Need advice from successful maintainers :) please

CaliMomTeach

Hi. I am a 5'6, 48 yo old female who went from 193 pounds to about 137 pounds, July 2016 to maybe April 2017. After that, I went up and down from 135 (spring 2018) low to 151 (January 2018). I stopped weighing my food and logging in Fall 2018 (busy teaching new grade level, tired of obsessing over food, etc...) and finally got on the scale last Monday and I was up to almost 162! That is a weight gain of 27 pounds from my lowest point. At this rate, I would gain it all back. So, I started tracking, weighing again on Monday, and I am down to 155.4 (lots of water weight) and am currently eating 1200 calories or less. I haven't gone back to the gym yet with the excuse of I am too big for my old workout clothes and don't want to buy more, but I have a elliptical in my room that I have not touched. I don't want to feel like I have to obsess over what I eat for the rest of my life, but I am thinking that maybe I do. It was nice eating what I wanted again, ordering whatever sounded good on the menu, and not worrying about calories when eating dinner at someone else's house. But feeling the fat grow on my stomach, not feeling as energetic, and realizing that all of the nice clothes I bought for myself were now too small felt terrible. I have no doubt that I can get down to a weight I am happy with (my goal is 140-135 was too thin for me). What I am worried about is STAYING there. Please let me know your strategies and advice. Thanks!

CaliMomTeach

Also, please explain to me why losing weight is such much easier than staying there?

TavistockToad

Is 1200 cals really necessary to lose weight?

CaliMomTeach

TavistockToad wrote: »

Is 1200 cals really necessary to lose weight?

For me, right now in the beginning it is. I should have said that I upped my calories to 1300, 1400, and 1500 as time went on, and ate back about 75% of my exercise calories. I think MFP started me at 1400 something when I weight 193 and then dropped me to 1200. I need the motivation of a quicker drop right now to stick to it. When I get to 145, I will increase it a little. Do you think I will have more success in the long run by starting with a slower rate of loss?

TavistockToad

CaliMomTeach wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

Is 1200 cals really necessary to lose weight?

For me, right now in the beginning it is. I should have said that I upped my calories to 1300, 1400, and 1500 as time went on, and ate back about 75% of my exercise calories. I think MFP started me at 1400 something when I weight 193 and then dropped me to 1200. I need the motivation of a quicker drop right now to stick to it. When I get to 145, I will increase it a little. Do you think I will have more success in the long run by starting with a slower rate of loss?

Well the problem seems to be that you can't find a sustainable way of eating that you can do in a deficit and then maintenance?

Maybe a smaller deficit would help you with this?

leiflung

CaliMomTeach wrote: »

Also, please explain to me why losing weight is such much easier than staying there?

You didn't just stop weighing your food. You stopped weighing yourself. That's the issue. I'm guessing you also stopped thinking about how your clothes fit. Or you wear/switched to mostly stretchy types of clothes?

Pay attention. That's the key to maintenance. Don't ignore your weight and justify what changes you do notice. Doing anything hard is, first and foremost, about training yourself to stop tolerating your own phony baloney excuses.

You have to keep weighing yourself. When you see you're packing it back on, you pay closer attention to diet.

Losing is easier because weighing yourself if rewarding. When you see the number on the scale go down, you get a shot of dopamine. It's hard to weigh yourself regularly during maintenance because there's no reward. No payoff. Do it anyway. Make it part of your life. If you are gaining, you'll know. You'll know you are letting it happen. Even if that doesn't keep it from happening, you'll be seeing HOW it happens and you'll be better able to prevent it in the future.

Pay attention, see things not how you want them to be but AS THEY ARE, know yourself. This is how you grow in any way.

CaliMomTeach

leiflung wrote: »

CaliMomTeach wrote: »

Also, please explain to me why losing weight is such much easier than staying there?

You didn't just stop weighing your food. You stopped weighing yourself. That's the issue. I'm guessing you also stopped thinking about how your clothes fit. Or you wear/switched to mostly stretchy types of clothes?

Pay attention. That's the key to maintenance. Don't ignore your weight and justify what changes you do notice. Doing anything hard is, first and foremost, about training yourself to stop tolerating your own phony baloney excuses.

You have to keep weighing yourself. When you see you're packing it back on, you pay closer attention to diet.

Losing is easier because weighing yourself if rewarding. When you see the number on the scale go down, you get a shot of dopamine. It's hard to weigh yourself regularly during maintenance because there's no reward. No payoff. Do it anyway. Make it part of your life. If you are gaining, you'll know. You'll know you are letting it happen. Even if that doesn't keep it from happening, you'll be seeing HOW it happens and you'll be better able to prevent it in the future.

Pay attention, see things not how you want them to be but AS THEY ARE, know yourself. This is how you grow in any way.

Thanks! Yes, I stopped weighing myself. I stopped paying attention to what I was doing to my body. Yes, I thought, i just won't wear these pants right now. Great advice, thank you.

rheddmobile

You don't have to obsess about every calorie forever, but yes, you do have to pay attention to your weight forever. There will NEVER be a time when you can eat just anything you want and not gain weight. The trick to maintaining is figuring out how much attention you do need to pay. For example, many maintainers weigh once a week, or once a month, and take action whenever they exceed the top range of their maintenance weight.

