Switching to Maintenance. My Struggles. Any advice?

IronAndrew

As I mentioned in my other post in losing 143 pounds down from 331 pounds back in May 17 of 2022 ( down from above my second heaviest 360 pounds back in September of 2021 and my all time heaviest almost 370 back in May of 2017) down to below 188 pounds I anticipated issues with maintenance and I've encountered them.

I started at 331 pounds and I made it first to my original stopping point of 198 (I'm 6'1 and have a larger frame) before going past 192 pounds (the official acceptable BMI) to 188 and stopping there. Or so I thought.

The first week I was 188 pounds coincided with the end of easter candy sales in my area. As I overindulged in a bit too many cadbury eggs over the next two days I overcorrected by both continuing my daily strength training and my cardio/walking regiment to prevent gain and instead of maintaining ended up at a little under 187 at 186.8. Well I figured the next week I'll just eat what I was eating during my loss without any of garbage food and see what happens. I work in healthcare providing activities and enrichment to seniors with dementia so either food before my loss or exercise itself is my way of reducing my stress and anxiety after work. This translated to 2-3 hour walks plus another hour of cardio on top of my 15-30 minutes of strength training in the morning. I also hike usually once a week for about 1-2 hours. Sometimes twice. Sometimes longer like 2-4 hours.

Well the next week with the dual hiking and exercise I messed up again as I went to go get apples at an orchard that happened to have a bakery. I got this wonderful chocolate cake that had chocolate frosting, chocolate (of course!), chocolate pudding and chocolate crunchies all for an estimated 500-800 calories a SLICE. I kept active though and actually gave away or let half the cake go bad before I'd eat more (a waste I know) rather than consume the rest. I still did eat about 3 and a half slices of it over 2 days though. The rest of the week I went back to my "loss" eating habits. Instead of me maintaining at 188 pounds or even 187 I somehow ended up under 185 (a little under at 184.8 as of this writing).

Now I almost feel like I need to gain weight to get back up to 188 pounds but I feel like I'm getting caught up in a vicious cycle of sorts. I should be sticking to eating sensibly and doing my weekly tuesday group hikes for an hour to 1 hour fifteen minutes with my occasional solo or second group hike which runs 1-4 hours or so depending. the other two out of the four days I should only be walking 30-45 minutes instead of the 3-4 hours I find myself doing to "correct" on either the day I mess up or to make up for the other days. I haven't gained weight back I'm actually at a net loss (which is kinda good but a failure as I should be maintaining not losing anymore). I have to stop overcorrecting and burning extra calories to lose weight by not eating in the first place.

I haven't gained any weight I've actually lost it as I've said but I need to start maintaining and stop. Some people have been saying I need to stop and my face is becoming too narrow although I don't see it. The fact is that I haven't transistioned to maintenance well. I overindulged then react by overcorrecting lose the weight and then some and overindulge again. Just this morning I had chocolate chip pancakes for example. I've noticed my energy levels sometimes dropping off in the afternoon at work or if I run a lot of errands on my days off. Usually this happens if I eat a larger breakfast and then a not as large lunch but sometimes even with the reverse it happens. In both instances I usually have an apple for both to keep me full but maybe it's spiking my blood sugar?

Maybe part of this was due to me being so strict with myself for about a year and I need to be more careful as I loosen restrictions. I feel like I've only managed not to gain the weight back because I overcorrect but I'm definitely getting caught up in an overindulging/overcorrection cycle. That's not what I want.

Anyone else have experience with this and any tips on how to break out of it? I've got things coming up on the horizon career wise and need my focus to be on that. Plus I'm worried I might be developing "something" by doing this overcorrecting,

Maybe deep down I want to lose more weight and I'm not truly ready for maintenance for that reason? I had thought about pushing to under 180 to 170 pounds as a joke to myself but I'm not sure how I'd look like that at 6'1 with my frame. Even if I did that I think I'd still have this issue.

