Maintainers for over a year secret?
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This will be the 3rd time since I lost the same "45" pounds! I need to remained focused on MFP with logging in food and weight reports when I get down to my goal weight. What I am beginning to understand and that is, what did make me gain all that weight back 3 different times? One of the answers is I avoided the scale! I did not log in my food! I did not have that visual on paper my current weight and all the food I was eating. Another reason, I had a poor mindset (I did not care!). I quit walking (exercising), I was walking an hour a day 5x week. I was constantly snacking! I drank 6 or more sodas a day! I am hoping that my mindset is ready for this life-change for the last time. I do not want to gain back this 45 pounds only to turn around and lose it for the 4th time!0
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I quit smoking seven or eight years ago, and until the post above I hadn't even thought about smoking in I don't know how long - probably since the last time I had to walk through a cloud of someone else's smoke, and the thought then wasn't "OMG I want a cigarette," it was "Ew." I don't think much about my diet either, except to track for a couple of weeks now and then to make sure I'm not drifting over to the carb-heavy side.
The point I'm making is that everyone's maintenance is different. Some people have to weigh and log and measure, some people are okay just logging, some people can just make smart food choices and eyeball. I think so much depends on how heavy you were before, how you got there, what you did to lose, and what mental and emotional work you did along the way.0 -
I have been using MFP since March 2013 and for the last year (Dec 2014 to present) I have been in the same 10 lb range so I consider that maintenance for me. My highest ever weight was 307 and now I'm in the low 170s. So I guess I qualify...I'm only down 3 lb from 1 year ago but for me, that's still kind of amazing. Size 10 skinny jeans and all...hehe. I got to this point around October 2014 and originally planned to "stop" in the 150s but never made it that far down (yet) so happily maintaining in the 160s-170s. I used to log every bite every day. Now I'd say I log 80% of the time. I'm happy though!0
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I've been maintaining for 4 years. Currently 16 pounds under my goal weight, but still at a healthy BMI. I met my goal through Weightwatchers where I am a Lifetime member. I still weigh in once a month to keep my Lifetime membership. However, after maintaining on MFP for a few years now, I recently switched over to using my Fitbit for maintenance since it has all of the info that I need in one place and I don't have to keep track of two Apps. I come to the forums here on MFP daily as I like the community and still find myself learning a lot from it.0
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For me it was a process. When I hit my goal I just kept eating the way I had been to lose weight...focused on eating real foods, watched portions and ate LOTS of plants. Also kept up with exercise and continue to track what I eat. I've been at or under goal for 2 yrs 8 months. It's not hard to maintain now that I've made so many changes, but it does mean I have to pay attention to both what i eat and make sure i move every day!0
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Oh yes! I faithfully track my food on MFP and enter my weight at least once/week.0
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grinning_chick wrote: »I've come to the conclusion the key to losing weight and keeping it off is the same as quitting tobacco and staying quit. There can't be a day that you don't think about it (in the specific instance concerning this website, the number of calories you are consuming per day via what and how much, exactly, you are shoving into your piehole).
Because the moment you become complacent about your quit/weight loss is the moment you will cave/fall off the proverbial wagon.
Yes, that means you'll never be a "normal person" (oxymoron). Most "normal people" don't think about tobacco every day. Or, I'm confident, food the way people who've lost more than a handful of pounds do. I know I didn't before I got fat for the very first time.
But that's what's needed to maintain the quit/loss. That's the price that must be paid to stay quit/whatever weight you desire to be. And only you can determine if such is a life you can live with from here on out.
well said and absolutely true!0 -
There's no secret for me. Over the course of a week I eat the same amount of calories that I burn and repeat that week after week.
How I do that maybe considered hacks, but not secrets:
- I normally eat 3, good-sized balanced meals. No snacking or eating in between meals and no eating after dinner. This is how I ate growing up in the 80's and was normal sized. Snacking and eating all day got me into trouble.
- During a typical week I tend to be more strict during weekdays (eating slightly less than maintenance calories) and over the weekend I'll go out to eat and have planned treats so I go over. Everything balances out and I don't gain or lose weight.
- I mainly drink water and unsweetened tea. This saves me a ton of calories that I use towards food. Yay!
- I'm very active and exercise daily. I'm always making new fitness goals and challenging myself with new workouts.
- Planning out my meals the night before and record what I ate in my food journal daily.
- I've been logging on here daily since August 2013. Chatting with my close fitness buddies daily, interacting on the feed and meeting new like-minded people helps me to stay on track.
- Lastly, I keep at it as if I was still losing weight. Everyday. I'm still very mindful, never complacent. I just eat more. I haven't experienced any weight gain or major fluctuations.
I love being in maintenance so much! It's awesome to see how my hard work has paid off and it feels great to look in the mirror and love what I see from head to toe.
