GOAL ZONE Maintenance chat
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Ending a meal is a great topic. It is good to make it almost a ritual, but then it gets stale and a new one is in order! I find a good astringent tea helps (herbal or green), but sometimes it is good old pre-logging and knowing that this bit is the END of the meal, or brushing teeth, or even some kind of pickle.
This space is a good one for specific maintenance issues, but I find that most things can continue in the teams as well. It is not very different, losing vs maintaining. As much as we would like it to be!0 -
December has been very quiet here in the Zone! Let's be sure to drop in to share what we might need to tweak, any ideas that have helped, surprises that have happened, and how it is going for maintenance. Suggestions for how to make F2F better for those who are maintaining are certainly welcome
Almost 2022! Wow.0 -
It's pretty quiet in here. How is everyone doing with maintenance? I just reached my actual goal number of 122. My zone is 118-126. 8 pounds seems reasonable.
My name is Debra. I am 49 years old and 5 feet tall (tall?) ok- whatever. I started in this group in June of last year. 7 months to lose 37 pounds. I may tweak the weight down just a bit for a cushion in that 8 pounds, but I don't know. I'm comfortable at 122 right now. If it goes lower, great, but if not, I'll be happy in my zone.
I joined a gym and have been slowly easing back into running after a knee injury.
I enjoy crafting and spending time with my grandbabies. I have a 4th one due next month. Their current ages are 2, 1, and 5 months. I also enjoy spending time on my little hobby farm. I have no idea how many chickens I have. I think it's more than 50 but less than 100. (The first rule of raising chickens is to NEVER actually count your chickens). I also have 11 turkeys, 3 ducks, 1 emu, 2 ferrets, 17 cats, 5 dogs, and 3 goats.
I work full time as Field Activity Support Team member for Tractor Supply Company.
I have a busy day ahead of me today with getting ready for some winter weather. I live in Georgia. We do not have harsh winters here. Tomorrow is not supposed to get much higher than freezing for the high temperature.
I'm off to feed and start dragging hay bales.
Happy Saturday!0 -
Thanks for the intro Debra @IDebraK !
I love getting to know a bit about everyone, and to figure out this maintenance stuff together. I am also around 5' short (!) maybe 5'1" first thing in the morning standing tall.
I think your range is good for now - when I lost around the same amount as you, I stopped at 120-125 for a year. It took 9 months to lose the weight, and the low 120s felt great. After that time, I have slowly brought it down to 112-117, and that is now working really well. My doc used to say 110, but I'm just hungry all the time as soon as I hit 113 and I think things are just peachy right around 115. Right now I'm going through the usual winter high, but it will go back down as soon as the temps get back up to something milder. Right now, we're having below zero (Fahrenheit) temps a lot, so a little extra weight helps to keep warm out there. I go snowshoeing most days, and luckily I love the winter.
Your farm sounds great! I used to have quite a few critters, although not that many. Then I met my taller half who has severe allergic asthma and I had to give it up. I really miss them, but ended up with 2 amazing kids who are now 25 and 29, so I guess the trade was worth it. I still hang out with and on horses whenever possible, and I even have a "contaminated" car so that my husband can get into our clean car. It makes going riding much easier - just shower at home and not worry about the hair in the car. I just saw a video of someone who is selling a horse - she was riding in her arena and there was an emu who kept running in there and dashing around. The horse was not bothered in the least! It was pretty funny. Emus are such odd looking beasts!
Happy hay dragging
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@jugar - Emus are so funny. One of the chickens ran out of her pen while we were putting in hay. While we were chasing that chicken, Emu was just doing zoomies all over the yard. I wish I would have videoed that, but I was laughing so hard I couldn't even stand up. Her name is Emu. LOL Officially, it's Julia, but we call her Emu.
I got lucky with my partner. He's as much of a bunny hugger as I am. We had some hay left over from all of the coops so we gave 2 bales to his sister's horses. The old one is 35. He is just precious. I have never actually had horses, but I do enjoy spending time with them.
I can't imagine negative temperatures. We are expecting rain and then snow. I believe the accumulation is supposed to be about a half inch. There is NO bread at the grocery store. LOL
My doctor hasn't really suggested a weight for me. He's pleased about the weight loss, but when I got down to 130 he just said that he would not call me over weight.
