Is maintenance hard for anyone else?
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earth_echo wrote: »It's about being in a state of not being hungry.
My new mantra. Also, great profile pic.
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I'm not maintaining (yet), but found creating any sort of deficit or consistency impossible for the last month or two.
Way I see it, I had a few options. One was to sub some of the carbs in my intake for protein and especially fat, to fill me. The other was to reverse diet and stair-step up my calorie intake level over a few months to bring up the amount of calories I maintained on.
The last, and unexpectedly effective option I ended up doing (at least for the last week), has been intermittent fasting, where I eat only between 12- 8pm each day, and eat only two big meals in that window, one at around 12/ 1pm, and a second at around 7/ 8pm. Oddly its been surprisingly effective, and has gotten me back on track.
Anyway, no one option suits everyone, but perhaps you might find something useful above from my own experiences
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I was just thinking about this very same issue. I still long for the days when I wasn't counting calories and just eating whatever and whenever I wanted. Unfortunately, when I hit my mid-forties, my metabolism slowed and I gained some weight.
It is hard to maintain but I don't want to lose all the work I put in losing weight over the last year so I keep on counting calories and trying to exercise. I try to allow a 'cheat' day here and there and let myself go out to enjoy a meal without counting calories...too much. lol
If I'm craving something I hold off on it as long as possible, sometimes hours, sometimes days, and sometimes the cravings go away. Sometimes that craving gets replaced by a craving for something else, but hey, its not a perfect system.
Those are just thing that help get me through the day and I think a lot of previous posters had great tips.0 -
Now I know everyone's different so don't bite my head off at this
I've been maintaining a big loss for a while now, first off with mfp for a year (barely felt satisfied most of the time like yourself) , and since the new year began I stopped counting. It's made SUCH a huge difference to my mindset.
When I'm counting I constantly think of food and never feel like I've had enough, it's such a mind game.
Obviously in an ideal world we would automatically know how much we can eat without gaining weight, but for people who have a history of overeating (such as I) it's just not the case. So I HAVE created certain guidelines for myself that have allowed me to not worry about how much I eat ( cause I still have a huge appetite, always will )...
I personally have found that limiting my added sugars most days of the week really keeps my hunger and cravings in check, but I still eat as much 'healthy' (yeah yeah not a real thing whatever) food as I like throughout the week and have a treat on Friday or Saturday which is generally some sweet alcohol
. I know it's not popular around here to not have a doughnut every other day 'cause you can' but this is just what's made life a lot easier for me.
Also, weigh yourself less frequently...if you are 0 -
I found it surprisingly easy this time. been maintaining for almost 2 years. I don't count calories anymore unless the scale goes up a little. I weigh myself every day. Feel like that's key for me.0
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perhaps Intermittent fasting would work for you ?0
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i have to say, maintenance is easy. getting 10000 steps and doing my Barre3 /yoga every day, easy. Lifting weights on a regular basis...which I KNOW would improve my fitness 1000%, utter don't wanna. Beyond light dumbbells in my Barre3 rotation, don't wanna. Quit after 6 sessions of PT because I just hate it. So I would say I have to just be happy with what I can do, and want to do.0
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totaldetermination wrote: »perhaps Intermittent fasting would work for you ?
People always suggest this but considering I eat most of my calories in the morning because I'm just so hungry, yeah I don't see that happening at all. And on days I end up with an early dinner because of it... nope, still hungry at 7pm. Can't win.i have to say, maintenance is easy. getting 10000 steps and doing my Barre3 /yoga every day, easy. Lifting weights on a regular basis...which I KNOW would improve my fitness 1000%, utter don't wanna. Beyond light dumbbells in my Barre3 rotation, don't wanna. Quit after 6 sessions of PT because I just hate it. So I would say I have to just be happy with what I can do, and want to do.
Haha, same here. I loathe lifting. Seriously, I'd rather do laundry, to give you an idea. Still make myself do 15 minutes 3x a week but BLEH. Walking 45 minutes? No problem. Go figure.0 -
For my chocolate cravings I buy nestle dark chocolate chips. I weigh out about 100 calories worth. I don't eat them. I let them melt in my mouth - one at a time. I concentrate on what it tastes like. It usually takes about 20 minutes to finish. By the time the last chip is gone I usually have satisfied my flavor craving. I know other people by chocolate bars, and do that with a square or two. My preference is the little chips because takes longer to consume.
I agree with sartezalb - What tricks worked when you were eating at a deficit? Think about how you were successful at loosing weight.
