Maintainers - how do you keep your head in the game?

rosiorama

carolintally wrote: »

I'm one of those people who needs to weigh myself every morning in order to stay on top of maintenance. I log my weight. That daily dose of reality keeps me from slipping into being mindless about what I'm eating. If I go over my 3 lb zone, I start logging food again. Cutting way back on sugar also has helped me maintain. I still eat plenty of healthy carbs. I try not to bring anything in the house to eat that I wouldn't want to see in my log. And like others, I've gotten rid of all the fat clothes and remind myself of the new ones that I love.

Thank you all for this thread! I need to adopt the three pound window mentioned above! I started here in 2015 and lost 20 pounds. The first winter I gained it all back and relost the 20 the following spring. I’ve been slightly better, but I seem to let myself gain 8 (and then panic) and start the loss cycle again. I am currently in my happy range but want to go down just a few more and try maintaining without the big fluctuation come fall.

WilmaValley

Great thread!

GBO323

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten."

I'm back in maintenance zone for the second time....I learned a lot from the first time and thinking "This will be easy...I got this" and I was so wrong. I fell right into that thinking that I could goof off and get right back on. Nope.

#1 So, on this go-around...I am earning a buffer. My maintenance is a range of +/-5 within a target goal number. I don't want to freak if I gain 1-4 pounds...it happens. But at pound #5, it's time for getting back on track. I got lazy last time and ended up 30lbs+ over. Not again. Buffer will be 5-10 under so I can utilize the "grace period" and still be in maintenance...if I don't, then anything 5+ over will be Loss mode again.

#2 Don't change healthy habits. Track, Weigh, Move more. Continue finding foods that work well with my calorie budget and enjoy them.

#3 Donate the larger clothes since I won't need them and DO NOT WANT a safety net.

#4 Keep using my tracker aka Apple Watch. I need something to tell me how active/inactive I'm being.

#5 Enjoy the occasional off days and have a plan when they are done.

Hope this helps!

whmscll

I’ve always been a “normal” BMI but my weight has yo-yo-ed. When it is too high I never know what in my closet is going to fit and look good. I have to try on a million things to get dressed in anything other than jeans. I HATE this process. Especially if I’m packing to take a trip somewhere, which I do fairly frequently. When my weight is down, I can just grab and go and I know everything will fit.

brenn24179

I know what not to do. I messed up big time last year. I am back down to my maintenance weight now. I started eating 600-800 calories more than I was suppose to and kept it up every day, also weighed only once in a while, well I was up 10 lbs and then my scales broke and they were off 10 lbs so that made 20 lbs and I got mad and ate and gained another 5, so was up 25 lbs and it was hard getting it off. I did I went low carb and July-oct got that 25 lbs off. Now I weigh daily. I also started journaling because eating 600-800 calories more than I needed was definitely emotional eating so I had to work out some stuff. Face your stuff or stuff your face.

WilmaValley

Great thread!

jrwms714

Gisel2015 wrote: »

LumberJacck wrote: »

I'm just wondering if you do anything that helps keep your focus towards maintenance, and preventing gains. Are there any traditions, things you do, preventative methods etc that you do which help you stay at your current weight. I'd love to know of any.

Just portion control, I watch what I eat and I exercise. We are all different, for some people loosing and maintaining are harder for others not so much; there is not a magic or exclusive way to do things.

In my opinion it will depend in your relationship with food, motivation and self control. If you live to eat instead of eating to live, you may have a problem. If you had a lot of weight to lose, can't stay away for some foods, and are a volume eater, it may be also harder. Some people need to weigh, measure and log their foods forever, others not so much. How to focus in your maintenance depends on you and sometimes is trial an error.

I have been in maintenance for 7 years. I log when I am home but not when on vacation or eating out (I don't have what I consider bad eating habits}, so that helps. I need a break from MFP so I don't became OCD, and I have a good idea of the portions, nutrition, and I read calories in the menus (when available); if I overdo it one day, I scale back the next one. I weight myself almost daily when I am home, but on vacation (and I take lots of it), I leave all the scales at home.

If you are or were successful at losing your weight, keep the same routine while maintaining; just increase your calories a little bit at the time until you find your happy medium.

Totally agree with all of this ... that's my strategy to a T after 4.5 years of maintenance.

funjen1972

I just learned a 5 pound maintenance lesson - I need to continue logging everything to maintain. I've been maintaining since September 2018 and relaxed a bit over the past few months, which resulted in a 5 pound increase in my weight trend. I must continue to log diligently to maintain.

prettygirlstorm1

Being on WW and doing MFP has forced me to stay within two pounds of my goal weight. I have only been in maintenance since June 2018. I love 45 pounds. I went on a massive shopping spree when I hit my goal and it felt so good. Those clothes (some of which still have tags on them) are my motivation for keeping this weight off. I have to get weighed once a month with WW as a lifetime member. It keeps me accountable because if I am more than 2 pounds over I have to pay a small fee. So if I don't want to pay the fee I make sure I remain at or under my goal weight. This accountability works for me!!!

brittanystebbins95

I’m not technically looking at it as maintenance anymore, and I think that’s how I stay focused. I set new goals for myself, not necessarily scale related goals, but how much can I lift, how much farther can I run, where is my resting heart rate sitting, etc.
It’s also become more of a lifestyle than a diet. That’s really the key, I think. If you want long term results, you have to make long term lifestyle changes. You can’t expect to just go back to the way you were living your life prior to this. You can never go back to that again, or you will be right back where you started.
I’m more conscious of what I eat now. I eat to fuel my body. I pay attention to protein and fats and carbs without even realizing it. I don’t snack just to pass the time.
And I don’t feel like I’m punishing myself anymore. It’s not a hassle or an inconvenience to live like this. I genuinely ENJOY it. I am happier, I am healthier, I have more energy, I have more compassion and empathy for others and their situations, I feel better about myself. I have learned to appreciate my body for what it can do rather than what it looks like.

7elizamae

Living in a culture where food is everywhere all the time means I have to be careful about what I eat -- everywhere, all the time.

Yesterday at work I could have eaten (in addition to my packed lunch) maple bars, cheese and crackers, M&Ms, lots of mini Reeses, and handfuls of pistachios. They were all just there for the taking. That could have been 1000 calories.

So, I weigh every day and try to log every day (I'm trying to improve the logging). Knowing I have to see the scale every morning and record the weight keeps me on track.

I also bike to work and go to Crossfit.

Lolinloggen

For me it was a case of: usually during the week I eat like I did when I was loosing weight I liked it and it has become a habit. My extra calories go to the weekend and that is when I eat more and enjoy new things. Call it a ref-feed if you want. I still plan for the specials like christmas etc, or coming weekend when I have a wedding to attend. But I am less strict on the week before than I was.
I weigh myself every week and will take charge again if I hit my upper limit. Takes two weeks to get it back where I want it.
I have been doing this for a year and a half now and it seems to work for me