My First Post - Just an observation
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For maintenance I kind of came up with a rule for myself... I would eat at 250 above maintenance one week a month, then maintenance the next week, then 250 below maintenance the next week, then maintenance the next week. I.e. every other week is maintenance, and I get a "high" and "low" week that should balance each other out.
The reason for this was to assure myself that *I* control my food, it does not control me, and that what I do on a given day or week does not determine my destiny - its the bigger picture that counts (on a monthly basis, I eat at maintenance!). On my "high" weeks, I get to indulge a little more is all in maybe things I would not normally. Knowing that week is coming it is pretty easy to say no to some temptations the rest of the time. ANd having a "low" week keeps me in control - and I try hard to keep the same "volume" of food but with lower calories (i.e. light yogurt instead of regular, bigger salad with less dressing, etc) so i never feel really deprived and I am more confident in my control of the situation.
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- I also weigh myself daily and keep a ten day moving average. If the 10 day average goes above a certain point, the next week is a "diet" week (250 below maintenance) and I do that every other week (no "high" weeks) until it moves back down to "acceptable". Then back to normal.
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- I think of it as preventative... works for me anyway.0 -
Roxiegirl2008 wrote: »I know that feeling. I had what I call a "personal spat" when I saw the scale creep up just a little over the holidays. Not by much at all but nevertheless I thought I was well on my way to ballooning out of control. I also felt giant again!
I even spent the warm up time during one of my training session with my trainer talking about it. BAD move. She made me pay for being so hard on myself. I did walking lunges, burpees and push ups until I admitted that I had made great strides in my health and fitness levels and that it was just water weight. Yes I think she is pretty wonderful! Next time I will keep it to myself. HAA Bright side I felt like I had burned a lot of calories.
THAT IS AWESOME! My trainer is a little evil sometimes too
burpee pullups... weighted burpees... rowing machine... versaclimber... anything I have ever told him I hated doing, that becomes my homework if he wants to "punish" me a little 0 -
I love this thread. I obsess about what I will do (this time) when I get to maintenance. I've yo-yo'd in the past but never anywhere near as much as this last time. My sister is also losing weight and we talk about this all the time. I look at my fit or slender friends and try to understand why they never worry about this stuff (the ones that don't, I mean). I think it's because they don't live to eat. That's the best way I can describe it. My BFF, if she was hungry and sleepy, would just go to sleep. The old me would eat then go to sleep, lol. I'm currently losing weight and didn't eat an ounce of dessert or other "treats" during the holidays. By next holidays, I will be at my goal. I have no idea how I will feel or what I will do. I think I will be afraid to eat that stuff. I have had my dream body in the past and slowly let the wheels fall off. I can see that I will likely be obsessed and super anal and that's not fun. I feel like I have to make a choice. Either don't worry or worry. But the last time I didn't worry didn't end very well for me. I think I will have to force myself to be accountable for everything that goes in my mouth.
I will keep lurking; I am so interested to read what other maintainers are doing.
Why are you depriving yourself? I think that is a big reason why maintenance is hard for so many. They don't know how to reincorporate foods. If you didn't take them off in the first place, you don't need to worry about reincorporating them. Because really, do you plan on never having a dessert or other treat again for the rest of your life? The long term goal is to train yourself to be moderate where food is concerned. So you should be eating now as you plan to live. I really strongly encourage you to reassess your strategy.0 -
Roxiegirl2008 wrote: »I know that feeling. I had what I call a "personal spat" when I saw the scale creep up just a little over the holidays. Not by much at all but nevertheless I thought I was well on my way to ballooning out of control. I also felt giant again!
I even spent the warm up time during one of my training session with my trainer talking about it. BAD move. She made me pay for being so hard on myself. I did walking lunges, burpees and push ups until I admitted that I had made great strides in my health and fitness levels and that it was just water weight. Yes I think she is pretty wonderful! Next time I will keep it to myself. HAA Bright side I felt like I had burned a lot of calories.
