April Challenge: Maintainers Back on Track Thread

LivingtheLeanDream

@L1zardQueen maintaining is better than gaining. I also did a good bit of yard work this week, better weather gets us outdoors more
Have a great time on your cruise, it will be fab - I'm also a huge cruising fan, we do two a year
I saw 127.7 this week which is my lowest average in a few months, its looking like my average loss a month is 1/4lb fantastic eh! *sarcasm*

Heading to Venice on Monday so wont be active on this thread until my return - I'll also be sporting some bloatedness from that but hey, Italian food is just soooo darn good I'll deal with that on my return.

Have a great Easter break everyone.
Ruth

nowine4me

Not sure why they give you confetti on the gazillionth time you hit the same weight, but I was happy to see this today. It means I’m back to 145 and within 7# of my range (132-138). Still 20# over where I was this day last year, but it’s progress. Today will be tough, nasty storm, stuck inside and I’m home alone with the pantry.

LivingtheLeanDream

@nowine4me You're on your way somehow it doesn't seem so bad with just being 7# from range.
Hope that storms passes ok and you can keep yourself busy enough - that always helps me not to snack.

jrwms714

So glad you started this thread, OP. I'm sure there are a ton of us out there who need it. I know I do. It is exactly the thread I needed. Have been off the forums for a while b/c nothing spoke to me ... this does.
Name: jrwms714
How long in maintenance: 4.5 years
Goal maintenance range: 136.5-138.5
Current weight: 140
Current goal: 136.5 - 138.5
About me: I have maintained super easily for the better part of 4 years. It has never been difficult. But now I find myself drifting from the range and I want to get back into this range. It may be that almost 5 years older means metabolism is slower; it may be that I have not watched as carefully; it may be that I got cocky about how easy it was. In any case, I have been above 138.5 for months and months, and have been kidding myself that I can get back there with the usual maintenance calories. My plan is not to cut calories by number, but to cut out any snacks, healthy or otherwise, after dinner, and to cut out carbs in the AM unless I have the gym calories to have one. This means no toast, scone, bagel or other treat I allow myself with breakfast when my weight is in range. Cutting this out as well as cutting out that snack means a change in behavior, which also will result in a change in calories as a byproduct. Behavioral changes seems to work psychologically better for me. If this does not work, I will cut out the breakfast treats even when I have the gym calories.
Recent success: Was away for 4 months; gym attendance and even walking was at a minimum due to a number of factors. Now back home and back to the gym on a regular basis. I am working on fewer calories as well as more exercise. I keep yo-yoing between 139 and 141 ... which makes NO SENSE given what I am trying to do, but I will continue b/c I know it's what works.

sijomial

sijomial wrote: »

Maintenance is fun but still needs to be worked at.
I haven't lost enthusiasm for health, weight is just part of that.
Yes I put some weight on over Christmas and New Year and started to correct that in January.


Name: Simon
How long in maintenance: 5+ years
Goal maintenance range: 168 - 175lbs (but the top number is, or at least should be, my red line that triggers action.)
Current weight: 170 (Currently 2lbs away from my ideal cycling weight.)
Current goal: Lose the excess weight, ride more metric centuries (3 so far this year), training for a Century ride this month or next, recover from back injury which has impacted my strength training.
Recent success: Rode up my first mountain, first road riding abroad, seeing reasonable muscle gains from enforced change in training from my preferred strength training style, losing weight slowly without food logging, lost a whole load of mostly temporary weight gained on an all inclusive holiday in February.
Learned how to bake absolutely delicious shortbread - that hasn't helped my other goals!

Traumatic week meant that my eye was off the ball as regards eating.
A combination of a magnificent dinner party at the start of the week, far too much grabbing whatever food was available, a bit of emotional eating and quite a few missed meals somehow balanced itself out to result in unchanged weight.
I'll take that at a time when my priorities have to be elsewhere.

LivingtheLeanDream

@sijomial yep maintaining this week is a positive.
Sorry it has been traumatic and hope that things are now looking up.

sijomial

LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »

@sijomial yep maintaining this week is a positive.
Sorry it has been traumatic and hope that things are now looking up.

Thank you @LivingtheLeanDream - that's very kind.
Unfortunately not, final stage of terminal cancer for my father-in-law and a very recent diagnosis of cancer for my brother-in-law means tough times now and in the immediate future.
My fitness/weight/diet normally has a very high priority for me but family come first, if all aspects of maintenance becomes just maintenance instead of progress then that's OK.

jrwms714

@sijomial - You have been a long-time source of wisdom and support for others on here, and it has been appreciated. I do wish you a way to find some respite as you go through these difficult times ... and maintenance, while important, does take a step behind what you need to do now for those you love. Just do what you can so that you aren't upset with yourself while things around you are upsetting enough.

nowine4me

@sijomial this sounds like a particularly brutal time for you and your family. Prayers that your FIL is comfortable and your BIL is a fighter. Hang in there.

swim777

I’m in. Thanks for starting this thread, Softchik
@sijomial- so sorry to hear about your father-in-law and brother-in-law. Family does come first. Sending prayers to them both for comfort and strength.