In my head, I want to try for 119. It's more of a mental challenge to see if I can do it. If I actually do it, I could tweak the goal. Right now, I want to just stay in the zone.
Food is not too hard. I'm gluten free anyway, so carb control is set by my intestines. I don't eat what they don't like. I had to kick the sugar. Peanut butter cups are my nemesis. When I need a sugar rush, I grab a banana now.
It's nice to meet you and get this maintenance thing rolling.1 -
Weight is up a little this week. From 121.8 to 124. I'm still in my zone. Eating hasn't really changed much. I did get in a few more carbs than usual. I also added weights to my workout. Not too long ago, I had to buy new clothes. When this journey started, I was in a size 16. I didn't buy clothes until I was in an 8. I bought them about 2 months ago. Yesterday, I had to wear a belt with the 8s. I can pull the waistband about 6 inches from my body. My boyfriend made the comment that maybe I had gained muscle. Then he said what everyone says, "Muscle weighs more than fat." I had to assure him that 1 pound of muscle weighs exactly the same as 1 pound of fat. A pound is a pound. However, I do know that muscle is more dense, and a pound of muscle takes up less space than fat. So his theory could be correct. Maybe the muscle is the reason for the gain. I'm 3 weeks into the weight training. My clothes are loose.
I love the little Fitbit badges and am trying for the 30,000 steps in one day badge right now. That equates to about 13.5 miles in one day. It's doable. I have decided to reward myself with the Fitbit Versa 3 when I hit that 119 pounds and the 30,000. I currently have the Versa 2. The only real difference in the two is that the Versa 3 had built in GPS, so I won't have to use my Garmin on runs.
I'm trying figure out how to make a run playlist right now. In the past, I've had my Ipod nano or used the runkeeper app. I'm doing the C25K to not blow this knee out. Keeping my pace at a 10 minute mile has been challenging. Before the knee injury, my furthest distance was a 30K. When I complete the C25K, I plan to sign up for an actual 5K race and keep the 10 minute mile pace.
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Building muscle almost always puts on weight - some of it temporary. As you stress a muscle to make it stronger, it holds more water to heal the micro tears the work produces. That always makes a little spike for a bit after a hard workout. Recovery days are important!
I'm seriously impressed with your running! I, too, had to change a lot of things after a knee injury about 9 years ago. I don't run, but I sure put in the miles on snowshoes, hiking, and horseback. The horseback riding was the hardest adjustment. For many months I could not put any weight on that leg with the knee even slightly bent, so putting weight into a stirrup was out of the question. My daughter, luckily, had the most amazing horse for riding bareback and I got a super bareback pad that make things comfy for his backbone and my butt. For a year, that was my fun - and it did great things for my riding. It was hard healing from that injury in all kinds of ways, but that one was the best!
Playlists? I'm kind of useless on those, but use the pre-made ones on spotify or whatever streaming thing. You can download them for offline use if you have a paid account.0 -
I can't believe that I did it! Actually went over a bit!
I just love the little badges and stuff with the Fitbit. It says my next challenge is 50 floors in one day. Guess I'll be on the stair climber next. LOL
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@jugar ... I love riding horses! I haven't been riding in years.
I have not been riding since the summer - the horse I was supposed to have permanently as of May (the one in my photo black with the white spotted blanket) is not going to be mine for the next year at least, it seems. I'm so sad! He is an amazing horse, and I miss him a lot. My daughter and I kept him for years for his owner (he is a breeding stallion) on the understanding that he would be ours when he retired from breeding. He was supposed to retire in May, but the owner's other stallion (she had 2) died, and she has kept "mine" even though he is now 19. He's going strong, doing great, but I don't think I'll end up with him. In the meantime, my daughter has found me a young horse and she is training him for me this coming summer (he will be 3 in April). He is adorable, and I think he'll be a good horse for me. So it is a waiting game... I will have to get riding again this spring if I want to be ready for a youngster, though! Lots of core work, and keeping those legs strong 1 -
I just need a core! LOL I work out with my sister-in-law 5 days a week. She laughs when we do ab day. I tell her I only have 1.