THAT IS AWESOME! My trainer is a little evil sometimes too burpee pullups... weighted burpees... rowing machine... versaclimber... anything I have ever told him I hated doing, that becomes my homework if he wants to "punish" me a little
HAA yeah I told her I gave up burpees once...oopsies!
Confession...I kind of like it!
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For maintenance I kind of came up with a rule for myself... I would eat at 250 above maintenance one week a month, then maintenance the next week, then 250 below maintenance the next week, then maintenance the next week. I.e. every other week is maintenance, and I get a "high" and "low" week that should balance each other out.
The reason for this was to assure myself that *I* control my food, it does not control me, and that what I do on a given day or week does not determine my destiny - its the bigger picture that counts (on a monthly basis, I eat at maintenance!). On my "high" weeks, I get to indulge a little more is all in maybe things I would not normally. Knowing that week is coming it is pretty easy to say no to some temptations the rest of the time. ANd having a "low" week keeps me in control - and I try hard to keep the same "volume" of food but with lower calories (i.e. light yogurt instead of regular, bigger salad with less dressing, etc) so i never feel really deprived and I am more confident in my control of the situation.
-
- I also weigh myself daily and keep a ten day moving average. If the 10 day average goes above a certain point, the next week is a "diet" week (250 below maintenance) and I do that every other week (no "high" weeks) until it moves back down to "acceptable". Then back to normal.
-
- I think of it as preventative... works for me anyway.
I love this! I think this is a great way to stay balanced and in control. It forces you to realize that it's all about the macro view of things (as long as your average is on point, you will be fine). It's like a mental exercise. I may try this out when I reach my goal.0 -
ive lost 50 and have another 50 to lose. but i gained 10 lbs over december and suddenly my brain thinks I'm at square one again.
i do feel like its that haunting plague that follows anyone who's trying to lose weight, the fear of gaining the weight back. and when we do even in small amounts suddenly we are at "starting weight".
just talk yourself off the cliff, and realize as you noted 6-8 weeks and back to "normal". it may even be sooner, i bet most is water weight do to not eating your normal diet over the holidays.
hang in there, our brains do need to catch up with reality at times!0 -
I love this thread. I obsess about what I will do (this time) when I get to maintenance. I've yo-yo'd in the past but never anywhere near as much as this last time. My sister is also losing weight and we talk about this all the time. I look at my fit or slender friends and try to understand why they never worry about this stuff (the ones that don't, I mean). I think it's because they don't live to eat. That's the best way I can describe it. My BFF, if she was hungry and sleepy, would just go to sleep. The old me would eat then go to sleep, lol. I'm currently losing weight and didn't eat an ounce of dessert or other "treats" during the holidays. By next holidays, I will be at my goal. I have no idea how I will feel or what I will do. I think I will be afraid to eat that stuff. I have had my dream body in the past and slowly let the wheels fall off. I can see that I will likely be obsessed and super anal and that's not fun. I feel like I have to make a choice. Either don't worry or worry. But the last time I didn't worry didn't end very well for me. I think I will have to force myself to be accountable for everything that goes in my mouth.
I will keep lurking; I am so interested to read what other maintainers are doing.
Why are you depriving yourself? I think that is a big reason why maintenance is hard for so many. They don't know how to reincorporate foods. If you didn't take them off in the first place, you don't need to worry about reincorporating them. Because really, do you plan on never having a dessert or other treat again for the rest of your life? The long term goal is to train yourself to be moderate where food is concerned. So you should be eating now as you plan to live. I really strongly encourage you to reassess your strategy.
