Anyone take a "maintenance break" before you hit your goal?

janiep81

I'm about half way there... need to lose another 25 lbs. I'm feeling kind of burned out. Would it be detrimental to "practice maintenance" for a month or so? I'm thinking I'll take some time off in September and again between US Thanksgiving and Christmas.

FWIW, "practicing maintenance" would still mean tracking and exercising, but perhaps not as obsessively... allowing myself a little more freedom. My plan isn't restrictive; I'm intentionally trying to eat as much as I can and still lose so that I don't feel deprived - and I don't! I think its the fitness demands I'm putting on myself that are bothering me more than my eating.

Should I post this on another board?

Thanks!

accidentalpancake

If you really aren't being restrictive, there would be little reason for a break.

If you're doing something that will be sustainable for life, I doubt that you'd say you were getting burned out.

lalahos

I know what you mean. You want to take a break from obsessing about everything you eat for a little bit. I would suggest you take a break from tracking, continue to eat healthy portions, and see what happens on the scale. That will let you know if your eating patterns have stabilized enough that you don't need to keep tracking all the time in order to maintain your weight. It's okay to take a mental break .

janiep81

Yeah. Maybe...

I'm not hungry; I'm tired of thinking about food and exercise all day.

LivingtheLeanDream

Some people have maintenance breaks if they need a break from eating at deficit, perhaps your deficit is too large and you're not fuelling your body enough which can leads to that burned out/lack of energy feeling.

If you are over doing the workouts, and your body is telling you that then of course you need to take a break, even for a week.

Are you having rest days etc?

bindiw

I totally get it! Halfway there myself. Hit a plateau. Needed a break from thinking about and logging every morsel and every exercise. Stayed eating healthy though, and the break helped! Just make sure you at least log in everyday, cuz it bumped me back to a zero streak and now I'm a little bummed. Because my journey IS ongoing and I just needed to obsess a little less

janiep81

I don't think I need a break from eating a deficit; I eat a lot (I think)... my goal is like 1520 cals/day and I eat half of my exercise cals if I'm hungry. Many days I eat near 1800 calories and that feels fine.

I think I'm bored with my workout plan. I run and lift. I like the results that come from heavy lifting, but I'm no gym rat. I'd rather be outside, but I don't want to "just run," and not work on my strength. Maybe I'll take a break from lifting and run a bit more.

I've lost the same 30 or so pounds so many times in my life. This is usually about the point when I feel like quitting, but I really want to get through it and see how I feel at a legitimately healthy weight.

And of course, like most people, when I stop tracking/planning, then I lost the momentum and gain again.

lalahos

You could also change up your diet plan. I peaked at your food diary and noticed that you often have small amounts of sweets through the day. It makes sense to log that so you don't get off track on your calories. Maybe you could try a food challenge for the month of September where you try not to eat any carbohydrates (non veg or fruit) that have less than 2 grams of fiber per serving. I promise it won't matter what you eat for a while if you stick to this . I like changing up what I'm doing to give myself new motivation (e.g. try a new sport!).

LivingtheLeanDream

Don't stop tracking or planning - those are the kinds of habits that will see you get to goal and maintain it.
Perhaps you just need a change of routine, we all do at times...

aylajane

Sounds like food wise and calorie wise you are doing ok. For exercise, why not take a "fun" break - i.e. skip the running and gym and replace it with new stuff that would not be considered "exercise" but more like "recess". Go to the batting cages one night, hit a bucket of balls at a driving range, try roller blading. You dont have to break completely from running and lifting, maybe lay out a schedule that keeps you from having to think about it much for a month. i.e Mondays is lifting - upper body. Thur is lifting - lower body. Tues is "recess" activity (20 min or more). Wed is longer run. Thur is "recess" activity (20 min or more) . Friday is moderate run. Sat/Sun is rest days, but get a 2 mile hike in someplace new. For the recess activities, create a list of 10 possibilities - 2 per week for 5 weeks. Commit to just trying each.

By spending some time in advance planning your exercise schedule, you dont have to obsess every day or week... Same as food - start preplanning every Sun night or something - even log the whole week ahead of time, then just modify with any changes that day. That makes logging take a lot less time. In fact, you could just set aside one hour per week to lay out food AND exercise for the coming week, prelog it all then just tweak each day. That might be enough of a "break" for you to keep motivation but not feel as obsessive?

