What are you doing during weight loss to prevent future relapse?

LACnessMonster

Find new goals to achieve. Or reset current goals for bigger ones. Be adaptive.

lemurcat12

0somuchbetter0 wrote: »

My problem is that in order to lose more weight I have to net under 1400, and at that point I'm just HUNGRY. I usually end up eating closer to 1700 and just maintain. I don't always have time to burn the extra calories. At 5'3" and 180lbs, this can't be my "set point," it just can't! I'm giving myself a break through the new year and giving myself permission to net 1700 without guilt. But after the holidays I'm going back down to 1400, determined to get these last 40-50 lbs off for good! Any advice is appreciated! (Maybe I should start a new post?)

Being 5'3 is kind of a pain sometimes, in that based on the numbers (and my experience too) it's not that strange for netting 1700 to be around maintenance level. I'm currently eating around 1700 (I decided to try this for December) because I think it's my maintenance without exercise, and then I lose depending on how much exercise I do (I net less than 1700, although I don't think of it that way since it's similar to my goal set based on overall TDEE). (I'm lighter than you, but I don't think it makes that huge a difference, as the main issue is lean body mass, which I think varies less based on height unless people are really outliers or much heavier than you are.)

I find that I'm not really much hungrier based on exercise, so that's the key for me. If not, the question is whether you can find a way to eat so that you aren't hungry at a lower level, since I know time can be an issue. (I was happy on 1400 for quite a while, but admit I prefer eating this way now.)

Holly_Roman_Empire

1.) Make goals that are not centered around weight loss, like increasing lifting numbers, decreasing run times, etc.
2.) Continue logging my food. I plan on doing this forever.

lemurcat12

DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »

Seems to me that if we want to sustain a lower-weight lifestyle, our understanding of habits really needs better investigation.

Some research suggests that habits take 66 or 254 days to form, but I wonder, for something like our eating habits, how many days it really takes for the new habit to stick, and more importantly, for the old habit to dissolve.

This is interesting. I don't think any of the claims about length of time to form a habit are much more than broscience or it's non-fitness-related equivalent (my old trainer insisted that if you go to the gym regularly for 21 days, you have a new habit!), but I do think breaking old habits and making new ones are important.

For me, however, you can't form a habit that's not doing stuff. It has to be positive, something you do. That's why "eat less of the same stuff" never worked for me, it had to be rephrased positively and relate to something I perceived myself as doing, something I could initially be excited about and have form into a way of life (or habit). That could well be, in fact, eating less of the same stuff, phrased as eating mindfully and watching portion size, or it could be a focus on eating healthily (however that is defined for you), but an overall positive focus.

Similarly, a focus on "being active in the evening" (although more specifics are usually helpful to me) vs. something like "not watching TV." If a "habit" is based around not doing something, that something is always the focus, in the center of the mind at the relevant time, and so the unconscious "this is what I do" of a habit can't really take its place.

Or at least that's what seems to make sense to me.

Need2Exerc1se

As someone who has been down this road more than once, I don't think there is any trick. You simply have to want it. When you stop wanting it, you'll regain.

ILoveGingerNut

Forget about the weight. Focus on your lifestyle. Don't have a "diet mode" and a non diet one. Certain changes have to be for life. If you are doing it right your weight won't change.

astrose00

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

As someone who has been down this road more than once, I don't think there is any trick. You simply have to want it. When you stop wanting it, you'll regain.

^^^ This.

I have realized that this will be a lifelong task. No end date. Which do I want? Candy and junk and all that comes with it (e.g., fat, pain, unhealthy, embarassed, lazy, unhappy)? Or being fit and all that comes with it (e.g, being strong, energetic, pain-free, healthly, confident, happy)? It's a choice and I choose the latter. So I'm holding myself accountable, always. I will never allow myself to go so far off course again. These have been the most miserable 2 years of my life. The key for me was realizing that there are so many other things in life that I can do with my time besides eating crap. And eating crap has prevented me from enjoying those things because it made me fat.

maxit

Iwishyouwell's cynicism aside, life is all about making choices. One can't control a lot of what happens outside one's skin, but one can choose how to respond. FortWilderness is making choices today, and states determination to be mindful for the days to come. That, in my opinion, is the key. Determination does not equal outcome, but if it is backed up with action, intention is likely to be fulfilled.

