New to Maintaining...

mangorabbit

Mildly terrified, switching from 'lose weight' to 'maintain' this is usually the point where things get out of hand and the scale numbers head back up. Any hints/suggestions?

First change is I plan to continue being vigilant about logging - I think I have too often given myself a pass when I think I made it. I know full well this is not the finish line, just a different phase. (And I really don't like being one of the many on the 'lose it, gain it back' merry-go-round.)

Any help or pointers are greatly appreciated!

AverageJoeFit

Maintaining is almost as hard as losing. The big thing is to find how many calories you need to maintain. Everyone is different and the MFP maitence calories might not work for you (it didn't for me).

Play around with your calories until you find what works for you. Good luck :-D

peaceout_aly

mangorabbit wrote: »

Mildly terrified, switching from 'lose weight' to 'maintain' this is usually the point where things get out of hand and the scale numbers head back up. Any hints/suggestions?

First change is I plan to continue being vigilant about logging - I think I have too often given myself a pass when I think I made it. I know full well this is not the finish line, just a different phase. (And I really don't like being one of the many on the 'lose it, gain it back' merry-go-round.)

Any help or pointers are greatly appreciated!

I was scared too!!! Make sure you pay attention to macros. Don't get carried away with sugar, etc.

LivingtheLeanDream

Don't be scared. ..Enjoy those extra cals ....maintenance rocks

kommodevaran

Welcome to the team!

Depending on your rate of loss during the final leg, you need to up your calories to find your maintenance level. As your glycogen stores replenish, do NOT freak out over perceived "rapid gains"! Have a weight range, not a point. Your weight will fluctuate naturally up to 2 lbs from one day to the next; this is nothing to worry about - your concern is long term trends.

Determine a frequency to weigh yourself. Daily would be default; if that is not right for you, for whatever reason, weigh more infrequently. If you aren't already, using a weight graphing tool can take the emotion out of weighing - Libra, Happy Scale and Trendweight are just some of the possibilities.

Keep watching your food intake. You need an awareness of how much you are eating, even if you aren't aiming for weight loss. You can keep logging, for a while, or forever, if that's helping you. You can let yourself loosen up on more and more foods, when your experience tells you what is getting unnecessary.

Keep moving. If you are exercising, don't stop. Make new fitness goals for yourself. Walk as much as you can.

In short, you will be doing the same things that allowed you to lose weight, just modified. Get enough good quality sleep. Have some fun and relaxation and you-time every day.

cnbbnc

I was scared too because I've always been good at losing weight, but maintaining....not so much. I've been holding steady for 6wks though, and it really is quite simple. Just keep carrying on as usual, only increase your calories gradually. I did 100 extra for a week, then another 100....and from there saw where I was holding steady. Granted, we all fluctuate a bit (I tend to go up and down a pound), but as long as you're staying within range you're good.

Congratulations, and try to relax and enjoy. Getting to eat more is fabulous.

mangorabbit

Wow, thank you all very much! I really appreciate the insights, encouragement and suggested reading! ^_^ Still keeping to the exercise goals - cannot believe how much better I feel when I get up and DO something over the standard being alive things.

Excited for this shift, let's do this!

AnnPT77

Also, most folks recommend thinking in terms of a "maintenance range" for weight - like 3-5 pounds on either side of your desired goal weight, with the limits set based on the kinds of daily fluctuations you've come to expect as normal and non-important to overall trend. I've also seen some folks say they don't start cutting until they've been at their upper warning weight for a few days to a week.

One aside, about weight grafting/trending apps: As a weight-trend app user (Libra), I've actually found it less useful as I approach maintenance. A wonky week or two sometimes gets it thinking I'm gaining when (based on current logging & extensive experience during weight loss) I know I'm not. Because I've used the app for a while & have a good understanding of how it works, this doesn't freak me out, but if I'd just started using it now, it might. I wouldn't discourage you from using one - I think it will be helpful - but don't let it shake your confidence in the short run if you know you're on track.

If you increase eating gradually, or by only a few hundred calories/day, remember that you won't suddenly pack on pounds - at worst, if you've mis-estimated, they'll slowly creep back on & you can adjust.

elaineamj

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Also, most folks recommend thinking in terms of a "maintenance range" for weight - like 3-5 pounds on either side of your desired goal weight, with the limits set based on the kinds of daily fluctuations you've come to expect as normal and non-important to overall trend. I've also seen some folks say they don't start cutting until they've been at their upper warning weight for a few days to a week.

One aside, about weight grafting/trending apps: As a weight-trend app user (Libra), I've actually found it less useful as I approach maintenance. A wonky week or two sometimes gets it thinking I'm gaining when (based on current logging & extensive experience during weight loss) I know I'm not. Because I've used the app for a while & have a good understanding of how it works, this doesn't freak me out, but if I'd just started using it now, it might. I wouldn't discourage you from using one - I think it will be helpful - but don't let it shake your confidence in the short run if you know you're on track.

If you increase eating gradually, or by only a few hundred calories/day, remember that you won't suddenly pack on pounds - at worst, if you've mis-estimated, they'll slowly creep back on & you can adjust.

In regards to your comments on Libra - do you find if you have at least 2-3 weeks, it averages out to more accurate stats? Or do you need to wait until you have at least 2-3 weeks of data AFTER the wonky week? This is very helpful in understanding weight trending apps and their limitations.