I definitely don't think I want to be under 180 though and I think I should stop it now that I'm 184.8/185 pounds.

Has anyone else gone through something like this after they lose the weight? I really just want to move on with things so I can setup my new eating/exercise routine and let it do its thing without too much thought.

keash123

I enjoyed reading your story. I have fluctuated my weight my whole life. At 5'4" my heaviest was a little over 150. I am now 127. But 3 years ago I started getting back in shape again. Started keto again, joined the gym, started working out 3 days a week. I used mfp for calories and macros counting. I got down to 117, then my goal weight was 119 so I would eat what I wanted or binge on sweets. I have since gained 8 pounds in a little over a year. In the past 3 months I have gained most of it. Not huge, but huge to me. I was able to maintain and even splurge for so long that now I am losing ground. I got back on mfp, and ate 41/2 cookies on Sunday at 150 calories each. So yesterday I only ate barely 800 calories. I am planning to weigh every morning, continue working out 3 days a week, and eating mindfully. Meditation may help you, and writing about your journey with your weight. I know I haven't lost as much as you, but my struggle is real. Good luck to you!!

cmriverside

Yeah, I think you're waay over-thinking this and trying too hard to make everything perfect.

I had a bit of a struggle transitioning to Maintenance, but I think you need to give yourself a range of like 5-7 pounds, not keep trying to work the exact numbers.

You're at a healthy weight. Have some cake. Have some chocolate eggs. That's what you'll be doing for the rest of your life, so making a huge deal out of it is going to be crazy-making.

Relax a little, not a lot. Give yourself a range.

With that said, the first year of post weight-loss was pretty volatile for me. I had some 10 pound weight swings and struggled to find the balance. It does get easier, just stay in your range, and try not to obsess. :flowerforyou:

AnnPT77

I'm with Riverside: It's not unusual to be over-anxious in the early stages of maintenance, so sure, other people have experiences like yours. They may or may not think of them in exactly the same way.

It sounds like you recently ate some not very nutrient dense but very tasty foods, still maintained your weight in a acceptable range (maybe in part by anxiously over-exercising or over-restricting at other times a little bit, but you did it), and along the way figured out that some eating schedules or food choices make you feel a little better or a little worse afterward physically (as in satiation among other things).

And then you worried about it all a whole bunch.

You maintained. That's good. You worried a lot. That's completely optional. It doesn't burn extra calories. It feels icky. Why do it?

Take a few deep breaths. Think about including some moderate treats in your eating patterns on a sensible frequency. Don't freak out if you over-indulge hugely on a very rare occasional (it's a drop in the ocean of life), just learn from it. Notice that you are actually maintaining (or maybe even undesirably still losing, but you can fix that . . . maybe even with some planned in moderate chocolate treats).

Now, just kind of work on the psychological side of it. You have control over that, too.

Adjust your plans toward moderation. Keep your weight in a range, mostly using gradual changes in routine, not panic actions. It'll be OK, really.

I had a phase last week that was like a toddler tantrum, I swear. I think I had whole 12-14" pizzas all by myself three times (with beer) in roughly a week, and that's not all. I'm in year 7 of maintaining a healthy weight, 131 point something pounds this morning, pretty close to where I was before the pizza explosion. Clearly, I need to not do that every week, but I'm not profoundly worried as long as it's truly rare. It's not how I usually eat. It's not going to throw me out of maintenance because of some magical evil spell. I may be up a pound or so, we'll see, but if I am I know what to do about that.

Maintenance is just figuring out how to live a reasonably, happy balanced life, while eating around the right number of calories . . . on average, over a period of time.

IronAndrew

Thanks to everyone for your responses thus far!

