GOAL ZONE Maintenance chat
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Question for the group:
In two weeks I leave for a 5 night trip to Vegas. I know realistically I will eat above maintenance some of those days.
In cases where you're going to be going on a holiday, do any of you use the strategy of taking a deficit to lose a bit before you go, so that your gain during your vacation just puts you back into your maintenance range?
Or, do you just go, have fun, perhaps gain a bit to put you above your maintenance range, and then take a deficit when you get home to get back into the range?
My maintenance range is on the higher end of my normal BMI range, so no concerns there.
Realize most of the gain won't be real either, but just curious about how you each view this topic.1 -
@ashleycarole86 - Congratulations on your tremendous accomplishment!
I’m still working to find a rhythm for maintenance. I’m more active when the days are longer and brighter so I hope to improve my habits during the winter months. I enjoy winter sports if there is snow but it’s not as common in northern Virginia (USA) - where I live now - as it is in my hometown of Boston, MA.
I hope we can increase the number of people who reach their goals and find success with maintenance. Best wishes to everyone!2 -
Good question @ashleycarole86
Planning ahead for trips, vacations, and all that is always a challenge. I do usually try to stay just under for a week or two before going so that there is the combination of feeling great and also knowing that I'm not going to do too much harm if I put some of that back on. But even if I don't, it's when I get home that the harder work happens. It feels so good to let go and eat (and drink!) without thinking too much about the consequences, and the triggers are pretty sensitive when I get home. I still want to keep eating those things! Setting a good plan for that first week back is really important. Some exercise events, even if it is just extra walking with friends or a "free trial" class at a gym (always a fun way to burn off a few with no obligation to return
), whatever you think up can really help. The food and drink just has to be really careful - I find it helps almost to think of it as a week of fasting from the triggers. 2 -
Thank you @PatriceFitnessPal .. appreciate it!
Good points @jugar ... I've actually noticed switching to maintenance calories felt like nothing at all, in fact I am sort of already feeling like I can't imagine how I ate at a deficit.. it's that creep you're talking about.
The summer is filling up with trips and events and work commitments, so everything can't be a celebration! You're right that getting a taste of that feeling can be hard to reel in though, so I'll keep a close eye on that.1 -
My body can't handle the ups and downs, so I toe the line even when I'm on vacation. If I want to indulge at one meal, I eat only two meals that day and no snacks. I also usually ramp up the activity when I'm on vacation, which affords me a little more food each day.4
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My body can't handle the ups and downs, so I toe the line even when I'm on vacation. If I want to indulge at one meal, I eat only two meals that day and no snacks. I also usually ramp up the activity when I'm on vacation, which affords me a little more food each day.
That's probably the smartest thing I have read all day.
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Username: laurelfit57
Weigh In Day: Sunday
PW: 137.2
CW: 139.2
Goal Zone 135-140
Center weight 1372 -
@micaroo4 - I’m typically more active during trips, too, because my schedule is more flexible. So, I try to continue my maintenance plan.
The main difference is that I’ll probably have more empty alcohol calories while on vacation so I probably switch out snacking calories for alcohol. Instead of getting a dessert, I might just take a taste of my husband’s — When I get back home, I try to focus more on my macro balance because I likely missed out on some protein when I skipped an afternoon yogurt for a breakfast mimosa or pina colada at the pool.
@ashleycarole86 - I hope you enjoy your trip and you can treat yourself to some grace period for settling back into the long game. Best wishes!2 -
laurelfit57 wrote: »Username: laurelfit57
Weigh In Day: Sunday
PW: 137.2
CW: 139.2
Goal Zone 135-140
Center weight 137
Hi @laurelfit57
You should still post your weigh-in on your team chat thread, not here. You are still a Slimpossible and your weight is recorded on the spreadsheet for that team. Thanks!
I'll go ahead and put this message on their chat too - hope you see this 1 -
@jugar I honestly did not even realize I was posting into maintenance chat. I will keep a better eye next time :-).2
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I’m afraid I was a bit clueless and didn’t realize that there was a Goal Zone Maintenance chat and that I am part of it. I heard Goal Zone mentioned before but just thought it was part of a spread sheet. Can I just say I am thrilled to be here!
A bit about me… my heaviest was just over 200 lbs about 20 years ago. I got down to about 170 and yo-yo’ed between 170-150 for about 15 years. Last year I just decided that by the time I was 65 I wanted to be solidly and comfortably at Goal. I lost just about 30 lbs over this last year, now maintenance:).
I was doing well until this last week, my hockey team made it into the playoffs and this last week they have been playing at dinner time. My family has been getting together to watch the games and ordering takeout, I have not been good at controlling myself. Back on track this week!
I know that travel has been talked about, oddly enough when I travel I usually come back a few pounds down. I live on my own, so typically always cook for myself, it gets pretty boring. When I travel, I love eating either in restaurants or what other people prepare. If it is in a restaurant, typically I will only eat half of the meal and I truly enjoy it so much I in no way feel deprived. If I do have a large meal, then it is only two meals that I will generally eat that day. I am generally quite active on vacation, so that really helps to burn off the wonderful food :-).
