Maintenance Newbie- going crazy!

lbrodnax83

Hi All!

I just barely hit my goal of 150 last week. Granted I had been sick, so I know some of that last minute push was dehydration, but I was hoping to get closer to 145 (ultimate goal) so I could REALLY go to maintenance. Over the weekend, I actually *gasps* ate some food (after loosing my appetite for several days), and went from a low of 148.3 to 150.7 (this morning).

My problem is this- I feel as though I've failed because I've gone above goal now. My brain tells me it's almost certainly water retention from sodium consumed over the weekend, not to mention TOM coming up, but how do you all cope?

Have I truly failed?

After going at it for 9 months (started at 237 @ 5'7) and trying to make the transition (was told to go absolutely no lower than 140- I'm already have some health issues from loosing so much so quickly), how do you cope with these kinds of setbacks without it putting a damper on EVERYTHING?

P.S.

Friends ALWAYS welcomed!

sijomial

Go and weigh yourself.
Now drink a large glass of water.
Weigh yourself again.

That's how much a pound matters.

During that amazing weight loss of yours you got used to the number on the scales going down - now you have to get used to the number bouncing around all over the place. Sometimes for no apparent reason or contrary to expectations.
It's why people have a maintenance weight range.

Put a sticker on your scales that says "237lbs" to remind yourself where you have come from and that you are a success and not a failure.

New goals help to take away the reliance and reward of seeing your weight come down. Fixing those health issues you allude to perhaps?

cwolfman13

your body weight isn't a static number...nobody weighs exactly XXX Lbs...you need to embrace that fact

elisa123gal

That mind set is why you're at goal.. you've been strict and hard on yourself and here you are at maintenance. Congratulations. I stepped on the scale today to see it up a pound and half… it is a real downer.. even though i know I didn't drink water yesterday and had way too much sodium.
Even though I feel down. .i know good and well.. the number will bounce right back down..cause that's the way it is.. YOu can either diet down to 145.. or how about set your goal range to 146-152…and celebrate. You've done just great..enjoy your success.

Sabine_Stroehm

Did you feel like a failure every time the scale went up a tiny bit while you were losing? Hopefully you knew it was normal.

I like to have a happy range. Not one static weight.

dubird

Set your goal to a weight range, not one specific number. Your weight will fluctuate over the course of the day, not to mention things like extra exercise, TOM, and various other factors will make it change. Having a weight range of about 5 lbs gives you wiggle room so you don't feel stressed when you don't stay at one specific number constantly.

presbyreformed

I appreciate this thread because I am almost at my goal and find myself bouncing up and down 1-2 pounds every few days. I guess the range idea is more important than a specific weight.

rhtexasgal

Now that I am at maintenance, my weight bounces around consistently. I will lose and gain the same pound or two week in and week out. Now, I just look at the graphs Fitbit and MFP gives me and look at the overall picture which is actually somewhat of a straight line over time (at least since March 2015 when I hit maintenance).

And keeping track weekly as I do, I can see the biggest jumps are when it is TOM (which goes down the following week) and smaller jumps based on life's many moments such as a celebratory dinner at a restaurant, where while I stuck to calories, I had too much sodium so I gained a bit. Or when my ulcerative colitis or proctitis flares a bit and I gain ... or when I had an exceptional few days with no autoimmune inflammation and killed it at cardio, dropping a pound one week without trying ... Heck, I weighted myself early Friday morning before going to the potty and weighed 118.8 and then after my workout and a potty break, I weighed118.1 - that was just 1.5 hours difference!

lbrodnax83

Thank you for the suggestions everyone.... I do think it's so hard to change that mind set after having it for so long. I don't think it was the fact that I gained a couple of pounds so much as seeing that number be OVER goal that really really bugged me.

I think, at this point, I'm just SO tired and exhausted, I'm ready to be at ultimate goal so I can HAVE that wiggle room and not have to worry so much anymore...does that make sense?

Sijomial- I think I will take your suggestion and put that post it note on my scale. I can see how, with very little effort, what could easily happen to people who loose a lot of weight and go the route we're going....

lbrodnax83

rhtexasgal wrote: »

Now that I am at maintenance, my weight bounces around consistently. I will lose and gain the same pound or two week in and week out. Now, I just look at the graphs Fitbit and MFP gives me and look at the overall picture which is actually somewhat of a straight line over time (at least since March 2015 when I hit maintenance).

And keeping track weekly as I do, I can see the biggest jumps are when it is TOM (which goes down the following week) and smaller jumps based on life's many moments such as a celebratory dinner at a restaurant, where while I stuck to calories, I had too much sodium so I gained a bit. Or when my ulcerative colitis or proctitis flares a bit and I gain ... or when I had an exceptional few days with no autoimmune inflammation and killed it at cardio, dropping a pound one week without trying ... Heck, I weighted myself early Friday morning before going to the potty and weighed 118.8 and then after my workout and a potty break, I weighed118.1 - that was just 1.5 hours difference!

I have neeeeever done that! LOL One wonders how, after potty, the scale can go UP though.... never figured that one out.... o_0.....