What is the secret?

EllaPaigeNora

Well, I'm at exactly a place where I never intended to be. I got to the weight I wanted at about 115-120. Then, because I was too freaked out I would gain it all back, and since the term maintenance is lost on me, I kept restricting and eventually got down to about 106. It did not look good on me. So, I got back up to a healthier weight at about 112-115 for awhile (still while using myfitnesspal) than I decided since I'm at my goal weight I can stop counting.

WRONG.

I put on about ten pounds in a month and a half. I am now about 125. This is in no way unhealthy for me, since I'm 5'3. But what is unhealthy is this spiral of feeling like eating whenever I want. This is how I got overweight in the first place. Urg, it feels like throughout this whole year and a half process of losing it all I've learned nothing!

But, I have a plan. And that's where you come in.

My goal, at the moment, is to be about 115-120, so ideally I'd like to lose about 5 pounds. Losing weight, I can do. But once I get there I've realized I still need to monitor myself until I can trust myself again. So what I've planned is to count on the weekdays for my maintenance calories. Then on the weekends, don't count at all, but be VERY contentious of what I'm eating, when, and why. I don't expect it to be the best plan right from the get go, but I don't want to live my life by counting every single calorie. I know this will take time, but I don't want to waste my time if this the plan won't work. So what do you guys think? Is this a step in the right direction? Is this the best way to learn how to maintain? What has been effective for your maintenance?

Any advice is warmly welcomed!

polluxy

That sounds like a good plan.

I've read that it takes your body and your mind roughly 6 months to get used to a new weight, so I'm thinking it could be useful to track for 6 months after you meet your goal. I think it's a good idea to not track on the weekends, to get yourself used to making good choices while not living by numbers. Maybe gradually add in a few week days where you're not tracking, and see where that gets you. Start by focusing on only eating when you're hungry, and stopping when you're full. Not snacking works really well for me -- I eat my fill at mealtimes. Eventually I think you could allow yourself the occasional "I'm not hungry, but I'm going to eat that brownie because it looks good!", but set yourself a limit for those types of events ... say less than 5 times each week, or something.

Take it as a learning process just like weight loss used to be. You're a pro at losing, now become a pro at maintaining.

Good luck!

Mlkmaid

I think you have to be careful all the time. I tried that "diet all week and then on the weekends eat mindfully" approach and I routinely gained 2-3 pounds every weekend. Water weight? Probably. But it was still really annoying every Monday morning when I hopped on the scale. I felt like I was gaining and losing the same 2-3 pounds over and over again. I think if you watch what you eat (within reason) and exercise routinely ALWAYS you're less like to get into a yo-yo pattern.

MrsSchimmy

I have a sort of different thought process. I eat to nourish my body, not to just feed it.

When my whole lifestyle changed, maintaining became easier. I eat vegetables at every meal. I drink a gallon of water a day. I don't restrict myself like I am on a diet. I just eat more healthfully. I know what I should and shouldn't eat. I know one bad choice won't ruin my progress just like one good choice won't make me instantly fit. It's a process. However YOU need to go about making a lifestyle change, do it. If that means baby steps, do it!

For me, I had to make a drastic change and create a new routine. Everyone is different. Listen to your body and do what you think is best for it.

nxd10

I would also weigh yourself at least once a week. As long as you're within a comfortable weight zone (5 pounds say), you're planning is going great. If you get out of that zone, log everything for a few weeks until you're back in, learn from your mistakes, and try again.

Logging is really helpful in just helping you learn where your big calorie expenditures are. Sometimes they are worth it. Sometimes they're not. Those are decisions you can learn to make for yourself.

MACnificence

Go for it . This is all about a plan that works for you and you can live by.
Unless you really go mad at the weekends your weight shouldn't suffer remember what it takes to lose a pound it takes the same to gain it and you've already said your going to be conscious of what you eat just not count it
Make sure you give yourself a window because If you try to stay a static number on the scale you'll only drive yourself cuckoo , I wouldn't call going up 2-3 Ibs over the week, yo yo-ing that's just normal weight fluctuations
If you can't handle d scale going up avoid weighing at the start of the week , weigh mid week and look at the weekly patterns

toofatnomore

In your first sentence you stated...
"Well, I'm at exactly a place where I never intended to be. I got to the weight I wanted at about 115-120. Then, because I was too freaked out I would gain it all back,"

What exactly do you mean? What freaked you out? Reaching a goal weight and freaking out shouldn't really happen...Just curious is there is a reason.
:huh:

chani8

I can totally understand where you're coming from, EllaPaigeNora. I have learned how to lose and how to log, but not how to eat with any kind of self-awareness. I also went too low and thank G-d for the scale because I still saw all the body fat and would've kept on losing except the scale said 'too low!'

