Made My Goal, but it Still Feels Like a Battle

smc0170

I've been at my target weight for about three months now, and I'm happy that I made it. However I still feel like it's a battle in a way...I haven't changed my logging habits and I still think about calories in vs calories out constantly. I've been a lot more lax with what exactly I'm eating, which is good, but I find myself worrying about it. I guess I'm just scared of going the other way.

Anyway, for those of you who have maintained for a long period of time...was there a time when it got easier? Was it more about finding a routine, or just getting to the point where you can let go a bit?

LivingtheLeanDream

I think a lot of us feel the way you do, it takes time to feel that we're being successful maintaining, I'm now 5 months into maintenance and while most of the time I feel content that all is well, there are times when I wonder have I got this thing sussed. We need to trust the process. If you still log your food and if you have maintained your workouts on the same level then you know all is well.

None of us want to become the 80% who re-gain and thats why we have to keep an eye on our weight and take action if necessary.

I can't say its a battle for me, I'm enjoying having plenty more calories to eat, I upped mine slowly which meant any small gains were temporary.

Give yourself a goal weight range, say within 5lbs and take action should you go over that amount.

Well done on your success at maintenance

For me there is no letting go a bit in regards to exercise. In regard to food I am still trying to find my upper amount I can eat at to maintain. Currently that amount is 2200, I reckon I will be able to eat at 2500 eventually ...happy days!

RaspberryTickleChicken

Anyway, for those of you who have maintained for a long period of time...was there a time when it got easier? Was it more about finding a routine, or just getting to the point where you can let go a bit?[/quote]

First of all CONGRATS!!

For me I think the first 3-6 months into maintaining was the toughest because I felt a bit lost since I didn't have a specific goal to strive for any more.

Then of course was the periodic re-occurring fear that 'OMG I'm going to wake up and be over weight again and all this was just a dream' mini mind-melts. LOL

The wariness for me subsided greatly after I bested the first losing weight statistics (over half will regain what they've lost within the first year). My current goal is to surpass a second statistics of for those who maintain for more than 2 yrs are more likely to keep it off.

I think in maintaining it can be a little trickier because once I reached my goal the realization that there really isn't a 'finish line' and that this is indeed a new way to live for life, I think it's completely understandable to be a bit wary & overwhelmed.

BUT you will be happy to know, it does subside with time and one of the things that GREATLY helped me to settle down in maintaining was proactively adding MFP friends who are also in maintaining. As silly as that maybe, there is some truth in strength in numbers & just knowing that I wasn't alone.

Best of luck to you!

LivingtheLeanDream

RaspberryTickleChicken wrote: »

Anyway, for those of you who have maintained for a long period of time...was there a time when it got easier? Was it more about finding a routine, or just getting to the point where you can let go a bit?

First of all CONGRATS!!

For me I think the first 3-6 months into maintaining was the toughest because I felt a bit lost since I didn't have a specific goal to strive for any more.

Then of course was the periodic re-occurring fear that 'OMG I'm going to wake up and be over weight again and all this was just a dream' mini mind-melts. LOL

The wariness for me subsided greatly after I bested the first losing weight statistics (over half will regain what they've lost within the first year). My current goal is to surpass a second statistics of for those who maintain for more than 2 yrs are more likely to keep it off.

I think in maintaining it can be a little trickier because once I reached my goal the realization that there really isn't a 'finish line' and that this is indeed a new way to live for life, I think it's completely understandable to be a bit wary & overwhelmed.

BUT you will be happy to know, it does subside with time and one of the things that GREATLY helped me to settle down in maintaining was proactively adding MFP friends who are also in maintaining. As silly as that maybe, there is some truth in strength in numbers & just knowing that I wasn't alone.

Best of luck to you!
[/quote]
Well said @RaspberryTickleChicken‌ I truly hope I can have the same ongoing success as you

nxd10

Congratulations! How long did it take you to lose?

I still log everything and have for almost 3 years (I've maintained 2+). But I'm a tad looser about it. For example, last night I had raspberries and blueberries and logged raspberries, because I figured they'd be about the same and I was way under so it didn't really matter as the stats were similar. I'll log a pork chili and ignore the fact that it has some chicken in it, as long as I get the volume correct.

I think about logging when I'm doing it and that's it - maybe 5 minutes a day. I don't think about calories at all, except to check that I'm under. I check my steps more, because they buy me extra calories. It has taken me a while to get to this point, but now it's like brushing my teeth. It's important, but takes very little of my attention or time.

FinFoxPT

What really worries you?

A huge motivator for me was not to weight in, I see and feel how my body is. I don't count calories now because I know by eye how my plate should look and about portion control. It really depends how your weight loss worked. If you've made a lifestyle choice then 'unhealthy' foods to be wary of are nowhere near you, if it's just been a calorie restriction and they are still in your life then that's a constant battle.

Honestly I needed to find my natural rhythm. People existed all this time without apps because they didn't eat the foods that messed up their natural body chemistry and only ate what their body required. It sounds really simple but I have so much faith in this now. I'm never hungry unless my body needs it and what I crave is what I need.

Hope this makes sense and doesn't sound patronising. Please feel free to PM if I can help!

Jolinia

Congrats and welcome to the battle. I'm under my original goal weight and last year was within a pound or two of exactly where I wanted to be, and the second I let slip, I bounced right back up the scale. You have to pull out every trick in the book and keep fighting because it isn't easy. It's just worth it.

Laura3BB

I think the first 2 months of maintainance were the most difficult for me, feeling lost etc as described by others.
It gets slowly better after that!

Francl27

I've been the same weight for 7 months and it's still a battle every single day... some days I lose.

dopeysmelly

I've been maintaining since October and I guess it does feel like a battle sometimes. At the moment, I'm just a couple of pounds where I'd like to be, but with weather restricting my outdoor activity and several business trips, I've been expecting it.

On the other hand, it's a battle I'm more than willing to engage in! I'm never going back to what I was and feeling this motivated and committed to keep struggling on, is a much more positive feeling than being an overweight slug!

camnjo

I hit my goal weight just before Christmas and then went up 7 lbs over the holidays....ugghhhh I just lost it all again last week...so took me about 2 months. However now gained 3 again over the Valentine weekend. I am finding maintaining really hard! I know i have to give it time. But i really hate this fluctuating up and down between 1-5 pounds!!

jsendling

I just started maintaining and I am so nervous about it! Like many others have said - when i am losing, i feel like i am working toward something. The part that has always been troubling for me is that i also feel like i am doing something when i am gaining. Nothing good, but still something. Holding the status quo has traditionally been my downfall. I am so determined not to go down that path again!

I am five pounds under my goal weight to give myself room to fluctuate a little. On Sundays, however, i find myself overeating badly. I never go over my goal, and i am always back down to five pounds under by the end of the week. I'm uncertain if this is going to cause a problem for me at some point? Anyone else on maintenance who allows a big cheat day once a week?

I log everything, exercise strenuously every day (i am a weightlifter and a cardio fanatic), and eat clean six days a week. I am a vegetarian. But on Sundays i definitely am eating a lot of junk