After losing weight, it's tempting to take a vacation from healthy eating. "Many dieters start slipping back into their old behaviors soon after dropping pounds," says Naomi Fukagawa, M.D., spokeswoman for the American Society for Nutrition. But there are ways to stay on track without depriving yourself. As several new studies show, by making a few minor adjustments to your regular routine, you can hang on to those hard-earned losses for good.

• Weigh in Regularly
  "Hopping on the scale consistently provides positive reinforcement for your healthy habits," says Meghan Butryn, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at Drexel University. "It can also help you catch small gains before they escalate."

  When Butryn and her research team studied the habits of adults who'd lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off for several years, they discovered that those who got on the scale consistently put on just 4 pounds in a year. However, the dieters whose weigh-ins declined in frequency gained back double that amount.

  So exactly how often should you check in with your bathroom scale? Once a day, if possible. Dieters who did so were 82 percent more likely to maintain their loss over 18 months than those who monitored their progress less frequently, additional research shows. Butryn cautions that if the number on the scale rises by more than 1 or 2 pounds (an amount that could simply be due to water weight or a big meal), consider that a red flag to tweak your diet and exercise habits.



• Pump Up the Protein
  A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who got the highest levels of protein in their diets (around 110 grams daily, or 26 percent of their calories) maintained a 14-pound weight loss for more than a year. Those who got less than 72 grams of protein per day, or less than 19 percent of their intake from protein, only sustained a 7½- pound loss during the same period.

  "Higher amounts of protein may prompt the release of hormones that help you feel full," says Peter Clifton, Ph.D., lead study author and coauthor of The Total Wellbeing Diet.

  Rather than getting additional energy from carb- or fat-laden fare, add protein to most meals and snacks. Sprinkle kidney beans or chickpeas on your salad, switch to protein-rich Greekstyle yogurt from the regular variety, and trade your afternoon bag of pretzels for a mini cheese-and-turkey roll-up.