I've never owned horses. On my accidental farm, cows and horses are two things that haven't crossed my path yet. I do love spending time with my sister-in-law's horses though. They aren't ridable, or at least, they haven't been ridden in so long that they have lost all manners.
I have a few things this summer that I want to do and/or try. Horseback riding is one of them. A nice pace on a trail ride is right up my alley.
I also want to try paddle boarding and kayaking. I feel like you'd need a great core with the paddle boarding.
I have a lot of 5Ks under me, but after the knee injury, I haven't run in about 3 years. We do the C25K at the gym. Once complete, I plan to find an actual 5K to run. I won't be running for speed, just distance to actually finish one.2 -
I just need a core! LOL I work out with my sister-in-law 5 days a week. She laughs when we do ab day. I tell her I only have 1.
I've never owned horses. On my accidental farm, cows and horses are two things that haven't crossed my path yet. I do love spending time with my sister-in-law's horses though. They aren't ridable, or at least, they haven't been ridden in so long that they have lost all manners.
I have a few things this summer that I want to do and/or try. Horseback riding is one of them. A nice pace on a trail ride is right up my alley.
I also want to try paddle boarding and kayaking. I feel like you'd need a great core with the paddle boarding.
I have a lot of 5Ks under me, but after the knee injury, I haven't run in about 3 years. We do the C25K at the gym. Once complete, I plan to find an actual 5K to run. I won't be running for speed, just distance to actually finish one.
Pilates has been my fave core-building "thing". I follow The Balanced Life with Robin Long - she has lots of free stuff on YouTube and all, but I joined her program and do one of her short but effective workouts just about every day. They work!1 -
Hi, I’m sort of transitioning. My goal was below 135 (5’7”) but like hanging out between 135-140 lbs. Funny, I’m also named Deb. 58 years old, divorced, no children, no more pets currently. I always had a horse from age 14 to 42. Have ridden western, jumped and 1st level dressage. Was one of the original Iowa State University Equestrian team members. That was culture shock since the horses were basically jumpers with western saddles on them. Have also had cats and Great Danes.
For hobbies, I mainly read. Love learning new things and try to craft or play guitar. My main form of exercise is resistance training(5x/wk) and walking. I exercise at my city’s free recreation center. It’s 15 below zero and icy and snow covered outside(Iowa) so all exercise is inside until after the spring mud dries up. Will start walking outside then. We have a glow in the dark trail that I want to try this summer.
@IDebraK your hobby farm sounds awesome and working at Tractor Supply would be way too much temptation! Have you considered doing virtual runs? There are quite a few on social media and you can get shirts or pins for completing them. You join their facebook group and turn in your steps over your chosen time period.
@jugar Are you an Appaloosa fan? My best friend has always loved them and used to own one until they moved to Florida.1 -
Welcome @Beautyofdreams ! I love that there are a few horse people in here - even if we are not necessarily active riders at this time. I am certainly an Appaloosa fan - and came late to that. I had a great cross country horse (Appendix - thoroughbred/quarter horse cross) who was my favourite until I met the Appys. They are wonderful.
Be sure to ask your team captain to put you on the "goal zone" part of the team. Then you define your range and try to stay in it. The nice thing about weighing in on that part of the team is that your little fluctuations don't count against the team, and we tend to stay right around the same weight so the competition part of the team is no longer very relevant. If you go above the top weight in your range, you are automatically put back on the regular team until you go back into your zone. If you go below, you can change your zone or get to eat more! You still weigh in every week, though, and drop in here from time to time if you have any ideas, questions, or issues about maintenance to discuss. Enjoy!2 -
@Beautyofdreams , I am currently doing a virtual run that lasts all year. I committed to 2,022 miles in the year. It's a Pluto "race". Not really a race, just a commitment.
The temptation is certainly there at Tractor Supply. LOL
I love and hate chick days.2 -
We have a couple new people joining us in the goal zone!
Sam - long-time member of Team WaistAways @happimess01 is maintaining at least for now - maybe going to revise down for those last few "vanity pounds" as he calls them
He is a powerhouse. Down 190.5 from his highest weight, now rocking 171 pounds. Astounding, disciplined, and an inspiration to the team for sure.