In any case, dont let yourself lose the ground and control you have gained! If you choose to take any kind of break, make it a controlled one - set some parameters you have to stick to (i.e. 200 extra calories per day, one more rest day each week, etc). So it is not a "free for all". Or plan a single day where it IS a "free for all". But planned

Good luck!

TimothyFish

Part of the reason I didn't weigh my food or start eating salad every day while I was losing weight was because I didn't want to get burned out. The only thing I really struggled with was low calorie days when I didn't have many exercise calories. My real burn out point happened when I was at about ten pounds to go. I just wanted to be done, but I knew that the only way to get done was to keep going.

janiep81

Thanks for the great suggestions and insight, everyone. I will definitely try to limit the "little sweets" throughout the day. I think I will feel better. Also, I've been wanting to get into swimming and this seems like a good time.

lalahos

Awesome! I don't know about you but I have a really hard time eating small amounts of sweet things (not including fruit). It just drives me crazy to have to have that conversation in my head about whether I can have an extra chocolate . Sometimes it's easier to just avoid it all together and when I want dessert, have an actual dessert. You may react differently to sugar though. Have fun with the swimming!

kristenveganvixen

Yes! I do this a lot and I feel it's really sensible to avoid burnout. It will slow things dowh but slow and steady often wins the race.
Another thing I feel is worth doing is calculating what maintenence for your goal weight, rather than your current weight, would be, and trying eating at that for a while. It's usually only a very small difference if you're getting near but it makes for a small steady loss and gives you an idea of what to expect your eventual lifestyle eating to be- hope that makes sense x

Cortneyrenee04

I think you're on the right track but it doesn't sound like you need a break from logging or eating at a deficit. It seems like you need a change of routine. I definitely recommend changing your workouts and foods almost constantly so you don't get bored. Your food and work outs should be fun and something to look forward to.

That said, I took a (not-so-planned) maintenance break in July because I was so so hungry and tired of eating at a deficit. I kept up my workouts and ate the same foods, but I just ate a bit more. I logged most days, too.

bioklutz

A diet break is a good idea every 3 months or so.

Read this: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/

barbecuesauce

bioklutz wrote: »

A diet break is a good idea every 3 months or so.

Read this: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/

+1 to that link

OP, if you're feeling burned out, better go ahead and take that diet break. Because you're probably going to start slipping in little unlogged bites or snacks and they're going to add up. You can be mentally fatigued, even if you aren't experiencing physical fatigue.

I continued to log during my diet breaks and I suggest you do the same, unless you can limit your break to a week. With 25 pounds left to lose, you're probably either only slightly overweight (by BMI) or are within the normal range so it's not critical that you continue to lose.

I lost my last 14 pounds eating at maintenance 2-3 days a week. It was as though, having been obese at the start, I just lost the motivation to continue on the path every day.

I always came back from my breaks ready to get back to a deficit. It took me 11 months to lose 70 pounds, so it's not like they really set me back.

lorrpb

You can pace yourself however best meets your needs. When you say you wouldn't track as obsessively, does that mean you would skip some days, but log everything when you track, or does it mean you would log, but not necessarily include everything you eat? I think it would be better to skip some days completely, but log everything on the days you do log. If you want to eat at maintenance calories, or not log everything you eat, your rate of loss will probably slow down, so it is detrimental in that sense. But if that works best for you, that's ok.

I am 14 months into my journey, but I stopped logging after 2 1/2 months on the advice of my trainer because it was stressing me out. I eat in a very similar way every day and have a good handle on calories and portion control, so this works for me. I have lost weight EVERY month. I did log for a week in July to check up on myself, and I was right on track with calories and macros. I am probably the exception to rule and not everyone can do this successfully. But not logging does not mean you have to eat at maintenance. What you do and how is a very personal thing. Good luck!!

andympanda

When I go on vacation, or out of town, I aim for maintenance. If i loose anything, it is a bonus.

ibamosaserreinas

I have taken a bit of a "break". I am still logging everyday. I am still working hard to not overeat. Most days I eat a modest deficit but I needed a mental break.

My partner and I just moved 1500 miles across the country to a new place, and started new and more demanding jobs. The stress has been unreal. I have been eating "maintenance" for about two months. My maintenance calculations were a bit off though. I have still lost about four pounds in the last two months.

I am gearing up to go back to a larger deficit.

If you approach it from the standpoint of a "life change" it seems reasonable to go on maintenance if you need to.

