Need Some People on a Maintenance Program

HAS415

I'm not new to MFP but have just used it mainly to log in my calories. I'm now looking for some support from people who are on a maintenance program, which to me has always been the hardest part. I've lost 130 lbs since April 2013. Lost a little bit too much according to my trainer, family and friends. Am now looking to maintain and am wondering if anybody has any tips. I've went too far the other way apparently. A lot of people are saying I have an eating disorder. I guess I do kind of sort of but I am not seeing myself as other people are. Just wondering if anyone is having a similar problem. I'm 5' 10" and 160 lbs. Got down as low as 142 before I was told to stop. I miss the scale going down, but now that I'm supposed to be gaining, I hate like hell to get on it. Now it's my worst enemy. Anybody have tips on maintain? Thanks!

RaspberryTickleChicken

You may want to post this to the MAINTAINING section.

StaciMarie1974

I'm close. Plan to 'transition' in Nov. Since August I've aimed for a slight deficit, still weighing & logging everything. My plan for November is to aim for 1900 Mon-Fri using a food scale, etc. (2000 would be maintenance for me) and estimate/eyeball on Sat-Sun.

What is your maintenance goal calories? Are you logging, weighing food or just estimating? If you're still losing when you don't need to, replace light/fat-free options with regular. Drink a glass of milk w/ meals. Increase portion sizes slightly.

HAS415

See, the thing is, my trainer wanted me to gain, I wanted to lose, so my mentality thought "well, I'll just maintain and make us both happy". Well, not so much. He's not happy. Thinks my thinking is totally twisted and that I'm pre-anorexic, actually he said anorexic but I added the pre because my weight doesn't clinically fit into being classified as anorexic but he's right, the thinking is there. In less than 2 weeks I've lost 12 lbs due to stress. My original goal was 125 lbs. I was willing to negotiate with my trainer and say 135 lbs but he wouldn't hear of it. Now we're at a standstill until I either check into rehab or somehow reach the goal he set for me on my own. It's crazy. I just can't accept I'm really done. I like losing weight. Gaining is out of the question. And maintaining is boring. I like the high of getting on the scale and seeing it go down. Due to a medical procedure, up until dinner tonight I hadn't eaten since 10 a.m. yesterday morning and that was a protein shake. I just had a bowl of soup and a tuna sandwich my husband made for me and I feel like I way over ate. I walked 6 miles today, which is the minimum I ever do. I have went from one extreme to the other. People tell me I have to stop losing and gain some. I just can't accept that fact. My trainer says it's going to kill me and my husband says if I don't stop it, he's had it.....and I can't accept that either after 26 years of marriage. Yet he doesn't want me to see a therapist (think they're too expensive even with insurance and forget about inpatient!). So it is quite the dilemma. How the hell am I supposed to eat with all this going on, plus added stress at work and some my trainer and some well intentioned friends. I feel so much better and can do so much more, yet my life has become a bit of a hot mess

radcas11

I completely know where you're coming from! I had gastric bypass in August of last year, and my thought from that day on was to lose, lose, and lose some more. I've recently hit my maintenance and changing my mind set has been really hard. It's kind of like I forgot I had to quit losing at some point.

I'm a little underweight but completely healthy according to lab reports and my doctors. Yeah, they wouldn't mind if I gained a few pounds, but they know that isn't going to happen. They take comfort in knowing that I'm healthy according to my lab results. I've been maintaining since July, and it has taken a lot to get used to because that scale stays the same now, but I've found to be really happy about that. I think this is the hardest part. I'm determined to stay within my set range. I think if I can accomplish that then I've accomplished quite a lot.