How to stay on track

FitnessChick2018

How do you stay on track

livingleanlivingclean

I keep logging...

rainbow198

I plan my meals out in advance and workout/stay active daily.

Having a plan helps me to stay on track and maintain my weight with ease.

JeromeBarry1

I know for certain that I get off track when I don't log.

seska422

I've kept logging as well.

Maintenance, for me, is just like eating in a calorie deficit but with a few more calories in my budget.

sardelsa

I keep setting new goals

sgt1372

Weigh myself and log all of my food and exercise cals daily.

I also chart/graph my weight in Excel and Libra and chart/graoh and correlate all of my cals/macros vs weightvon Excel . . .

but that's extra. LOL!

kommodevaran

Plan/log food, daily weighing, being active every day, focus on balance, everyday life, and "intermediate" gratification.

workinonit1956

I check in here every morning and begin logging for the day.

xbowhunter

Remember all the reasons you put weight on & don't do it again....lol

This is my third round of weight loss to a healthy body weight. I gained before because of mindless eating. Eating & drinking whatever I wanted & with no limits...

An idle mind & hands are the devils work shop.!!

CarvedTones

By not getting off track; the only thing that changes is the daily calorie goal - keep weighing, keep logging, keep active and (IMO most importantly) keep caring. Disclaimer - I have yoyoed in the past and haven't been in maintenance long this time, but this is what I am doing differently this time and feel highly confident that it will work.

etherealanwar

Keep your goal in mind and remind yourself why you started. Be diligent with your tracking and I also like to keep track of my daily weigh ins with my libra app.

nowine4me

I do not intend to log forever. But never a day will pass that I don’t get on the scale and adjust accordingly.

kgirlhart

I weigh myself daily. For now I log daily too. I may or may not log forever, but for now it does help keep me on track and as long as it does and it isn't burdensome then I will keep doing it.

elisa123gal

i look at my before picture every day. it is a good motivator.

DamienAngelica

A daily weigh-in and planning my day's menu in the morning before I make breakfast.

spzjlb

After maintaining for a couple of years, I had stopped logging my food, though I was always happy to input my workouts. Still, at the end of 2017, my weight crept up a couple of lbs more than I wanted. I found a group here on MPF that was active from January-March 2018; the objective was simply to share personal weight goal, weigh in weekly and keep accountable. That small group was just the boost that I needed to get my head back into the game and I lost those couple of unwanted pounds. So, my answer to the OP is that I stay mindful: I weigh myself daily, work out every day, and keep hanging around MPF.

fiddletime

I’ve only maintained for 8 months and have times that I don’t log. But, I weigh myself daily when possible, and am careful what I eat. I’ve regained before when I stopped logging and weighing. This time I keep my eye on the scale. If I go above my high point I start logging again in losing range so I get my head and body back in the game.

I count mentally as I don’t have much variety in my meals and know the calories. On the weekends I’ll treat myself to bigger portions, or this weekend I had 2 1/2 donuts. (Ugggg). I work on not letting go, but not feeling deprived. Also, I stopped drinking 8 months ago, and that has made all of the difference.

cwolfman13

Maintenance for 5 years. Healthy habits are in place. I also enjoy the way I eat and regular exercise, so it's not a terribly big deal. I eat a very wide variety of foods and I'm a good cook, so I know how to make nutritious delicious as well.

I'm also not terribly fond of many of the things that many people seem to want to eat a lot of like fast food, sweets, etc. I had McDonald's a couple of weekends ago on a road trip as my options were really limited...hadn't had it in years. About an hour later I had to stop at a rest stop...that *kitten* literally went right through me.

My biggest indulgences are pizza (Friday nights with the fam) and pub grub which I eat maybe once per month.

bduanemyfitness

I am pretty new to MFP and my history before that shows I do not stay on track well.

That being said, I am staying on track now by:
1) having a long-term goal (getting/keeping A1C and Chol, etc under control)
2) manageable mid-term goal (lighter me for backpacking this summer)
3) Short Term Goals (lose 5lb in March, etc)
4) watching portions, not eliminating anything specific
5) not obsessing about the short-term weight swings

I feel that this will work well.
The long-term goal is for a healthier me for the long-term. I see my older siblings with health issues (marginal diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc) that are associated with their excepp weight. And my MD mentioned starting me on meds when I was 40lbs heavier. I lost weight and there is no need for the meds.

My mid-term goal is very achievable, but will challenge me a little. I will be backpacking on two trips, carrying a lighter me. That is good. The experiences of the Grand Canyon and 10+ days in New Mexico will be awesome. Once done, I just add another goal (Yellowstone, Canyonlands, Yosemite, Glacier, back to the Grand Canyon, a weekend in the DAKS, etc) and keep that goal in mind.

Short terms goals that are SMART always work for me. The goal is specific and measurable. It is achievable, relevant and timely. After a month or so, I have positive feedback. Works well for me to have small bites in the big challenge.

