Keep Up the Good Work! Maintenance of the Detox Plan

Have you tried the detox plan? How are you feeling? If you're like me, you've lost a few pounds (11 here!) and have more energy and just feel all-around better. So how do we keep it up? What's the best way to keep these good habits a part of our routine?

Here are a few tips that I can suggest:

Keep eating snacks.
It takes time and organization, but try and eat six times a day. Three snacks will keep your metabolism revving and make you less hungry for big unhealthy meals. I don't know about you, but if I'm truly hungry I have no willpower. If I'm ravenous, I don't want salad, I want a cheeseburger. So, keep looking for interesting and easy healthy snacks to keep you on track.

Think protein.
As you're planning and packing your snacks, think about ways to eat protein with each of them. Apple with peanut butter. Cottage cheese and fruit. Or just a slice or two of turkey. More protein will lead to a more balanced diet.

Concentrate on good fats and good carbs.
A well-balanced diet also includes fat and carbohydrates. You just need to try and make them the healthy ones. The South Beach Good Fats Good Carbs Guide has been my have-to-have resource here. It's a handy (inexpensive) pocket size book that can help keep you on track. I won't bore you with a lecture on the glycemic index here, but eating foods that don't' create insulin surges can help keep the weight off. What does that mean? Complex carbohydrates like whole grains take longer to process that things like refined sugar; preventing the "sugar rush" and subsequent lethargy that mess with our body's ability to metabolize things. Some of the tips are eye-opening. Eat low-fat dairy to avoid saturated fats. But stay away from low-fat mayonnaise. It's full of sugars to substitute for the loss of flavor. Who knew? Best thing to do...buy the book. It lists everything you can think of and tells you whether it's a great choice, something to eat sparingly, or a food to avoid altogether. (Guess what? Bacon falls in the latter category.)

Cheat every now and then.
Give yourself one meal a week where you can eat whatever you want. Mexican food. Pizza. Fried chicken. Go all out. But limit it to one meal a week. As soon as you allow yourself to cheat a little here and a little there, you'll be back to bad habits. And it's amazing how quickly you can gain back the weight you lost by forgetting the basic tenets that helped you find a healthier you.

Don't beat yourself up.
But if you screw up, forgive yourself. This plan is about a healthy rest of your life. And there's no reason to feel guilty forever. If you lose your willpower and have potato skins at dinner one night, just resolve to start over the next day. Wake up, have a smoothie, pack your healthy snacks, and you're back on track.

Keep on keeping on. Good luck.