sijomial

Thank you everyone, means a lot.

sofchak

I’m so glad I started this thread. Really feels like a place where people are coming together in Maintenance with a slightly different journey for accountability. Thanks for joining me here and thanks for the inspiration to start it @nowine4me.

sofchak

This week’s check-in

Name: Sofchak
How long in maintenance: 2.5 years
Goal maintenance range: 122-127
Current weight: 129
Current goal: 1/2 lb a week loss
Recent success: Scale didn’t go UP this week. That was good to see. Even flickered down to the 128 a couple times. Picked up biking to work and back 2-3x per week which is 9 miles round trip each time, uphill almost the entire way home. After the semester ends next week, I should be able to bike to work every day unless the weather sucks.

Have a great week everyone!

SCoil123

Name: Sara
How long in maintenance: Just transitioned back to maintenance in March
Goal maintenance range: 150-155
Current weight: 158
Height: 5’7.5”
Current goal: Get back in range before my anniversary May 27th, preferably 150lb
Recent success: I have had some recent health/injury issues that reduced my workout ability and CO and I immediately started gaining again. I recently recalculated maintenance calories for my goal weight with my new activity level and am seeing progress already

jan110144

sofchak wrote: »

I’m so glad I started this thread. Really feels like a place where people are coming together in Maintenance with a slightly different journey for accountability. Thanks for joining me here and thanks for the inspiration to start it @nowine4me.

Thank YOU! As someone fairly new to maintenance (3 months) and finding it a bit of a challenge, I am finding it very helpful.

jan110144

After some struggles, I have decided to go back to my pre-maintenance program for a few weeks and then try "maintenance" again.

I think I changed too many things too quickly when I started maintenance. This time, I will be more thoughtful and make very small, incremental changes.

Getting back into pre-maintenance has been easy (kind of like putting on a pair of comfortable old shoes ).

jrwms714

Name:jrwms714
How long in maintenance: 4.5 years
Goal maintenance range: 136.5 - 138.5
Current weight: 140.5
Current goal: Return to below scream weight which is 138.5. Cut out "treat" carbs with breakfast unless enough gym calories to have them. NO snacks after dinner. Trying this until mid to late May.
Recent success: Went back over my Logbook and Reports in Happy Scale (love that app!). It showed me that I had been above my SW since September ... it helped me realize that these extra lbs. have been on a long time (8 months!) and that my body is really working hard to hold onto them since it's been that long. Knowing that has me redoubling my efforts. If cutting out the things above do not help to lose those extra lbs. in a few weeks or even months, then I will look at going back to pre-maintenance calories, i.e., 1200. I am at 1500-1800 now ... cutting out the things above should actually take care of those extra cals, but if not, back to 1200 by mid-to late May.

middlehaitch

Opening stats in spoiler.

Name: h.

How long in maintenance: 9 or 10 years.

Goal maintenance range: 100-105lbs

Current weight: 101.6lbs

Current goal: get off the recomp/decomp/maintain treadmill and back to a good steady recomp.

Recent success: no weight gain on 4 week cruise/holiday. Body did turn into mashed potatoes though.

Renewal of my rec centre pass is due Monday and it will be back to the weights. (Anticipating a clear 6-8 weeks of lifting, yoga, and aquafit)

I’m in this though I have no problem maintaining weight, my problem has become maintaining the fitness level I have previously enjoyed.

(Family needs have had me on (and off) the road for the past 18+ months so I have done my bare basics in exercise and find it hard to get back into my previous routine knowing more travel will be needed at the drop of a hat.

Who would have thought at 65 you (I) would be the one supporting 2generations below and one above.
I thought I would be in my rocking chair, cat on lap, wine in hand, with the younger generations looking after me )

Sorry guys, I ramble, h.

OK, I may have blown it, I may have given myself DOMS for the first time in years, but I did keep moving this week.

(For years I’ve had an hour a day ‘rule’ and I’ve not let it go, I’ve just never been so low in intensity/effort before.)

Had a good walk every day and did 15-30 min workout daily, alternating bodyweight and dumbbell. Not heavy duty stuff at all, but at least I did it.

Weight, as always, is stable ranging between 101.6 to 103 this week.

And here ends the first week.

Cheers, h.

baconslave

So it's been 2 weeks since I started back to loss mode again. It's definitely not fun but I'm getting used to it. I haven't killed any of my family so far so that's a plus. Workouts are a little harder with a little less in the tank. I'm on track of losing .3 to .5 lb a week. Which reminds me how it's going to take forever. But what must be done, must be done. I absolutely can't eat any fewer calories during the week or I get headaches and am even more disagreeable.

That's me today. I'm tryin! Really.

mom23mangos

So I have not made it back to logging just yet, but I did firm my resolve that I really do need to lose a few lbs after seeing myself in a video. I bought fruits and veggies to snack on at work today in place of junk food, so hopefully that helps. I'm pretty sure that I will need to actually log most likely to lose the weight though. I'm trying to work up the motivation to do that.