To give a little more insight into my line of thinking and anxiety with this phase I'll share this bit of background information. Many years ago I used to drink soda. I noticed I was drinking 2-3 cans of soda a day and then it was 4 and sometimes more. When it got to that point I gave it up for a year in hopes I could reset things. After making it a year and cautiously trying it again I ended up drinking 1-2 at most for the first three months before I was averaging 4-6 a day. Prior to that I had given it up again for half a year with similar results. At that point I was starting my first very serious weight loss attempt. I gave up soda first as I came to the conclusion I couldn't drink it in moderation. I believed and still do that I have a problem with it and the only solution was complete abstinence from it. These days I drink flavored seltzer water or regular water. Apart from the occasional apple cider/juice/milk/cocoa and of course plain coffee (I put NOTHING in mine [it's not for everyone but once I got used to drinking it that way I didn't go back]). My weight and teeth thanked me for it.

Similarly with the weight I remember when I first started in late May of 2017 and lost around 90 pounds only to see most of it come back after I went back to college in February of 2019 steadily gaining more and more of it back until I noticed I gained it all back minus maybe 10 pounds in September of 2021. I then adopted a stricter regimen of calorie control and exercise to push it down from around 370 pounds to 331 until after my final exams ended the following semester I decided to go all out and push to the very end from 331 all the way to 188. The issue was I ended up at 183.8 pounds averaging to about 184-185 as of this writing today as I overcorrected with the exercise to overcompensate for those pieces of cadbury eggs or pieces of chocolate cake.

Just like with the soda example I wonder if there are certain things I will have to abstain from for like. While I'm not really a candy person usually I loved (and still sort of do) love chocolate and can't see myself banning that from my diet forever. Same with pizza, pasta and most carbs.

My hope is after two weeks with minimal fluctuations of a pound to three pounds at most my body will "adjust" to my new weight or rather weight range and I can set and forget my exercise/calorie routine and just exercise and restrict if I start to overindulge during the holidays or something similar. I've already made my peace with being in a weight range rather than around an exact number. Anywhere from 183 to 190 pounds will be fine I think. The question is that realistic or should I expect more fluctuations than that?

I've used and continue to use exercise now instead of food for the stress and anxiety component in my life (I work in a nursing home providing enrichment and general activities for elderly residents with dementia, as you can imagine some days are tougher than others although I get plenty of exercise and steps there before I even get home) as there was a time I'd consume a whole pizza/pint of ice cream/pasta dish if it got out of control. Especially when I had classes on top of work and it before a major project or during studying/right before final exams. I don't do that anymore. I had the cadbury eggs purely because I was curious what they tasted like (I always got the regular ones this was the first time I tried the caramel and chocolate ones: verdict it caramel was the best, reese's and oreo ones were pretty good too) as they are usually only around during Easter time and because the chocolate cake was a limited time thing as well. I think there's still a mental component to this though. I'll have to deal with that but for now I want to deal with the physical component of it or at least know what to expect about it. How much weight fluctuations is normal for example.

I get the sense I should ease up on what I allow myself to eat and stop monitoring my caloric intake but when I stopped monitoring my caloric intake before was part of why I believe I gained. I have the anxiety piece mitigated by exercise satisfying that but I still think I should monitor my calories for another three weeks before I stop that.

At the very least I'll ease up for now as what how much I allow myself to eat as I'm still eating at my "burn rate" rather than my "maintenance rate" for caloric intake. That's probably resulting in why I still feel so shaky in the afternoon. And why I keep going down in weight.

I'm just so nervous about loosening the reigns. I gained it all back before. That also happened to my best friend too.

Still I'll allow myself just shy of 100 calories within the upper limit of the maintenance caloric range and monitor how that works for the next three weeks. If I don't see any fluctuations over the range I mentioned (183-190) then it's finally time to stop monitoring caloric intake apart from occasionally checking in once or twice monthly otherwise it's time to fully let go.

Is that a realistic plan?

AnnPT77

IronAndrew wrote: »

Thanks to everyone for your responses thus far!