Iwishyouwell

maxit wrote: »

Iwishyouwell's cynicism aside, life is all about making choices. One can't control a lot of what happens outside one's skin, but one can choose how to respond. FortWilderness is making choices today, and states determination to be mindful for the days to come. That, in my opinion, is the key. Determination does not equal outcome, but if it is backed up with action, intention is likely to be fulfilled.

I've lost over 110 pounds (and counting), likely more than the majority people around MFP. And I've experienced maintenance a lot longer than most with a previous effort. I've been where FortWilderness, and many others are; high on early success, determined that getting fat again wasn't possible, a bit judgemental about others who rebound, the whole nine yards.

The statistics speak for themselves. It's not cynical to acknowledge that the chances for rebound are astronomical and it works against all of us. Most people who lost and eventually regained were "determined". Slapping a "determination" label on maintenance doesn't magically excuse you from potentially being one of the 8 or 9 in 10 people who fail at weight loss maintenance. The choices you're so determined about today don't necessarily speak for the actions you'll take tomorrow.

Being real about the odds, and aware of the huge potential to rebound, is helpful in the long run. It helps keep you vigilant, humbled and aware. There is nothing cynical about that.

lemurcat12

IMO, what is so hard is that you are determined until you aren't, so there needs to be a way to make it work even when you go through less determined periods. When I know I've figured this out I'll be dead, so it will probably be too late to write a book.

That said, I think feeling confident is helpful to people, so I don't see the harm. Believing you can and will do something is part of what makes it possible to do it, although there's more necessary also.

cwolfman13

Basically I established and I'm maintaining healthful habits. My diet (noun) is very nutritionally focused and exercise is a huge part of my life. These aren't "extra" things I'm doing with some end point in mind...these things are me...they are what I'm all about.

I do not log, but I am very mindful of what I'm consuming...I also eat, by and large, nutritionally rich whole foods and meals prepared from scratch whole ingredients. In my experience, while possible, it is difficult to over-eat whole foods. I can down a bag of potato chips and about a million calories pretty easily...but I'm pretty full off a good sized sweet potato that clocks in around 150 calories.

I do eat "junk" from time to time, but it is not a routine part of my diet at large. In this regard, my bigger issue is craft beer...I love the stuff and definitely have to force moderation here. I could easily sit down to multiple craft beers every night and pack on the pounds...I simply choose not to and enjoy a couple on the weekends. I think knowing your weaknesses is important...we all have them, and they are generally different for every individual. I have a hard time saying no to a good craft beer...but have no issues at all skipping the pie.

Iwishyouwell

lemurcat12 wrote: »

IMO, what is so hard is that you are determined until you aren't

Exactly. Today's determination can not define tomorrow's.

lemurcat12 wrote: »

That said, I think feeling confident is helpful to people, so I don't see the harm. Believing you can and will do something is part of what makes it possible to do it, although there's more necessary also.

So do I. Personally I am very confident about weight loss and maintenance this go round. I'm mentally better equipped for it and feel, after many years of trial and error, I've found a road that's damn near perfect for me.

I just don't think confidence is in conflict with reality. Nor do I believe that because I might have the answers for me, it means scores of other people who likewise felt the same didn't still end up regaining.

Docbanana2002

lemurcat12 wrote: »

IMO, what is so hard is that you are determined until you aren't, so there needs to be a way to make it work even when you go through less determined periods.

YEP. This is exactly it. It's real easy to say "I'll NEVER regain" because I am determined.... but I have found that my determination waxes and wanes. I know I could feel differently tomorrow than I do today, and need to be on guard for signs of faltering. "It's just a matter of making good choices"... but my ability to consistently make the good choices I want to make in all areas of my life simultaneously is apparently more compromised than some people I encounter online. I sometimes am weak and make bad choices when it comes to food, especially if I'm depressed or anxious or distracted by overwhelming life circumstances. I fall off the wagon, not because I didn't make it a lifestyle or because I lacked determination, but because my lifestyle and determination changed as life circumstances shifted.

I think optimism is good, but if one's optimism is so unrealistic as to not consider the possibility that anything bad could ever happen... I think a person is setting him/herself up for failure, or at the least a hard and shocking fall if all that perfect determinism fails. I'd rather be hopeful, but cautious enough to stay on guard.... And realizing what odds we are up against, it helps me be less judgmental of myself and others if I/they fail to live up to the ideal.

Kalikel

When we started school, they said 2/3 wouldn't finish. Most were sure it wouldn't be them. I was not and spent the school years completely and obsessively devoted to school a la Alex Dunphy. They could've based her on me, lol.