@micaroo4 just joined Fat 2 Fit to start in March. She has been maintaining already for about 3 years, but I don't know much else yet. Step on in and introduce yourself - we love all the stories.1 -
Hello all you Goal Getters!
I'm excited to join the team and meet some new friends. A little bit about me. My top weight was 220 in 2001 when I finally decided to treat my health with the same determination as I treated my job. So back in 2001, I joined eDiets, with great success. It took me about a year to get to my goal weight of 130. eDiets faded away and I transitioned to SparkPeople. Then in August 2021 the sun set on SparkPeople, and I checked out a few other sites and programs, and ended up here.
Since first reaching my goal weight, I've bounced up and down a bit, but never back to my top weight. I've been maintaining within my range (127-133) for almost 3 years now. For me the key to maintenance is being vigilant about planning my meals and about weighing myself daily. I treat Wednesday as my "official" weigh-in day, but I check that scale every morning to spot trends.
I'm a bookkeeper at a plastics factory, where I work using a stand-up desk. I walk on my lunch hour every day. My walking goal for the year is to "walk the year", 2022 miles in 2022. I try to hit about 6 miles a day, to cover for the days that I miss because of bad weather. I also ride a bicycle in the summer, and will commute to/from work on the bike which is about 12 miles round trip. Back when I started on my health journey in 2001, I didn't exercise at all. Now I rarely do less than 60 minutes, and usually more like 2 hours.
I'm 65 years old, and not ready to retire yet. I live in New Hampshire and share my house with a couple of cats.
I fell on the ice on January 7th and broke my wrist. I'm out of the cast now and doing physical therapy. Hoping to be able to start using weights again and do so strength training, maybe in another week.3 -
Welcome @micaroo4 - we are kind of neighbours - I'm just north of you in Québec. I grew up in north central Massachusetts (Lunenburg) but left the US in 1977, ended up here in 1979. I'm 68 and also love staying fit and active as much as possible - it feels great. Sorry you broke your wrist, though. You'll be back to the weights soon - but take it slow!1
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thank you @jugar, maintaining is so much easier when you don't change your diet from when you were in a deficit. Technically, I might be still in a deficit because your body starts burning more calories when it notices more food coming in finally and I am experiencing that. I am tracking my weight so I will know more in a few weeks.2
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Hi everyone!
One of the things that helps keep me motivated is doing goal challenges with other people. Fitbit is awesome for that, so if any of you are also on fitbit, look for me.
For the upcoming Fat2Fit challenge, I'm challenging myself to do a streak - exercise every day. Any type of exercise for at least 10 minutes, as long as I do something every day.1 -
Hi everyone!
One of the things that helps keep me motivated is doing goal challenges with other people. Fitbit is awesome for that, so if any of you are also on fitbit, look for me.
For the upcoming Fat2Fit challenge, I'm challenging myself to do a streak - exercise every day. Any type of exercise for at least 10 minutes, as long as I do something every day.
That's a great challenge - those small changes where you really can stick to every single day are great. Then you can build it up a bit later once it is a habit. I will look for you on fitbit! I have not done one of the challenges on there in ages.
a few minutes later....
What is your username on fitbit? I do not find you.
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My name on fitbit is Micaroo. My user ID is 42744H, so if you can't find me by name, try that. What is yours?1
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Welcome Micaroo4 and happimess01! I'm late to the welcoming because this thread gets lost from time to time.
We really should keep the posts up so it stays on the main page instead of having to find it.
@micaroo4 , I absolutely LOVE my FitBit. I set my goal steps at 13000 a day. I don't always get that on the weekends. Some weekends I am just lazy.
A little about me: I'm 49, live in Georgia with my boyfriend of 8 years. We share the homestead with 6 dogs, 17 cats, 1 ferret, 1 emu, 3 goats, 3 ducks, 10 turkeys, and a whole lot of chickens. Fresh eggs daily.
I work as a merchandiser for Tractor Supply, so I am always moving.