To give a little more insight into my line of thinking and anxiety with this phase I'll share this bit of background information. Many years ago I used to drink soda. I noticed I was drinking 2-3 cans of soda a day and then it was 4 and sometimes more. When it got to that point I gave it up for a year in hopes I could reset things. After making it a year and cautiously trying it again I ended up drinking 1-2 at most for the first three months before I was averaging 4-6 a day. Prior to that I had given it up again for half a year with similar results. At that point I was starting my first very serious weight loss attempt. I gave up soda first as I came to the conclusion I couldn't drink it in moderation. I believed and still do that I have a problem with it and the only solution was complete abstinence from it. These days I drink flavored seltzer water or regular water. Apart from the occasional apple cider/juice/milk/cocoa and of course plain coffee (I put NOTHING in mine [it's not for everyone but once I got used to drinking it that way I didn't go back]). My weight and teeth thanked me for it.

Similarly with the weight I remember when I first started in late May of 2017 and lost around 90 pounds only to see most of it come back after I went back to college in February of 2019 steadily gaining more and more of it back until I noticed I gained it all back minus maybe 10 pounds in September of 2021. I then adopted a stricter regimen of calorie control and exercise to push it down from around 370 pounds to 331 until after my final exams ended the following semester I decided to go all out and push to the very end from 331 all the way to 188. The issue was I ended up at 183.8 pounds averaging to about 184-185 as of this writing today as I overcorrected with the exercise to overcompensate for those pieces of cadbury eggs or pieces of chocolate cake.

Just like with the soda example I wonder if there are certain things I will have to abstain from for like. While I'm not really a candy person usually I loved (and still sort of do) love chocolate and can't see myself banning that from my diet forever. Same with pizza, pasta and most carbs.

I don't think anyone other than you can answer that "what to ban forever" or "what can/can't I moderate" question. Reading posts here for going on 8 years, I think the answers are personal and idiosyncratic.

I do see people make broad-brush statements ("I must eliminate all added sugar" kind of thing). I'll take them at face value, mostly, but also see people make more nuanced statements.

For myself, I don't have stupid-uncontrollable cravings for calorie-dense but nutrient-sparse treats (sweet baked goods, candy) as long as I eat enough fruit. (Weird, maybe.) I can moderate those treat foods, and now I tend to be quite selective, going for whatever I personally define as the "good stuff" - such as higher quality chocolate, homemade baked goods.

There are foods or situations that are harder for me to moderate. Pizza and potlucks fall in that category. If I'm alone, and order a pizza (within certain size limitations), I'm eating the whole pizza. Sometimes I do that, but I avoid doing it often. If I go out with someone and they'll share a pizza with me, that works better, so sometimes I do that (if I can without bullying someone into my ordering preferences. ). I've figured out that potlucks are rare enough in my life that I don't need to freak out about those. I usually eat more than my usual, try to keep it non-crazy, and let it go.

Some of that is IMO experiential and experimental. I pick my battles with myself, and it's clearly the day in and day out common patterns that are the big factor, not the rare splurges. It took time to get there, psychologically. Not obsessing or beating myself up about things makes me - maybe perversely - handle things better, generally.

My hope is after two weeks with minimal fluctuations of a pound to three pounds at most my body will "adjust" to my new weight or rather weight range and I can set and forget my exercise/calorie routine and just exercise and restrict if I start to overindulge during the holidays or something similar. I've already made my peace with being in a weight range rather than around an exact number. Anywhere from 183 to 190 pounds will be fine I think. The question is that realistic or should I expect more fluctuations than that?

What I usually suggest to people is that if they weigh daily (under consistent conditions), they'll have an idea of their personal range of day to day random weight fluctuation. I suggest that the range be plus and minus that many pounds from the center of the goal weight range, plus a little. Then, if they go above that weight for more than a couple/few days in a row, it's time to cut back on eating a little, or add a little movement, to creep weight back down gradually. Same on the low end, except eat more/move less as the options.