I am an avid Fitbit user as well! If anybody would like to add me my user name is Laurelfit57
Really excited to be part of this group and learn how to continue into maintenance in a successful way!
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It's great to have you here @laurelfit57 ! I guess it is a bit confusing that each team has a Goal Zone group for anyone who has hit their goal and wants to stay with the team in order to keep it that way, and then we have this chat thread for all the people from all the teams who want to talk maintenance among ourselves. In any case, it looks like you have cut through the confusion!
Step away from the hockey snacks!2 -
I will say in my 16 months or so of weight loss I didn't generally gain on vacation either, or if I did it was minor. I still track too, so it helps put everything in perspective.
Part of my uncertainty with the Vegas vacation is that we are travelling with another couple that I don't know super well, so I just don't know what their habits are. Doesn't have to change what I ultimately put in my mouth, though! I am a people pleaser in the worst way, but one of the lessons I'm having to learn through this journey is that eating what other people want me to is not necessary. There is a way to participate and have fun and not let it turn into something I don't want it to be.
I am much better at this now, but it will remain a risk for me in the future as I'm not hard to guilt into doing something.3 -
@jugar we are now out of the Playoff’s, no more hockey snacks for me🤣1
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This last year I have been very aware of my macros. I tried to achieve 140 grams of protein a day (that was my main focus) most of my carbs were with fruits and veggies or whole grains, so I was eating high protein, low carb and found that successful for my weight loss journey. Now going into maintenance I would like to strive for more balance without going overboard.
Did anyone have to do the same thing? How and what did you do? How much protein do you eat daily or do you just track and count calories? It sounds many of you have been successful for a long time, I would love to hear what has (or hasn’t) worked for you:)1 -
During my weight loss journey, I did not count macros. I do not count them now either, but I do think over time during maintenance I'll likely want to focus on a few more things in this area.
I had so much weight to lose that I didn't want to focus on too much, or get into too many food rules, so I just kept my calories at a deficit. Over time I made lots of better choices, but I still eat a reasonable amount of unhealthy calories. I think overall it keeps me on track as I don't feel deprived and out hunting for something.
Anyway, health is the overall goal and if I can start to make even better food choices as I sit in maintenance, I'll be thankful for that.1 -
@laurelfit57 I checked macros, but never focused on them. I don't eat nearly as much protein as you - I struggle to hit 80g/day, and I'm more commonly at about 65g/day. I focus on eating a lot of fruits and vegetables so the calories that I'm consuming have a lot of nutrition density. Just keep track and make healthy choices; you'll find what you're comfortable with.1
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@laurelfit57 I also have never eaten such a large amount of protein, now usually around 45-60g, but balance is really important. I get most of my carbs from vegetables, some from fruits, and as few as possible from grains. Just sticking with that works for me. I also keep fat at a max of 40g and fibre at a minimum of 25g. Fibre makes a huge difference for me, and I do not digest fats well, so I keep them reasonable and from food sources, never butter, little oil. Nuts are my friend! These numbers are based on being a small person - 5'1" and around 115 lbs.
No matter what balance of macros or foods you try, don't forget that it might need to change as you age (among other factors) so always be ready to experiment to see what works best. You start having heartburn or other symptoms, you can eliminate it with changing your diet. You'll be ready for all those kinds of things!1 -
good evening everyone. i just got the link from my group leader so i will introduce myself.
my name is Roger and i was "forced" into maintenance may 6th. let me start at the beginning, though.
i started my journey march 2019 weighing 566 pounds. i was housebound, couldn't stand more than 2 minutes, walk 150 feet or fit into a vehicle. my dr. called and said he couldn't renew any of my prescriptions since i hadn't seen him in 2 years. i had to tell him that i was housebound and he referred me to home based care thru the v.a.. they worked hard with me for over 2 years before discharging me back to my normal doctors. i looked into weight loss surgery and had all of the testing done, which i surprisingly passed. i didn't have the surgery, and my weight doctors agreed with me, since i kept losing weight on my own. i lost 10-12 pounds a month from october 2019 until october 2021. on may 6th i weighed 221 pounds and i had my 1st skin removal surgery. they cut the big blobs from my thighs. one cut is 13" and the other is 13 1/2". i still have a drain tube in that i hope to finally get out monday.
prior to the surgery i was already increasing my calories to find a maintenance amount to eat. i was up to eating 1700-1900 calories. now i am forced to eat 2300+ a day for healing and i have had to up my protein from 65g to 90-100g a day.
some stats:
age: 57, less than a month from 58.
height: 6'3"
weight: 221 on may 6th. that is my last official weight since i have been swollen and have had tubes and bandages since then.
starting weight: 566
total loss: 344 pounds in 37 months. the last couple months i had lost only about 3-4 pounds per month since i was starting to search for my bottom weight.
when i get clearance from the doctors i will be walking again. i would walk 7-9 miles 2-3 times a week and do light exercises in the gym 2-3 times a week as well. i will have to start slowly with 2-3 miles. i have a fitbit but i have found that it cheats me on my walks so i use google maps to get my distances. i have driven them a few times to verify google maps which have been spot on.