You mention eating at a deficit to make up for binges. Maybe you need to have a planned high calorie meal every week?0 -
The difference with when I was eating at a deficit is just that I'm much hungrier now. So it's so much harder to stick to it. I used to be able to have 200-300 calorie treats in my day easily when I was eating 1700 calories, now even when I aim for 1900 (still a 300ish deficit, I think), it's a struggle when I do. It's not like my weight is unreasonably low either, heck I could stand to lose 8 more pounds! Just can't imagine what hell it would be to maintain that.
I'm fine with chocolate, I have 53 calories mini bars that are very satisfying. Honestly my cravings are typically manageable except when I get hungry from PMS. I swear hormonal hunger has been so much worse since I lost weight too...
I'm trying to increase my calories to keep a smaller deficit, that might help with the binges (although to be fair... 90% of my binges are because I'm hungry anyway). Maybe one day I'll actually figure it out...
Someone mentioned increasing my activity level - I've done that. But my workouts seem to suffer as a whole, so I'm not sure it's really helping in the end? Plus Winter makes it hard, I'm naturally more active in the Spring or Fall when it's nicer out. A bit harder to go out for a walk when it's a mess outside and 25 degrees, especially as I'm always cold (still had a fantastic 12 mile walk in NYC last week with 20 degrees, but it was sunny at least, lol!).0 -
totaldetermination wrote: »perhaps Intermittent fasting would work for you ?
People always suggest this but considering I eat most of my calories in the morning because I'm just so hungry, yeah I don't see that happening at all. And on days I end up with an early dinner because of it... nope, still hungry at 7pm. Can't win.
I was just like you actually. In the morning, I would have to eat 50% of my days calories within the first 2/ 3 hours (a large breakfast, then a moderate lunch about 2.5 hours later). All afternoon my mind would be on food, thinking did I need a snack, had I eaten enough for my energy levels not to crash at some point, etc, and by the time it got to evening time I was often struggling to have enough calories left to make sure I had enough for a decent evening meal. In other words, food controlled me.
I feel free of that cycle currently, and I credit fasting for breaking it. Something I was not expecting at all. It's early days, but I feel energised, not hungry, in control of what I put in my mouth, and simply more ambitious in most areas of my life right now.
I'm not sure if intermittent fasting is right for you at this moment. I know it wasn't for me when I set out to lose weight 7 months ago. The right thing for me then, which I also discovered by giving it a go on the recommendation of some friends I would have a high opinion of, was a high fat, low carb diet. I think that was the first taste of freedom from food I felt, as what I ate supplied me with a stable energy all day long (no spikes/ crashes), and actually made me feel quite full. The benefits to general health didn't hurt either, but I shan't go into that here, as it seems to upset some people a lot here.
Anyway, low-carb may not be for everyone, but it was for me, which was an unexpected surprise. I still carried my habit of snacking though, a carryover from my diet up to that point, which was predicated on snacks every few hours.
It wasn't until intermittent fasting this last week (still early days, as I mentioned), that has been the hammer blow for some of my redundant eating habits. Firstly, and also unexpectedly, I now have a much bigger handle on hunger, and instead of being a driving force in my day to day life, it has now been relegated to that of a signal from my body, like perhaps when you feel a minor headache, take note of it, and simply carry on, not letting it derail what you are focussing on before you felt it. Secondly, the snacking is gone, something I never thought I'd be able to say. Moreover I feel even more in control now than I did even on low carb, and according food the actual priority in my life it should have had, as opposed to the one I allowed it to have, has helped me reap all those benefits I mentioned. Focus, determination, drive, etc. The health benefits from fasting too is just an added bonus.
Anyway, I thought perhaps someone's experience who has been in a similar place perhaps to where you are now, might help. Good luck with the maintenance, and finding what's right for you, that's the only thing that matters
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How do you do it though? I exercise in the morning, typically 3 hours after waking up, and my workouts suck when I feel hungry.
For low carb, I don't know, I feel better and fuller overall when I have complex carbs with my meals.0 -
The exercising I can't speak to, as it's still a work in progress for me. I tried one fasted resistance training session this week and it went fine. I preceded it with some BCAA's 30 mins beforehand so as not to encourage muscle catabolism, and will try out fasted training properly for all my sessions for a while once the BCAA's I ordered this week arrive.
Fasted cardio is supposed to be fine, but if it's of the high intensity variety, some BCAA's or some whey beforehand tends to be advised (at least for resistance training), so you're not encouraging muscle loss.
