Switching to maintenance and feeling guilty.

Domicinator

Well, it's been a little over 3 weeks of maintenance for me. I didn't do anything fancy like reverse dieting or any of that. I just put MFP on maintenance and decided to see what happens and go from there. Starting weight when I originally posted this thread? 175 lbs. Weight this morning? 175 lbs. I have literally done nothing other than continue logging but eating what MFP says should be maintenance calories.

The logging doesn't bother me at all. It's just something I consider to be part of life now, and with my trusty kitchen scale, it's just second nature at this point to weigh everything I eat. I've also found that my appetite is generally less at the end of the day and I'm snacking less during the day. In general I'm just less hungry at meal times and snack times because when I do eat, I can eat a little more. I still do a cheat dinner once a week, usually on Saturday nights, and they have not affected me negatively at all, other than that they're usually salty and make me retain a little water weight for a couple days.

I know three weeks isn't super long to judge whether or not I'm successfully maintaining, but so far, it feels easier than eating at a defecit. I kind of love it!

BernieMBurke

So, I have been in maintenance for 3 months. I still feel guilty, so I know what the OP says. I've actually lost 5 more lbs since then. I have stepped up my exercise, so that might explain some of it. Still, MFP is giving me 2,480 calories just to maintain before exercise. On top of that, my exercise from (cardio from Fitbit Charge HR) is adding in another 1,300-2,000 calories. I'm eating around 3,000 calories a day, which is a little low to maintain. Still, I'm watching my macros to make sure I'm getting enough protein and fats (don't worry about carbs to much). Also, trying to keep my sugar and especially sodium in check.

RogerToo

Domicinator wrote: »

A few days ago, I hit my goal weight of 175 lbs. I thought I might move the goal post again and try for 165 lbs., but to be completely honest, I'm tired of losing weight. Like, REALLY tired of it. It's starting to wear on me, and I feel like if I try pushing myself down another 10 lbs. I will be miserable. What I'd like to do is set MFP to maintenance, try to come in slightly under that number every day, and also try not to eat back my calories from exercise. In fact, I'm thinking about turning off the steps and exercise syncing from my Apple Watch so that I don't focus so much on that equation.

My problem is that I feel guilty. I guess it kind of feels like I'm quitting. I fully recognize that losing 75 lbs. is a big deal, and that going to maintenance after reaching my goal weight is absolutely opposite of quitting. I guess what makes it feel like I'm quitting is that I'm giving into my urge to eat a couple hundred more calories a day. I'm tired of going to bed with my stomach growling and feeling miserable because I can't eat a little more at dinner.

What I'm trying to focus on now is that now that I'm planning to maintain, there may be physical results from exercise. Like I can focus on muscle tone and getting a little less "squishy" in the middle. I'm hoping that's enough to keep me motivated. I don't want to gain this weight back. So there it is--a little bit of fear and a little bit of guilt.

Hi
I am where You are, the last 10 or 15 pounds is in sight but after two plus years of dieting I have decided to take a vacation from dieting for a few months and then come back to it again.

I do not think of it as quitting, more that I think of it as letting my body catch up with the weight loss as it has been 2 plus years of losing and I believe that keeping up the exercise with the same weight will let my body get into better shape.

I have added a extra fruit or small dessert each day from what I was eating to lose weight. So far that seems to be working as I am at the same weight as I was in early February.

Good Luck
Roger

Orphia

Domicinator wrote: »

Well, it's been a little over 3 weeks of maintenance for me. I didn't do anything fancy like reverse dieting or any of that. I just put MFP on maintenance and decided to see what happens and go from there. Starting weight when I originally posted this thread? 175 lbs. Weight this morning? 175 lbs. I have literally done nothing other than continue logging but eating what MFP says should be maintenance calories.

The logging doesn't bother me at all. It's just something I consider to be part of life now, and with my trusty kitchen scale, it's just second nature at this point to weigh everything I eat. I've also found that my appetite is generally less at the end of the day and I'm snacking less during the day. In general I'm just less hungry at meal times and snack times because when I do eat, I can eat a little more. I still do a cheat dinner once a week, usually on Saturday nights, and they have not affected me negatively at all, other than that they're usually salty and make me retain a little water weight for a couple days.

I know three weeks isn't super long to judge whether or not I'm successfully maintaining, but so far, it feels easier than eating at a defecit. I kind of love it!

This is great to hear! Good for you.

srecupid

Pretty much same boat but, 5 pounds short of original goal. People keep telling me I don't need to lose more weight but, I'm still above normal bmi range but, i'm just kinda sick of it. Mondays are my official weigh in days so I'll see where i'm at in the morning.

Domicinator

I weighed in this morning and was at 173 lbs. That's 2 lbs. lighter than what I was when I started maintenance. I haven't been trying to lose more weight, but I have been trying to not go right up to the limit of my maintenance calories. Some days I'm up to 200 calories shy of maintenance because I'm just not hungry enough to want to eat the other 200. I bank them for a snack later, but I often don't eat the snack because my appetite has been so much more under control. Usually around dinner time I'm famished, and lately that has not been the case.