Confessions of a Maintainer

mommarnurse

Here, I'll start:

Confession: I'm still obsessed with food just as much as I was 101 lbs ago.

jacobsailors

I haven't laughed out loud all day but you just made me LOL!! Yes, I still love food as much as when I started if not more! Congrats on the 101! Lately eating has become a choir to keep up with my macros, trying to consume 331g of protein is difficult. I feel like I have to eat all day...

snowflake930

mommarnurse wrote: »

Here, I'll start:

Confession: I'm still obsessed with food just as much as I was 101 lbs ago.

^^I guess that this pretty much sums it up for me too. Every...........single...........day.
Although, I have directed my obsessing to healthier choices..............most of the time

Congratulations, and may we all continue to maintain!

LivingtheLeanDream

hmmm let me see....

... I'm thinking....

...and thinking....

Nope, I've got nothin' - I've got maintenance sussed and am very proud of myself (but then I have been happily maintaining for over 3 years and have gotten past the thinking about food all the time thing ... )

I think about food completely differently now, its fuel for my machine of a body

Congrats to those who have reached maintenance - it rocks *\o/*

snowflake930

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

hmmm let me see....

... I'm thinking....

...and thinking....

Nope, I've got nothin' - I've got maintenance sussed and am very proud of myself (but then I have been happily maintaining for over 3 years and have gotten past the thinking about food all the time thing ... )

I think about food completely differently now, its fuel for my machine of a body

Congrats to those who have reached maintenance - it rocks *\o/*

Good for you! It sounds like you have a great outlook on this.

It will be 3 years for me of maintaining in November, if I make it. I don't foresee myself, ever, not obsessing about food, and I am good with that as long as I can maintain my weight. It is just the way it is, and always will be, for me.

davidmartinez66

Been maintaining for about 5 weeks or so, it's easier to lose weight than maintain, but I am getting better at it
overall. I have gotten to the point where food is viewed as fuel and eating the right types of food before and after the gym has seemed to work well.

I still miss bread, like a nice piece of bread, with olive oil and wine.....still drink the wine and use olive oil, but the really nice bakery bread has been out.

Congratulations to all, where ever you are on your journey, taking control of my body and what I put in it has been
a learning experience I wish I had done years ago.

David

NewSouthernBelle

Confession: I am interlectually aware of what makes a good meal in terms of portion size and healthy choices. Another part of my brain, however, remains clueless and can't be trusted without concistent logging.

mazdauk

NewSouthernBelle wrote: »

Confession: I am interlectually aware of what makes a good meal in terms of portion size and healthy choices. Another part of my brain, however, remains clueless and can't be trusted without concistent logging.

me too. That's why I'm on such a long string of logging - I log even on holiday(OK I go WAY over calories, but I can see I've done it, I'm not fooling myself I've been good!). Let me lose without logging and there'll not be a crisp or biscuit in the house!

mommarnurse

davidmartinez66 wrote: »

Been maintaining for about 5 weeks or so, it's easier to lose weight than maintain, but I am getting better at it
overall. I have gotten to the point where food is viewed as fuel and eating the right types of food before and after the gym has seemed to work well.

I still miss bread, like a nice piece of bread, with olive oil and wine.....still drink the wine and use olive oil, but the really nice bakery bread has been out.

Congratulations to all, where ever you are on your journey, taking control of my body and what I put in it has been
a learning experience I wish I had done years ago.

David

You don't allow yourself to enjoy a nice piece of bread every now and then? Like special event? Birthday, etc. ? Personally that's what I love about maintenance. I know how to fit those treats in. But I understand that sometimes it's REALLY hard, once you "break the seal" to have a modest portion of stuff like that!

karrielynnhowardsternfan

I am a food addict. There I said it.

llbrixon

My name is Linda and I love food!

hollygirl101

I'm a long way from maintenance but I'm positive that the day will never come where I don't have to fight the urge to say "eff it" and wolf down a whole pizza.

jeepinshawn

Been maintaining for awhile now 6-8 months, I don't remember. I still log, I still weigh my food, I sometimes still worry about going over my calorie allowance and I get bitchy about it even sometimes lol.

jennyonthespot

I'm pretty sure that I will never ever think of food as just fuel. I get way too much enjoyment out of it. I do make more nutritionally sound choices because they affect how I feel, but damn I love ice cream. And chips.

Spliner1969

jacobsailors wrote: »

I haven't laughed out loud all day but you just made me LOL!! Yes, I still love food as much as when I started if not more! Congrats on the 101! Lately eating has become a choir to keep up with my macros, trying to consume 331g of protein is difficult. I feel like I have to eat all day...

Why on earth would you consume 331g of protein a day?

marty_smith

Okay, well. I have been maintaining for 6 weeks now, and I'm pretty bad at it. I literally go back to snacking some evenings, pigging out fri/sat/sun and just in general neglecting my old routine. The only thing that helps is my job (walking 15k steps by 1pm every day as a postman) so that ensures i can mostly stay at my goal. Only problem is when i have time off and dont work i have a real bad week.

My only way of maintaining really is 2 weeks off, 0.5 week strict dieting to go back to goal, then another 2 weeks or so eating rubbish with the odd healthy day here and there. Currently on a week of 1600 calories again though as didn't do great last week! Oh well. Lord knows what id do if i wasnt a postman!

gothchiq

yep, I'm sure I'll always be obsessed, too. I loved to bake, but now, it's pretty much off limits. No I can't "just have one" and plus I am now prediabetic. It's actually a real bummer. But at least I'm not fat any more, and won't die of diabetes, so thems the breaks.