Re: fasted cardio, I went for a nice 2/ 3 mile walk this morning before breaking my fast, and it was fine. I will experiment with this also though, as I do feel a tiny bit hungry towards the end of such walks when I haven't eaten anything. I will try this out, and see if it changes though.
Re: carbs, nothing wrong with complex carbs imo. If they fill you and suit you, keep up what's working. I only try change something when things aren't working, or there's the chance for improvement by exploring a change in some way 0 -
No, but I train like a mofo and am otherwise pretty active outside of my job (desk)...my TDEE range is about 2800 - 3000 calories, so I have a good chunk of change to work with.0
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Do you exercise regularly? Much easier to maintain if you do...and especially if you do resistance training. You can turn high carb cravings into muscle fueled rewards. Saturday nights are wifey/family date nights. I hit the gym before dinner satisfy my cravings afterwords...0
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If you are craving chocolate, try some chocolate chip pancakes. You only need a teaspoon of chocolate, and it should make your craving go away.0
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Do you exercise regularly? Much easier to maintain if you do...and especially if you do resistance training. You can turn high carb cravings into muscle fueled rewards. Saturday nights are wifey/family date nights. I hit the gym before dinner satisfy my cravings afterwords...
I exercise pretty much every day for at least 30 minutes.0 -
Over the past 2 years, your main focus has been weight loss, and you've succeeded. Now, in addition to maintenance, try focusing on a new long-term goal. In my case it was training for a marathon (which I just completed)...but it not only needs to be fitness oriented (but it does blend nicely with maintenance), it can also be education (get a degree, learn a language); creative (learn piano, take up oil painting); or career broadening (search for a new job that is different or more challenging).
When your mind and body are engaged in learning new and satisfying activities, they'll have less time to become bored and wallow in thoughts of cravings.
^^ This0 -
totaldetermination wrote: »perhaps Intermittent fasting would work for you ?
People always suggest this but considering I eat most of my calories in the morning because I'm just so hungry, yeah I don't see that happening at all. And on days I end up with an early dinner because of it... nope, still hungry at 7pm. Can't win.
How much water do you drink in the AM? I found if I drink 16oz of water right as I wake up it will help suppress my morning hunger. Then I just throw in a banana 30 minutes before working out and BAM! I am a new person (plus caffeine of course).
Protein shake directly after my workout (usually 90 minutes) will hold me over about an hour. Then late lunch at 2-2:30 & dinner between 6-7.
Works for me.
So I have an 8-9 hour range of food for the whole day.
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bingfit221 wrote: »Over the past 2 years, your main focus has been weight loss, and you've succeeded. Now, in addition to maintenance, try focusing on a new long-term goal. In my case it was training for a marathon (which I just completed)...but it not only needs to be fitness oriented (but it does blend nicely with maintenance), it can also be education (get a degree, learn a language); creative (learn piano, take up oil painting); or career broadening (search for a new job that is different or more challenging).
When your mind and body are engaged in learning new and satisfying activities, they'll have less time to become bored and wallow in thoughts of cravings.
^^ This
Yeah... I'm a SAHM though, on a relatively limited budget.... So it's pretty tough, honestly, lol. I have a lot of free time, but even if I'm busy, I often get hungry.bingfit221 wrote: »totaldetermination wrote: »perhaps Intermittent fasting would work for you ?
People always suggest this but considering I eat most of my calories in the morning because I'm just so hungry, yeah I don't see that happening at all. And on days I end up with an early dinner because of it... nope, still hungry at 7pm. Can't win.
How much water do you drink in the AM? I found if I drink 16oz of water right as I wake up it will help suppress my morning hunger. Then I just throw in a banana 30 minutes before working out and BAM! I am a new person (plus caffeine of course).
Protein shake directly after my workout (usually 90 minutes) will hold me over about an hour. Then late lunch at 2-2:30 & dinner between 6-7.
Works for me.
So I have an 8-9 hour range of food for the whole day.
I drink pretty much half a bottle of water or more when I get up. Doesn't help. I didn't need to eat in the morning when I was eating 4000 calories a day and used to skip breakfast all the time, but I started being hungry in the morning when I started MFP 2 years ago.
Frankly I just don't see it happening because most days I'm seriously starving by 9am if I haven't had breakfast by then (and I try to delay it as much as possible but I typically never make it past 7.30am). One day we had decided to go out for breakfast and didn't make it until 9.30am and it was pure torture, dizziness and all. I see no point in making myself go through that just to hope that if I torture myself long enough, it will go away.0
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