Mission Accomplished......or is it?

fiddletime

As I close in on my goal weight with only 6-7 pounds to go, I'm starting to get excited, that I'm about done. But, am I? Isn't this what I did almost two years ago, when I reached my goal weight? That didn't turn out so well. So, as many of us get close to our goal weights, I'd encourage us all to not think we're done, mission accomplished, but rather to think that we're just starting our lifelong maintenance journey.

And that that journey is not as glamorous and earns us no brownie points in life, no big jackpots of weight loss when we cut and cut the calories and up and up the exercise. Rather it's a much more balanced way to live, where we hold ourselves accountable every day, with little to no fanfare. There are rewards for maintenance, but unfortunately, no little MFP messages of "Congratulations you have maintained for 30 days!". Instead the weight is just a black "0", which many don't know what it even means. We have to go deep inside ourselves daily to see the rewards and to stay committed to our goals.

starwhisperer6

This is very true, if you see it as the end of the journey you are likely to be on the same journey again in a short amount of time. Well stated.

Machka9

I'm about 2 kg away from my goal weight and I'm bracing myself for maintenance because I figure it will actually be more difficult than losing the weight.

Losing the weight has been relatively easy, motivated by seeing the number on the scale drop.

Maintenance, however, won't have that motivation. The number on the scale will (ideally) just remain the same.

cwolfman13

yeah, this is where many fail...the notion that they're done, when in reality, they've just arrived at the starting line of the actual race...everything to this point has just been practice.

this is also one of the reasons people should look at things besides the number on the scale and set goals and objectives that go beyond the scale. when you start to see weight management as a bi-product of good living (eating well and getting regular exercise) and you focus your energies on being healthy and fit...well, that scale seems less and less important.

i don't log and i've maintained my weight now for over 2.5 years...my focus and energies are health and fitness and thus i do the things that healthy and fit people do and the scale just kind of takes care of itself. setting fitness goals in general, but particularly in maintenance is a good way to stay focused and disciplined.

Machka9

cwolfman13 wrote: »

yeah, this is where many fail...the notion that they're done, when in reality, they've just arrived at the starting line of the actual race...everything to this point has just been practice.

this is also one of the reasons people should look at things besides the number on the scale and set goals and objectives that go beyond the scale. when you start to see weight management as a bi-product of good living (eating well and getting regular exercise) and you focus your energies on being healthy and fit...well, that scale seems less and less important.

i don't log and i've maintained my weight now for over 2.5 years...my focus and energies are health and fitness and thus i do the things that healthy and fit people do and the scale just kind of takes care of itself. setting fitness goals in general, but particularly in maintenance is a good way to stay focused and disciplined.

Absolutely!!

I maintained the weight I'm at now (a comfortable range right around where I am now) from my late teens to my early 40s because of the fitness aspect. I was very active and had fitness-related goals. I didn't really focus on my weight ... I cared more about training for my next event and the weight took care of itself.

And that is what I am starting to do again. I'm into long distance cycling and have already done two long distance events this spring with more planned as summer comes on.

aarar

Well said!

fiddletime

Machka9 wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

yeah, this is where many fail...the notion that they're done, when in reality, they've just arrived at the starting line of the actual race...everything to this point has just been practice.

this is also one of the reasons people should look at things besides the number on the scale and set goals and objectives that go beyond the scale. when you start to see weight management as a bi-product of good living (eating well and getting regular exercise) and you focus your energies on being healthy and fit...well, that scale seems less and less important.

i don't log and i've maintained my weight now for over 2.5 years...my focus and energies are health and fitness and thus i do the things that healthy and fit people do and the scale just kind of takes care of itself. setting fitness goals in general, but particularly in maintenance is a good way to stay focused and disciplined.

Absolutely!!

I maintained the weight I'm at now (a comfortable range right around where I am now) from my late teens to my early 40s because of the fitness aspect. I was very active and had fitness-related goals. I didn't really focus on my weight ... I cared more about training for my next event and the weight took care of itself.

And that is what I am starting to do again. I'm into long distance cycling and have already done two long distance events this spring with more planned as summer comes on.

That's what I did too, until I got into the 50's. And then I sort of felt like I really deserved to cut myself some slack as I'd been a good weight, with lots of exercise, for decades. And the weight crept on. And now I've had to really crack down and get back to where I'd been most of my life. It's been a battle, between being middle age, post menopausal, having the kids move out, having one kid move back but now of drinking age, and so on, to not go up and up on the scales and down and down on the exercise. And, the battle has just started for the next few decades!

amandanicole90a

Well said!!