How I intend to tackle maintenance

hazeljordan1974

I have been at goal about a month now - admittedly I am under my goal which was 155 and am 151 instead. I have been weighing myself every day - I understand that the body fluctuates and I have allowed myself a weight range between 150 and 157 to be in - I use the app Libra to track my weight every day - it helps keep me in check.

When I have lost weight before I have had that "I'm done" thought when I get to goal and stupidly feel I am naturally slim and no longer need to watch what I eat - I believe the only way I am going to maintain my goal is "awareness" - I need to ensure I eat to my goals (and log, log, log!), exercise regularly and weigh myself daily to keep everything in check.

To people out there who have not started their weight loss journey I guess this seems a lot of effort - log everything I eat, log my weight and work out, but I don't think it's that much - I exercise on average an hour and a quarter a day, logging food and weight takes about 15 minutes a day. So to keep myself in shape is about an hour and a half a day - 6.25% of my day. In a year that's 547.5 hours and if I live for another 45 years (I'm 39 at the moment so it's feasible) that's 24,637.5 hours, 1,026.56 days or 2.81 years - sounds a long time but I already have extended my life by 4 1/2 years by exercising ( http://news.yahoo.com/study-finds-exercise-increases-life-expectancy-regardless-weight-181000433.html ) and I also got back another 3 years of my life by not being overweight ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-154052/Being-overweight-40-shorten-life.html ) - and if you want to add that by not smoking I've added another 11 years ( http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/smoking-cuts-11-years-off-life-study-shows-194600379.html ) that 2.81 years is a good investment don't you think?

So on days when you think it isn't worth it and losing weight can wait until tomorrow - think of those extra 4 and a bit years just exercising and being a normal weight gives you!

kdiamond

That's a good attitude! I lost all my weight over 9 years ago and I STILL log, not 100% but I do, and I exercise 3-4 times a week every week, and that is how I have been able to maintain my weight.

Mpol2

Amen to that!

WDA4655

Thanks for posting this. It's really encouraging to read stories like this. I'm glad you stuck to your guns and are still sticking to them. I have lost 45 lbs and have another 100 and some to go yet. I have lost 100 lbs and gain it back 2 different times in my younger years and been on every other kind of "diet" program there is. I gave up from disappointment in myself. But this time I have more knowledge of where I went wrong. I quit when I lost some much and didn't watch my weight or food intake and didn't exercise again. This is a "LIFE STYLE" change. Something I'll do for the rest of my life.

janer4jc

Good perspective. It is so worth it.

socajam

I have been at goal about a month now - admittedly I am under my goal which was 155 and am 151 instead. I have been weighing myself every day - I understand that the body fluctuates and I have allowed myself a weight range between 150 and 157 to be in - I use the app Libra to track my weight every day - it helps keep me in check.

When I have lost weight before I have had that "I'm done" thought when I get to goal and stupidly feel I am naturally slim and no longer need to watch what I eat - I believe the only way I am going to maintain my goal is "awareness" - I need to ensure I eat to my goals (and log, log, log!), exercise regularly and weigh myself daily to keep everything in check.

To people out there who have not started their weight loss journey I guess this seems a lot of effort - log everything I eat, log my weight and work out, but I don't think it's that much - I exercise on average an hour and a quarter a day, logging food and weight takes about 15 minutes a day. So to keep myself in shape is about an hour and a half a day - 6.25% of my day. In a year that's 547.5 hours and if I live for another 45 years (I'm 39 at the moment so it's feasible) that's 24,637.5 hours, 1,026.56 days or 2.81 years - sounds a long time but I already have extended my life by 4 1/2 years by exercising ( http://news.yahoo.com/study-finds-exercise-increases-life-expectancy-regardless-weight-181000433.html ) and I also got back another 3 years of my life by not being overweight ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-154052/Being-overweight-40-shorten-life.html ) - and if you want to add that by not smoking I've added another 11 years ( http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/smoking-cuts-11-years-off-life-study-shows-194600379.html ) that 2.81 years is a good investment don't you think?

So on days when you think it isn't worth it and losing weight can wait until tomorrow - think of those extra 4 and a bit years just exercising and being a normal weight gives you!

I totally agree. For me I know that once I stop logging, its back to where I was and after all my hard work, I am not prepared to let myself return to the fat me. It only takes a couple of minutes to log and, it takes days, weeks, months and years to rid your body of fat - I know which one is for me.

Siansonea

I've pretty much accepted the fact that I'm going to have to log what I eat pretty much from now on. Luckily, I eat the same foods over and over, so it takes mere seconds, and I can do it on my phone. I really like KNOWING what I've eaten in a day, it's really empowering to know that even though I feel kinda full right now, I didn't overdo it today, for instance.

pkfodor

I have the exact same worry - I have lost over 75lbs and now want to keep it off permanently... I have started cycling and have a 80mile ride ahead of me today. Now I am afraid that winter is coming that I will not be able to do as much to keep the weight off. I HATE and I mean HATE going to the gym, running is too boring, swimming too slow....

I still love my food and see my cycling routine giving me more freedom (though I am finding that I am slipping and beginning to eat way too many carbs).