I was allowing myself to eat whatever I wanted on the weekend, but then I'd eat like I hadn't eaten all week, stuffing myself, being impulsive. I just can't seem to get this right.

So you are suggesting to be mindful while eating. I will take that to heart and try it myself. I will try to eat with joy (I love eating) and focus and fun, and not worry about calories, not think 'this is my cheat day which means binge', but rather, this is a day to eat without logging (all day), to see how it feels to mindfully eat what I desire to eat, to learn to eat in a healthy conscious manner.

Now I have a plan. Sounds good, theoretically! Good luck to you and me, both!!

chani8

I think you have to be careful all the time. I tried that "diet all week and then on the weekends eat mindfully" approach and I routinely gained 2-3 pounds every weekend. Water weight? Probably. But it was still really annoying every Monday morning when I hopped on the scale. I felt like I was gaining and losing the same 2-3 pounds over and over again. I think if you watch what you eat (within reason) and exercise routinely ALWAYS you're less like to get into a yo-yo pattern.

Why would you weigh in on Monday after overeating on the weekend?? I weigh on Fridays, and by then the water weight is gone.

jallforme3

This exactly! Weigh in on a different day. Your weight will flu crusts weekly. Weigh once a week if you must, but focus on how you feel and how clothes fit you. Don't focus all or nothing on 2-3 pounds of what is definitey water weight, not fat!

ShannonMpls

So what I've planned is to count on the weekdays for my maintenance calories. Then on the weekends, don't count at all, but be VERY contentious of what I'm eating, when, and why. I don't expect it to be the best plan right from the get go, but I don't want to live my life by counting every single calorie. I know this will take time, but I don't want to waste my time if this the plan won't work. So what do you guys think? Is this a step in the right direction? Is this the best way to learn how to maintain? What has been effective for your maintenance?

Well, I guarantee I would gain weight on this plan, because I guarantee I'd go over maintenance on weekends. So what I do this this:

Slight deficit during the week, and I count calories just like I did while losing.
I do not log weekends, vacations, or special occasions. I am certain to go over maintenance on these days.

All in all, it balances out. When I found that I was at the higher end of my maintenance range and preferred to be lower, I started tracking Sundays again to my hunger level (usually at or below maintenance) but still keeping Saturday/vacation/occasions "free." I weigh myself maybe once or twice a month to keep an eye on things.

This is working perfectly for me and frankly, I can do this forever. I cannot, however, count every calorie every day forever. In fact, I didn't do that while losing (took several days a month "free") so it makes no sense to do it now.

I've now kept off my 130+ pounds of weight loss for one year and counting using this method - stringent enough to keep my weight where I like it, flexible enough to keep me sane and happy. Treats are a regular part of my life and I get plenty of days with no logging to keep me mentally happy.

ShannonMpls

I also want to add:
At first, my free weekends were license to binge. It was not good.

Now, I'm in a much better place. And a big part of this is that I run longer distances on Sunday mornings, 10+ miles. Saturday becomes my pre-fuel day. I eat a lot, but I'm mindful that I need to make choices that will sustain my runs. Then the remainder of Sunday is about replenishment.

When I'm not running but weight training, my dietary choices are made to sustain that. Carbs and protein are about lifting more and fueling muscles, not binging on junk food.

Exercise has changed my relationship with food in remarkable ways. Just something to keep in mind.

mlogantra76

I also want to add:
At first, my free weekends were license to binge. It was not good.

Now, I'm in a much better place. And a big part of this is that I run longer distances on Sunday mornings, 10+ miles. Saturday becomes my pre-fuel day. I eat a lot, but I'm mindful that I need to make choices that will sustain my runs. Then the remainder of Sunday is about replenishment.

When I'm not running but weight training, my dietary choices are made to sustain that. Carbs and protein are about lifting more and fueling muscles, not binging on junk food.

Exercise has changed my relationship with food in remarkable ways. Just something to keep in mind.

