Losing weight takes a whole lot of work and eight out of ten people who hit their goals end up gaining it back later. Ugh!  But there is one key to keeping it off.  

It's all about lifestyle, according to researchers at Stanford University.  Hopping on the latest diet trend may bring some exciting results initially, but what happens when the honeymoon phase wears off and that voice in your head starts convincing you that your delicious old eating habits weren't that bad?  Oh, and those pre-planned menu programs are great for taking some of the thought out of what's for dinner, but at some point, you'll probably want to pivot.  I have a friend who eats the pre-planned meals and chases three out of five of them with a milkshake.

EatThis.com said 80% of people who successfully lose weight end up gaining most of it back. All that hard work, and then here comes square one again.  But there is one takeaway that might help us all.  Those who have been successful ultimately have some sort of self-monitoring discipline, and they used all of the technology that is available to help them. Fitness trackers, scales, food logs, and Body Mass Index (BMI) calculators are all important for long-term success.

We've heard it before on talk shows and in the media, and it's not exactly instant gratification so sometimes it's in one ear and out the other.  But it makes sense.  Reaching a healthy weight isn't about the number on the scale or a certain BMI, but for weight management success, we need healthy lifestyle changes that we can stick with.  Finding an exercise routine that we don't hate and foods we love that won't sabotage us will set us up for long-term success.

I'm 70 pounds lighter now than I was in high school, and my weight was up and down for years before I really got disciplined about it.  But you know what?  If the weight comes off once it can come off again.  And again.  Eventually, you'll find the weight management plan that works for you.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

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