Intuitive Eating for Maintenance After Weight Loss

emilyc3221

Hi! I’ve been on here for about seven months and I’ve lost a lot of weight so far. I’m not done with the weight loss yet, but I am hoping that once I transition to maintenance, I will eventually be able to stop tracking everything I eat. I realize that for a lot of us, “intuitive eating” is what got us to the point where we had to start losing weight in the first place. But, I feel like now that I’ve been losing for so long, my body is used to a very low calorie diet, and I am hoping that I will be more in tune with what my body needs once I stop tracking every day. I am still very young, and I am hoping to keep the weight off through lifestyle changes that last for the rest of my life. So, I guess what I am asking is if any of you have been able to successfully transition to intuitive eating (meaning not tracking meals) and if so, what does that process look like?(How gradual was the transition, how long did it take, did you start to fall back into old habits, etc.)

SuzySunshine99

It's going to be different for everyone, but in my personal experience, yes, I was able to stop logging and have maintained my weight loss for 4 years now. By spending almost 2 years logging my food, I educated myself on portion sizes, calorie counts, and which foods gave me the most satisfaction for the least amount of calories. Using that knowledge, I still log roughly in my head just to make sure I'm not going overboard. I weigh myself regularly to make sure I'm staying within my maintenance range. If I get a bit over my range, I tighten up a bit for a while and stay more aware of my food intake. It's been working well and hasn't felt like a burden.

But, like I said, everyone is different. There are many people who will respond that they will always log, even in maintenance, and if they don't, they know they will go back to old habits and regain weight.

I would say, for you, that once you reach your goal weight, you can try loosening up your logging for a while and see how you do. Maybe just log estimates for a few months, just to stay in the habit of being aware of your eating habits. If you do well, you can try to stop logging altogether and use the knowledge you have gained to maintain the habits that helped you get to your goal weight. Good luck!

cwolfman13

I haven't logged anything in years and with the exception of about 10 Lbs of winter weight every year, I've maintained my weight loss for going on 7 years.

As long as I maintain regular exercise, maintenance is pretty much a non issue. I never had particularly bad eating habits, so I don't really have any old habits to go back to per sei. I gained my weight slowly over the course of 8 years and it was largely attributable to me going from being a very active student at University to taking a sedentary desk job after graduation and not really doing much in the way of exercise. So pretty much if I'm exercising regularly, maintenance isn't really a big deal. I put on some weight in the winter because my exercise and overall activity takes a dip because most of my exercise is cycling or mountain biking and that is less comfortable to do when it's cold and dark in the winter. I typically take it off in the spring when my activity goes up.

fairestthings

I’ve not had success with it. I started this weight loss journey in 2010 after my first child. I lost 20lbs and had my second child. Came back and lost 30lbs by mid 2014 and was in my best shape, but was logging religiously and exercising consistently. I tried transitioning, and it went okay at first. I did gain around 10lbs back from not logging, but maintaining a very healthy eating and strict exercise routine. After that I ended up gaining more weight, and had a third child.

From my experience, I think it means I would personally have to continue measuring and weighing my food. I stopped and began eyeballing a lot, and that’s with just very healthy meals that once got me into my best shape. I don’t think it’s necessary to have to slave over logging forever, but if you plan on having children, it might be wise to log for a month here and there to make sure you’re actually on track.