What do you wish you had known (going into maintenance)?

raleighgirl09

Like a crazy silent stalker, I haunt this board the most - as this is where I apparently trip up. I have lost big in the past, 130 pounds, and I have always maintained at least 80 pounds to the good. BUT. I want to maintain at 120 or 130 to the good... => So I read this forum the most and have been absorbing.

My question is - what do you wish you had known as you approached maintenance and when you actually made it and had to 'round the bend? I am 20 down, 30 to go to maintenance. *This* time - I want to do what I have never done...prepare and expect to continue a plan.

Thanks all - you are so awesome!

kommodevaran

This is a great question. I wish I had a good answer. Transitioning into maintenance is a process, and I am learning along the way, by handling the challenges as I meet them. The issues feel big and important in the heat of the moment, but I find a solution, and then I forget about them.

Okay, maybe one thing: I wish I had known that a year at goal weight isn't sufficient to "feel" that I'm really in maintenance. It took roughly 18 months to get into my head that this is under my control: I'm not just going to regain, I'd have to stop doing what I'm doing, for a long time, and I don't want to stop doing what I'm doing. And being normal weight still feels unreal, 33 months in. New habits are formed and work smoothly, but my take on "the new normal" is "fake it till you make it". Not eating until I can't get down another bite feels strange and a bit scary. It's pleasant to not feel stuffed, but so unusual. Grocery shopping is fun, I love picking out tempting fruit and vegetables and fish and meat, but sometimes when I start to prepare dinner, I look at my counter and ask "where's the food?".

A habit I introduced as I hit maintenance, was weighing daily. I wish I had done that from the start, but it's more important in maintenance. The number on the scale isn't important, but stepping on it every day is important. I have a range of around 7 pounds, and I regulate my weight easily just by saying yes or no to treats. It's fascinating.

rainbow198

For me, I wish I would have known about body recomps and that your body can still get smaller even though you are staying in the same weight range and eating your maintenance cals.

When I reached my goal I was happy with my body and very proud of my transformation and hard work. I did have some loose skin but I figured (hoped) some would go away over time. Being overweight most of my life and slightly older I wasn't sure if my skin would firm up or not. Plus I wanted to be able to wear a bikini for the first time in my life.

During my first year of maintenance I got a whole new wardrobe. With my new body I need to get my non-stretchy clothes tailored and nipped in the core area to fit my shape.

Over year two I ended up losing another size and inches. I had to get a lot of those clothes tailored again because they were now baggy in my waist area. Had I known my body could still lean out without trying, I would have waited.

Lastly during year 4 of maintenance my lower stomach finally tighten up and now I'm able to rock that bikini comfortably and confidently!

It has been amazing seeing my body change and improve as each year passes by.

Good luck!

nowine4me

Long-timers have heard me say this many times.....maintenance is no different than losing, except for a tiny handful more calories. Find a way of eating you can stick with for life, then add a glass of wine, scoop of peanut butter or a serving of ice cream each day.

slaite1

rainbow198 wrote: »

For me, I wish I would have known about body recomps and that your body can still get smaller even though you are staying in the same weight range and eating your maintenance cals.

When I reached my goal I was happy with my body and very proud of my transformation and hard work. I did have some loose skin but I figured (hoped) some would go away over time. Being overweight most of my life and slightly older I wasn't sure if my skin would firm up or not. Plus I wanted to be able to wear a bikini for the first time in my life.

During my first year of maintenance I got a whole new wardrobe. With my new body I need to get my non-stretchy clothes tailored and nipped in the core area to fit my shape.

Over year two I ended up losing another size and inches. I had to get a lot of those clothes tailored again because they were now baggy in my waist area. Had I known my body could still lean out without trying, I would have waited.

Lastly during year 4 of maintenance my lower stomach finally tighten up and now I'm able to rock that bikini comfortably and confidently!

It has been amazing seeing my body change and improve as each year passes by.

Good luck!

I wanted to cheer reading this. You say everything so casually, but you're talking in years-which is so difficult for many people to comprehend! Amazing job!

raleighgirl09

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to answer! I love this forum and come to it often to get good advice and hear/read the real scoopola on maintaining. Lots of great info!

girlgroves

I agree with all that's been said here so far. The one thing that I wish I'd known going into maintenance was that I didn't have to panic! I was so determined that my weight loss this time would be for life. I'd done exactly what you have been doing OP - stalking the maintenance board for ages before I got there, absorbing advice, and setting up a plan in my head, but I panicked for a long time that once I'd hit my goal weight it was all going to go badly wrong and I'd quickly end up putting weight back on again. It's been just over a year for me now: I've kept up the good eating and exercise habits that I'd formed while losing - they are what keep me firmly in maintenance, but they are also so much a part of my daily life now that I can't imagine a time when I wouldn't still prioritise them. But I've also only recently realised that because of exactly that I can relax and enjoy it more. I think it's very easy to get overly obsessed with everything (been there, done that, seen it a lot in others too!) but there's really no need. Trust yourself - don't think 'hooray, got here, done it, can go back to how it was now', but think 'hooray, got here, done it, this is how it is now' - and you'll do fine. I found it more of a mental adjustment than anything else.

pkweier

I also want to thank everyone who posted as I will soon be in maintenance also and these post have helped me a lot

rainbow198

slaite1 wrote: »

rainbow198 wrote: »

For me, I wish I would have known about body recomps and that your body can still get smaller even though you are staying in the same weight range and eating your maintenance cals.

When I reached my goal I was happy with my body and very proud of my transformation and hard work. I did have some loose skin but I figured (hoped) some would go away over time. Being overweight most of my life and slightly older I wasn't sure if my skin would firm up or not. Plus I wanted to be able to wear a bikini for the first time in my life.

During my first year of maintenance I got a whole new wardrobe. With my new body I need to get my non-stretchy clothes tailored and nipped in the core area to fit my shape.

Over year two I ended up losing another size and inches. I had to get a lot of those clothes tailored again because they were now baggy in my waist area. Had I known my body could still lean out without trying, I would have waited.

Lastly during year 4 of maintenance my lower stomach finally tighten up and now I'm able to rock that bikini comfortably and confidently!

It has been amazing seeing my body change and improve as each year passes by.

Good luck!

I wanted to cheer reading this. You say everything so casually, but you're talking in years-which is so difficult for many people to comprehend! Amazing job!

Thank you so much for your kind words! Keep up the amazing job yourself!