How do you maintain?
melissaka7
Posts: 277 Member
Alright, so I have lost 44lbs since May. My goal is to lose a total of 50. I just want to be under 140 and I understand there will be flucuations. I've struggled with overeating and eating disorders (nothing official, just serious restriction). I don't want to count calories for the rest of my life, but I now LOVE working out, so that won't be an issue.
I'm just not sure what's going to happen next...
I'm just not sure what's going to happen next...
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Replies
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I honestly plan on continuing to count. Now that I'm working on fitness and bulking/cutting, I find it's a helpful tool to watch my intake of not just calories, but also my macros and specific micros. Also, it takes very little time for me to log at this point, so I don't consider it a hindrance.0
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I agree that you need to count for at least several months. You have built good habits. Now they need to become ingrained.
When you hit your goal weight up your calories by, say, 100 or so a day. Try that for a week (you may gain a few pounds immediately, but it hsould stabilize.) Then up again if you're still losing. Keep on until you are stable.
Keep exercising. Don't forget to eat your exercise calories back or you will continue to lose, which is not your goal.0 -
Hey,
So I've kept the weight off for about 10 months now. It's awesome that you love to work out! Working out will continue to improve the look of your body, and it helps with the confidence to. Maintaining is a rocky road. I don't want to sugar coat it. I've found maintaining to be more emotionally difficult than losing or before I even started losing. I have continued to calorie count and weigh in quite often, it keeps me from going insane haha. But the good news is at some point you will be able to slowly increase your calorie count (emphasis on SLOWLY!!). Take it day by day. Stick to the plan. And hopefully once you've kept the weight off for a while you can ease off of calorie counting and limit weigh ins. But for now continue to calorie count, continue to weigh in, and basically act as though you are still trying to lose the weight.
Good Luck
and remember if you've lost the weight.. you can keep it off and if the dreaded time comes when you need to re- lose it.. you know you can! 0 -
I am very close to maintenance as well and it is very much on my mind. I know I am planning on continuing to log, probably forever. It's something relatively easy to do and it has been probably the single most important reason behind the weight loss I have had. Keep logging. That would be my advice. Also, weigh every day, knowing that there might be a couple pounds fluctuation....0
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Found the amount of food I needed to maintain my weight, logged it for a few months, then one day decided that I was becoming too obsessed and didn't want to log anymore. I glanced over previous diary entries, ascertained the kinds of foods I ate on a daily basis to maintain and stopped logging cold turkey. My weight has stayed pretty much within the same 1-3 lb range that it was while logging everything, but now I don't stress as much over hitting that daily mythical number. Some days I'm sure I'm over the "goal" number and some days I'm under. I still weigh out certain foods and always maintain reasonable portion sizes. I also weigh myself once a week or less often just to have a feel for how things are going. It's important to adhere to the same good habits that you learned while going about losing the weight.0
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I started the program in 2010 and got to my goal in 2011. I've maintained since then by keeping at the logging and exercise... I've been at my goal weight now for almost 2 years. Counting is what got me here... no reason to stop now!
Motivation changes over time. The main thing is to always have goals beyond weight loss. Goals like exercise achievements (I want to ride my bike X miles in a day, for example), or strength (lift X weight), or muscle development (tone, trim, core, arms, legs, chest, etc).
It helps me to flex my calories in a weekly instead of a daily budget. So I can splurge one day and make it up later or I can save some for the weekend. This lets me have some fun foods I normally deny myself, but still keep control.0 -
Since running is my hobby, it helps me maintain my weight. Like others have said. I count my calories and make sure I get all my macros and micros. I don't worry about over eating because I start to lose weight at a daily calorie intake of 2,600 calories. I worry about under eating! lol0
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I've been maintaining for approx. 2 years and still log most days - I set my calories based on losing 1lb per week and this allows me to be over without gaining. Having weighed and logged religiously when I was serious about losing the weight in the first place I believe I can now judge portion sizes and make sensible choices. I have noticed that my tastes have changed over time to prefer the lighter options.0
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I maintain using a Fitbit which has been brilliant. I logged for the first few months of maintaining but then found that I kept on losing weight. I then got fed up with logging everything and didn't want to imagine the rest of my life dependant on keeping a food diary so I spent about 6 months off logging and then when I started running again I got the Fitbit and started logging on MFP again because I wanted to make sure I was eating enough.
