What I Love About Being in Maintenance

mylittlerainbow
mylittlerainbow Posts: 822 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
1) Weighing what I'm "supposed" to weigh;
2) Fitting in to all of my pretty clothes again;
3) Not feeling ashamed of my appearance and having to wrestle with myself to go places;
4) Feeling a lot better physically, not just emotionally;
5) Being able to eat as much as 400 calories in a meal and still program in snacks and treats!

Replies

  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,185 Member
    Lovely attitude! Yes, being in maintenance has a lot of perks.

    1) Not need to weigh and/or log every little morsel that I put in my mouth and not worrying if I don't log for few days.
    2) Feeling good about what I learned while loosing and trusting my intuitive eating.
    3) Being on vacation, not logging or weighing food and still keeping the weight under control (see #2)
    4) Still keeping and eye on the scale and not worrying about the little fluctuations.
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,127 Member
    what an upbeat and positive subject! Congratulations @mylittlerainbow :) esp in such a strange and stressful time right now.

    I think what I love about maintaining is the ability to experiment more with different nutrition and exercise programs and also to set longer term goals - thinking monthly and annually versus daily.
  • Dootzy1
    Dootzy1 Posts: 2,339 Member
    @ameinhorn If you overly restrict calories on your days "on program", maybe your window of eating on weekends just is your reaction to that. For every big restriction, an equal and opposite binge was a problem for me. When I ate all my calories, the impulse to binge faded.
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    As much as 400 calories a meal????

    I am still on a calories deficit diet and have nearly that much just in veg for my main meal. Today's dinner was 750 calories in total - veg, tuna, and some dahl.

    Just goes to show there is no "one size fits all".
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,185 Member
    freda78 wrote: »
    As much as 400 calories a meal????

    I am still on a calories deficit diet and have nearly that much just in veg for my main meal. Today's dinner was 750 calories in total - veg, tuna, and some dahl.

    Just goes to show there is no "one size fits all".

    Exactly because we are not all the same height, weight and age. Shorter, petite and not so young people don't need to eat that many calories per meal. I don't.

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Loving this post @mylittlerainbow :smile:

    For me maintenance means:
    Not having to worry about weighing my foods any more, years of practice means I know instinctively portion sizes - I find I don't even have to log my food to maintain my weight. Eating intuitively comes naturally.
    A consistent exercise habit - its become a longterm habit which keeps me strong and fit but also means I can maintain on almost 1900 calories (not bad for being a shortie and 50+)
    Having more confidence in general because I can wear anything and it looks good on me :smiley: I LOVE being slim and lean :smile:

    Yes, the world of maintenance is good - its takes effort but it's worth it :smile:

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    ameinhorn wrote: »
    I don't know how to maintain my weight. I weigh myself everyday and I've allowed myself a five pound fluctuation. My problem is I can't seem to trust myself with the way I eat. I count everything all week long and then on the weekend (usually Saturday), I go crazy and binge eat. I hate this and don't want to stay in this pattern. I just want to eat well everyday and allow myself to eat whatever I want in a normal way. I haven't gained any weight by doing this - in fact I've lost some more but I feel like I'm obsessed with food and I don't want to be. Is anyone else struggling with this?

    If you are maintaining within that 5lbs then you are maintaining just fine (most of us have a +/-?lb range) - perhaps you overly restrict your calories during the week? Also you say you binge at the weekends, but is it just a bit of overeating which you feel guilty about?
  • akm0615
    akm0615 Posts: 29 Member
    I have just started maintenance since Sept 2020. It is definitely intuitive when it comes to portion control. Smaller plates was the first change I made in January and measured everything until I learned. I don't measure anymore but, I still track and kept working out consistent. So far so good keeping it at 2Lbs +/-.

    The holidays are going to be a little scary... I think I have a plan. We'll see.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    ameinhorn wrote: »
    I don't know how to maintain my weight. I weigh myself everyday and I've allowed myself a five pound fluctuation. My problem is I can't seem to trust myself with the way I eat. I count everything all week long and then on the weekend (usually Saturday), I go crazy and binge eat. I hate this and don't want to stay in this pattern. I just want to eat well everyday and allow myself to eat whatever I want in a normal way. I haven't gained any weight by doing this - in fact I've lost some more but I feel like I'm obsessed with food and I don't want to be. Is anyone else struggling with this?

    I pretty much do this every night. I don't actually count, but I eat semi low calorie all day and then eat snacks on the couch at night. Idk how to overcome this, it's like a compulsion.
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    freda78 wrote: »
    As much as 400 calories a meal????

    I am still on a calories deficit diet and have nearly that much just in veg for my main meal. Today's dinner was 750 calories in total - veg, tuna, and some dahl.

    Just goes to show there is no "one size fits all".

    Exactly because we are not all the same height, weight and age. Shorter, petite and not so young people don't need to eat that many calories per meal. I don't.

    I guess it also depends how many meals a day you have. I have two.
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,127 Member
    @DancingMoosie "I pretty much do this every night. I don't actually count, but I eat semi low calorie all day and then eat snacks on the couch at night. Idk how to overcome this, it's like a compulsion."

    Maybe that's just how you are. ;) As long as you are maintaining long term and it works why worry about it? I have the majority of my calories in the evening also. It's sort of like a reward after a long day of work and working out. But it also keeps me from going off the rails because I pre log and know exactly what I am having for dinner.

  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,185 Member
    freda78 wrote: »
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    freda78 wrote: »
    As much as 400 calories a meal????

    I am still on a calories deficit diet and have nearly that much just in veg for my main meal. Today's dinner was 750 calories in total - veg, tuna, and some dahl.

    Just goes to show there is no "one size fits all".

    Exactly because we are not all the same height, weight and age. Shorter, petite and not so young people don't need to eat that many calories per meal. I don't.

    I guess it also depends how many meals a day you have. I have two.

    Agree. I have three :D
  • mylittlerainbow
    mylittlerainbow Posts: 822 Member
    I love your remarks, Aimeetu! Being on THIS side of it and intending never ever go go through that again!!
  • akm0615
    akm0615 Posts: 29 Member
    So well said @aimeetu being on "this side of it" is definitely worth the little extra of any effort it takes to stay on "this side of it".
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