Bleh, maintaining isn't maintaining anymore

Lietchi

I've been thinking about posting for a while now, but not quite sure what to say. Perhaps I'll just start with a few screenshots that show the heart of the issue...

It started with: yay!

But not so yay anymore, especially since December:

Clothes are getting (too) tight and that really sets of alarm bells because I do NOT want to buy a new wardrobe 😬

nossmf

You lost 34+ kgs to get to your desired weight, over a third of your body weight. Then you spent 2+ years maintaining within a narrow 3kg range, until the last four months have gone up by 2.5 kg.

You already proved you have all the tools, whether to lose weight or to maintain. Even this recent raise is still only up 4kg from your lowest point. So while I understand your frustration at gaining anything at all, what I see is an opportunity for you to dust off your proven weight-loss strategies and flex those weight-losing-muscles. Based upon how fast you lost the first time, you could be back down to "normal" by mid summer.

You got this! You have already proven you can.

Now, for the underlying concern about why maintenance apparently failed to maintain, I can leave the psychology to somebody else. But IMHO, maintenance is not simply a "lock in place" situation, but a continuous wave, going up and down. Ideally, we encounter the little ocean waves with small magnitude, not the enormous tidal waves on the beachfront. But we're human, which means we'll forever have ups and downs. What defines us is how we respond to them. You didn't give up when you were way up a few years ago; don't give up now.

Kupla71

Hi Lietchi, hang in there and try and nip it in the bud. You have done so well. You know what to do. Do you think it’s your diet that’s causing the weight gain or are you not running as much anymore?

Right now I’m focusing on my diet. I gained a few pounds and want to get my eating under control. I still walk and swim a little but that’s it for exercise. I don’t know what works for you but you know what does. 😊 Good that you have noticed your weight gain now and can take the steps to lose again and maintain. You can do it!!

AnnPT77

@lietchi, you're in the phase where "good save" is on the agenda. You've proven you know what to do, and proven you know how to apply those methods.

If you want to talk/vent about the underlying causes, feel free to do so here, of course. If you just want to get on with it . . . in grumpy or joyful silence . . . that's also OK, of course.

Either way, I'm cheering for you. (I'm also empathizing about the wardrobe issue: That's one of the things that keeps me in a semi-reasonable range. Ugh, clothes shopping, NO!)

I've been there, and back, and am semi-there again: I'm with @nossmf : Normal maintenance. What matters is what happens next. Hang in there.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

@Lietchi : I so know how this is. My weight trend since 2015, when I joined, looks like a series of slow climbs followed by quicker descents. The worst was this past two years. Moving into a new house and getting several injuries (including a foot injury at one point and then a back injury later) did me in. One thing I tell myself (over and over) is

"the sooner I intervene, the easier it will be to fix."

It does seem to be getting harder as I get older. I used to be able to drop in excess of 1lb/week, now I barely lose 1lb/week, and only if I really deprive myself. And, it seems to pop back on when I have even one indulgent evening. Urg!

It can help to shake things up one way or another. Partial or complete fasts can help reset your habits, for example.

Anyway, you know the drill. Time to lean in.

girlwithcurls2

@Lietchi , ^^^ all of this. The good people (you included) who have been here for a long time are spot on. I too, am doing it again. I am one of those who hasn't succeeded at long-term maintenance yet. I lose, I regress, and within a year or two, I'm arresting the slide up the scale. Even though I have stated right here, in the forums, that I am probably someone who will always have to log, I don't do it. Self-sabotage. Laziness.

I think @Jthanmyfitnesspal has a great mantra (I'll be borrowing it!). It's where I am right now. I caught it, but it is still frustrating, and the older I get, more challenging. I am making another international move across the globe which will disrupt all of my routines, but I am determined to do my best to stay on track and not wait to establish new routines.

You're definitely understood here. I always appreciate your posts. They're honest, helpful, vulnerable, and kind. We're rooting for you 💃

pridesabtch

@Lietchi I've been around a few times over the last 12 years or so (started as Notfortyet and now I'm 51) and I've seen your journey. I've always admired you, and still do. I have lost multiple times and never successfully maintained. You have maintenance under your belt, you know how. Kudos to you for not hiding from it. You've got this!