This is where I am! I am running several times a week and doing a 5k race once a week. I also do strength training. With this, I have been amazed at my maintenance level for calories. I can eat A LOT of food. I weigh myself daily so I am able to monitor things. I have not done a good job at tracking my food so I am not exactly sure how many calories. I estimate 2000-23000 a day with a 3000 calories day on race day. I do focus on healthy foods most of the time and have found I do better on lower carb(not no carb). One day a week usually after my race, I eat foods I wouldn't eat during the week. However, I try to only eat to satisfy and not to "stuff myself." Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't.

marilandica

Actually, your maintenance plan has pretty much been my weight loss plan (down 89 lbs in about 18 mos). I count calories and exercise regularly (walk 5-7 miles at a very fast pace most days) during the week. On the weekends, I don't count calories, but I also don't go overboard. I've found that all the calorie counting naturally makes you make better choices even when you're not logging, but on weekends I don't sweat a few drinks or a nice dinner or a cookie. I also always do physical activities on the weekend -- hikes, gardening, canoeing etc., but don't worry if I don't get a 5 mile fitness walk in each day. The weight has come off steadily. I've already started to increase my calories as I near my goal weight. My plan is to taper up gradually on calories and maintain the same fitness/weekend eating and activity routine. I'm nervous about it, but really feel like I've made the life changes this time that make it possible.

WendyTerry420

How long did you spend losing? Did you have a large deficit?

sklebar

I found that freaked me out too. I hit my first goal weight about six months ago, but I was also shedding the massive bulky muscle as I retired from heavy sport. Then two to three months after I hit my goal, my weight kept dropping and then I stabilised three months ago and still fine. My body was trying to figure everything - it lost muscle, it leaned down and then I had to slowly add 100 calories daily every two weeks until I hit my spot.

I have the same issue as you. I eat clean, I eat loads of veg and even though I don't log it, I have 4 pint glasses of water a day.

The thing is that occasionally my blood sugar feels a bit low, so I eat some biscuits, but end up eating loads and binging. So, what I found was that I log every day. I weigh myself at the exact same time in the morning every day and don't let it bother me. On days when I do my exercise is when I give myself a treat within my calorie limit and I don't go massively sugary. I do something lighter like Belvita biscuits (4 pack for 232 calories) just before my workout. Every four weeks, I have a cheat meal. I will usually do a calorie deficit over the two weeks beforehand or have a heavy workout during the weekend and the day after. My cheat meal means a Byron burger with courgette chips and a diet coke. I think the thing I found most was that keeping it a little real with my Belvita biscuits, allowing myself red wine (better than beer) and then keeping up with logging really gives you good discipline.

With every great success requires great risk and sometimes some sacrifices. I prefer eating healthy and looking amazing to eating crap. I hate it when people say "it's not living if you don't eat krispy kremes!"

Springfield1970

How about having set meals Monday to Friday at a slight deficit. This is what I am going to do when the logging appeal starts to wane. Just make sure you have a varied diet but eat the same stuff weekly on each days of the week. If you have a set exercise routine even easier, just add on yr exercise cals. You could run a deficit 200 per pay in week, then have 1000 extra to play with at weekends.

corgicake

Cutting advertisements from your diet helps. Also, try to eat the same kinds of things you did when losing weight because those will be easier to gauge. More of the calories in processed/cooked things can be used by the body so do keep that in mind - that doesn't mean avoid those foods, it means that those same calories will seem to go further because they do.

pkw58

I have a sort of different thought process. I eat to nourish my body, not to just feed it.

When my whole lifestyle changed, maintaining became easier. I eat vegetables at every meal. I drink a gallon of water a day. I don't restrict myself like I am on a diet. I just eat more healthfully. I know what I should and shouldn't eat. I know one bad choice won't ruin my progress just like one good choice won't make me instantly fit. It's a process. However YOU need to go about making a lifestyle change, do it. If that means baby steps, do it!

For me, I had to make a drastic change and create a new routine. Everyone is different. Listen to your body and do what you think is best for it.

This is so true. I do log and montior, but eating for nourishment is my daily goal. great post.

ninerbuff

Well let's just say I wouldn't just spend money without knowing what my bank balance was. Calories add up fast and people sometimes forget what they ate that day. Still have to be diligent even when at maintenance.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Katla49

When you go back to your old lifestyle you get your old results. I know because I lived through it a long time ago. I went back to eating with the family, gained it all back, and more pounds, too. In order to live a healthy lifestyle in a slim body, I need to make permanent changes. I expect to continue to log and count my calories forever. I suspect this will also be true for you.