What are your strategies for staying the course

elisa123gal

i am five pounds from my goal weight, and i have also hit a wall. i want to continue on, but need to shake up my eating routine so i don't burn out. i've been eating the same wonderful foods for almost 6 months now. All of a sudden, i feel very bored with my eating routine and the restrictiveness of my successful plan.

Have any of you felt the same way and made some changes to refresh your plan?

My strategy right now, is to add different yet healthy foods to my diet and increase my exercises so i can eat more. Sort of slide into maintenance but still reducing. i fear the yo yo .. and going down the old slippery slope.

VUA21

Ignoring everyone that tells me I'm doing everything wrong, even though it's working as I am losing weight.

If I want a cookie, I have a cookie. I just up my workouts or adjust other foods to fit my cookie into my day. I learned the hard way that depriving myself of things I truly enjoy will not work in the long run.

sardelsa

When is the last time you took a diet break? Based on how you feel I would definitely recommend eating at maintenance for two weeks to recharge then get back to it.

vallary14

I like cookies too @VUA21 I agree that you shouldn’t deprive yourself of foods you enjoy. Just eat smaller portions and log it. Look up some new recipes, I’ve found some great ones from Cooking Light for my nutrition courses. Some of my favorite dishes I make with my best friend are shrimp fajitas with lots of sautéed onion and peppers, guacamole, beans and shredded cabbage. They always comment on the wraps I bring, sprouted grain tortillas definitely way better than bland white flour ones. Maybe some killer egg white omelette or quiche with a few of your favorite veggies. Sweet potato is awesome with cottage cheese. Almost any veggie imagined is delicious roasted. Hopefully you find some recipes that inspire you and almost anything can be made with more nutrient dense ingredients and taste great too!

LivingtheLeanDream

You don't say how long it took you to lose or how many pounds you have lost to date. Is it likely you restricted yourself too much ?

mulecanter

Looks like you are entering the maintenance weight band. Maintenance is harder than straight weight loss from what I can tell. I'd spend a lot of time in the maintenance thread and learn from those that have a successful track record--unlike me! I've seen a few posts from folks that have maintained for over a year, evidently it can be done.

cmriverside

I agree with reading through the threads in the Maintaining subforum.

I would not like eating food with too little variety, but I do live alone so I can't have a huge pantry, either. Simple meals, whole foods, and a recipe library of 20 or so favorites that I eat regularly is my strategy. It doesn't have to be monotonous OR complicated. It's just food in different combinations.

Congrats on your success. Keep it going. Jump on the body weight scale, adjust within a five pound range and enjoy!

I still eat cookies, ice cream and other treats.