I imagine I will need to watch my portions forever. What the heck, if I go on medications I will need to remember to take them every day in the right dosage (easy because someone defines it). So it seems almost as easy to watch my portions (measure if needed) and manage my issues that way.

Ever hopeful

MerryMavis1

I've figured out a realistic, long term plan for myself. I'm very 'seasonal' in my weight management-spring/summer I'm much more focused and then during the fall/winter I allow myself wiggle room since my schedule is very hectic. I've built in a small weight gain during those months and then I lean back out during the summer.

Bekahmardis

I use my FitBit and my Motiv Ring to track exercise and calories burned. I log in every day. Sometimes I go over, sometimes I am a little under, but I have maintained within a couple of pounds for over four years now. I attempted on my own for a couple of months, but without the FitBit or Motiv Ring, I have nearly always gained a couple pounds more than I wanted to and then lost it again when I went back to the fitness electronics! I am terrible at estimating what I burn, so I rely very heavily on my "toys."

CarvedTones

MerryMavis1 wrote: »

I've figured out a realistic, long term plan for myself. I'm very 'seasonal' in my weight management-spring/summer I'm much more focused and then during the fall/winter I allow myself wiggle room since my schedule is very hectic. I've built in a small weight gain during those months and then I lean back out during the summer.

Have you actually had success with this approach? It's a classic yoyo pattern, which is what led to my failures. Wiggle room with an allowed weight gain was my downfall. That's one reason why I decided to set a cap this time and goal is to stay below it. If I want wiggle room, I have to lose more to get it, not give myself permission to gain above it. My goal is to never have a BMI of 25 or more ever again. Losing to BMI 22 and then allowing a creep up to 24 might be okay, but I would worry about my old habits.

MerryMavis1

CarvedTones wrote: »

MerryMavis1 wrote: »

I've figured out a realistic, long term plan for myself. I'm very 'seasonal' in my weight management-spring/summer I'm much more focused and then during the fall/winter I allow myself wiggle room since my schedule is very hectic. I've built in a small weight gain during those months and then I lean back out during the summer.

Have you actually had success with this approach? It's a classic yoyo pattern, which is what led to my failures. Wiggle room with an allowed weight gain was my downfall. That's one reason why I decided to set a cap this time and goal is to stay below it. If I want wiggle room, I have to lose more to get it, not give myself permission to gain above it. My goal is to never have a BMI of 25 or more ever again. Losing to BMI 22 and then allowing a creep up to 24 might be okay, but I would worry about my old habits.

I've been maintaining for 5 years now, following this pattern. I let myself fluctuate between a bmi of 19.9 and 21.8, so I still run a pretty tight ship (my starting bmi, before my weight loss phase, was around a 28). This past winter I only got up to a bmi of 21.5, even with allowing myself to stop tracking calorie intake and being more relaxed about food.

I can see how this would not work for everyone, but for me it's been a good approach to maintenance.

MelanieCN77

Log all my food.
Be vigilant about having good food in the house so I never have to make poor decisions.
Last thing at night I'll jot down the "ideal" meal plan for the next day based on what I have. I may not always stick to it but having the mindset and the framework laid down helps a lot.
Work out a lot.
Be active/busy as possible outside of working out.

jrwms714

Almost 3 years here. Log daily. Weigh daily. Same breakfast and lunch almost daily, when not traveling. Wear a Fitbit but just for tracking steps. Workout 5x/week, including Pilates weekly and probably a long walk or bike ride in there, too. Staying on track has become as much of a habit as things like brushing my teeth, or reading before bed.

hesn92

It helps me to have fitness goals to replace weight loss goals.

hesn92

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Maintenance for 5 years. Healthy habits are in place. I also enjoy the way I eat and regular exercise, so it's not a terribly big deal. I eat a very wide variety of foods and I'm a good cook, so I know how to make nutritious delicious as well.

I'm also not terribly fond of many of the things that many people seem to want to eat a lot of like fast food, sweets, etc. I had McDonald's a couple of weekends ago on a road trip as my options were really limited...hadn't had it in years. About an hour later I had to stop at a rest stop...that *kitten* literally went right through me.

My biggest indulgences are pizza (Friday nights with the fam) and pub grub which I eat maybe once per month.

My husband said that once we moved In together and he started eating the dinners that I cook instead of fast food every day his poops have gotten a million times better lol.

LivingtheLeanDream

Daily weigh in - keep an eye on trends.

Don't think of any food as off limits, but I do limit the calorie dense ones.

Get some exercise in every day.

baileyhood907

I try to track all the things I ate even if it's terrible for me, I drink all the water I can deal with, and I get motivation from Pinterest.

Stationagentjules

My daily morning walk / run keeps me focused. I use the time to think through the day's food and fitness plan and troubleshoot any problem food situations I may have encountered the day before. This reaffirms my resolve every day.