If there was ONE thing about maintenance you would share with everyone...

SummerSkier

what would you tell them. Me, I have been maintaining since Sept or Oct 2017 so this is the viewpoint from only about 19 or 20 months in. Others who are just starting or are longer down the road may have different ideas so please share length of time in maintenance and your one BIG takeaway if you have one.

I would say for my share that maintenance is not a stagnant stable process. It is an every changing thing which I have to watch for trends and take action on. Whether it's weight, energy, workouts, fitness, health. It's a more long term view but it's not something which hey - here we are - now we do this forever. And actually I sort of like that about it. I can experiment with different things/ideas/goals over a month or longer and see how my body and brain react.

sgt1372

Currently 2yrs 7 months in maintenance after losing 40# in 6 months.

Lesson learned:

Maintaining weight is harder and requires MORE determination, discipline and vigilance than does losing weight because it is a never ending process.

privy95

Maintaining for almost a year after losing half my body weight. I have found I must be just as vigilant with eating and exercise as I was in calorie deficit. I always thought thin people could just eat what they want without worrying about it. Now I realize my goal is a range than I work hard to stay in.

spiriteagle99

For me, logging never ends. I don't weigh and measure, but I do need to keep logging to make sure that I don't end up with calorie creep. It's too easy to let one cookie become two, or one beer become three, or choosing higher calorie options at restaurants over the lower calorie ones. As a runner, it is easy to think, "I ran 9 miles today, I can eat anything I want" and end up eating 500 calories over. Logging keeps me honest.

sijomial

Maintaining since Christmas 2012.

Maintenance is far easier than weight loss for me (less restrictions, no food logging, rarely truly hungry) - which is a great incentive not to regain the weight I lost.
Daily weighing to keep a casual eye on trends and having an upper intervention weight that triggers action are my keys to successful maintenance.

middlehaitch

Maintaining 10years, 30lbs loss.

Know your numbers.

I know my very basic drop dead sedentary is 1200. (I will revert to this only when desperate, haven’t needed to for about 8 years)

I know given a little more food, I am more active so 1400 is my base.

I know most classes I do give me ~ 200 cals an hour, Zumba 350.

I know lifting is ~200 for 90min.

I know the summer gives me an extra 100 cals (minimum) just because I’m intermittent gardening every day.

Knowing all this means I know if I average 1600-1800 cals a day my weight is stable at 102-103lbs.

I can adjust my intake on the fly if I move more or less on a given day or week.

Know your portion sizes ( but reaffirm with a scale occasionally portion drift can go up or down).

Because I know my portion size for most foods I haven’t counted my cals regularly for most of my maintenance. I can eat out and separate out the amount to eat, and the amount to take home even when I don’t know the recipe.

I did do spot check logging for 2 weeks 2-3 times a year for the first few years, but realized the other day I hadn’t logged more than a handful of days in 2.5 years. I wouldn’t hesitate to log if needed.

I am not a spreadsheet numbers person so all my numbers are iffy and estimates- but they work for me.

I do think I can work in a rough estimate way because I only had ~30lbs to lose, from the top of normal BMI to the bottom of normal BMI.

The bottom of normal BMI is the weight I normally maintained, without knowing about BMI, from the age of 15 to my late 40’s, so I don’t really, on a day to day basis, have the urge to eat more than I need and my body/eating cues align with my energy output well.

Sorry, I went a bit further in detail than needed. It was a thought provoking question for me and made me put into words a few random thoughts I’ve had about how I maintain.

Cheers, h.

Faebert

For me, the key has been getting back on track immediately after any setbacks. Perfection is impossible. Bad days happen, injuries happen, celebrations and holidays are there to be enjoyed. But I now trust myself more to keep these contained and not let things spiral. I used to panic, and still struggle with ‘all or nothing’ thinking sometimes. But two years into maintenance, I’m becoming more confident with this. Not because I’m perfect, but because I am diligent about simply parking the bad days and moving on.

psychod787

That sometimes our goal weight is not our best weight. One must temper ones expectations sometimes.

jrwms714

For me, 4.5 years in, maintenance is all about being the same as weight loss, just more activity, more calories allotted. It is all about mind set and relaxing into your lifestyle and your healthier way of eating, while still remaining vigilant about your range. It is about not worrying overmuch when you go outside of your range, but being honest enough with yourself when it's gone on too long, and you have to rein yourself in. I find maintenance to be easier than loss ... but then, I think the longer you are in maintenance, the more it's about this is who you are rather than what you struggle to be. During loss, it was: "I can't eat that way." White knuckle stuff. Then it became: "I won't eat that way." Coming to terms with how you want to be. Now it's, "I don't eat that way." Relaxing into who you've become and who you are.

psychod787

jrwms714 wrote: »

For me, 4.5 years in, maintenance is all about being the same as weight loss, just more activity, more calories allotted. It is all about mind set and relaxing into your lifestyle and your healthier way of eating, while still remaining vigilant about your range. It is about not worrying overmuch when you go outside of your range, but being honest enough with yourself when it's gone on too long, and you have to rein yourself in. I find maintenance to be easier than loss ... but then, I think the longer you are in maintenance, the more it's about this is who you are rather than what you struggle to be. During loss, it was: "I can't eat that way." White knuckle stuff. Then it became: "I won't eat that way." Coming to terms with how you want to be. Now it's, "I don't eat that way." Relaxing into who you've become and who you are.

