What nobody tells you about maintaining weight

MaltedTea

This is meant to be a total rip-off and, ideally, the continuation of the "What nobody tells you about losing weight" thread in this sub-forum (created by @lemonsurprise).

Can you find threads about recomp, diet breaks, and other maintenance techniques? Absolutely.

This thread will hopefully grow into a one-stop-shop for what seems to be the most elusive of quests: keeping your weight stable over the long-term.

Lord knows I need the answer(s). I can't be the only one. Got one?

Go!

velofreak88

Been keeping my diet with FP since late February. I went down from 69 kg to 66-67 at 179 cm height with lowest ever registered 65.2 kg (due to substantial dehydration after long day of cycling). I wanted to loose body fat in particular and I succeded. Now I balance at 10-11%. The lowest I registered was 9.5%.

But this is not easy. I set a 2000 kcal daily intake and on recovery days I really have to struggle to not to eat more than I am allowed to. On workout days it's a lot easier becasue I can simply eat more, up to the limits calculated by FP based on calorie expenditure input. In a bigger perspective the key for me is to stay away from sweets as much as I can. This is my top weak spot next to white breadstuff and crisps but if I keep these out of the menu, I don't have cravings for it and my weight and body composition stay at desired levels.

So if you managed to set a healthy diet, learned to count calories, weigh food and portion meals, keep it up so it all stay as your normal, daily routine. When doing groceries, evade shelves with aformentioned bad stuff.

charmmeth

I take it you know about the maintenance forum here?

No one told me that maintenance would be much harder to get my head round than losing weight. A creeping "oh it doesn 't matter if..." sense took over, combined with some acid reflux medication (that added a couple of kgs within weeks), menopause, and a year's study leave where I was at a lot of conferences and eating a lot of hotel food... So my dicipline slipped and from 2016/17 the weight came back gradually until in May 2020 I was about where I had started in January 2012, though definitely fitter and trimmer: I could still do up my size 14 (UK) trousers although they were not comfortable, whereas last time around at that weight I was struggling to fit into size 16 (UK) trousers.

However, looking back, I don't think I ever got my head round maintaining. Indeed, if I look at my monthly average weight for Oct 2015- Sept 2016, I can see I hit a low in March 2016 (I wanted to get to 70kg just to show myself that I could before maintaining at ca. 75kg) and then started moving steadily up again:
Oct 72.28; Nov 71.61; Dec 71.97; Jan 73.06; Feb 71.52; March 70.06; Apr 71.43 [Lent - no chocolate or alcohol!]; May 71.79; June 72.57; Jul 73.41; Aug 73.95; Sept 74.35.
Then 2016-17 is a steady increase:
Oct 74.82; Nov 75.09; Dec 76.55; Jan 77.59; Feb 77.11; Mar 75.93; Apr 75.02 [Lent - no chocolate or alcohol!]; May 76.66, June 76.83; Jul 77.76; Aug 79.04 [acid reflux medication prescribed]; Sept 79.42.
Instead of acting at that point to move back to my goal weight, I went on sabbatical and ate too much along with too little exercise. After that winter of 2017-18, I came off the medication and managed to get back into a routine in the spring and get back into normal bmi range, and then I stopped weighing myself regularly/recording my weight.
Oct 80.11; Nov 80.50; Dec 81.50; Jan 82.50; Feb 83.00; Mar 79.68; Apr 79.03 [Lent - no chocolate or alcohol!].
And then menopause (and menopause hunger) came along and by January 2020 I was back to around 85kg. I did manage to get to 81kg by Easter 2020, but piled weight back on after (Easter eggs, and a daily avocado and bacon sandwich for lunch in lockdown).

I learn from looking at this that in maintenance I still need the discipline of weighing myself regularly (preferably for me every day) and tracking my weight. Seeing what is happening on my spreadsheet is useful, so long as I really look at the graph. Also, I recognise that logging food makes me much more accountable to myself.

Moreover, this shows that my instinctive trigger for "I must do something about my weight" seems to be around 88kg/195lbs. When I move into maintenance this time I need to find ways to train that trigger to react at 78kg instead of 88 kg! This actually worked in spring 2018 but I then lost the discipline again.

Since menopause I definitely need more exercise, but what I have learned this year is that I can lose weight nonetheless; I just have to go about it slightly differently. And if I can lose, I can maintain also.

I should say that at my height, I move into normal bmi at 81kg, so a 78kg morning weight means that I stay within normal bmi all day, even with my clothes on. I intend to maintain at 75kg +/- 2kg and should be at that weight in two or three months, so just in time for Christmas. I have no intention this time of trying to get down to 70kg. I have nothing to prove!

Sorry for the long post, but you inspired me to look back over my records and really think about what they tell me.

cwolfman13

I've maintained more or less for over 7 years now. I don't find it terribly difficult...I just have to maintain awareness of what I'm putting into my face hole and exercise regularly. I realized a long time ago that maintenance wasn't really going to be much different than losing weight save for a handful of calories more.

I eat pretty much the same way I ate when I was losing...my diet is pretty healthy overall with some indulgences here and there and basically a little more wiggle room for an extra snack or two or a bit larger serving of this or that.