when i started i was on 2 blood pressure meds, 8 fish pills a day for triglyerides, baby aspirin and a couple others which i can't remember now. i was also pre-diabetic. now i am on no b/p pills but i suffer from orthostatic hypotension, which is a drop in b/p if i am standing still or barely moving, like a slow walk. i am on 4 fish pills a day and they are talking about taking me off completely. i am still on the baby aspirin but it is just a personal choice. i am now on an iron supplement since they are trying to figure out my hypotension. it seems that sometimes when i was getting lightheaded a lot i had low iron.
my lightheadedness has made my recovery immensely harder. same day surgery turned into 3 days admitted since i kept passing out every time they sat me up. at home i blacked out once and almost a second time. i have upped my calorie intake since then and feel better. i was eating about 2000 but now am 2300-2500 or a bit higher some days. i still struggle to get my calories up some days without making several hundred of them bad calories. it will be interesting to see my weight when i get this tube out.
sorry for jumping around in my story. i am looking forward to reading about your maintenance journeys so that i can incorporate parts into mine.
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Welcome Roger!!! WOW!1
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@rwood566 That is some inspiring history right there. I'm sure with your determination and courage you'll get going on those walks again, and if there is any way we can help you with the whole maintenance mindset, we're here any time! Those skin reduction surgeries can really take time to heal and settle, so don't rush it. I love your "experiment" approach - try things to see what works, be willing to keep trying different things, levels of calories, etc. until you find what feels best and keeps you where you want to be. Serious hats off to you!1
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@rwood566 Unbelievably impressive story. Good luck through the healing process. You have taken your life back - I am inspired!1
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Thanks0
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Hello all!
I'm happy to say I'll be back on the maintenance roster as of this week - I had tipped over the top just a bit for a while, but am happily back in the middle of my range again. Of course, I'm hungry... but breakfasts are sure welcome every morning
Be sure to post either here or on your team if you need to update your goal range, change weigh-in days - anything at all. I'll keep an eye on you and anyone who goes over the top of range for 2 weeks goes back to regular team until there are 2 weeks within goal again
If you go under, either your goal zone needs revision, or you should have a bowl of ice cream.
Happy summer!
unless you're in the Southern hemisphere. then happy winter!0 -
@jugar happy you are back in range:), I have taken your place out of range;). I’m afraid it was a long weekend of eating all of my cousins wonderful cooking, there is a branch of our family that still cooks like they are back in the 50s with all of the heavy sauces and so much salt! Even the watermelon was salted! I think I should be handily back on track this week then head straight back to the middle or lower end of my range.
Glad you clarified when we got bumped, I had thought it was immediate 😜1 -
Fully expecting tomorrow to be week 1 above range but my goal is that by a week today when I weigh in for week 2 I'm back in and do not have to return to the regular team.
Challenge on!!!!
Thank you Vegas for your indulgences
On the plus side, we walked a ton of steps!!1 -
Well for those not on my team I'll just confirm here that the post-vacation weigh-in was off the charts high. Like so much so that logic was't even possible to understand it.
More than half of it is gone already after two days which is what I expected. I suspect 2-3 pounds max was a real gain. For now I'm working on getting back to my maintenance range by my weigh-in day so I don't go back on the regular team.
My choices in Vegas weren't great, but I did so many things way differently than I would have in the past. Armed with the tools I need, I felt confident when I got back that I would be back to my zone in no time.
I do think the impact on my body is more than it needs and I'd like to work on minimizing how drastic the swings are - something for me to consider for next time.
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Thanks for reviving it @jugar
I am one of those "regular team after vacation" folks
It has been a really long journey getting back to my maintenance zone, relatively speaking. Which means I gained real weight on my last vacation.. not just water weight.
I am on the right trajectory now and proudly marching my way back down to my maintenance zone.3 -
Happy New Year! I'm refreshing this thread and hope to see everyone who is currently recovering from recent gains back in the zone soon!
Reading through this entire thread is interesting and refreshes the thoughts around all the challenges in maintenance, as well as the joys of staying within our zones.
Here are all of us as of right now, including those who are on a (hopefully) brief sojourn back to regular team to shave off the results of a vacation, holidays, the urge to prepare for hibernation, or a rough patch:
@rwood566
@Eatthefruitnotthecake78
@ashleycarole86
@jugar
@PlaneMonkey
@micaroo4
@pacsnc6
@LaurieWrobo
@PatriceFitnessPal
You'll see posts from others in here who have decided to use other teams or groups or whatever as they maintain, but I hope you'll stick with us here for a good while. Move up into team motivator or co-captain if you are not already, or find other ways to help those who are still struggling. Let us know how you're doing and what is working or not working for you. Thanks!1 -
Hello everyone! I've been MIA for a while... a GOOD LONG WHILE! I think I last posted in April of last year. Good news is I've kept the weight off. My weight zone was 122-126. After the first cup of coffee this morning, and fully-clothed, I weighed in at 126.0. Still happy with that, but wanting to lose just a bit more. Can I get back on a team for that? Or do I need to? Help me out.
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