Francl27

Still terrified that I will gain back the weight and that I won't be able to get back on track every time I have a slip up... and I've been around the same weight (more or less 4 pounds) for 2 years.

Still think about food all the time as well.

But I really can't eat as much as I used to, so there's that.

briscogun

jennyonthespot wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that I will never ever think of food as just fuel. I get way too much enjoyment out of it. I do make more nutritionally sound choices because they affect how I feel, but damn I love ice cream. And chips.

Amen! And cookies. Like really soft, chewy, chocolate chip cookies. Mmm...

But ice cream is my Achilles Heel. That stuff is the Devil's work...

bioklutz

I recently ate something I told myself I never would...I am ashamed. I love ice cream and gelato and usually just eat what I have the calories for. The other day I wanted a large amount of ice cream...I bought arctic zero because I wanted to eat the whole pint but didn't have the calories to eat the whole pint of my favorite gelato. While it was not as bad as I imagined it would be it was not worth the money I paid for it.

middlehaitch

I still don't like exercise.

8 years I have been at it. I try loads of different things hoping I will be able to say 'like' one day- not even looking for 'love' but the best I can do is 'tolerate'

Belly dancing was close, but when it wasn't offered anymore I didn't cry.

Good job I love the benefits exercise gives me or you would never get me through those rec centre doors.

Cheers, h.

sardelsa

Some days I don't trust the process at all. I am currently recomping (or trying to..) and I keep worrying that I am not going to see progress in the end.

karrielynnhowardsternfan

It is an addiction and will never go away. Tame the demons.

kristen6350

I still, after 5 years maintaining, lose control. I stop logging, reduce exercise, eat more, stop weighing myself. Then one day when my jeans feel like they are vaccumed on me, I finally realize this isn't going to work anymore and get back on the program. It's something that I have to CONSTANTLY think about. If I get lax, I'm gonna gain. Now, I never gain more than 10 pounds (I know now that I never want to do lose 40lbs ever again), but I still let myself do it now and then.

I can't be left alone with a full bag of ANYTHING. I still think the best bowl for ice cream in the container.

I still hate exercise.

srecupid

I'm still a glutton just a pickier glutton. Like instead of eating a bag of generic aldi brand potato chips i'll eat a bowl of trader joes ghost pepper potato chips.

leejoyce31

marty_smith wrote: »

Okay, well. I have been maintaining for 6 weeks now, and I'm pretty bad at it. I literally go back to snacking some evenings, pigging out fri/sat/sun and just in general neglecting my old routine. The only thing that helps is my job (walking 15k steps by 1pm every day as a postman) so that ensures i can mostly stay at my goal. Only problem is when i have time off and dont work i have a real bad week.

My only way of maintaining really is 2 weeks off, 0.5 week strict dieting to go back to goal, then another 2 weeks or so eating rubbish with the odd healthy day here and there. Currently on a week of 1600 calories again though as didn't do great last week! Oh well. Lord knows what id do if i wasnt a postman!

Do you struggle those 2 weeks that you are at a deficit to get back to your goal? I find now that even a slight deficit can be hard for me (grumpy, fatigue etc.)

victoria_1024

marty_smith wrote: »

Okay, well. I have been maintaining for 6 weeks now, and I'm pretty bad at it. I literally go back to snacking some evenings, pigging out fri/sat/sun and just in general neglecting my old routine. The only thing that helps is my job (walking 15k steps by 1pm every day as a postman) so that ensures i can mostly stay at my goal. Only problem is when i have time off and dont work i have a real bad week.

My only way of maintaining really is 2 weeks off, 0.5 week strict dieting to go back to goal, then another 2 weeks or so eating rubbish with the odd healthy day here and there. Currently on a week of 1600 calories again though as didn't do great last week! Oh well. Lord knows what id do if i wasnt a postman!

I am similar, I tend to way overeat every other weekend or so and then eat below maintenance for a few days after to get back on track.

I've been maintaining since April after losing 90 lbs and yes I'm still obsessed with food. But I feel completely in control. I confess that I'm way too dependent on logging though and if I don't log, I completely go back to old habits.

AnnPT77

Occasionally, I actually do still eat the entire pizza, maybe plus a coupla craft beers, and some chocolate. But I intentionally set up my routine daily calorie goal somewhat under my estimated maintenance calories so I can, because I knew I'd want to.

It's early times yet, I've only been maintaining for 5 months or so . . . but so far it's working.

BikeTourer

I too love food. Nothing was off limits when I was losing and nothing is off limits now. If I can work into the plan I do it. I am far pickier about what is worth it. I see a number of comments about hating exercise, I don't get it. Weight loss would have been pure hell and maintenance an unbearable life sentence if I didnt have the ability to up calories in with exercise. I've never used exercise as punishment for overeating but a means to eat more and remain in plan. I don't like the days where I can't be active.

Nothing is better than to finish a long ride a know if you want a salted caramel blizzard you can have it because you banked the calories.

Alienique

Some days it takes all my willpower to restrain myself from entering the kitchen, cause I know that if I set foot in there, I will turn into one of the Lamia from Greek mythology and eat everything I can get my gluttonous hands on.

Zealand4530

I ate white pasta 3 times last week