AnnPT77

elaineamj wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Also, most folks recommend thinking in terms of a "maintenance range" for weight - like 3-5 pounds on either side of your desired goal weight, with the limits set based on the kinds of daily fluctuations you've come to expect as normal and non-important to overall trend. I've also seen some folks say they don't start cutting until they've been at their upper warning weight for a few days to a week.

One aside, about weight grafting/trending apps: As a weight-trend app user (Libra), I've actually found it less useful as I approach maintenance. A wonky week or two sometimes gets it thinking I'm gaining when (based on current logging & extensive experience during weight loss) I know I'm not. Because I've used the app for a while & have a good understanding of how it works, this doesn't freak me out, but if I'd just started using it now, it might. I wouldn't discourage you from using one - I think it will be helpful - but don't let it shake your confidence in the short run if you know you're on track.

If you increase eating gradually, or by only a few hundred calories/day, remember that you won't suddenly pack on pounds - at worst, if you've mis-estimated, they'll slowly creep back on & you can adjust.

In regards to your comments on Libra - do you find if you have at least 2-3 weeks, it averages out to more accurate stats? Or do you need to wait until you have at least 2-3 weeks of data AFTER the wonky week? This is very helpful in understanding weight trending apps and their limitations.

I wish I had a good answer for you. I do know that you can tweak the settings in ways that affect how it predicts (I wouldn't suggest that unless you have some academic understanding of statistics).

Frankly, I didn't think about it much, after registering intellectually that it was wrong. After all these months of losing, I have a good grasp of how my consumption/exercise translate into weight gain or loss, so I rely on rough arithmetic to know where I am if I have some over days. I'm pretty good about predicting my gains/losses (including timing), and recognizing water weight symptoms (and knowing how long that'll take to drop).

For example, one period when it went weird was around my birthday, which fell just before Thanksgiving. I'd been banking some calories but went out for like 3 special meals for my birthday, a couple days apart, and Thanksgiving was the next week. I knew I was at less than a pound's worth of calories total over maintenance (on an averaged basis) from the special events, because I'd done some under days & extra workouts to bank calories. But the kinds of food, and the peak volumes, caused repeated days with water weight. Libra saw those as "gains" that affected (if I recall correctly) two or three weeks of trend data, before it started showing a very slow losing trend again. (I wasn't quite at maintenance then, but it's the easiest example to explain simply).

Apologies for not having a better answer.

kommodevaran

I have the same issue with Trendweight as you guys, and I didn't really notice it in the beginning (17 months ago). Trendweight is geared towards weight loss, and interprets normal variations as being caused by calorie deficit/surplus, so what it predicts is either loss or gain. As far as I know, there are no apps or programs that are specifically for maintainers. I have stopped looking at the Trendweight graph every day, to be honest, I just copy the little table once a week to calculate the last seven days' average. The Fitbit graph presents the fluctuations "as is" and lets me determine where it looks like I'm going.

fiddletime

I was only able to add 160 calories to my deficit calories of 1200, but I'm short, and older. I really appreciate getting to eat more though. It's only been 2 months for me, and the first month was a little rocky till I started to "trust the numbers". I log and weigh as I did before, as I failed at maintenance two years ago and am committed to mastering the combined art forms of "moderation" and "maintenance".

airangel59

It's a different mindset.....before we were all hoping to see the loss on the scale and now we are hoping for it to stay the same (+/- a few pounds you set as your goal range).

It's trial & error as far as upping your calories w/o tipping the scale each week. I have maintained the same weight now for a year. I still weigh, measure, & write what I bite and weigh myself once a week (former yo yo dieter here so I NEED to know where I stand each week so I can nip any gains before they build up).

I still walk daily and each some of my calories back...when I'm hungry, not for the sake of eating (which got me morbidly obese to begin with)

briscogun

airangel59 wrote: »

It's a different mindset.....before we were all hoping to see the loss on the scale and now we are hoping for it to stay the same (+/- a few pounds you set as your goal range).

It's trial & error as far as upping your calories w/o tipping the scale each week. I have maintained the same weight now for a year. I still weigh, measure, & write what I bite and weigh myself once a week (former yo yo dieter here so I NEED to know where I stand each week so I can nip any gains before they build up).

I still walk daily and each some of my calories back...when I'm hungry, not for the sake of eating (which got me morbidly obese to begin with)

"Write what I bite..." That's awesome! I'm stealing that line.

jilly91877

I lost 50 lbs 3 years ago using MFP and regular exercise. Towards the end of last year, I noticed the weight creeping up again. I'm back on the calorie counting and exercise plan, hoping to lose 25 lbs by June to get me to the ultimate goal. But I also wanted to look back and see where I slacked to set me back. After starting on clean eating again, with a few days here and there to eat my comfort, I know that I feel better physically when I do this. I think even after I reach my goal, I will try to continue to log my food, pay attention to what I'm putting into my body, and make the comfort food an occasional thing. Sounds logical, but I'm sure we all know how quickly that can be forgotten! So it sounds like you have a good plan, keep paying attention to your food intake, and I'm sure you'll continue to have success. Good luck!

jeepinshawn

I still log and weigh daily, this helps me keep my head in the game.