I am a former Weight Watchers member and leader. I lost 72 pounds back in 2010. After my divorce, I gained about 40 of that back. I found this group in June of last year and lost almost that whole 40 (got 3 pounds to hit it). I set my goal weight to 122 - just under what it was at WW. I followed a low-carb diet and have been maintaining for about 3 months ( I guess). I am slowly adding carbs back. I'm gluten free anyway, so they are in the form of rice, quinoa, and oat. I just started a workout program to get some of this flabbiness shaped up and have been working on couch to 5K. I'm a runner at heart and have completed several 5Ks, 10Ks, 3- half marathons, and a 30K. A knee injury sidelined me for about 3 years. Now I'm back at it. I have to really work on a meal prep day so I don't get in that grab-and-go routine.
I found you and added you on FitBit. Debra G. is my user name (I think).
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Awsome Debra! I saw your friend add, and accepted. I love the little chick with the crown! I'm not a runner, I'm a walker. My goal is to walk 2022 miles in 2022, which means that I needed 505 miles by the end of the first quarter to be on track - and yes, I did it!3
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Good day wonderful maintainers!
I am feeling great today - I was hovering at the top of my maintenance range for the past few months, and have gotten back down into the lower part. I am thinking of changing the range a bit, but I'll give it some time to see if the seasonal fluctuations might require a winter at a slightly higher weight. Winter is cold here and I spend a lot of time outside, so maybe I am like the little creatures and my horse - always just a bit heavier for winter. It is interesting that I don't feel like I have changed much, but 3 pounds just slipped away over that past 2 weeks.
I'm heading out into the springtime!2 -
It's quiet here, but I've been excitedly waiting on the sidelines to join up!
As of today, I officially joined the maintenance side of F2F. This group was absolutely key to my weight loss, and I can't wait to hang around as I learn how to maintain over the next while.
I started at 293, and today I'm 165, so I've lost 128 pounds. My original goal weight was 168 and I got there for the first time in mid-March and then I've slowly been chipping away at the last bit of loss to settle into my maintenance range of 160-165. After being there for two weeks in a row, I'm ready to signal my commitment to stay there!
What helped me get this far:
-super honest logging every single day
-pretracking so I don't have surprises
-exercise becoming a daily thing and truly falling in love with moving my body
-not taking days off so I have good data and awareness
-not having any off limit foods or rules that would cause me to just crave those things more
-checking in with the MFP community every single day
That's it really - nothing magical or sexy - just good ol' fashioned calorie counting every single day. I also think on that note it's important not to let perfection stand in your way. In the past I would fall off the wagon because I'd have a meal out and not know how to track it and just give up. Now I do my best (and overestimate, if anything...) and over time, the consistency pays off.
Caught up on a few updates from this year but hoping there are some folks lurking here that want to chat on this topic!2 -
Hi Ashley! That is definitely the secret to success, tracking that food every single day. Not glamorous. Stick to the routine and stay ON PLAN every single day. Persistence gets you to goal, Consistency keeps you there.2
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I third the "not glamorous"! I have been maintaining for almost 10 years, and things sure don't change much. The routine gets slightly more relaxed as the body settles completely into "new normal", but then slips, vacations, celebrations, or seasonal cooking traditions happen, and the strict logging and planning have to come back for a while. I like the waves flowing between comfortably looser and the straight-and-narrow. As they say, it's a lifestyle!
Good luck @ashleycarole86 ! You have been brilliant at this, and are an inspiration to everyone on our team and now here 3 -
In an effort to keep this thread a bit more active, even though I know we all check in with our teams and spread the joy of maintaining there
- here is a list of those I have on the various teams' Goal Zone. I am temporarily in the dog house back on regular team, but this is only temporary as I lose the couple of pounds I put on visiting my daughter and then taking my time consoling myself for getting back home!
@peng123
@IDebraK
@laurelfit57
@micaroo4
@happimess01 (also temporarily on regular team, but will be back here soon I'm sure!)
@LaurieWrobo
@PatriceFitnessPal
@ashleycarole86
I think it is important that we keep the maintenance presence strong - it is what everyone is striving for, and having us as part of the teams helps us as well. Let's never become part of that depressing statistic of those who gain it all back and then some!
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That's a good point... that stat is freaky for sure. I have tried many times to lose this weight, but I've never gotten even remotely close. Now I'm here, and convinced my true marker of success will be to stand here in a couple years and say I'm still here. I feel very aware of how easy it could be to let go, but how badly I want to stay here. Gotta think about it every day!
Looking forward to learning from all you and thanks for the intro to who is here @jugar ...2