The only time I really have much difficulty is when my exercise declines...usually winter, or when I'm injured. I typically put on about 8-10 Lbs over winter and take it off in the spring when I resume cycling on a more regular schedule.

One thing I've observed being on MFP for about 8 years is that many people seem to have difficulty with the psychological aspect of not getting that "rush" from seeing the number on the scale go down...which makes things kind of meh for some. I really focus primarily on my overall health and just maintaining a healthy lifestyle in regards to both diet and activity...when I do that, the rest tends to take care of itself.

durhammfp

It's just the rest of your life. No pressure.

charmmeth

cwolfman13 wrote: »

One thing I've observed being on MFP for about 8 years is that many people seem to have difficulty with the psychological aspect of not getting that "rush" from seeing the number on the scale go down...which makes things kind of meh for some. I really focus primarily on my overall health and just maintaining a healthy lifestyle in regards to both diet and activity...when I do that, the rest tends to take care of itself.

I think that is absolutely right. Also I think I assumed that having made changes to get there, those changes would stay without my thinking too much about them. On the plus side, what I have realised is that (except for Easter eggs... lol) I eat a pretty balanced diet, just rather too much if I don't stop and think about it (i.e. log what I eat). The first stage of the first time around taught me a lot about portion control. I can't believe that my husband and I used to eat 100-150 g of pasta each as a regular thing.

sijomial

Most answers will be found in the Most Helpful Posts pinned to the top of the Maintaining Weight forum.

Perhaps one thing that would help people is to realise you can experiment, you aren't locked into one way forever, you don't have to manage your weight the same as everyone else. You can make mistakes, try different things, stumble when life throws you off course and learn from those experiences. It's long term results that matter and not the methods to get those results. I've not found it hard to maintain my weight for the last 7+ years but doubt my methods would suit the majority.

There are common traits in long term maintainers (or at least those that hang around): enjoying regular exercise, making efforts to be active not sedentary, setting limits on their weight to stop a slide becoming an avalanche for example.

JeanneTops

What nobody tells you about maintenance?

You have to start working on it on Day One of the diet.

If you're able to control your eating fairly regularly while dieting, if you have been able to backslide a little and then stop and go back to losing weight, if you don't get easily discouraged, if you enjoy working out regularly, if you don't care about the scale all that much, if you've enjoyed how you felt and looked along the way, then that's how you're going to handle maintenance as well. Maintenance won't seem like such a big deal.

If, on the other hand, your eating before you started was wildly out of control, if your weight has rollercoasted before, if you eat for emotional reasons, if you occasionally cheated wildly and then miserably crept back to dieting, if you've finally forced your eating under control long enough to get to goal weight, if you've looked forward to the day when you can finally have {whatever}, if your exercising has been hit and miss, if you celebrated every scale victory but didn't pay as much attention to how you feel and aren't sure you really look a lot better, then that's how you're going to handle maintenance as well. Well, frankly, maintenance is not going to be much of a success for you. Welcome to the club - there are vast numbers of us here.

If you're just starting out, then focus on your eating behaviors and making eating a thinking decision on your part not one impulse after another. Learn what eating really means for you and then learn how to make it be just eating - not love or celebration or family or comfort or anything else because you can do all those things without eating. Make exercising all about consistency and don't worry about how much and don't count the calories spent doing it - just make doing it a high priority in your daily life. Make eating a small part of your life.

If you're at your goal now, then do those same things but accept that some weight gain is going to creep in until you get your eating behaviors under control. Focus on how much better you feel and make yourself learn to like the way you look. Make exercise a daily priority at a sustainable level. Maybe most importantly, figure out what eating means to you and then work on that until is not that big a deal in your life. Use whatever techniques work for you as long as you can make them nothing special in your life. And then maintenance will come easily for you as well.

MaltedTea

charmmeth wrote: »

I take it you know about the maintenance forum here? *snip*

You mean this category of threads? ➡️ Goal: Maintaining Weight

sijomial wrote: »

Most answers will be found in the Most Helpful Posts pinned to the top of the Maintaining Weight forum. *snip*

This one? ➡️ Most Helpful Posts - Goal: Maintaining Weight (Must Reads)

While I did say " Can you find threads about recomp, diet breaks, and other maintenance techniques? Absolutely" I should have added the way my Spock-like brain is set up, having a similar title/subject for this thread as the original one, and placing it in the same category ("Success Stories") just helps me find it faster. As does favoriting, of course.

Just a lazy hack. And I'll need all of the lazy hacks I can get my hands on to help me maintain once I get there in a few weeks lol

So thanks for the insights of your experiences thus far. It's motivating!

Keep 'em coming here or in any other forum thread!

charmmeth

MaltedTea wrote: »

charmmeth wrote: »

I take it you know about the maintenance forum here? *snip*

You mean this category of threads? ➡️ Goal: Maintaining Weight

... While I did say " Can you find threads about recomp, diet breaks, and other maintenance techniques? Absolutely" I should have added the way my Spock-like brain is set up, having a similar title/subject for this thread as the original one, and placing it in the same category ("Success Stories") just helps me find it faster. As does favoriting, of course.