Francl27

I did when I went on vacations.. The first time for 5 days, and I didn't gain anything, but I still had 40 pounds to lose, and the second time last year... I was 2 pounds from my goal. Haven't been able to lose a pound since because it stimulated my appetite too much, but maybe it also has to do with the fact that I'm so close to my goal anyway...

But what I'd do in your position honestly is eat at maintenance for your goal weight. Or re-assess your fitness demands because if you're already burned out, it won't be sustainable long term anyway, and you want to find a way to make it sustainable...

arditarose

I'm all for diet breaks. You really don't want to be in a deficit for long long period of time without taking a little break.

20yearsyounger

I think it's pretty healthy. I do agree with Francl27. If your current calorie goal is less than your maintenance at your goal weight, then eat at the maintenance for your goal weight. That's what you really need to be practicing for.

janiep81

Slow and steady wins the race! That is definitely what I'm going for this time; I'm trying to train my body and mind (and spirit) to learn full v. hungry and to not eat compulsively. I don't want to replace compulsive eating with compulsive dieting. I want to "aim for maintenance." I think I will either 1) decrease my deficit to lost .5 lb per week (just to take some pressure off), or 2) eat at maintenance for my goal weight. The two numbers probably aren't that different. Thanks for the thoughtful encouragement, everyone.

brightsideofpink

I like the analogy of deciding how you pace yourself (somebody before me said it). I've found that maintenance breaks can be really good for me mentally. I've never planned any- they sort of happen when they do. Once when my mother was dying and again after I had surgery. I did find it a bit challenging to get back on the proverbial horse after and get back into a good rhythm, but still found them useful.

daniwilford

I took a break and ate at maintenance for a month this summer. I had lost 45 lbs, and my blood sugar was back in the normal range. It started out as just a break for a vacation but then I had a couple of injuries that prevented me from exercise. As I have been released to do more aerobic exercise by my physical therapist (still not full workout) I am back to eating at a deficit and am losing again. I needed the break and feel re-energized and fully motivated to keep eating at a deficit until the end of the year, when I intend to eat at maintenance again through the holidays. It was difficult at first, I recommend gradually working toward the full deficit level you are aiming to use in the next leg of your journey.

Clarewho

This is what I'm trying to do right now. Ive lost about 32lb and ultimately would like to lose another 8-12lb but I'm trying to maintain for a bit for a number of reasons. Protect my lbm, try and build muscle, let my skin catch up and avoid slowing metabolism as I was on 1200/day as a sedentary 45 yo. I'm running 2-3 times pw and visiting the gym at least 3 times a week and I'm losing a bit still so it's not proving easy to find the right calorie number! But I think a break is good, both psychologically and physiologically. We're all different so if you think it helps, go for it

patrikc333

it will be a mistake for me

there will be other moments like this, so it's up to you, resist and finish it off, or give up

it's not easy, and in theory this journey should last forever, try maybe to change your workout routine

MarziPanda95

I plan on doing this. I want to get to 140 (145 now, will probably get to 140 in late October/early November) then maintain until January. I might gain a bit since I don't plan on counting on the week of Christmas. I'll lose the last 5lbs after New Years

gramarye

I've done it several times in the last several years, and it's something that's really helped me cement the feeling that the loss is sustainable. I don't count calories, but I still measure portions and stay mindful of when and why I'm eating. I continue to weigh weekly, and keep an eye on how I feel and how my clothes fit. I've never regained (beyond what I consider to be normal 5+/- fluctuations), and it's helped me feel less like I'm being defined by my exercise/eating habits.

I know some people tend to the, "You will be doing this forever!" mindset, but I'm of the opinion that there has to be a balance. Any of us who maintain will always be in a mindset to watch what we eat until it becomes second nature -- but taking a break from cutting to live at maintenance for a while is not giving up.

dopeysmelly

I took a break with about 10-15lbs to go. I'd reached the upper limit of my target range, and I was ready to take a rest and let my body adjust, because I'd lost quite a lot (70lbs and I'm only short). My plan was to take a break for a year and let things settle down. I'm ready to lost those last 15lbs now, and I'm really glad I took a break. I have gained a few pounds, but nothing significant and I've learned a huge amount about maintenance and the mental shift.

I've found that focusing on keeping that deficit going and logging etc. can require a lot of mental resources. If there is something else going on in mylife which makes it tough to devote that about of mental effort to losing, it's wise for me to take a break and try and maintain, rather than try and lose more and then fail.