Is that what I do myself? No. I'm not that disciplined. Yeah, I loosely try to stay in a narrow range, but my real guard rails are how my jeans fit. I totally hate to clothes shop. The worst thing about weight loss, for me, was having to buy all new clothes. So, if my jeans start to get a little snug (with Winter long johns in play), then I will cut back . . . a little, to creep my weight back down gradually.

So that's idiosyncratic, too. But it's worked for 7+ years so far.

I've used and continue to use exercise now instead of food for the stress and anxiety component in my life (I work in a nursing home providing enrichment and general activities for elderly residents with dementia, as you can imagine some days are tougher than others although I get plenty of exercise and steps there before I even get home) as there was a time I'd consume a whole pizza/pint of ice cream/pasta dish if it got out of control. Especially when I had classes on top of work and it before a major project or during studying/right before final exams. I don't do that anymore. I had the cadbury eggs purely because I was curious what they tasted like (I always got the regular ones this was the first time I tried the caramel and chocolate ones: verdict it caramel was the best, reese's and oreo ones were pretty good too) as they are usually only around during Easter time and because the chocolate cake was a limited time thing as well. I think there's still a mental component to this though. I'll have to deal with that but for now I want to deal with the physical component of it or at least know what to expect about it. How much weight fluctuations is normal for example.

I like the caramel ones, too. I don't buy them very often anymore. If I buy them, I don't buy a multi-pack. Sometimes a friend gives me one, and I'll eat it.

I suspect it's mostly mental. Mindset even affects our appetite/hunger hormone levels, surprisingly.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21574706/

Like Yogi Berra (maybe) said: 90% of the game is half mental.

I get the sense I should ease up on what I allow myself to eat and stop monitoring my caloric intake but when I stopped monitoring my caloric intake before was part of why I believe I gained. I have the anxiety piece mitigated by exercise satisfying that but I still think I should monitor my calories for another three weeks before I stop that.

At the very least I'll ease up for now as what how much I allow myself to eat as I'm still eating at my "burn rate" rather than my "maintenance rate" for caloric intake. That's probably resulting in why I still feel so shaky in the afternoon. And why I keep going down in weight.

If you're feeling shaky in the afternoon, definitely eat more (if losing) or (if not losing) change the timing of what you eat. Shakiness is a bad sign.

Some people stop calorie counting in maintenance, some don't. You can figure out what works for you.

Me, I counted like it was religion, every day during loss and the early part of maintenance. The practice of counting doesn't feel anxious or obsessive to me, just routine - like brushing my teeth or something. I still log most days now, but not every day. It doesn't take much time, and seems like a small price to pay to stay at a healthy weight. As a hedonist by nature, I want to eat every calorie I've earned, and still maintain my weight. If I didn't count, I'd be more anxious, personally, not less . . . and would possibly leave some yummy calories uneaten that I could've eaten and still maintained. I wouldn't like that.

Maybe eventually I'll stop counting, but so far that's not what works for me.

I'm just so nervous about loosening the reigns. I gained it all back before. That also happened to my best friend too.

Still I'll allow myself just shy of 100 calories within the upper limit of the maintenance caloric range and monitor how that works for the next three weeks. If I don't see any fluctuations over the range I mentioned (183-190) then it's finally time to stop monitoring caloric intake apart from occasionally checking in once or twice monthly otherwise it's time to fully let go.

Is that a realistic plan?

Most of us have gained and lost before, probably. In my mind, it's the ignoring what's happening (denial?) that's the problem. A person who keeps weighing, and takes corrective action before things get much out of hand, and keeps reaction moderate (not panicked/extreme) . . . I think that can work.

Gaining weight back doesn't happen overnight, right? It can't happen unless we either ignore (pretend not to notice) the weight creep, or don't act on it.