Speaking for myself, I intend to log forever. But that doesn't mean I don't ever eat out or enjoy a meal at a friend's house. I just plan my other meals and activities to allow those things to fit into my goals.

Losing is easier than maintaining for a couple of reasons - first of all, maintaining without weighing or logging is bound to be more difficult than losing while weighing and logging, because in the first case you are trying to do something without the proper tools and information. That's bound to be harder. But it's also easy to lose on 1200 calories because 1200 is hardly any food - you eat the bare minimum food, you tough it out, done. There are no choices involved. To maintain, you have to look at all the available foods and make good choices. And choices are hard.

sijomial

I don't weigh my food but I do weigh myself.
If my trend weight starts to creep up I make small adjustments, if my weight reaches my intervention weight I intervene. I think it's a huge mistake not to weigh yourself regularly, doesn't have to frequently (that's very personal) but it really shouldn't be possible to gain 20lbs and be surprised.
If you have a serious aversion to the bathrooms scales then maybe some unforgiving clothes or tracking measurements instead?

I'm still calorie aware but without calorie counting. Sorry you find maintenance harder than losing weight - I'm the complete opposite. Losing weight is hateful for me and maintaining with some vigilance is my normal mode and has been the last four decades. Just a shame that for two decades I maintained but at an overweight level.

cmriverside

There has to be some accountability and yes, it's for life.

If you don't want to log food, then at least weigh your body. If you don't want to weigh your body at least listen to those tight pants.

Denial isn't constructive, since you've learned your body counts the calories whether you do or not.

I'm eleven years into Maintenance (lost 70+ pounds on this site) and I have to do something to keep track. I choose to log food and weigh myself. When I don't, I tend to stop doing the right things.

Back at it! Logging food isn't an obsession in my opinion. It lets me eat enough food but not too much. 1200 is really low, by the way. I'd set it at 1500 PLUS exercise calories. No reason to suffer.

erbfrench62

I am over 60 yrs and finding exercise VERY difficult. Also I am only 5 ft so I have to maintain at 1200 calories. It is not too bad at home but we like to go out to eat. Ideas on what to eat at a restaurant? I have lost and gained the same 70 lbs at least 4 times!

psychod787

Imho... maintaining in as high of an energy flux as you can is the best idea. We humans are eating machines. Eat and breed. That's what we do best. Regaining some weight is not always the worst. I am doing it. Calling it a "bulk" , but it is really just some tightly controlled weight restoration. Best of luck.

Lolinloggen

Maintaining is hard Been in maintenance for 15 months now and I continue loggin Not as precise as I did when I was on my journey down but I still log. I know that it helps me to balance better.
I weigh weekly and when I am up toward the high end of my maintenance weight Simply tighten my logging and as a result come down.
When I went into maintenance my main change was to eat more during the weekend but not during the week That seems to work for me.

rheddmobile

erbfrench62 wrote: »

I am over 60 yrs and finding exercise VERY difficult. Also I am only 5 ft so I have to maintain at 1200 calories. It is not too bad at home but we like to go out to eat. Ideas on what to eat at a restaurant? I have lost and gained the same 70 lbs at least 4 times!

For health and for your own sanity finding some exercise that works for you is a good idea. Even if it's only walking, or a low impact video for ten minutes, a couple of hundred calories makes a big difference.

My main solution to going out was to do it less often to more expensive places with better quality food. I can eat fried catfish for a billion calories, or grilled better quality fish for very few. Most American style chain restaurants offer lower calorie choices but they are not very exciting compared to the calorie bombs at the same restaurants.

When I do have to go to a chain or another place with fattening food, I eat half the amount, pack up the rest, and my husband eats it later (because generally my goals mean I don't need to eat the second half of the calorie dense food.)

CaliMomTeach

Such great advice from you all. Thank you so much.

nowine4me

You got some great advice here @CaliMomTeach. I’ll add one more thing, the podcast Half Size Me is focused on maintenance. The host, Heather, interviews someone each week about their story, I’ve found so many helpful nuggets and inspiration from her guests.

iowalinda

I just want to offer you some encouragement. You can do this. It is so tempting to turn a blind eye to negative changes, but we must be vigilant and force ourselves to stay on top of things. Otherwise we end up back where we started or even in worse shape. I weigh myself every morning. If I've been making bad choices, I am forced to face the reality of that and can course correct before things get totally out of hand Wishing you all the best.

vixtris

I've been maintaining for 3 years now ... here's what I do:
> Never stopped using the food scale/tracking calories.
> Never stopped working out regularly.
> Never cut out foods I like, and if I want it I'll make it fit in my calories.
> Indulge occasionally (gatherings, holiday, special weekend thing, etc)
> Weigh myself often and get my sh-- together if it goes up.

psychod787

Actually...... I forgot a BIG one imho.... stay part of a community that shares your goals. It might be a local TOPS, a few close friends, or the forums we use here.


*edit* I would not call myself successful yet... ask me again in 10 years!

CaliMomTeach

You guys gave me great feedback. I really appreciate it!

leejoyce31

I've been maintaining for 3 years. I weigh and track my food, exercise 5-6 days a week. I don't weigh myself though. In fact, I recently threw away my scale.

Since I know my maintenance calorie range for my activity level, I just eat at that level pretty consistently.

Good luck!