It's amazing those two simple words. Cant and dont. Both 4 letters, but have completely different effects on us.....😊

Diatonic12

There's no such thing as the Finish Line.

Sharon_C

I've been in maintenance since January of this year. Nothing much has changed from losing to maintaining. I still weigh and log all of my food and I weigh myself daily. I have a weight that I will not go over and if I get close I dial back.

The biggest frustration for me was not seeing movement on the scale even though that's the point of maintenance. I'm still in that mindset of wanting to see the scale move.

apullum

Maintaining for two years now.

Your clothing sizes may still change even in maintenance. This is especially true if you wear bras. Don't rush to buy your new wardrobe the second you hit your goal weight.

dm01234_1

sgt1372 wrote: »

Currently 2yrs 7 months in maintenance after losing 40# in 6 months.

Lesson learned:

Maintaining weight is harder and requires MORE determination, discipline and vigilance than does losing weight because it is a never ending process.

This... right here... 4 years into it myself and nothing could be more true than this.

cmriverside

Eleven years in Maintenance. I lost 70+ pounds in 2007-08

Takeaway: I still struggle on some days to eat the amount of food I know I need to eat. The list of thing(s) that help me stay within calories is long so I won't go into all of them but the main ones are:

Stress management
Sufficient sleep
Don't start on the trigger foods (that list is a thread in itself)
Get some exercise every day, even if it's just a 30 minute walk
Eat a variety of vegetables daily
Two largish meals and a snack
Log food, step on the body weight scale

jackiebartus

Faebert wrote: »

For me, the key has been getting back on track immediately after any setbacks. Perfection is impossible. Bad days happen, injuries happen, celebrations and holidays are there to be enjoyed. But I now trust myself more to keep these contained and not let things spiral. I used to panic, and still struggle with ‘all or nothing’ thinking sometimes. But two years into maintenance, I’m becoming more confident with this. Not because I’m perfect, but because I am diligent about simply parking the bad days and moving on.

This, definitely. I’m only 8 months into maintenance (92 pounds lost) but not sabotaging myself after one ‘off’ day, celebration, or holiday has been key for me. I had the all or nothing mentality in the past after losing weight (one ‘bad day’ and I would just say to heck with it) but now I know better. I know one day of overeating isn’t going to make me gain it all back. I can get back on track the next day, the next hour, or the next minute.

rainbow198

I'm 6 years into maintaining an 80+ pound loss without any major struggles or regain outside of my maintenance range.

For me, the hard work still continues. Everyday. I'm doing most of same things I did when I was losing weight:

- Planning my meals in advance
- Tracking my meals in my journal
- Eating satisfying, balanced meals and no snacking
- Not overeating, learning my hunger cues and being okay with leaving food on my plate
- Making fitness, movement and activity a daily priority
- Trying new fitness workouts, classes, sports and buying new toys, DVD's and equipment for my home gym
- Reading, learning about and researching topics on health, fitness & nutrition
- Getting proper rest and sleep
- Taking my measurements

At the same time I work even harder maintaining then I did losing. It's my new normal now and I actually enjoy my daily routine.

I really love where I am and how I look and feel. I'm working so hard to not to go back where I started from and to continue to improve.

I get so many comments from people that are amazed that I've not only lost all the weight, but I'm kept it off and improved my body composition year after year. Many ask what is my secret and most don't care for my answer. Hard work, consistency and dedication. It's not found in a pill or in a paid diet/fitness plan. For me it came from within and I really wanted it.

nowine4me

I’m contributing, but with the caveat that I’m still a tad above my range after gaining 10# about 6 months ago. But I’m still down 75 for 3+ years. Which leads to my pointer....

Don’t let it slide out of range for more than a few days. When you start to slip, buckle down. Right away. Not tomorrow, or next Monday. Now.

queen4evr125

Having been 637lbs. Five years ago maintaining under 300lbs for last three years ( 267.6lbs. today )Goal 190... for me telling others just don't stop doing what works best for your weight loss journey. You must educate yourself to figure out the most effective exercise, food , mental health regiments that correctly fit your lifestyle choices. I feel it is also important to give yourself some room not meet your weight loss regiments every single day.( if you fall short one day become more diligent the further that you go on your weight loss journey. Bottom line stay focused on your goals whether they are old or brand new.

elisa123gal

A year into maintenance ...

I feel like I have training wheels on... I'm not bad at this..just not as good as I know I someday will be. So, I keep working on my habits and rethinking my patterns to improve.