I found that maintenance is not easy - weight loss seemed easier. But try and remember it takes time to find the balance, but when you have it, it's worth the effort.0 -
I am 4lb from my goal and have just started using MFP - I think I will always need something like this to keep me on the straight and narrow but I definitely don't want to be obsessive - even to the point of just logging what I eat, not looking at the daily result and checking once a week as to how I did and how it affected the scales.0
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I'm lucky in that I hit my goal 10 months ago, upped my cals, and have managed to keep it balanced every since. I weigh every now and again just to make sure, and if I ever find I'm gaining (or losing, really) weight that I don't want to, I will just have to start counting again and then think about the balance.0
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Set yourself a routine and net of calories and if you gain weight 2 weeks in a row give your self a decrease of 200 call's but if you lose give your self a increase of 100 cals0
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Either count or eat the same thing everyday. People always underestimate the amount of calories they consume. Ofcourse most people will not eat the same thing for all their meals everyday, so the counting helps tremendously! Eat clean and exercise=maintenance.0
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After 1.5 years of losing there is a clear pattern of meals, foods emerging. So to maintain I'll continue doing what I'm doing with a little extra in my portions.
I'll be estimating cals.0 -
I faithfully weigh myself when home everyday the first thing in the morning. While water gain can be an issue, I find that if I am gaining weight, I am eating too much. My rule, five pounds and you got to kick your butt in gear and lose it. That may happen during the holidays or when I am away and I am forced to eat out a lot. I have lost and have kept the weight off for over five years. As others have said, you will actually get a sense for portions and how much you can eat. Also, clothes are always an indication more so then weighing. If its getting snug your gaining and if it is getting too loose, you are losing. Despite all that, I still like seeing my calorie consumption and so I log it. It keeps me honest too.0
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Gosh, that could have been ME writing that post, Mkandell17!!! I, too, have lost 45lbs since May, with my goal being 139lbs! I've also fallen in love with running and working out at the gym and have had compulsive overeating tendencies (recognised by myself but not officially) in the past. Again, like yourself, I appeciate that there are daily fluctuations in weight naturally, so I never panic if I mysteriously gain half a pound, it always seems to disappear again a day or two later! lol
I'm verging on maintaining and it is scaring the cr@p out of me, to be honest.... I've always yo-yo'd in the past but this year was the year that I changed my lifestyle (like starting running and cutting out all "white carbs") so there is a larger part of me that is confident that this time the weight has gone for keeps... but it IS a very daunting time. I'm just planning on sticking with MFP and being completely honest about what I'm eating and drinking for a good few more months yet whilst my brain catches "down" with my body!!!0 -
What I am doing right now is weighing myself daily. I record my weight and plot it on a line graph. I know my weight will fluctuate and so I don't freak out if it goes up. I have loosened the reigns on my eating so to speak. I am running regularly and doing strength training. With that, it seems I can eat quite a bit and maintain. Right now, its kinda blowing my mind how much I can eat. My plan is to continue weighing myself because that is the only way to keep my "honest" so to speak. I do journal but right now I honestly don't journal everything. I am really trying to control portions and eat real food. I stay away from "diet food." I eat plenty of vegetables, some fruit and try to eat more protein than carbs. I eat full fat dairy(except for milk) but I do limit myself on bread, white flour, potatoes and sugar. I do allow myself a "splurge" meal right now but really its after I just ran a 5k so it fits into my plan. I have maintained within a few lbs since August 1st doing this.0
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Found this excellent link.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A
its 22 mins which explains how to maintain weight off, and why it is so hard to maintain.
its brilliant.:happy:0 -
Keep going, enjoy yourself, and if you are trying to lose weight, add another form of exercise and watch your diet. Good luck.0
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I summarized as follows:
1, eat some breakfast, and I do not eat breakfast one, at noon hungry, eat always particularly high.
2, eat some lunch, lunch eat well at night hungry faster and eat more than that.
3, eat dinner, or eat an apple, OK.
4, do not always eat snacks, watch TV or the Internet, a cup of boiled water drink ~
5, after dinner to sit, not fat not work - I now regard the housework in the evening, one hour Guarantee will not have time to clean of flesh!
6, leftovers are still reluctant to it ~ finally into his belly is still full, poor Oh, and finally had to spend money to lose weight, not worth!
7, early to bed early, very important, the early time, then finally running exercise!
8, buy a weight scale, no fixed time week weigh and effective weight control!0 -
I track during the week & the week only, along with moderate exercise every day.
I don't track at weekends & eat what I want to an extent.
Probably not the preferred method, but it's worked for me.0 -
i'm close to the end now so i've been feeling the same. reading these responses is really interesting.0
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I summarized as follows:
1, eat some breakfast, and I do not eat breakfast one, at noon hungry, eat always particularly high.
