Tips for weight maintenance

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I know how many of you, including me , find it more difficult to maintain the weight you lost than actually losing the excess weight. However , once you get the hang of it, it gets sooo much easier ! So I just thought to give you some tips ( i am no expert and these are just things that work for me )
1.RELAX.
I think this is the most important when maintaining or even losing weight ! Learn to have a relaxed relationship with food ! DONT obsess about calories and weight and do not deprive yourself because lets face it , food is one of the best things in life. If your friends invite you out for some beer and pizza , do not obsess because of all the calories you will be taking etc. But go and enjoy the moment with people you love ! And make up for it in the next 2 days by reducing your calories ( depending on how much you ate ) . It will all even out !
Eat untill you feel satisfied and do not binge. Remind yourself that you do not have to eat everything in 1 day or 1 sitting ! You have your whole life to eat foods you like.

2. Speaking of which , DO NOT FORCE YOURSELF TO EAT FOODS WHICH YOU DO NOT LIKE.

I hear so many people forcing themselves to eat veggies even though they depise them just to lose weight.
No. Stop. Eat food which YOU LIKE in a reasonable amount ! ( either count calories or listen to your body) you want fries? Eat fries . But make sure that you do not eat in excess. Life is too short to eat foods which you do not like !

3. Exercise.
I know , its not ESSENTIAL but it helps ! When I spend my whole day sitting at my desk I only burn about 1500 calories ! When I move around, walk, do some form of exercise etc , I burn around 2100 calories... That means I could eat 600 more calories. So yes exercise helps ! Not just to burn calories but it has other benefits as well.
A pedometer or fitness tracker is also very helpful. I have a fitbit and found it extremely accurate , a good motivator and good tool for calculating energy expanditure.

4. SCALE or other measurements.
Weight yourself at least once a week . Give yourself a goal range ( for example : 110-115 lbs)
If you weigh yourself and you find out you are weighing a bit more than 115 , cut back on calories for a while until you are back to 115. Remember , its easier to lose 1 pound that 5 pounds. So weigh yourself weekly or whenever you feel comfortable
Also , DO NOT obsess on weight. If you gained some pounds during the weekend or during a couple of days, its probably water retention, poop etc but not fat gain.

5. Love yourself and take care of your body.
Every body is beautiful. Please do not go to extremes and obsess. Be at a healthy weight and dont be hard on yourself! Go out , enjoy social occassions where there is food and just be happy. Do not let it get to you. The scale is just a number and YOU can control it but always remember to take care of yourself :)

Lastly , maintenance is seriously easier than it looks if you just relax and stop obsessing.
If you have any more tips which work for you write them down as well :)

Replies

  • active562
    active562 Posts: 135 Member
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    active562 wrote: »
    Lastly , maintenance is seriously easier than it looks if you just relax and stop obsessing.

    Some good general information here but I would disagree with the quoted. The number of posts on here of people reaching their goal and then gaining weight again is staggering. Obsessing is not good but having an idea of your intake and expenditure is what is required.

    Yes , i totally agree. But I said that because I had an eating disorder and dont want anyone to go through the same
    But I did mention that you should be aware.of your weight , calories etc. However , if you gain a pound you should simply reduce your calories until it goes down instead of making a big deal out of it :) !
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    active562 wrote: »
    active562 wrote: »
    Lastly , maintenance is seriously easier than it looks if you just relax and stop obsessing.

    Some good general information here but I would disagree with the quoted. The number of posts on here of people reaching their goal and then gaining weight again is staggering. Obsessing is not good but having an idea of your intake and expenditure is what is required.

    Yes , i totally agree. But I said that because I had an eating disorder and dont want anyone to go through the same
    But I did mention that you should be aware.of your weight , calories etc. However , if you gain a pound you should simply reduce your calories until it goes down instead of making a big deal out of it :) !

    I would say that having a goal weight range is a more sensible than a goal weight so that daily fluctuations are accounted for.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    My problem with OP: how do I go out and enjoy pizza with friends, yet eat a "reasonable" amount? Enjoying pizza is 3+ slices plus a drink or 2. Reasonable pizza is 1 slice no drink. Yet I'm supposed to relax and stop obsessing.

    If this works for you, great. It would not work for me.
  • newbie3122
    newbie3122 Posts: 480 Member
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    He meant as in enjoying the company that one is with
  • active562
    active562 Posts: 135 Member
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    active562 wrote: »
    active562 wrote: »
    Lastly , maintenance is seriously easier than it looks if you just relax and stop obsessing.

    Some good general information here but I would disagree with the quoted. The number of posts on here of people reaching their goal and then gaining weight again is staggering. Obsessing is not good but having an idea of your intake and expenditure is what is required.

    Yes , i totally agree. But I said that because I had an eating disorder and dont want anyone to go through the same
    But I did mention that you should be aware.of your weight , calories etc. However , if you gain a pound you should simply reduce your calories until it goes down instead of making a big deal out of it :) !

    I would say that having a goal weight range is a more sensible than a goal weight so that daily fluctuations are accounted for.

    Yep , I wrote that as well in my tips :)
  • active562
    active562 Posts: 135 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    My problem with OP: how do I go out and enjoy pizza with friends, yet eat a "reasonable" amount? Enjoying pizza is 3+ slices plus a drink or 2. Reasonable pizza is 1 slice no drink. Yet I'm supposed to relax and stop obsessing.

    If this works for you, great. It would not work for me.

    Just make up for it the next day ! Or eat only snacks during the day so that you save up the calories
    Are all people who go out and enjoy pizza overweight? No. So how come they can do it and you cant?
    You just have to find a way which works for you!
  • active562
    active562 Posts: 135 Member
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    newbie3122 wrote: »
    He meant as in enjoying the company that one is with

    I am a 'she' but yes :)