I have oscillated in my life between being very in shape and, uh, fairly out of shape. Here are my essential tips:
1. It's all about the diet. All those weights you lifted are thwarted by the extra chocolate bar. Eat slowly throughout the day, using your common sense. All things that are adding calories etc. need to be filling. Peanut butter very good, sugary soda drink very bad. When you need to lose weight, enjoy the feeling of feeling slightly hungry all the time.
2. For most people, the gym just fucking sucks. In the unreal world where you are mr. discipline it'd be the place to go all year round. But usually the gym mindset mode will just happen in spurts of a month or two, and then you're left with a credit card bill you forgot about. Better to find a sport or something you like to do and get some enjoyment out of being active. I have burned many more calories surfing, soccering, and squashing than i have ever burned at the gym.
3. Brush your teeth after every meal. This will make you have great breath, and also every time you reach for a cookie you are going to think, "uh...but then I have to brush my teeth again."1
And that's it. Staying in shape is mostly a psychological battle, you already know what you need to do.
- This idea was taken from a post on thelastpsychiatrist.com [↩]