Not There Yet...But Will Be. How do you keep it off?

amyn73

Hi Guys,
I'm just starting off on yet another weight loss journey. I've lost and gained the same 65 pounds about 4 times in my life. Here is my pattern. I get on a healthy eating track, lose the weight, feel great, get bored. I can't seem to keep it off. I know I deal with a bit of seasonal depression and will be much more active in treating that next winter, but other than that I just seem to lose interest once the challenge of losing the weight is gone. I'm afraid I 'll work to get the weight off and it will just come back. Any suggestions?

Katla49

I reached my goal a long time ago. I still record every bite and swallow, and report my exercise. I weigh in about once a week. My weight fluctuates, but stays slightly below my goal weight. I found that if you lose weight and go back to old habits, you get the old results. In the past, the weight came back and brought "friends" with it. I've been maintaining a couple of years now. One extra thing I do for myself is set a goal to have fun every day. That goal keeps the boredom away. The fun thing does not have to be extravagant or expensive. Walking with a friend or my dog, watching birds at the bird feeder, & taking a yoga class at the gym qualify as fun in my life. Ask yourself what you'd enjoy doing and make the time to do it.

fiddletime

I just reached maintenance- again. Two pounds shy of my official GW for a month, I decided to up the calories to maintenance and see how things went. I gained a couple of pounds immediately, as I way overrate last weekend. I also get bored once I reach goal, but I've been trying to be more prepared. Being 3# over my declared GW and 5 over my dream GW, I'm determined to just maintain and eat the 1360 calories MFP has allocated me, not panic, not get "bored" and tweak as needed. I've managed to maintain for decades, but somewhere in the aging process, stopped working on it.

bioklutz

Make fitness goals - participate in a local charity run/walk, lift weights, try a new sport, train for a long bike ride.

Use those fitness goals to drive eating habits. If you are going to go through the effort of lifting weights don't you want to have a killer body to go with it? If you are going to try a new sport you do't want to carry around extra weight do you?

UG77

I am terrible at losing weight for the sake of losing weight. I have to find some kind of activity that I enjoy that keeps me active and in shape. This way being healthy becomes more than a meticulous and repetitive cycle of weighing food and counting calories, which isn't maintainable... it becomes your lifestyle.

I don't know if that will work for you, but it is what has worked for me in the past.

Ptyson4

I've been thinking about that question, too, and I think it's going to take a major reframe for me. This is not a diet. This is not a temporary phase in my life that, once I hit GW I can reset and eat what I used to eat in as much quantity as I want. This is how life will be and it's up to me to bring the happiness. The scale and skinny jeans can only do so much. At least that's what I'm telling myself now that I'm over half way there!

fiddletime

For me, I've always worked out. Now that I'm older I can't do what I used to do. I'm a little nervous about setting too aggressive goals and injuring myself. But I agree with the people who recommend that approach as it gives you a reason to maintain. I now need to make a reason of "because it's healthy and I'm committed to doing what I can to remain healthy".

gmallan

What will work varies from person to person but I find if I keep active, eat fairly strictly mon-fri and indulge a little on the weekend or special occasions I tend to maintain pretty easily. I don't always log and weigh when I'm maintaining but know when certain clothes start to get tight I need to get a bit stricter with my eating. You will maintain within a range not at a particular weight but you need to have some way of knowing when you're starting to let things slide to an unacceptable degree so that you don't regain everything. Throw out all your bigger clothes so you don't have a fall back. For me when my clothes start to get tighter I have a choice to lose a little weight or buy a new wardrobe which I can't afford to do. It works as a gauge and a motivator for me

feisty_bucket

For me, I just have to be consistent at monitoring what's happening with my bodyfat. So I do my measurements and weighing now and then, and log it, and see what's up.

I've slacked on that in the past and instead just relied on what my gut's looking like, but that's not really precise enough I've decided.

cnbbnc

I too have lost my weight over and over again. I've never had trouble getting weight off of me. It's always been the "what to do once I get there" that's tripped me up. I've been maintaining for 6wks now (give or take a pound) which for me is big progress in that regard.

This may not be for you at all, but it's what I'm doing. I knew when I hit my goal weight that I was still going to have a really high fat percentage, so I started a recomp. What's that's doing for me is allowing me to eat at around maintenance (I still count calories to ensure accuracy), and keeping my workout routine consistent since I have to do both to succeed.

It's just given me a new "project" to work on, and it's keeping me on track with food and staying active.

tracefan

The worst part is maintaining. Just keep tracking. Moderation with everything.

middlehaitch

I lost my weigh once. I never wanted to look like that again. That was enough of a goal for me to keep it off.