Personally, since I know I like a treat or a splurge now and then, I tend to eat a little under maintenance calories most days (not much, maybe 100-150 calories), which gives me some wiggle room to eat over maintenance occasionally (a.k.a. "calorie banking"). (As an aside, I wouldn't do that if I had any negative symptoms from it, like shakiness. But I don't.) Then, if the scale is up, my basic strategy is to reduce the frequency/size of treats/splurges until my weight slowly creeps back down to the lower end of my range again.

That works for me, so far. The splurges/treats now and then help keep me happy. The same approach wouldn't work for everyone.

You'll figure it out. Your being analytic about it - as you evidently are - should be a help. Anxiety about it? I suspect not so helpful. Perhaps that will dissipate with time/experience. Or with trying to dissipate it.

Best wishes!

Pdc654

IronAndrew wrote: »

Thanks to everyone for your responses thus far!

To give a little more insight into my line of thinking and anxiety with this phase I'll share this bit of background information. Many years ago I used to drink soda. I noticed I was drinking 2-3 cans of soda a day and then it was 4 and sometimes more. When it got to that point I gave it up for a year in hopes I could reset things. After making it a year and cautiously trying it again I ended up drinking 1-2 at most for the first three months before I was averaging 4-6 a day. Prior to that I had given it up again for half a year with similar results. At that point I was starting my first very serious weight loss attempt. I gave up soda first as I came to the conclusion I couldn't drink it in moderation. I believed and still do that I have a problem with it and the only solution was complete abstinence from it. These days I drink flavored seltzer water or regular water. Apart from the occasional apple cider/juice/milk/cocoa and of course plain coffee (I put NOTHING in mine [it's not for everyone but once I got used to drinking it that way I didn't go back]). My weight and teeth thanked me for it.

Similarly with the weight I remember when I first started in late May of 2017 and lost around 90 pounds only to see most of it come back after I went back to college in February of 2019 steadily gaining more and more of it back until I noticed I gained it all back minus maybe 10 pounds in September of 2021. I then adopted a stricter regimen of calorie control and exercise to push it down from around 370 pounds to 331 until after my final exams ended the following semester I decided to go all out and push to the very end from 331 all the way to 188. The issue was I ended up at 183.8 pounds averaging to about 184-185 as of this writing today as I overcorrected with the exercise to overcompensate for those pieces of cadbury eggs or pieces of chocolate cake.

Just like with the soda example I wonder if there are certain things I will have to abstain from for like. While I'm not really a candy person usually I loved (and still sort of do) love chocolate and can't see myself banning that from my diet forever. Same with pizza, pasta and most carbs.

My hope is after two weeks with minimal fluctuations of a pound to three pounds at most my body will "adjust" to my new weight or rather weight range and I can set and forget my exercise/calorie routine and just exercise and restrict if I start to overindulge during the holidays or something similar. I've already made my peace with being in a weight range rather than around an exact number. Anywhere from 183 to 190 pounds will be fine I think. The question is that realistic or should I expect more fluctuations than that?

I've used and continue to use exercise now instead of food for the stress and anxiety component in my life (I work in a nursing home providing enrichment and general activities for elderly residents with dementia, as you can imagine some days are tougher than others although I get plenty of exercise and steps there before I even get home) as there was a time I'd consume a whole pizza/pint of ice cream/pasta dish if it got out of control. Especially when I had classes on top of work and it before a major project or during studying/right before final exams. I don't do that anymore. I had the cadbury eggs purely because I was curious what they tasted like (I always got the regular ones this was the first time I tried the caramel and chocolate ones: verdict it caramel was the best, reese's and oreo ones were pretty good too) as they are usually only around during Easter time and because the chocolate cake was a limited time thing as well. I think there's still a mental component to this though. I'll have to deal with that but for now I want to deal with the physical component of it or at least know what to expect about it. How much weight fluctuations is normal for example.