**Edited to add: I've lost 80 pounds and have been maintaining comfortably since May 2013.0 -
All you guys are awesome!!! It looks like the common denominator to success is to keep at it, and to regularly check your touch points as to not stray much. I am within two pounds of my goal weight right now, and over the last year, within 10, plus or minus at any given time. Sometimes I am not as disciplined as others, but I try to track everyday, and weigh myself often. I have recently retired, and was concerned that I would gain, but after some trial and error, I have come up with a routine that keeps me in my range. Lots of walking, ( yay fit bit) and picking myself up and moving forward asap after I have gone off track.0
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Hit my goal weight on Day #640. Lost an additional 15 lbs. Today is Day #1301. I'm here daily, I log daily. I have to. Yo Yo "dieter" all my life. I pre plan/ pre log my meals. I weigh in Saturday A.M. I walk at least 10K steps every day. You have to do what works for you. This (MFP) keeps me accountable.
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That is impressive airangel59. I try to be here daily, and walk as much as I can. We have finally gotten winter weather here, which makes walking more of a challenge.0
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I've been maintaining for 3 years. I still log in to MFP and I still log my food, although not always and not as meticulously as I once did. I have found that my eating habits have changed even if I don't log-- if I have a day that's way over what I usually eat then I won't want much for the next couple of days. At this point I'm moving toward not logging anymore. I do think that remaining aware of my weight and being quick to make any necessary adjustments will be crucial. I haven't tried to do it before because I knew I didn't have the mental energy to devote to making sure I didn't backslide. It was just easier to log.
I don't know that there is a "secret" to maintenance. For me it's about keeping mental focus and not letting things slide, and it's about creating a way of eating with which I can live long term. I know so many people who are constantly going back and forth between "no sugar/fat/'bad food' forever" and eating anything and everything all the time. For me the ideal method is to balance between those two extremes.0 -
Maintaining for 9 years. Weigh frequently. Keep moving. Walking and doing lots of chores.0
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That is impressive airangel59. I try to be here daily, and walk as much as I can. We have finally gotten winter weather here, which makes walking more of a challenge.
Are you familiar with Leslie Sansone or Jessica Smith? They both have at home walking workouts that I use year round and find very effective.0 -
BurnWithBarn2015 wrote: »Whispers:.....the secret is to eat the same amount of calories as you burn...shhhhhh dont tell anybody......
Lol. But, yeah seriously this. For me, I maintained within my 140-145 lb range for over a year. I logged for the first 6 months of maintenance, and held it on my own for another 6. Then, I "forgot" my way. Had an overly festive (err, far too overindulgent) 5 weeks.
Oops, 5 lbs past the upper end of my range (post holiday bloat is gone, this is real excess left). But...my years on MFP have taught me the tools to work myself back to where I want to be.
Short story short, maintenance is not static. Goals change, life changes, needs and wants for our health and body change. It's a continual learning experience when the gameplan changes.0 -
Weight will always fluctuate, just watch what you eat. I've hovered 165-170 and got upto 173 at one point but that's because i give myself periods where I purposely gain weight to add on some muscle.0
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HappyCampr1 wrote: »grinning_chick wrote: »I've come to the conclusion the key to losing weight and keeping it off is the same as quitting tobacco and staying quit. There can't be a day that you don't think about it (in the specific instance concerning this website, the number of calories you are consuming per day via what and how much, exactly, you are shoving into your piehole).
Because the moment you become complacent about your quit/weight loss is the moment you will cave/fall off the proverbial wagon.
Yes, that means you'll never be a "normal person" (oxymoron). Most "normal people" don't think about tobacco every day. Or, I'm confident, food the way people who've lost more than a handful of pounds do. I know I didn't before I got fat for the very first time.
But that's what's needed to maintain the quit/loss. That's the price that must be paid to stay quit/whatever weight you desire to be. And only you can determine if such is a life you can live with from here on out.
As an ex-smoker, I have to say I never think about smoking except the oddball moment when my brain thinks it smells smoke even when none is there. Phantom smoke, I call it. That happens to me once every couple months or so. Just as a reminder, I think, that I used to smoke and could very easily start up again. But the rest of the time, it never crosses my mind.
I've been in maintenance for almost 18 months. I'm still logging almost daily because I enjoy knowing that I've gotten all my nutrients for the day. Come the New Year or spring, I'm planning to stop logging daily. I want to learn how to do this without logging. I have my five pound range...I know how to lose weight...and I'm going to work on staying within my range on my own.
Someone posted advice in another thread, which I loved. I think it was @SideSteel . He said that most people try to get off counting, end up gaining weight, think to themselves that they obviously can't do this, and start logging again with plans to do it forever. Then he said Not logging was like learning anything else. You're going to fail and have bumps in the road. Just correct your path and try again. Most of us didn't lose all our weight on the first attempt, or quit smoking on the first attempt...and most of us will not go from logging to true maintenance without logging on the first attempt. You just have to keep trying until you get it. This is my plan.
The thought of having to log and think about food for the rest of my life is depressing to me. I could and would do it if I thought that was the only way. But, I'm planning on taking the learning path, allowing bumps along the way, until I get it right.
Anecdote is Anecdote, as it will always be. (:
Thinking about my tobacco quit at least once a day in some form or fashion will make it ten years down this July. Not thinking about what I'm consuming calorie-wise at least once a day has resulted in a decade of yo-yoing the same scale pounds over and over and over ad nauseam.
