What to do after you lose your weight?

Q: After losing a lot of weight — and tracking every single thing I was consuming, how can I go back to having a normal relationship with food and not overthinking every bite?

A: The first thing to address here is what you believe a “normal” relationship with food is. Many who have gone on a diet and lost weight feel that a “normal” relationship with food pertains to the way they were eating before they went on a diet. Let me clear, there is no such thing as a normal relationship with food — as in a uniform way to consume energy.

The key is to develop a balanced healthy lifestyle involving food as fuel AND pleasure that is also tailored to your personality, likes and dislikes, and finances.

Here is the one thing that will never change: Calories will never stop mattering. If you eat too much food you will gain weight. So it will be smart to always stay aware of what you are eating.

Now, with that said, I think you will find that this is much easier than it seems with time. We are creatures of habit and the great majority of us tend to eat the same 20 things over and over and over again: The same three to four breakfasts, three to four dinners, same snacks, etc.

So, here’s the trick: if you look those meals up once or twice you will remember their caloric amounts. Then, counting calories becomes next to second nature.

It really is that simple. As long as you don’t eat more calories than you are burning you won’t gain weight. And the great news about maintenance mode versus dieting mode is that you get to eat more since you are not trying to create a calorie deficit for weight loss.

When it comes to how you allot your calories, I personally allow around 20 percent of my daily intake to go towards treat foods and try to keep the other 80 percent really clean, but even if you didn’t adhere to that same ratio of good calories versus bad, then as long as you don’t overeat, you won’t gain weight. Just aim to make more good food choices than bad ones (Think: dry-roasted almonds instead of Cheez Doodles) to help maintain your health, as well as your weight!