I get the sense I should ease up on what I allow myself to eat and stop monitoring my caloric intake but when I stopped monitoring my caloric intake before was part of why I believe I gained. I have the anxiety piece mitigated by exercise satisfying that but I still think I should monitor my calories for another three weeks before I stop that.

At the very least I'll ease up for now as what how much I allow myself to eat as I'm still eating at my "burn rate" rather than my "maintenance rate" for caloric intake. That's probably resulting in why I still feel so shaky in the afternoon. And why I keep going down in weight.

I'm just so nervous about loosening the reigns. I gained it all back before. That also happened to my best friend too.

Still I'll allow myself just shy of 100 calories within the upper limit of the maintenance caloric range and monitor how that works for the next three weeks. If I don't see any fluctuations over the range I mentioned (183-190) then it's finally time to stop monitoring caloric intake apart from occasionally checking in once or twice monthly otherwise it's time to fully let go.

Is that a realistic plan?

I am almost ready to switch to maintenance myself and I do understand your anxiety about it. I am a little nervous myself. I have lost weight many times in the past but have never been able to maintain the loss. For me, based on my own experience I do not think I do well with not logging. It is way too easy to go over on calories and too easy to justify it by saying to myself "oh that's only a couple of cookies", or cake, or whatever. If I get stressed it gets worse. Pretty soon, I've lost all concept of how many calories I'm really consuming. What is different this time is that I have a plan for maintenance. I never have had a plan before. I plan to continue weighing and logging well into maintenance. Maybe forever. In the last 2 years, I have lost over 110 lbs, and I never want to be back there again. You might not need to log forever, but i do suggest logging for your first year or so at least. It makes it easier to correct if you know what you're eating and where you can cut if necessary. Also, listen to what people have said about staying within a range and not a specific number. I see that you have chosen a maintenance weight range. That's good. Weight can vary a couple pounds from day to day, and more if you've eaten a salty meal or lots of carbs. This is nothing to be concerned about, it's just water. Don't overthink it. Stay within the range you've chosen and you'll be fine.

JaysFan82

I've been going through what you've been experiencing since I hit Maintenance in Feb

I've lost 15 more pounds since I hit my goal weight of 235. I was 388.6 when I started.

Really trying not to lose more, but I burn so many calories running. I was also super strict with my diet and was afraid to enjoy some of the foods I cut out during my loss. I've learned that it's OK and that there's nothing to be afraid of. Just don't kill a frozen pizza every night. Just once in a while.

SummerSkier

this is a very good thread for maintainers for sure. I started on MFP for the 2nd time in May 2017 and dropped 30 pounds (not a lot but for me it was!) and began maintaining Oct 2017. Like many I gradually increased my cals and kept a close eye on the scale and energy levels. I did continue to lose slowly for about 3 more months. I somethings think when we first enter maintenance if it is not an explosion of food our bodies are still in losing mode so like a huge ship where you have taken your hand off the throttle you are gradually losing loss momentum but still going down. At some point your intake and the loss momentum cross lines and then you start to gain again. 😉

As a serial yo yo er for almost 50 years of the same 20-30 pounds I an tell you that this is the first time that I ever focused on maintaining. In the past it was all about losing and there was absolutely no plan forward after that. The fact that you are HERE in this forum I feel gives you 100% more chance of success 💪✅ than anyone who just says - ok - I did it. bye bye

In my current almost 6 year journey I have found that really success is just a small series of ups and downs. The first few months are nice because usually you are still going down slowly but the trick is to catch when you start to slide the other way (injury prevented exercise maybe? eye balled foods a little too wrong? too much celebration or travel or eating out? who knows?) but it's easy to be derailed. If you set a reasonable range based on where you feel best then perhaps once or twice a year you have to take a week or 2 to cut back in order to get back to range. Much better than closing your eyes and regaining half or all of it. It's hard. We get used to maintaining and relaxed rules after a while but the reward is wonderful esp for those who took a long time to lose a lot of weight. 👏👏👏👏

lauragarcia70x

Hi Andrew- first congrats on the weight loss! I also lost 140 lbs and have been maintaining since last August. It is a difficult transition from loss to maintenance. Be patient with yourself and this is key: look at your weight average over at least a week, better yet a month, instead of focusing on today’s number. Makes a big difference! Sounds like you are in a classic binge-restrict cycle. I struggle with the exact same thing. Feed yourself adequately on what would be your restriction days, and work treats/avoidance foods into your daily meal plan to cut off the inclination to binge. Hang in there!