Interestingly enough, I did quit tobacco on my first try. And I did lose all my unwanted weight on my first "diet" attempt. I even managed to keep off 29 of the 33 pounds I wanted gone for three years by thinking about the rules of the plan I was on every day when choosing what I could/could not eat. Until, interestingly enough, quitting tobacco served as the catalyst for gaining 40 lbs in six months because of I said "Whatever it takes to stay quit."
Whoopsie. Ultimately, the problem is I chose a plan I never completed to the end and, ultimately, could not sustain because I never saw it through to that end before joining an online forum for it and learning about all the ways to d**k with it versus follow as originally written. d'Oh!
Best in your personal endeavors. Wish me luck in mine!0 -
grinning_chick wrote: »HappyCampr1 wrote: »grinning_chick wrote: »I've come to the conclusion the key to losing weight and keeping it off is the same as quitting tobacco and staying quit. There can't be a day that you don't think about it (in the specific instance concerning this website, the number of calories you are consuming per day via what and how much, exactly, you are shoving into your piehole).
Because the moment you become complacent about your quit/weight loss is the moment you will cave/fall off the proverbial wagon.
Yes, that means you'll never be a "normal person" (oxymoron). Most "normal people" don't think about tobacco every day. Or, I'm confident, food the way people who've lost more than a handful of pounds do. I know I didn't before I got fat for the very first time.
But that's what's needed to maintain the quit/loss. That's the price that must be paid to stay quit/whatever weight you desire to be. And only you can determine if such is a life you can live with from here on out.
As an ex-smoker, I have to say I never think about smoking except the oddball moment when my brain thinks it smells smoke even when none is there. Phantom smoke, I call it. That happens to me once every couple months or so. Just as a reminder, I think, that I used to smoke and could very easily start up again. But the rest of the time, it never crosses my mind.
I've been in maintenance for almost 18 months. I'm still logging almost daily because I enjoy knowing that I've gotten all my nutrients for the day. Come the New Year or spring, I'm planning to stop logging daily. I want to learn how to do this without logging. I have my five pound range...I know how to lose weight...and I'm going to work on staying within my range on my own.
Someone posted advice in another thread, which I loved. I think it was @SideSteel . He said that most people try to get off counting, end up gaining weight, think to themselves that they obviously can't do this, and start logging again with plans to do it forever. Then he said Not logging was like learning anything else. You're going to fail and have bumps in the road. Just correct your path and try again. Most of us didn't lose all our weight on the first attempt, or quit smoking on the first attempt...and most of us will not go from logging to true maintenance without logging on the first attempt. You just have to keep trying until you get it. This is my plan.
The thought of having to log and think about food for the rest of my life is depressing to me. I could and would do it if I thought that was the only way. But, I'm planning on taking the learning path, allowing bumps along the way, until I get it right.
Anecdote is Anecdote, as it will always be. (:
Thinking about my tobacco quit at least once a day in some form or fashion will make it ten years down this July. Not thinking about what I'm consuming calorie-wise at least once a day has resulted in a decade of yo-yoing the same scale pounds over and over and over ad nauseam.
Interestingly enough, I did quit tobacco on my first try. And I did lose all my unwanted weight on my first "diet" attempt. I even managed to keep off 29 of the 33 pounds I wanted gone for three years by thinking about the rules of the plan I was on every day when choosing what I could/could not eat. Until, interestingly enough, quitting tobacco served as the catalyst for gaining 40 lbs in six months because of I said "Whatever it takes to stay quit."
Whoopsie. Ultimately, the problem is I chose a plan I never completed to the end and, ultimately, could not sustain because I never saw it through to that end before joining an online forum for it and learning about all the ways to d**k with it versus follow as originally written. d'Oh!
Best in your personal endeavors. Wish me luck in mine!
I have done the same with many projects in life. It's important to try as many things as you're comfortable with to see how they work for you at that particular time in your life. If it weren't for all your past experience, you wouldn't be able to apply what will work best for you. In that way, you really have seen all those past attempts to their ends.0 -
Two years & two months.
Key for me, logging, moving more, and watching my weight, same as losing the weight. Others don't need to keep logging, I do, and will, probably always will.
As with the losing, better choices, portion size, and moderation.
Don't eat more calories than I burn.0 -
I have been maintaining my 30 pound loss for 4 years. After staying with MFP for a few months after hitting my goal, I slowly drifted away. I slowly gained the 30 pounds after transitioning from an active college student to a sedentary desk worker. I have always eaten in a manner I consider healthy (lots of vegetables, mostly whole grains, very little sugar, avoiding preservative laden foods, etc.) but my problem was my portion sizes were out of whack. After using MFP for about 1.5 years, I knew I was done. I knew what a reasonable portion size looked like, I didn't need MFP to guide me anymore. I check in every once in a while (though I don't even remember the last time I was here) but I do not need MFP to maintain or to hold me accountable.
However. we all carried (or currently carry) extra weight for different reasons. If one is an emotional eater, has binge issues, or deals with something else I have never had to contend with, I can see why sticking around here may be helpful. Just like in weight loss, in maintenance you need to find your own groove and see what works for YOU.0
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