Then, I knew what I had to do. It was so simple and clear. There were things to learn and I had to learn and remember all of them. If X, Y and Z, then probably N. Defend the statement. Fill in B. Check, check, check...on to the next.

Now, I have no idea. There is no path to follow that leads to success. There are no grades, no final test, no end.

All I know is that most will fail and I cannot...but I don't know how to succeed forever and for sure.

Need2Exerc1se

NoblankFRplease wrote: »

Forget about the weight. Focus on your lifestyle. Don't have a "diet mode" and a non diet one. Certain changes have to be for life. If you are doing it right your weight won't change.

This is somewhat true, but eating is part of lifestyle. And you can only out exercise overeating to a certain point. There are physically fit muscular people who are still overly fat. If you are prone to overeat, not focusing on diet is unlikely to lead to long term success.

snowflake930

I do not find it unrealistic that I am determined not to become obese again. I know I have only been maintaining for a little over a year, but I am watching what I eat and drink, and exercising every day. I have educated myself about nutrition, portion sizes, and moderation over the past 3 years. I am very well aware of the statistics, and I will not let myself go back to where I was. You can say that I am setting myself up for disappointment and/or failure. I prefer to think of myself in the 20% (or less) that will succeed in keeping the weight off. It does happen you know, and I know myself better than anyone else. No one knows the future, but I am going to try my best to keep myself (at age 63) in the best shape that I have been in in 30 years. I do understand that everyone that achieves this goal says the same thing, but, some people do succeed, and I intend to be one of those people that does.

NikonPal

alphabetsoup2013 wrote: »

I don't know how many of you spotted this post on the blogs a few weeks back, but I found it really inspiring. I should make a list like this, too -- a list of all the reasons why going back to my pre-MFP lifestyle and gaining back the weight I've lost is simply no longer an option....

Great discussion, by the way.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ShannonMpls/view/why-i-m-never-going-back-709782

Thanks for the link -- That was a great story anyone can relate to -- with a little tweaking anyone could you it as a model for reasons not to go back to the dark side... again Thanks

concordancia

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

NoblankFRplease wrote: »

Forget about the weight. Focus on your lifestyle. Don't have a "diet mode" and a non diet one. Certain changes have to be for life. If you are doing it right your weight won't change.

This is somewhat true, but eating is part of lifestyle. And you can only out exercise overeating to a certain point. There are physically fit muscular people who are still overly fat. If you are prone to overeat, not focusing on diet is unlikely to lead to long term success.

The disconnect between these two posts is the way we think of "diet" in English. The word originally referred to general eating patterns, now we use it to refer to restricted eating for a limited period of time. I think what NoblankFRplease meant to say is that you need to realize that your new eating patterns are just that, not something that goes away as soon as you reach a goal weight, but something to live by. I hope I am not putting words into your mouth fingers.

scrittrice

DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »

But if a habit is a routine behavior that we generally do unconsciously -- brush my teeth every morning, for instance -- and if general wisdom is to be believed, the period of time needed to adjust to a new habit is 21 days, then why do we slip back into old habits?

Seems to me that if we want to sustain a lower-weight lifestyle, our understanding of habits really needs better investigation.

Some research suggests that habits take 66 or 254 days to form, but I wonder, for something like our eating habits, how many days it really takes for the new habit to stick, and more importantly, for the old habit to dissolve.

I actually interviewed the guy who did the study that gave rise to the 21-day figure that's been paraphrased all over the place (mostly innacurately). What he found was this: anything can become a habit, but the more unpleasant and difficult the thing is to do, the longer it takes to become ingrained. (One of those they-needed-a-study-to-know-that? studies.) It took 21 days to adopt an EASY habit--I believe the example he gave me was making coffee at home rather than spending $$ at Starbucks. Not much effort there. The hardest habits for people to form? You probably know what I'm going to say: exercising regularly and maintaining good eating habits. He found it takes years for the average person to go from couch potato to regular exerciser, not to say that it's impossible, but it needed to be a conscious choice for much longer than he was expecting. Same was true for eating healthfully/appropriately--even when people were thrilled with the results of those things, they needed to continue to think about them.

jennifer_417

I think the biggest thing that causes people to regain the weight is that they don't have a maintenance plan. So, when they hit their goal weight, they go right back to their old, bad habits.

For me, I plan to keep logging my food for a while ( I haven't decided how long yet, maybe forever). Then, I plan to keep track of my weight, and keep a goal weight range in mind. If I go over that range, I go back to restricting calories.