During weight loss, there’s often a clear focus and structure. In maintenance, that can fade away, which may leave you feeling unsure about what to prioritise. That’s normal. Maintenance doesn’t need you to be strict or highly focused all the time, but it can work better when there’s some consistent and reliable habits in place.
That’s what we mean by a baseline routine.
What a “Baseline Routine” Means
A baseline routine isn’t a full plan or a strict schedule. It’s a small set of habits that happen most days and give your body some consistency around eating, movement, sleep and hydration.
These habits act as anchors. They don’t need to be perfect, but they help prevent days from drifting too far off course and make it easier to get back on track when life is busy or unpredictable. In early maintenance this predictability and steadiness matters more than intensity.
Anchor Habits: Small, Reliable, Repeatable
Anchor habits are habits that are simple, realistic and easy to do no matter how hectic life gets. Anchor habits aren’t about making fast progress, but to help us to hold steady. Rather than trying to “do more,” the aim is to choose habits you can keep going even on those days you’re feeling tired, stressed, or low in motivation.
Anchor Habits for Meals
A helpful starting point for meals is to prioritise consistency over perfection and this might look like:
Eating at roughly the same times most days
It doesn’t need to be strict, just enough consistency to avoid getting overly hungry between meals.Including protein at each main meal
This helps meals feel more filling and makes hunger easier to manage between meals.Sitting down for at least one meal a day without distractions
This makes it easier to notice hunger and fullness cues, even if other meals are on the go.Having one “default” meal you can rely on
A breakfast or lunch you come back to often so you don’t have to decide from scratch every day.
You don’t need to plan every meal or eat the same foods each day. The goal is to give your appetite a predictable rhythm, which can make hunger and fullness cues easier to manage. If meals and eating habits feel erratic, our appetite often does too.
Anchor Habits for Movement
In maintenance, movement has a different role than it did during weight loss. It helps support overall health, energy levels, and how you feel day to day, rather than driving change on the scale. Anchor habits for movement could include:
Going for a walk most days
This can help regulate appetite, support energy through the day, and give your routine some structure.Using movement as a way to mark the end of the workday
This helps create a clear break between work and home, and makes movement part of your normal rhythm rather than something to schedule.Keeping one movement habit that stays the same week to week
This reduces decision-making and makes movement easier to stick with over time.
The exercise you choose to do doesn’t need to be intense or time-consuming. Consistent, moderate movement often supports energy, appetite regulation and mood better than occasional bursts of high, intense effort.
Anchor Habits for Sleep
Sleep plays an important role in maintenance, particularly when it comes to appetite, energy and how easy it feels to keep routines going during the day. Rather than aiming for “perfect” sleep, it can help just to focus on one or two consistent habits.
Anchor habits for sleep could include:
Going to bed around the same time most nights
This helps regulate appetite and energy levels the following day.Waking up at a similar time most days
This can support a more stable sleep–wake cycle over time.Having a short wind-down routine in the evening
This signals to your body that the day is ending and can help you to fall asleep more easily.
Sleep doesn’t need to be perfect to support maintenance, but some consistency can make a meaningful difference. Irregular sleep patterns can increase appetite and make hunger harder to manage. By focusing on a small number of sleep habits you can keep most days, you create a more stable foundation for appetite, energy and decision-making, even when life is busy or unpredictable.
Choosing Anchor Habits for Hydration
Just like in weight loss, hydration plays an important role in maintenance. When you’re not drinking enough, it can affect energy, digestion, and make hunger or fatigue harder to manage. Rather than focusing on amounts or targets, it can be more helpful to link drinking to things you already do during the day.
Anchor habits for hydration could include:
Starting the day with a drink
This helps rehydrate after sleep and can support energy levels in the morning.Drinking when you change tasks or check your phone
This links hydration to things you already do, making it easier to keep up without relying on reminders.Keeping a bottle or glass nearby during the day
This makes drinking more automatic and easier to keep up with.
When drinking is an automatic part of your routine, it becomes one less thing you need to think about.
When Things Don’t Go To Plan
Your routine slipping doesn’t mean maintenance isn’t working. Illness, travel, stress, social events and life changes will all interrupt your routine from time to time. The aim isn’t to prevent this, but to make it easier to reset without overcorrecting or abandoning what’s already in place.
Without anchor habits in place, it’s easy to respond to disruption by either doing nothing or trying to do too much all at once. Anchor habits give you something familiar to return to, helping you re-establish rhythm gradually rather than feeling like you need to start again or “fix” anything.
A Helpful Question for This Week
Instead of asking, “Am I doing enough?”, it can be more helpful to ask:
“What are the few habits that help my days feel more stable?”
Those habits are the foundation of your baseline routine.
Looking Ahead
It can be tempting to build a very detailed routine in maintenance, especially if you’re motivated to “do things right.” In reality, routines that are too complex can be much harder to maintain. A good baseline routine should feel manageable, survive busy or disrupted days and be easy to return to after a break. If it only works on your best days, it’s probably too much.
As maintenance continues, these anchor habits can and, likely will, evolve. For now, the focus is on creating enough structure to feel supported, without making life feel rigid or restrictive. Your baseline routine doesn’t need to be impressive, long or overly complicated. It just needs to be supportive of your health goals and realistic enough that it’s repeatable.