I don't think of it as being deprived. I'm really focused on getting to a place where a prior injury is improved and I am comfortable in my own skin. I didn't have the desire to impede my progress for a piece of pie or candy. I've had enough of that over the last two years (hence, why I am losing weight). I do plan to have dessert or treats from time to time but that's not something I have the desire to do at this time. I'm enjoying discovering new recipes and fitting into my old clothes. I wouldn't eat dessert just to prove a point. That's what got me into this mess in the first place. I'm going on vacation in March. My plan is to relax my calorie restriction but still not overeat for no reason. If I want it, I will eat it. If I am full, I will stop eating. I won't use vacation or holidays as an excuse to eat a bunch of things that aren't going to help me reach my goals or achieve my strength training gains. I am okay with this approach and it's working for me in this phase of the journey.0 -
I love this thread. I obsess about what I will do (this time) when I get to maintenance. I've yo-yo'd in the past but never anywhere near as much as this last time. My sister is also losing weight and we talk about this all the time. I look at my fit or slender friends and try to understand why they never worry about this stuff (the ones that don't, I mean). I think it's because they don't live to eat. That's the best way I can describe it. My BFF, if she was hungry and sleepy, would just go to sleep. The old me would eat then go to sleep, lol. I'm currently losing weight and didn't eat an ounce of dessert or other "treats" during the holidays. By next holidays, I will be at my goal. I have no idea how I will feel or what I will do. I think I will be afraid to eat that stuff. I have had my dream body in the past and slowly let the wheels fall off. I can see that I will likely be obsessed and super anal and that's not fun. I feel like I have to make a choice. Either don't worry or worry. But the last time I didn't worry didn't end very well for me. I think I will have to force myself to be accountable for everything that goes in my mouth.
I will keep lurking; I am so interested to read what other maintainers are doing.
Why are you depriving yourself? I think that is a big reason why maintenance is hard for so many. They don't know how to reincorporate foods. If you didn't take them off in the first place, you don't need to worry about reincorporating them. Because really, do you plan on never having a dessert or other treat again for the rest of your life? The long term goal is to train yourself to be moderate where food is concerned. So you should be eating now as you plan to live. I really strongly encourage you to reassess your strategy.
By the way, when I said I feel I have to either worry or not worry, I meant that I need to pay attention to what I eat for the rest of my life. That doens't mean I won't eat dessert ever. It just means, I can never stop paying attention.
Thanks for your comments.0 -
I completely understand what you mean. My smallest weight in memory is 19 pounds less than I am today. When I was 19 pounds more than I am today I would've given my left arm to weigh what I weigh today and it would've felt amazing! Now I feel like a sloth. Annoying, right?0
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I love this thread. I obsess about what I will do (this time) when I get to maintenance. I've yo-yo'd in the past but never anywhere near as much as this last time. My sister is also losing weight and we talk about this all the time. I look at my fit or slender friends and try to understand why they never worry about this stuff (the ones that don't, I mean). I think it's because they don't live to eat. That's the best way I can describe it. My BFF, if she was hungry and sleepy, would just go to sleep. The old me would eat then go to sleep, lol. I'm currently losing weight and didn't eat an ounce of dessert or other "treats" during the holidays. By next holidays, I will be at my goal. I have no idea how I will feel or what I will do. I think I will be afraid to eat that stuff. I have had my dream body in the past and slowly let the wheels fall off. I can see that I will likely be obsessed and super anal and that's not fun. I feel like I have to make a choice. Either don't worry or worry. But the last time I didn't worry didn't end very well for me. I think I will have to force myself to be accountable for everything that goes in my mouth.
I will keep lurking; I am so interested to read what other maintainers are doing.
Why are you depriving yourself? I think that is a big reason why maintenance is hard for so many. They don't know how to reincorporate foods. If you didn't take them off in the first place, you don't need to worry about reincorporating them. Because really, do you plan on never having a dessert or other treat again for the rest of your life? The long term goal is to train yourself to be moderate where food is concerned. So you should be eating now as you plan to live. I really strongly encourage you to reassess your strategy.
