First try at maintance wasn’t so great

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Replies

  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    edited August 2018
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    StephNicole2018 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the responses. There was alot of good info on here and also much needed reassurance. I weighed this am and am down 2 of the 4 pounds. That’s after two nights of eating only at home and a slight deficit.

    you don't need to drop into a deficit every time you get a water weight fluctuation... that way madness lies....

    For reference, I've been at a slight calorie deficit the past several days, and I'm also up 3 full lbs. Water weight swings from training, weather, and sodium intake overwhelm any changes in weight in the short term. When I have have purposely cut or gained weight, it will takes weeks, and sometimes months, to really see the results of those efforts.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    I've been delving into psychology recently to try and figure out why this is. I believe it comes down to a lack of defined purpose. When you're losing weight the purpose and goal are simple and understood. When you shift to maintenance you've lost your "enemy", your drive.

    I note that those who succeed in maintenance have a larger goal beyond "losing weight". They run, hike, bike, lift, etc. and have some other purpose where weight management happens to be a side effect.

    The evidence certainly supports the concept of planned diet breaks & refeeds. Not only is this a much needed psychological measure, the evidence is mounting up that this may also be a much needed physiological measure.

    I found the bolded to be true for me personally. My first 9 months of maintenance after losing 50 lbs were just maintenance for weight management. It got to be challenging mentally because there was no real goal beyond holding steady. Lifting and running goals over the years have given me something to aim for, and weight management was integral those goals.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    I've been delving into psychology recently to try and figure out why this is. I believe it comes down to a lack of defined purpose. When you're losing weight the purpose and goal are simple and understood. When you shift to maintenance you've lost your "enemy", your drive.

    I note that those who succeed in maintenance have a larger goal beyond "losing weight". They run, hike, bike, lift, etc. and have some other purpose where weight management happens to be a side effect.

    The evidence certainly supports the concept of planned diet breaks & refeeds. Not only is this a much needed psychological measure, the evidence is mounting up that this may also be a much needed physiological measure.

    I don't know why on your profile you state that you have no idea why anyone would want you as a friend. I actually enjoy your post. No BS. I respect that. With that said. I don't think i will ever enter true maintanace. I will always have to have a goal as someone stated above. I know my biggest enemy is myself.
  • bunnyluv19
    bunnyluv19 Posts: 103 Member
    My motivation in maintenance is to stay within my moving average range and below my redline weight, I find it’s an ongoing achievement/goal I strive to keep-that alone gives me plenty of purpose,I’ve never lost my drive or motivation.I also spend my calories evenly thru the week-I see people going on about eating more/saltier food on the weekend and their 5 lb.bloat and that’s how it goes!?- I wouldnt want to spend 3-4 days a week getting a bloat off , you’d think that would be a pretty bad cycle to get into& sounds absolutely nightmarish to me tbh,am I the only one?, idk I don’t drink, rarely eat out or exercise intensely ,so maybe I just can’t relate.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    bunnyluv19 wrote: »
    My motivation in maintenance is to stay within my moving average range and below my redline weight, I find it’s an ongoing achievement/goal I strive to keep-that alone gives me plenty of purpose,I’ve never lost my drive or motivation.I also spend my calories evenly thru the week-I see people going on about eating more/saltier food on the weekend and their 5 lb.bloat and that’s how it goes!?- I wouldnt want to spend 3-4 days a week getting a bloat off , you’d think that would be a pretty bad cycle to get into& sounds absolutely nightmarish to me tbh,am I the only one?, idk I don’t drink, rarely eat out or exercise intensely ,so maybe I just can’t relate.

    I like eating at a nice restaurant... it's worth a couple of days of bloat. It's never 5lbs for me anyway.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    bunnyluv19 wrote: »
    My motivation in maintenance is to stay within my moving average range and below my redline weight, I find it’s an ongoing achievement/goal I strive to keep-that alone gives me plenty of purpose,I’ve never lost my drive or motivation.I also spend my calories evenly thru the week-I see people going on about eating more/saltier food on the weekend and their 5 lb.bloat and that’s how it goes!?- I wouldnt want to spend 3-4 days a week getting a bloat off , you’d think that would be a pretty bad cycle to get into& sounds absolutely nightmarish to me tbh,am I the only one?, idk I don’t drink, rarely eat out or exercise intensely ,so maybe I just can’t relate.

    I don't see a 5 pound gain with salt. Maybe 2 pounds. It's gone within days. And it doesn't happen every weekend.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    bunnyluv19 wrote: »
    My motivation in maintenance is to stay within my moving average range and below my redline weight, I find it’s an ongoing achievement/goal I strive to keep-that alone gives me plenty of purpose,I’ve never lost my drive or motivation.I also spend my calories evenly thru the week-I see people going on about eating more/saltier food on the weekend and their 5 lb.bloat and that’s how it goes!?- I wouldnt want to spend 3-4 days a week getting a bloat off , you’d think that would be a pretty bad cycle to get into& sounds absolutely nightmarish to me tbh,am I the only one?, idk I don’t drink, rarely eat out or exercise intensely ,so maybe I just can’t relate.

    It's only "nightmarish" if you're so obsessed with the scale that you get worked up over water weight. In most cases, it's a pound or two...the only time I've had a 5 Lb water weight gain is when I travel by air.
  • okiewoman510
    okiewoman510 Posts: 1,286 Member
    I'm fine with "gaining" a lb or so over the weekend with relaxed eating and taking it off during the week with my normal eating. For me, that is how maintenance works.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    OP as others have said - maintenance is a range, that’s important to realize. There won’t be a magic number on the scale that will be a constant. My range in maintenance is 118 +/- 2 lbs.

    Another point that I didn’t see covered above is how big of a calorie jump was it - from your target when eating at a deficit to what you believe to be your maintenance cals? If you currently are eating at a deficit of 500 cals or more and then suddenly add that back in, you can see the rebound not only from the sodium heavy foods but from the glycogen stores being replenished - similar to the initial woosh of water weight that is lost in the first week or two of a diet. When you do officially transition into maintenance it might be beneficial to do it in steps - adding 100 cals or so to your daily intake every week till you reach what you believe to be your maintenance cals. In addition to helping with that rebound effect, you may still lose for the first couple of weeks, but at a slower rate, and then when you stop losing and stick there then you’ve got another data point for what your maintenance cals really are.

    Good luck!
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
    Are your clothes tight..do you look like you've gained weight? I bet not.. you just gained the normal amount of weight when a person stops eating at a deficit. It all depends how you look and if you're busting out of your clothes. If you want to weigh a certain number..lose 5 pounds under that..then go into maintenance. and you'll hit that original number.
    Don't freak out.

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