spiriteagle99

Like many here, I have lost and regained many times over the years. About 10 years ago I lost 55 lbs. and have sustained that loss (within 5 lbs.) ever since. The last time was different for a few reasons: 1) I found a level of exercise I enjoyed and could sustain. This allows me to enjoy treats within reason. My calories are aimed at matching my level of exercise, not vice versa. (Beware of using exercise to punish yourself for eating too much. That can lead to hating exercise.) Usually when I can't exercise, because of injury etc., my appetite decreases enough that I have been able to maintain even when not running several days a week. 2.) I continued to log what I eat, though I don't weigh or measure any more. It's enough that I'm honest with how many cookies I eat or the fact that I ate a chocolate bar instead of an apple. Usually the logging acts as a restraint to over-indulgence. (i.e. 2 cookies not 3.) 3) I continue to weigh myself at least once a week. As Ann said, one thing that leads to regain is denying the fact that you are gaining weight. It is easy to do when you don't have any numbers to set you straight. Sometimes clothes sizes aren't enough to let you know what is happening.

It can take a while to figure out how many calories you actually need to maintain your weight and how to listen to hunger cues that tell you when you need more food. Because you are so active, you may need more calories than the average person your size. Just keep on logging until you figure it out.

IronAndrew

I've watched my weight climb back up tp about 187 since the beginning of the month. Given the goal was 188 I'm not too worried but I am slightly concerned. I had some adverse things happen at work and have a certification thing to pass for both the field I work in as well as my job this Tuesday which is leading to less time for exercise as I need to continue to study for it. Though when I speak to not exercising I refer to not getting in my usual cardio and/or walking or hiking. I have continued to get in my daily strength training every single day. If I hadn't I imagine I'd be in far worse shape. It's probably why a lot of people I talk to don't believe me when I say my weight's up.

This issue is I use cardio/walking exercise to deal with stress. If I don't have time to deal with stress through this form of exercise I reach for food. Just like I used to do and what I was afraid would happen. I've noticed I'm not going back to fast food or any of my old junk foods I'm just eating more of what's in my diet up to this point. A lot more. Like peanut butter crackers and so on. And a lot of it at night and the evenings the worst possible time to. I know this because I never stopped logging my calories and I weigh weekly to twice weekly.

Maintenance is not going well but it could be worse. I don't even need to necessarily lose any weight yet. But I do need to achieve homeostasis soon. Like this week or next.

There is something to a binge -restrict cycle happening with me. Only with the loss of the exercise I lost my way of controlling for both burned calories as well as not overconsuming out of stress. After this Tuesday I should be clear of my current obstacle. Given I was able to successfully juggle a similar thing when I was going for my certification/licensing earlier this year I'm disappointed in myself but next week is a new week.

I really think the key is for me to get more sleep too. I've been averaging something close to 3 hours of sleep or less a night and that was going on for over two weeks. It caught up with me.

That and figuring out why I seem to be so out of breath and dizzy lately. This was a precursor to before I started losing sleep. Regardless of when I was losing weight and before I transitioned to maintenance. Even after I started overeating I still feel that way. I suspect this is a separate issue. I really hope it's not insulin resistance or something.

SModa61

@Ironandrew I enjoyed reading your thread and the responses you have received. I am back pretty much at maintenance.....again. It is where I fail.

I guess I don't really have advice for you as I am trying to figure it out myself, but I am wishing you success.