When losing, do people pause and practice maintenance before trying to push for more loss?

Eninad

I read that after losing a certain percentage of weight or amount of weight a person should see if they can maintain that for 2-3 months and then go back to the losing math numbers. Something about making sure the body adapts to the new set point or helping with long term management.

For people who have successfully lost and maintained, is this true? Are recommendations for this simply a personal decision? What is the general opinion on this?

Francl27

For me... NOPE. I ended up doing that for a vacation, as I was only 2 pounds away from my goal anyway... Found it way harder to get back on track after eating more, because I got pretty much constantly hungry eating 1800 calories, while I had no problem sticking to less calories before. 10 months later, still haven't lost those 2 pounds (and even gained one back).

So no, I don't recommend it.

malibu927

Not quite to that extreme, no. It is advised, though, if you've been at it for a long time to take a 1-2 week diet break every so often because of the toll a constant deficit has on your body. I just did one at the beginning of this month when I went on vacation and it was so refreshing.

jemhh

I am still in the process of getting to my ultimate goal but I did take a maintenance break. From January until mid-December of last year I lost 52 pounds. I actually started a maintenance break right after Thanksgiving, at 50 pounds, but ended up losing another 2 pounds after that. My maintenance break went from Thanksgiving until New Year's. Then I worked on losing for a short period (I think a month?) before deciding to reverse diet back up to figure out if I actually had a higher maintenance than I thought. At the beginning of April I started working on losing again.

For me, it was less about seeing if I could maintain and more about just needing a break from actively trying to lose. I also have taken a few one week maintenance breaks over the past 17 months. I keep logging and exercising as usual but I just don't cut calories during those times. I find them helpful for me physically and mentally.

Laurend224

I am, but not on purpose. I'm down 37 lbs so far and have been hanging out there for a month due to less than stellar logging. Totally my fault.

dawnna76

My body seems to do this naturally every 10 pounds or so. It seems i always stick around the mid decades for a while. it balances out to every three months or so i gt stuck for a month or so and then it starts to come off again. I usually change up an activity eat at maintance for a couple weeks and then drop back down again and it kicks the loss back into gear. i have lost 70 pounds doing it this way. I have been losing over a two year period.

enterdanger

I'm with everyone who said they just need a break from trying to lose. I put myself in maintenance when life is kicking my *kitten*. Sometimes, things happen and I can't eat a big deficit or get to the gym. When this happens I try to eat at maintenance so I don't gain. Then, when I'm less crazy I go back to my deficit. This way has been sustainable for me but slow going. I've lost 35lbs in 14 months, but I still have another 40 to go. I have had as much as 3 months go by where I just ate maintenance. Mostly through the holidays cause *kitten* was crazy.

Eninad

Thanks for responses.

According to MFP I've lost 32 pounds, but I'm really getting close to 50 pounds lost. My spouse would like a "break" from my intense focus on the losing calorie amounts and thinks the body needs the break and needs practice maintaining what has been done. I have had some natural pauses in the drop pretty much every "decade" as well.

I'm afraid to eat at maintenance when I still have 60+ more pounds to lose. I'm afraid I'll lose my discipline and he says that's exactly why I need to take a break!

I will keep reading opinions. Thanks so much.

andympanda

When I go on vacation, or at holiday time of the year I eat at maintenance.

365andstillalive

I've been losing weight for four years; so yes, I've taken quite a few maintenance breaks.

While my health and weight loss has always been *a* priority for me, it couldn't always be my top priority. I took my first maintenance break after about 50lbs lost; I maintained for about 6 months within a 5lb range while my knee was healing from surgery. I lost another 20 or so lbs, took nearly a year off as I completed my degree, moved to a new city, took on a job way over my head experience wise etc. Doing the year route with additional stress, I didn't maintain well and put back on about 10lbs. Lost about 15, then maintained for about 3 months (Aug-Oct last year) which had a lot to do with camping and the six weddings I had last summer/fall.

I think my maintenence breaks have been really important when it came to me developing a healthy lifestyle. Each time I decided to maintain I've been a bit more active than the last, a bit more aware of the food I was eating, and a lot more aware of changes in my body. I'm also a data nut, so now I have an incredibly clear idea of what my current TDEE is.

I don't recommend or not recommend it. It really depends on what your goals are. Speed was never my priority (clearly haha).

freeoscar

I think it is a good idea if you are feeling burnt out or overwhelmed, because the goal here is long term loss and maintenance. That said, it sounds like you are fine, but your husband is the one who is feeling burnt out, so I don't see why you would benefit from a break.