I will keep logging what I eat but keeping it up is a challenge when leading a stressful lifestyle. (long hours running my own business, weekly travel, client meetings etc...)

Domane1963

Well done, keep maintaining!!! :happy:

I hit my maintenance nearly 4 weeks ago and I've fluctuated under within a 3lb range so far. I still watch what I eat and log everything on here. I know I will need to do this for a long while to come because I've lost weight before and piled it all back on again. This time is different, I've swapped to a much healthier food intake and I run. I exercise three times a week because I want it to be something I can sustain and to do it daily would soon get too much for me at my age (50). I want to be in control of my eating, not to HAVE to exercise to be able to eat, if you see what I'm saying. I enjoy my running for the pastime, not just as a means to control my weight. I'd hate to start feeling "guilty" if I skipped a session through illness or other commitments and I want to know that my weight won't shoot up because it is relying on the running too....

pkw58

I actually find comfort in logging. If I wake up swollen with water I look back from the day before and see what I ate - if it was a high sodium food I just add more water to my day and eat a lower sodium. If my macros were out of whack in one category I make up for it the next day so I at least eat within my macros over the two days. It just helps.

I look at my activity mid day on my nike fuel band. I try to add more activity (walking, another 10 minute walking, yoga or barre 3 break)

I am in the same boat as a lot of people - found I could stick to a meal plan to lose weight, but maintaining it was another story. This time is different. I have been on my new plan two years on Christmas Eve. I hit my first goal in April 2012, then saw 10 more pounds fall off by June 2012. It is my new target mid point - and I just monitor down two pounds, up 3 pounds.

I am on the long slow road to increase long lean muscle without adding weight. That means sticking to my activity, water drinking, food and sleep plan. Life is better when I make sure all those things happen.

suzyfj8

Thank you for that, sometimes to keep going is hard but thinking about having an extra 4 years is really motivating

jardin12

So guys its that fitness, or lifetime health, and weight loss are different goals? This has just occurred to me - am I over thinking it?

fthibault

I have been below my goal for a little while, but I spent at least a month in half-pound a week mode, because I didn't want to jump into maintenance :b - I'm kinda paranoid about regaining, and then there's my LDL- I was expecting to get to enjoy success a little longer!

onehurt

I have been maintaining around 6 months..... It is crazy you still need to keep doing just what you did to lose the weight but not quite as close! I bounce up and down around 3 lbs either direction..... No big deal, and there are days when I go way over my calorie limit I have set. So when I get where I have gained some back I know what it takes to get it back down...... Been there done that!! So its all good with being less strict with I eat, but still keeping track.

Mark

mikemsu

Thanks for the great post. I'm getting close to my goal and have been mentally preparing for maintenance as well. I plan to keep logging also as I want to keep the healthy lifestyle I'm on.

elisa123gal

I'm differant than you.

I can't imagine a life of logging everyday. In fact.. I've stopped logging even though I'm in the middle of my weightloss journey.

I just don't want to live my life like I can't connect the dots and simply eat right and exercise to maintian.

anyway..that's where I'm at.. I'm going to see if I can keep losing as if I'm at maitenance.. weighing myself and doing what I already know I need to do.

mulecanter

To me losing weight is like flying, maintenance is like landing. Anyone can fly, landing is the important, tricky part. I'm still on the losing track but these posts on maintenance are really helping me think about and prepare mentally for life after I reach my goal. Someone else posted that the excitement of losing goes away and life gets harder. You mention weighing every day. I agree with that, I think we slip into self-delusion so easily without that cold, objective, stark slap of reality from our scale each morning. One fact of life I have come to learn is that I will need to see the scale every day for the rest of my life (or until I can't read it anymore ;-)

TravelDog14

7 months maintaining as of now and I really don't see logging everyday as that big of a deal.
It seems I'm always near a computer to do so, and since I tend to eat the same sorts of food over a weekly basis the logging goes pretty quick.
I prefer to use my computer time logging calories as opposed to trawling Facebook. With logging I'm actually accomplishing something good for me, not just mindlessly hitting the "like" button or reading lame forwards about the latest cute cat.

Ejourneys

Congrats on all the great changes!
I'm a couple of pounds from goal and view maintenance the same way. Sustainability is my buzzword.

Ideabaker

I've pretty much accepted the fact that I'm going to have to log what I eat pretty much from now on. Luckily, I eat the same foods over and over, so it takes mere seconds, and I can do it on my phone. I really like KNOWING what I've eaten in a day, it's really empowering to know that even though I feel kinda full right now, I didn't overdo it today, for instance.

^^
This. I am nearing maintenance, and I know that if I don't carry on with tracking food and activity, the pounds will slowly creep up again. It really doesn't take that long to plug in food or activity, and frankly, the tallies and graphs (I use Fitbit along with MFP) are motivating. For now, my plan is to carry on as now, except eating at maintenance when the time comes whilst refining my fitness goals.

padams2359

Weight loss was easy. Maintanance is harder. Went from 1460 for weight loss, and 1960 for Maintanance. Still losing. Finding my correct calorie goal is hard. A deficient, you lose, right maintanance, you don't gain or lose. Then, while eating to get to correct Maintanance, try not to wreck the macros, or get upset stomach which can cause more weight loss.