I counted for the first 9-12 months after reaching my goal, but for the past 5-6 years have only counted a few weeks a year. Just to re-focus and re establish portion sizes.

My exercise routine was never used as a way to burn calories, I ate them back, so I can choose how much I want to exercise without gaining.

I have a weight range of 5 lbs. if I go under or over I adjust what I eat if needed, but more often than not it all evens out in a week or 2. More than a month outside my goal needs action.

I eat what I always ate just less of it.
Being a healthier, fitter, happier me is all I need to keep the weight off.

Cheers, h.

BurnWithBarn2015

Eat the same foods ( you like) as normal maintaining while losing weight.
Only keep track by weighing yourself, being active and counting and logging your food.

that is how i do it. And going great So i didn't really change my eating habits i only ate less to lose weight. And now i eat a bit more again. But not to much.

amyn73

Thank you all. Such good advice from many perspectives. Like all of you, I have to find what works but you've given me a lot to think about. I really feel like it will be reframing how I view this weight loss. It's not a diet. Its a life change. Thanks again for the collective wisdom you've all shared!

dopeysmelly

I weigh myself every day and log it in Happy Scale. It keeps me honest with myself - there's no lying when the scale starts creeping up. If I have a couple of pounds too many, I get right back on with logging and weighing my food. I've been able to maintain within about 10 lbs of my target. I'm still pretty determined to lose that 10 lbs, but it's a never-ending journey. Reaching goal weight doesn't mean The End. It's really just the start of a different phase, of little gains and little losses. I focused more on fitness when I reached goal weight about 18 months ago, so I'm still adding to my achievements, just not necessarily the weight loss ones.

I've also realized that I can never, ever relax and let it go. I've come to terms with that, and it's cool.

DancingMoosie

I had to buy a whole new wardrobe after losing weight. I also had to work very hard to lose it. I still workout everyday, which gives me some leeway with my eating habits. I
weigh in once a week or so. If the scale goes up too much or my pants get too tight, I'll log for a couple weeks, lose a couple pounds, reign it in a little. I don't want to have to start all over.

Sabine_Stroehm

Check out this thread of maintainers!
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1422943/long-time-maintainers-how-do-you-do-it/p1

pinkteapot3

Keep logging everything, just as accurately as during weight loss. The only difference is you'll have more calories per day to eat.

LivingtheLeanDream

We've all been there, its likely you were eating at too large a deficit or denying yourself certain foods and noone can truly stick to that long term. The word 'diet' lends itself to thinking it has an end date, and if thats how we go about it, once we resume normal eating, bang on goes the weight.

Its about finding balance, perhaps losing weight at a slower pace so you don't feel deprived - I know thats what worked for me and 3 years later I still have kept to my goal weight range.

kommodevaran

I've lost and gained before too. Always gained, unless I've been dieting. This time I've stayed at my goal weight for 16 months, and I'm starting to believe I'm here for good. What I do differently now:

I work with my attitude - I accept the fact that I can't eat whatever in whatever amounts all the time and still be slim, but that that doesn't mean I'm unlucky or that life is unfair. It's just reality, and it this way for everybody.

I plan my meals and aim to stick to my plan. The plan is flexible enough to fit my real life and I enjoy the predictability it gives me, so I'm happy to do that.

I eat food I like. No foods are off limits, but I have learnt what I can eat how often and in how large amounts. I aim for variety and fresh and natural, and think food groups and balance, but I don't try to eat low fat or low salt anymore.

I am learning how different foods affect me, and things like "feeling full does not mean stuffed and having to lie down, but not hungry anymore and ready to go about the rest of my day".

I weigh myself every day. I used to fear the scale when I suspected I had gained weight. When I eat right, move every day, and weigh every day, I know that any off numbers are normal fluctuations and that I can nip a gain in the bud.

I reduce exposure to temptation. I don't stock up on foods I don't plan to eat. I bring a list and focus on that when I shop.

I don't rely on planned exercise, but aim to incorporate moving as part of my daily life. I don't "save up" errands, instead I walk more, on purpose.

kristen6350

The secret of maintainance for me is realizing that if I stay in a range of weight I'm good...I have a 7lb window. Meaning if the scale says anywhere between 148-155 each week that I weigh in, I'm fine. Because weight flucutuates. I started at 193 so somewhere in the lower 150's is AMAZING. I've done this now for about 3 years (with one little slip up and I started using MFP again to manage my intake and weight came off).

You CAN'T obsess about it. Life is life. You'll have ups and downs and you won't ever be perfect. And that's ok.

amyn73

Thank you everyone. Good advice, all of it. I just need to buckle down and realize that this isn't a game, it's my life