My biggest tip is to make sure you donate all your larger sized clothes so you have nothing to grow into. I also find having my food scale out on the counter to weigh my food here and there keeps me from over and under eating.

Ssssss666666

You have to be vigilant, it's too easy to have that extra slice of bread etc. The scale is your best friend. It will not lie to you.

LivingtheLeanDream

I'm 6 yrs at maintenance (lost 30lbs).

Just one thing is hard to pin down cos for me its several things:-

* Use a trending weight app and weigh daily.
+/-5lb range - If I go above my range for more than a month, its back to calorie deficit I go.
* Keep my NEAT up as much as possible (I have a desk job but I rarely sit down for more than 15 mins at a time)
* Factor in at least 30 mins of cardio exercise a day
* Strength train 3 times a week - doesn't perhaps help with maintaining weight but it will stand me in good stead for the ageing process and I like having good muscle tone.

I no longer log my food but if I do have to eat at calorie deficit I do log for a few weeks to keep a better eye on my CI/CO.

jugar

I have been in a maintenance range for almost 7 years - I'm working on taking it a little further down these days so that the range is slightly lower. I lost 35 pounds, bringing it to 40. I am now in my mid-60s so I find that the calorie intake has to be slightly less than before, even though I am still exercising regularly. There are some foods I simply don't eat, and gradually over these years, I don't miss them at all. I have revised my self-definition as a person who works out, who keeps track, and who is strong and lithe. That is really fun - and at my age it gives me hope that aging won't be horrible!

The hardest part of maintenance is just the vigilance, and never letting celebrations, little "rewards" and such get out of control. It is still easy to slip into some bad habits, but the more practice I have in getting out of those, the easier it gets to re-establish the good ones. I do not log ALL the time, but whenever things feel like they're sliding in the wrong direction, I go right back to logging. I'm also part of a fitness team challenge here on MFP as a team captain, and I find it fun to help others, encourage them, share in their process, even though I am maintaining more than losing. I enjoy the community.

cheryldumais

I'm two years in maintenance after a total loss of 108 pounds. The most important thing for me is to continue logging. I don't weigh everything but I do log daily to keep myself honest. It's still a daily struggle to stay within my calorie goal. I truly envy those who naturally maintain but for me I know what I need to do. I will never ever weigh 251 lbs again!

amy19355

I am down 30 pounds and 6 months in ‘practice maintenance’.

1 Big Takeaway: Accurate logging is the ONLY way to know if I am eating under, on, or over the calories needed for my particular eating plan. (Lose, maintain, gain - different calories requirements).

My stats: 63yo,F, 5’4”, CW-169 GW-140

At 1/2 pound per week loss plan, MFP allows me 1400 calories a day.

I have slow but steady 30 pounds still to go, and this awareness about accurate logging, and my success with the practice maintenance reinforces my confidence in the long term success of reaching and sticking to my goal weight.

Good luck to us all.

Addictead

30 pounds down, Maintenance for 4-5 months, But currently trying to slowly lose 5 more.

Nobody can tell you your individual TDEE or amount to eat every day, It takes time and some backwards engineering to figure out where you are. Those calculators are averages and you might be higher/lower. I use to think 1500-1600 was my TDEE but I lose weight on that amount, It's closer to 1800-2000 on a normal day

Ssssss666666

It's a constant balancing act. Sometimes weight is up sometimes it's down.

alteredsteve175

Male. 65. Down 50 lbs. Maintained for eighteen months. Working on slowly losing another 20.

For me, it's vigilance. I weigh and log daily. Like many here, I have lost and regained weight in the past. I don't get distressed if I indulge for a day or three, but I get back on program as soon as possible. It took a lot of effort to lose that 50 lbs. and I'm not going back there. EVER.

EmBeatie

Not really sure what maintenance is, but after losing weight steadily for a year I seem to have plateaued, so maybe staying at this weight will be maintenance. It's a little heavier than I'd like, but in the middle of the healthy range (I'd like to be at the lower end but I'm not going to push it). It's been an interesting journey for me, as I've learned a lot about diet, food and exercise, subjects I never had any interest in before, and my diet is more interesting now, not less. I guess I've learned (to a degree) discipline & mindfulness, not to just stuff food in my mouth the second my stomach feels less than stuffed. Better late than never! I also find meal planning helps.

mjglantz

I've been maintaining for over 6 years (4/13) and the best advice is to keep doing what you were doing to lose weight. I still track everything and I exercise everyday. And I weigh a couple of times/week no matter what.

gvizzle74

Maintaining 145 pound weight loss for almost four years. My biggest takeaway was balance. Not every day or week has to be perfect. If i end this week 1000 calories over my weekly goal, no biggie....i'll scale back a little next week to end my week 1000 calories under so i'm even steven. I think of it like using a credit card to make purchases. I can either save up for a big purchase or use credit but i'll have to pay it back eventually. So if i know i have plans that will create a surplus i can scale back before hand to "save up" or i can eat, enjoy, calculate my calories and "pay it back" the following week(s). What i can't do is let the "debt" pile up.