I don't think of it as being deprived. I'm really focused on getting to a place where a prior injury is improved and I am comfortable in my own skin. I didn't have the desire to impede my progress for a piece of pie or candy. I've had enough of that over the last two years (hence, why I am losing weight). I do plan to have dessert or treats from time to time but that's not something I have the desire to do at this time. I'm enjoying discovering new recipes and fitting into my old clothes. I wouldn't eat dessert just to prove a point. That's what got me into this mess in the first place. I'm going on vacation in March. My plan is to relax my calorie restriction but still not overeat for no reason. If I want it, I will eat it. If I am full, I will stop eating. I won't use vacation or holidays as an excuse to eat a bunch of things that aren't going to help me reach my goals or achieve my strength training gains. I am okay with this approach and it's working for me in this phase of the journey.
I understand where you are coming from. I was very aware of not having many sweets or fried foods when loosing weight that now when I do have those "cheat" type of foods the make my tummy hurt. I am just not used to them any more and I would rather not feel like that. I really don't feel like I am missing out on anything.
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For maintenance I kind of came up with a rule for myself... I would eat at 250 above maintenance one week a month, then maintenance the next week, then 250 below maintenance the next week, then maintenance the next week. I.e. every other week is maintenance, and I get a "high" and "low" week that should balance each other out.
The reason for this was to assure myself that *I* control my food, it does not control me, and that what I do on a given day or week does not determine my destiny - its the bigger picture that counts (on a monthly basis, I eat at maintenance!). On my "high" weeks, I get to indulge a little more is all in maybe things I would not normally. Knowing that week is coming it is pretty easy to say no to some temptations the rest of the time. ANd having a "low" week keeps me in control - and I try hard to keep the same "volume" of food but with lower calories (i.e. light yogurt instead of regular, bigger salad with less dressing, etc) so i never feel really deprived and I am more confident in my control of the situation.
-
- I also weigh myself daily and keep a ten day moving average. If the 10 day average goes above a certain point, the next week is a "diet" week (250 below maintenance) and I do that every other week (no "high" weeks) until it moves back down to "acceptable". Then back to normal.
-
- I think of it as preventative... works for me anyway.
How long have you been doing this? Just curious - seems reasonable if you are disciplined about it.0 -
I'm in the same boat. I feel that way every now and again, i just remind myself by looking at photos of me previously and recent ones.0
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Yup, went from 175 to 126. When I creep up to 130, I feel the same as I did at 175. It is crazy... and I just discovered Nutella too. wow!!0
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I've gained 8 pounds since my lightest a year and a half ago. I told myself if I got to 140 I'd start counting calories again but other than that I would just live maintenance without worry (I counted calories too much when I had an eating disorder as a teen so it brings back some anxiety to do so).
Well, I'm back to counting calories again (1300-1400) is my target because I lost about .5-1 lb a week at this rate.0 -
farfromthetree wrote: »Yup, went from 175 to 126. When I creep up to 130, I feel the same as I did at 175. It is crazy... and I just discovered Nutella too. wow!!
Nutella is totally my downfall. A friend got me some for Christmas, so I've been 'treating' myself with it by the spoonfuls. Yum, but deadly.
I've just come to realize that maintenance IS tougher than losing for me, but only because I'm really realizing that in order to maintain, I still have to be mindful. I never gave up the 'treats' while losing, and I still have those treats now. But it's a constant struggle to be ever-mindful of what I'm putting in my mouth. That's the reason I'm still here, still logging my food and exercise every day.
I will say, though, that I was very indulgent over the holidays, and even though I over-indulged quite a bit, the weight gained (4 pounds) was gone within about 10 days of being back to normal and today I'm back at pre-holiday weight. It gave me a little more confidence in my ability to maintain, so yay. BUT, OP, I feel you. With those extra pounds, I was starting to feel a little like the staypuft marshmallow man... And that was only 4 pounds... after dropping more than 70! 0 -
Yes, when you get down to a size where you are comfortable with your body, going up even a few pounds can feel really uncomfortable.
My lowest weight was 208...and even though I should weigh 190, I feel REALLY skinny at that weight...as it, it hurts to sit because I have no fat on my butt. I feel pretty good at 212 or so, but 218 seems enormous. I'm a tall person with a really big frame size, so you wouldn't think that 10 pounds would make a difference, but it really does.0
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