Just a lazy hack. And I'll need all of the lazy hacks I can get my hands on to help me maintain once I get there in a few weeks lol

Yes, that is what I meant. I am all for lazy hacks, and this is a great thread! I was just wanting to affirm that there is real wisdom in that section of the forum too. (No snippiness was implied at all, and I am very sorry if my comment came over that way.)

charmmeth

JeanneTops wrote: »

What nobody tells you about maintenance?

You have to start working on it on Day One of the diet.

Learn what eating really means for you and then learn how to make it be just eating - not love or celebration or family or comfort or anything else because you can do all those things without eating. Make exercising all about consistency and don't worry about how much and don't count the calories spent doing it - just make doing it a high priority in your daily life. Make eating a small part of your life.

This is so important, especially the bit I have highlighted, but also difficult if you enjoy eating out and restaurant culture. My husband and I cook and eat together to relax and celebrate and like to go to gourmet restaurants when we are on holiday. We don't want to lose that culture entirely, but especially the restaurant aspect of this is a challenge to integrate into a weight loss / maintenance routine / mindset. Lockdown has been useful in that way: we haven't been to a restaurant since February, and cooking at home makes it much easier to keep track of what I am eating.

MaltedTea

charmmeth wrote: »

MaltedTea wrote: »

charmmeth wrote: »

I take it you know about the maintenance forum here? *snip*

You mean this category of threads? ➡️ Goal: Maintaining Weight

... While I did say " Can you find threads about recomp, diet breaks, and other maintenance techniques? Absolutely" I should have added the way my Spock-like brain is set up, having a similar title/subject for this thread as the original one, and placing it in the same category ("Success Stories") just helps me find it faster. As does favoriting, of course.

Just a lazy hack. And I'll need all of the lazy hacks I can get my hands on to help me maintain once I get there in a few weeks lol

Yes, that is what I meant. I am all for lazy hacks, and this is a great thread! I was just wanting to affirm that there is real wisdom in that section of the forum too. (No snippiness was implied at all, and I am very sorry if my comment came over that way.)

I didn't take it that way at all! Your statistical approach and thorougness is likely the way I'm going to go about maintaining. The amount of non-MFP tracking I've done so far (mostly on Google Keeps and Slides) is almost silly 😥

While trying to balance obsession with observation, I believe the quantitative stuff can reveal important qualitative stuff (trends, habits, etc)...as demonstrated in your post.

charmmeth

LOL I have an excel spreadsheet which draws a graph month by month and calculates (among other things) a monthly mean. The monthly mean weight is great as it shows me the underlying trend. I like having the months superimposed on each other as it means that they are easy to compare.

gcminton

Yeah! Another thread to bookmark!

I'm sure as hell not at maintenance yet (2/3 of the way there) but I love these kinds of threads, where knowledge just condenses.

HeathieM

Yes! I dig these threads!

cupcakesandproteinshakes

I lost about 40 pounds a decade ago. Took me within high end of A normal bmi. Maintained that for about 5 years pretty effortlessly then dropped another 10 to get me to bmi 20. I find it harder to maintain this lower weight. I always want to eat more than I need. That sometimes means telling myself no. There aren’t any hacks or short cuts that I am aware of, alas.

I dunno whether it’s worth it in the end. I’m undecided whether to do a deliberate gaining phase of about 10 pounds while lifting. My thinking is that it was easier for me to maintain at a higher weight. And some of the gains will be muscle, hopefully. Not sure if any if that is helpful OP.

A lot of people here who are longish term successful at maintenance seem to have a wide weight maintenance bracket. Maybe that is something to consider.

JeanneTops

charmmeth wrote: »

JeanneTops wrote: »

What nobody tells you about maintenance?

You have to start working on it on Day One of the diet.

Learn what eating really means for you and then learn how to make it be just eating - not love or celebration or family or comfort or anything else because you can do all those things without eating. Make exercising all about consistency and don't worry about how much and don't count the calories spent doing it - just make doing it a high priority in your daily life. Make eating a small part of your life.

This is so important, especially the bit I have highlighted, but also difficult if you enjoy eating out and restaurant culture. My husband and I cook and eat together to relax and celebrate and like to go to gourmet restaurants when we are on holiday. We don't want to lose that culture entirely, but especially the restaurant aspect of this is a challenge to integrate into a weight loss / maintenance routine / mindset. Lockdown has been useful in that way: we haven't been to a restaurant since February, and cooking at home makes it much easier to keep track of what I am eating.

Something my husband and I have discovered during the pandemic is that we cook a lot better than most of the restaurants we were going to. We like to eat out as well but I think we're going to continue cutting out the majority of the restaurants we used to go to and focus on eating out for the taste rather than the convenience. We love gourmet restaurants serving local food. They serve much better quality and at a much lower volume. I'd rather eat less of something exceptionally well prepared than lots of something that is really only so-so. Skip the freebie bread, share an appetizer, limit yourself to one glass of wine and forgo dessert - the calories are a lot less and the cost is too!

charmmeth

We cook well (together) too: it's good fun and I like knowing where the ingredients come from (mostly our local organic shop).