Advice on maintenance?

nxd10

Hi All -

I've been doing this for a year and have been within my 'goal zone' for a little more than two months now. I'm still losing slowly, but more inches now than pounds. I looked in the mirror yesterday and just said 'that's it'. I look good and if I lose more I'll move from thin to skinny - not a good look for a 54 year old. This is also the weight that (8 pounds back) my doctor told me not to drop below.

I keep reading maintenance is harder than losing. I want to keep this off.

- I will continue logging - forever I think
- I am slowly loosening my calories so I'm going over 100-300 calories a day a few days a week to see what happens.
- I'm eating more but exercising more to keep it down. I'm not a gym person - I'm just not. But I'm walking a lot more systematically, biking, and starting to swim. I am traveling right now and even did stairs in the hotel last night for 20 minutes because it was dark and raining outside and they didn't have a gym or pool.

Any other wisdom? The weight loss required a lot of persistance but wasn't hard. It's pretty easy sticking at 1230 calories net for me (plus loosening up on going over when I choose to).

I really, really, really don't want to gain the weight back. EVER.

CarlydogsMom

I'm struggling with maintenance too, I'm 51 now and lost 70+ pounds a couple years ago. Would like to hear from others, but basically I don't set some sort of single-pound weight that I MUST be. I have a range (about 146-148) that I'm comfortable with, and if I'm in that range I'm ok. Some of the things I've either learned or do:

1. Continue to weigh in regularly. When I start seeing a trend up, then I am a bit more careful, start logging food again, and just pay more attention.
2. Develop a LIFESTYLE not a diet. I have a routine that I stick to, it involves a long walk every morning (a hike in the forest actually), the breakfast I've developed when I lost weight, etc. In general, I have my "lifestyle" down pat. Similar walk/breakfast every day, a variety of lunches and dinners that in general focus on lean protein and veggies, and a few snacks that I've figured out work for me.
3. when I am NOT in my routine (i.e. traveling, early morning meeting that precludes walk, guests over for dinner so more wine/appetizers in front of me) I'm just more careful. I know that having a bit more of this or a bit more of that won't kill me, and that my new lifestyle/routine will get back in gear the next day.

I guess the big thing is find the lifestyle and routine(s) that work for you, and do that 90% of the time. When things get in the way, just do the best you can and get back on track as soon as possible. Give yourself a 2-3 pound range that you're comfortable with, and when you start seeing that you're trending to the heavier end of that range, take charge and do what you have to do for a week or two to get back down. But hopefully, what you'll have to do is basically get back to the basics of your routine.

For me it's:
1. Focus diet on lean protein and veggies. All else in moderation, but no black-and-white restrictions or absolute "no's" on anything. I do have trigger foods, so there are some foods I do simply say NO to, but I'm at the point where they don't appeal to me anymore anyway.
2. Find the exercises/activities that you can stick with and enjoy every day. For me it's a VERY brisk hike in the woods every morning, and I supplement with mountain biking in the summer and some exercise biking and yoga in the winter.
3. Figure out your challenge areas and develop long-term strategies. For me it's: 1) traveling; 2) social occasions; and 3) the 4:00 munchies. I've figured out a few things to do to not let myself fall into the abyss of mindless eating. They're still a challenge, but hey, they're not everyday occasions, so I'm doing OK.

Hope that helps, and I look forward to hearing from others!

Runhard13

I second the whole develop a lifestyle ...your body is ALWAYS going to try to go back to what it was. its about being healthy and not just wanting to look good

sijomial

I'm 53 and have been at / under my goal weight since January.

The way I changed over to maintenance was by custom setting my goal to increase the daily calories by 100/day every week until I hit the point where my weight stabilised. Like @CarlydogsMom says you have to learn to accept a range for your weight that you are happy with and not just one number - your body doesn't work like that.

Keep logging and tracking as consistently as you can. After a lifetime of struggling with my weight I don't feel I'm ready to just cut loose and eat intuitively. As I'm very target driven I still have goals and targets but they are fitness and body fat percentage goals now.

I think maintainance is FAR easier than losing weight. My diet changed for weight loss and I'm trying to keep that going but can now have bigger portions, I hit my macros and still have room for treats and social events.

nxd10

Sijmoil - I'm hopeful that you say that maintenance is easier than losing. I have never struggled with my weight, but was in the high 'healthy' BMI until 50 and started to gain then. Now I'm in the lower end of healthy and have a 5 pound range I'm hoping to stay in (150-155 - I'm 5'10"). It's weird that I now feel physically sick now if I eat too much. Not when I'm doing it, but maybe 20 minutes later. I think my mother was right when she said your stomach shrinks. I should listen to it and eat slower.

I do have the travel thing down, though. I'm currently in Chile and was in New Orleans last weekend (I live in OH.) Eat the yummy local food you want FIRST in a small portion. Drink water, tea, or coffee - no calories. And eat the salads, veggies, and fresh fruit in abundance to add volume without calories. Big breakast, medium lunch, small dinner. Walk. Even in New Orleans I was under my calories. I really did do stairs in the hotel last night for 20 minutes and I swam in New Orleans. It's cold down here in Chile though and the outdoor pool is cold.

Carlydogsmom - great advice. Thank you. I have a good breakfast/lunch routine. I think I'm going to have to log. There's all these little things that just shock me with how many calories they are.