maintaining weight after weight loss

salma1doctor

so I have been struggling with loosing and gaining weight over the years! whenever I reach my goal weight I just end up gaining all the weight back, so what can I do to maintain my weight...please help

extra_medium

Just find out the number of calories that keeps you at the weight you want to be, and keep eating that many calories. That'll usually be the amount of food you were eating as you got to your goal weight and your weight loss started slowing down significantly

jeagogo

I've had the same challenge in the past and am now within 1 lb of my goal weight. From what I've seen of the folks in the community who are successful with maintenance for years, they still track food daily and remain active in MFP to maintain motivation. I think that is what it will take for me, too, since I've regained weight before because I stopped caring about what I was eating and didn't stay active.

emmamcgarity

I have resolved that I will need to track my food forever, and I’m ok with that. It’s part of the reason I personally don’t weigh my portion sizes but instead measure by volume. It’s also part of the reason I often incorporate “maintenance days” or “maintenance weeks” where I continue tracking but eat at maintenance level calories due to holidays, special occasions, etc. I’m just trying to practice what I’m willing to do forever. I’m nit saying there is anything wrong with weighing portion sizes. I definitely think it’s more accurate, and if I wasn’t losing weight at my desired rate of loss I’d reevaluate this choice. It’s just not what I want to do.

I also prefer not to have a sharp deficit. For me, I’m trying to learn how to fit in wine and/or ice cream while still in the weight loss phase of the journey. I’m getting closer to my goal weight and have my calories in the app set at 0.5 lbs per week for once I resume eating at a deficit.

I’m not currently eating at a deficit while I am rehabbing an injury. I’ll return to that slow deficit once my leg is healed. For now, the MFP app is keeping me accountable for my goals and helping me watch my protein while rebuilding the muscles in my leg. So for me, becoming dispassionate about the data in the app is helping me focus on my goals. I’m also finding that my goals have changed several times on this journey. And not all of my current goals are related to weight loss.

Talan79

salmashami wrote: »

so I have been struggling with loosing and gaining weight over the years! whenever I reach my goal weight I just end up gaining all the weight back, so what can I do to maintain my weight...please help

Look into a reverse diet. Slowly get your calories to maintenance levels.

Danp

Are you perhaps looking at your goal weight as a 'finishing line' and making temporary unsustainable changes in order to get there. Then once you've achieve this 'goal' you abandon all the temporary unsustainable changes you made, go back to previous 'normal' and thereby return to your previous 'normal' weight?

wae2go

Danp wrote: »

Are you perhaps looking at your goal weight as a 'finishing line' and making temporary unsustainable changes in order to get there. Then once you've achieve this 'goal' you abandon all the temporary unsustainable changes you made, go back to previous 'normal' and thereby return to your previous 'normal' weight?

Sounds like me.

Khartman6

If you find yourself putting weight back on again, make a list of why you don't want to weigh that much and take pics. A lot of people get complacent after they reached their goal weight, and start letting go of the discipline that got them there. The list and pictures will serve as a motivator. For me, I enjoy the fact that I no longer get winded climbing a flight of stairs, or have to tie my shoes on the side. I have also done a couple contest in the gym to stay motivated.

Fflpnari

I used my maintenance calories for my goal weight and my calorie goal during weight loss. So I was training myself for maintenance the entire time

minimiss669

For some reason, whenever I start to lose weight and feel in control, I start feeling like, "That wasn't so hard" or "I can afford to slide" and then I'll put it back on in a heartbeat and it will be months before it comes off again. So I get how hard it can be to stay at your goal weight. One of these times, I'll figure it out. "...and this time, I'll keep it off!"

sijomial

Have a read through the threads in the Maintaining Weight forum - just like dieting for weight loss diet for weight maintenace has many different techniques for individuals but the same underlying principles of eating the right amount of calories on average over an extended period of time.

spiriteagle99

I was a yoyo dieter all my life, up and down 35-50 lbs. over and over again. When I started with MFP I decided I wanted to continue logging to keep myself from getting into the same habits that kept putting the weight back on. It also made sure I wasn't eating too much or too little to fuel my running. People who maintain weight loss usually exercise every day. I became a runner about the time I started MFP. It made a big difference for me.

PAV8888

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

I was a yoyo dieter all my life, up and down 35-50 lbs. over and over again. When I started with MFP I decided I wanted to continue logging to keep myself from getting into the same habits that kept putting the weight back on. It also made sure I wasn't eating too much or too little to fuel my running. People who maintain weight loss usually exercise every day. I became a runner about the time I started MFP. It made a big difference for me.

I agree with most sentiments.

Just a wording difference for additional clarity and to avoid the discouragement that non exercisers just starting out may feel reading it.

And to actively discourage ubiquitous "biggest loser" thinking.

I am assuming your statement on exercise is based on the National weight control registry studies as they are the usual source of such sentiments.

From the relevant Wikipedia wording:

"Registry participants watch less television than the average American, which leaves time to engage in about 60 minutes per day of moderate intensity physical activity, or the equivalent."

The registry studies often go on to suggest that the majority of participants engage in walking for their moderate activity.

They have also published studies where maintainers did on average engage in more strenuous activities than regainers or weight stable individuals.

In general maintainers remain more active and more vigilant than weight stable individuals of similar weight.

I think we all know that yo-yoing is common and almost inevitable if weight control is viewed as a time limited endeavor. This doesn't mean we can't make weight control relatively easy and relatively fun!

PS: not suggesting that running cannot be relatively easy and relatively fun for many people starting out

But flashing back to me as a less than MFP sedentary 48 year-old morbidly obese person... trying to go running at that point of time would have been the wrong thing to do!

I still don't go running; but I do chase the dog to make her run when she is dawdling too much!!!

ahoy_m8

Successful maintenance, to me, is regaining and re-losing the same 5 pounds over and over. Nominally, I track calories. Sometimes carefully, and sometimes I slack. Whenever I slack for an extended period, I re-gain. It never goes in the other direction without effort. But I nip it in the bud at 5 pounds and start tracking carefully again. I don't regret slacking. It's nice sometimes. And sometimes it's just part of life. But I have learned that catching the gain at 5 lb saves me a lot of effort in the long run.

So successful maintenance does take a little effort. Honestly, if I ever found a way to maintain that was easier and as effective as counting calories, I would do that instead.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

I lost 25lbs in 2016. It took about 6 months, but I logged for another year at maintenance to make sure I kept it off. Every time I'm >5lbs above my target, I log for a while until I get back. It really is pretty much a constant effort.

AnnPT77

Weight loss provides an opportunity to experiment and dial in strategies for eating and activity that can help us stay at a healthy weight permanently.

Looking at it as "a diet" that has an end point, after which one resumes "normal life" is (IMO) a likely yo-yo scenario.

The word "experiment" in paragraph 1 is really, really important, IMO. If you're near maintenance, and haven't yet thought about that sustainable long-term healthy, balanced life, it's not too late.

I'm in year 4+ of maintenance at a healthy weight, and still learning. Fortunately, I think learning is fun.

There are lots of good posts over in the maintenance area of the forums, and lots of maintainers who'll answer questions.

Best wishes for long term success!