12 Steps to Manage Your Weight

Practice these simple, everyday food and fitness smarts to keep your hard-fought new weight. By Madeline R. Vann, MPH Medically Reviewed by Pat F. Bass, III, MD, MPH You've just lost weight and you don't want to see that number go back up on your scale. Although gaining the weight back might feel inevitable, it doesn’t have to be. In fact a recent analysis by the National Weight Control Registry found long-term weight maintenance is possible — if you follow these key behaviors. Below, 12 tricks from dietitians and successful dieters who were able to lose and weight and keep if off. Build more lean muscle. Maintain, or even increase, your metabolism by continuing to build lean muscle. "Muscle has a higher metabolism than fat does," explains Emily Banes, RD, clinical dietitian at Houston Northwest Medical Center. If you don't yet train with weights, add this type of exercise to your overall program now. If you do, increase the amount...