2, eat some lunch, lunch eat well at night hungry faster and eat more than that.
3, eat dinner, or eat an apple, OK.
4, do not always eat snacks, watch TV or the Internet, a cup of boiled water drink ~
5, after dinner to sit, not fat not work - I now regard the housework in the evening, one hour Guarantee will not have time to clean of flesh!
6, leftovers are still reluctant to it ~ finally into his belly is still full, poor Oh, and finally had to spend money to lose weight, not worth!
7, early to bed early, very important, the early time, then finally running exercise!
8, buy a weight scale, no fixed time week weigh and effective weight control!
this is amazing0 -
I summarized as follows:
1, eat some breakfast, and I do not eat breakfast one, at noon hungry, eat always particularly high.
2, eat some lunch, lunch eat well at night hungry faster and eat more than that.
3, eat dinner, or eat an apple, OK.
4, do not always eat snacks, watch TV or the Internet, a cup of boiled water drink ~
5, after dinner to sit, not fat not work - I now regard the housework in the evening, one hour Guarantee will not have time to clean of flesh!
6, leftovers are still reluctant to it ~ finally into his belly is still full, poor Oh, and finally had to spend money to lose weight, not worth!
7, early to bed early, very important, the early time, then finally running exercise!
8, buy a weight scale, no fixed time week weigh and effective weight control!
this is amazing
oh shoot then i will have quite a hard time maintaining since i don't understand a word of this *kitten*. woe is me.
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anyway I just wing it.
I dont' know if it's from my past "failures" at crash dieting where i could never eat at those crash levels and so never "broke" my metabolism but then only when doing diets that allowed actual food and so lost weight little by little (and cursed it while my friends lost fast and "succeeded" at dieting) but I am able to stop dieting and fly solo and maintain whatever weight I was at provided I don't go nutsbonkers and eat all teh foodz.0 -
Found this excellent link.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A
its 22 mins which explains how to maintain weight off, and why it is so hard to maintain.
its brilliant.:happy:
Just watched the program you linked. It was interesting and informative, but WOW is that depressing. My metabolism will never revert back to the metabolism of someone who hasn't been overweight? I will need to eat significantly less and/or exercise significantly more than my imaginary twin who never gained the weight in the first place? FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE? I don't know. I'm kind of horrified. It isn't that I'm not motivated to maintain my current weight. I am. It isn't that I want to return to eating the way I used to, or to stop walking everywhere. I don't. I haven't made any changes that I'm not happy to live with for the rest of my life. It's just the thought that I have permanently damaged my metabolism to the extent that it will never recover... wow, I'm speechless.0 -
Apply the lessons you learned in the dieting phase of your weight loss: portion control, balanced diet, reasonable amounts of exercise, suitable measurements at periodic intervals and see how you go.
You need to trust in the process and if your habits have become ingrained then you will maintain unconsciously as your calorie intake matches your calorie expenditure.
If you feel the need to continue tracking as it forces accountability then do so for a while but always keep in mind what you want to achieve - which I presume is weight maintenance without tracking - and how you can do exactly that in the long term.
Personally, a life time of counting calories sounds dire to me...0 -
Keep up working out.
Eat everything, that you like. No restrictions!
Only eat, when you are hungry!
Stop eating, when you feel getting full, even if you have leftovers on your plate (important in restaurants)
Watch the sugar (not to much candy).0 -
Normally I eat at a slight deficit Sunday - Thursday. Friday and Saturday are my relaxed days so when I eat over maintenance it all balances out and i don't gain weight. If I go out to eat I usually gain temporary water weight but if I drink extra water for the next day or two it goes away.
I continue to write down everything I eat and drink in my notebook and I pre-plan my meals the night before. The writing helps me to see trends and get food ideas and the pre-planing saves me lots of time.
No restrictions! I find ways to substitute ingredients, make the food myself or work it into my calories.
I have a +/- 5lb range I stick to and I try to stay closer to the - weight. If I start getting closer to the + weight I start working on getting back to the lower number so 5 lbs don't turn into 10 lbs, 10 lbs turn into 15 lbs etc.
Working out is a high priority for me. It helps me feel good, I like what is does for my body aesthetically and it allows me to eat more.
Also I have an eating window where I start eating and stop eating. No grazing all day, that can set me up to overeat. I eat all of my food then I close the kitchen until the next day.
Doing all of this consistently has worked extremely well for me. I don't gain weight and I don't lose weight, although I am still losing inches, but that's more of a workout thing.0
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