post the list on your refrigerator or pantry door to remind yourself of all the other things you can do besides eat to make you feel satisfied. Or journal your feelings whenever you want to eat but know you're not really hungry. Or use a strategy of your own devising. Do what works for you.
• To maintain your hard-won weight loss, plan wisely and make the commitment. When planning your program, use a diet and exercise program that fits into your lifestyle. Remember that a diet plan will be more effective if it keeps you feeling satisfied.

The sprint is won; now comes the marathon. The good news is that people who have maintained a weight loss for three or more years say it gets easier. They've logged the miles and completed the critical training period. Make sure your training program gets you across the finish line.