Maintaining My Weight Anxiety

hannahjoyysumner

In August of 2014 I decided I was unhappy and wanted to lose weight. At the time I weighed 181lbs at 16 years old (5'6in) and the smallest I got down to was 132 in June of this year. I went cold turkey and stopped drinking soda, sweet tea, stopped eating sweets, ran/walked 3 miles everyday and literally had eggs, fruit and a smoothie for breakfast, and a salad for lunch and usually skipped dinner. I lost about 30 pounds within 6 months. As I began to get adjusted to this new lifestyle change, I took up Pilates. When I got my new job in June and changed my routine, I got a gym membership. I've been in the gym for about 4 months now and I have gone up to 142lbs. (I vary on the scale. One day I'll be 142, the next I will be 136) I know this partly has to be muscle. My routine is cardio 2-3 times a week, with weight training almost everyday at the gym. (I workout 4-5 times a week) My biggest fear is gaining my weight back. I've changed my diet to a better range of healthy food, chicken wraps, turkey and cheese pinwheels, grilled chicken salads, a lot of fruit, snacks include popcorn, boiled eggs, cheese, etc. I only splurge on the weekends, and try to not splurge on sweets except once a month. (However my sugar intake has inscreaed over the summer and I'm trying to cut it back) I know I shouldn't even pay attention to the scale but I just have terrible anxiety over my weight, and I want to make sure I'm doing things right. I don't feel like I've gained fat, however my muscle gain makes my jeans fit differently in my thighs, which threw me for a loop at first. Anyway, I'm open to any advice you may have for me!

dice80

I totally hear you with the anxiety of gaining the weight back. I lost over 100 pounds and everyday I'm afraid I'm going to gain it all and then some back. With you changing your eating habits, you are going to gain a little weight like you show you have but as long as you're sticking to what worked for you for the most part then you shouldn't gain too much back.

kommodevaran

Your weight is not a number. Weigh yourself every day and have a normal weight range that you aim to stay within. Time will make you more confident.

nxd10

It does take a while to know you're stable. Although many people regain, 35% do not. I've kept it off 4 years.

The biggest reason people regain is they go back to their old habits. Keep logging and exercising. Remember, the goal isn't to lose the weight. The goal is to keep it off the rest of your life. So every time you step on the scale and you're still in your goal zone (you'll bobble a little day to day), you've won and get to dance the happy dance. I find that really motivating.

Congratulations on what you've done!

Rachel0778

nxd10 wrote: »

It does take a while to know you're stable. Although many people regain, 35% do not. I've kept it off 4 years.

The biggest reason people regain is they go back to their old habits. Keep logging and exercising. Remember, the goal isn't to lose the weight. The goal is to keep it off the rest of your life. So every time you step on the scale and you're still in your goal zone (you'll bobble a little day to day), you've won and get to dance the happy dance. I find that really motivating.

Congratulations on what you've done!

Just out of curiosity, where did you get the 35% statistic? I've often heard 5% so I'm curious on if there's a more optimistic study out there.

cmriverside

Rachel0778 wrote: »

nxd10 wrote: »

It does take a while to know you're stable. Although many people regain, 35% do not. I've kept it off 4 years.

The biggest reason people regain is they go back to their old habits. Keep logging and exercising. Remember, the goal isn't to lose the weight. The goal is to keep it off the rest of your life. So every time you step on the scale and you're still in your goal zone (you'll bobble a little day to day), you've won and get to dance the happy dance. I find that really motivating.

Congratulations on what you've done!

Just out of curiosity, where did you get the 35% statistic? I've often heard 5% so I'm curious on if there's a more optimistic study out there.

It really doesn't matter if it's 5% or 35%. The averages don't mean anything to me.

I am the 1%. N=1

I lost it and kept it off for nine years so far.

Cutemesoon

I went cold turkey and stopped drinking soda, sweet tea, stopped eating sweets, ran/walked 3 miles everyday and literally had eggs, fruit and a smoothie for breakfast, and a salad for lunch and usually skipped dinner.

Please tell me you no longer skip dinner!!! This is a BIG mistake many people make when trying to lose weight. You have to eat to lose weight. Just cut calories. Since you are weight training and your jeans fit differently in the thighs, it sounds like you are gaining muscle. Keep in mind that the scale is NOT the only indicator of hard work. If the scale fluctuates but your clothes are getting loose, then you are on the right track. So many people get hung up on weight loss when fat loss is more important (to most people). I have lost 100lbs and I still feel like I'm not doing something right. I understand how you feel. It seems like you have a good routine. Just keep doing what you're doing & trust the process. Good luck!

dopeysmelly

It took me several months to slowly come to terms with the fact that I really believed I was NOT going to pile all the weight back on. That was about 2 years ago and I'm 10 lbs up from my lowest weight, but still the same size. I think it's a confidence thing in my opinion. You just have to believe in yourself that you can do it.

nxd10

I got the 35% statistics from the National Weight Control Registry, which is a large longitudinal database of people who lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off at least a year. CMriverside - you should join it. They are looking for people like you who are successfully maintaining. I'm in it too.

I'm not part of the 1%. I'm part of the 35% who have successfully maintained. I read their findings and followed what they did - and it worked. Basically exercise every day (walking is fine). Don't go back to old habits. Log your food. Eat what you like without special diets, but limit portions. Pay attention to your food - i.e. logging really helps. All common sense stuff.

I don't think maintenance is hard and it isn't rocket science. Either is weight loss. You just have to be persistent. This isn't about losing weight. It's about keeping it off for the rest of your life.

National Weight Control Registry link is here: http://www.nwcr.ws/

They have all their findings and success stories. You can do this.

MapDancer

I also joined the NWCR and filled out my first annual survey last December.
I've maintained my 50 lb weight loss for almost 18 months.

... and that reminds me to prep for the hardest question on the survey. How many flights of stairs (defined as 10 steps) do you go UP a week? I needed to keep a tally sheet on each floor, and do the math since I have 14 steps each flight. It is significant enough that someone wants to track it.
My sister lives in a ranch house and finds my steps a challenge at first when she comes to visit.

KrazyKrissyy

I really suggest you get a DEXA scan. I'm 5'6 and started at around 190 lb and 42% body fat with measurements of 38-36-42. In 2014 I was down to 125 lb but body fat was 27% and measurements of 35-25-38. I'm currently 134 lb and 22% body fat with measurements of 32-23-34, and have gained 10 pounds of muscle since 2014. Do NOT focus on the scale, no matter what anyone says. A DEXA scan (or other professional methods of measuring body fat) along with taking measurements, will determine your real progress.
Ps- I've had a diagnosed anxiety disorder since the 9th grade.