Please share your number one strategy for maintaining

sijomial

Calorie counting.
If only there was a website where you could log your food and exercise to help you work out your calorie balance.....


Really maintenance is no different than dieting to lose weight - just a higher weekly allowance and the acceptance of making small adjustments to stay in a weight range.
The rest of it is the same, just able to eat more nice food - still have numerous health, fitness and body composition goals.

Seesawboomerang

Portion control. Same strategy as for losing.

I no longer fill up my plate with all the food I plan to eat. I go for seconds if I feel the need, but no more am I ploughing through a greedy amount because I over-estimated how hungry I really was.

klmorg1227

I was hesitant to go on maintenance, but I continued to lose on maintenance, and had to increase my calories, so I wouldn't lose too much. Logging accurately & honestly is most important. That, and maintaining a consistent workout schedule. I've had no problems whatsoever maintaining, and I even take a break with logging on Sundays & all holidays (and I'm sure I over eat on those days). It's not as scary as it seems....you can do it!

This is very similar to how I have achieved maintenance for a little over a month now. It is very scary to go from successfully losing to maintaining. Our minds are so trained to focus on decrease that to change that focus can derail some people...it did me. Exercise, as the above poster mentioned, is a very important key. I also take Sundays 'off' as my free day. I don't go to the gym or run on Sunday and I eat freely, not grossly pigging out, but freely. I still maintain a degree of healthy eating on my free day...I just indulge in a couple cookies, or an ice cream or a steak or something...maybe a Mexican meal! :-) , the key is don't eat all of those things on your free day! lol. Mon thru Saturday I maintain a vigorous work out routine and I eat about 1500 - 1700 calories a day. The first two weeks were really hard. I felt bloated from the extra calories and I was scared to gain weight. I did actually fluctuate with my weight and went up a 3 pounds...but before I panicked it went back down 2 pounds and the end of the second week and last week I was back to 139, my goal weight. Good luck...relax and don't panic. You have worked hard to lose it so now you get the reward of having it a little easier and allowing yourself to enjoy food a little more! Take it slow and just add 100 or so calories on a week. I added two hundred on my first week..lol may have been why I felt so bloated at first! I went from 1100 - 1200 per day to 1400 per day. Maybe adding it on a little slower than I did will fare better results for you! Can't wait to hear your results!!

Debbjones

I log my food every day and continue to count my calories. I have been on maintenance now for nearly a year... this is what I found works for me.

escape06rita

Focusing on weekly calorie count.

SideSteel

Monitor your bodyweight and if you start gaining, adjust your activity or intake accordingly.

Don't be one of the many people who return to the forums with things like "I changed my calorie intake and gained 14lbs".

walkinthedogs

This part was a quote, but I deleted the first part accidentally. Just want to give the poster credit where credit is due.

[/quote]
Really maintenance is no different than dieting to lose weight - just a higher weekly allowance and the acceptance of making small adjustments to stay in a weight range.
The rest of it is the same, just able to eat more nice food - still have numerous health, fitness and body composition goals.
[/quote]

I know this may sound silly and I'm not to the maintaining part either, but I've been anxious about how to maintain and whether I can do it when I get there. Silly, I know. Your comment just ended all my anxiety. I will just continue to do the same exact thing I am doing to lose the weight, but use different calorie counts to measure. I need to remember to not make it any harder than it is. Thank you!

ashleyplus3

Oh friend! I'm so happy for you that you are almost at your goal!! :-D I haven't maintained for very long (3 months now) but I know for me I HAVE to keep logging. You know that I go over A LOT (lately anyway and I am still at somewhat of a deficit and I probably burn more than I account for chasing my little ones) but I would probably go over a lot more if I didn't log! I have changed my mindset about being all or nothing with my eating and exercise. That is huge. I have accepted the fact that this is a lifestyle change and not a temporary means to get to some magic number on the scale. I used to view eating say a candy bar as "bad" and then I would let the guilt of going off my "diet" derail my whole day, week, month and I was right back where I started!

That is the biggest change (and strategy) for me. Allowing myself to eat food that isn't always healthy and not thinking of it as a failure. It's life. I enjoy these foods sometimes, and as long as I keep logging and keep my weight in check, I can enjoy myself in moderation.

I do agree with whoever said..........

"Don't treat maintenance as the end. It's just a new beginning. Set yourself some new goals and something to strive for when you get there.

I've been maintaining for over two years. In my first year I just kept tracking and focused on just maintaining my weight. It's hard to maintain a passion for just maintaining though, so in my second year I've been concentrating on gaining strength and getting faster. "

.......that is how I'm going to look at this. My new goal is to make exercise a (mostly) daily habit. And I couldn't agree more that it's harder to maintain a passion for just maintaining. Somehow I was kicking *kitten* in the weight loss phase, and lately I've really been slacking in the healthy eating department, but such is life. I'll get back to it. Consistency is the key for me. :-)

charlizetiu

Never had a problem maintaining my weight after losing 65lbs, I still eat my normal food intake just like before but have avoided soft drinks and sweets (donuts, cakes, chocolates)... though sometimes when the crazy hormones kicks in I can't fight the cravings and I tend to give in, when that happens I would jog around for 30-45mins to make myself less guilty LOL!
I guess the best way to maintain is to work out once in awhile. I have tried all types of diet without work out and my weight just got worse after every program!

paleojoe

Consistency...

ChrisS30V

I've been maintaining since June by eating a handful of meals with snacks throughout the day and making sure to have about the same number of calories at each meal. I try to eat similar foods routinely, but I do switch it up every so often, making sure to swap foods of equal caloric/nutritional value in and out of my meal plan. After I ascertained how much I needed to eat to maintain, I logged everything religiously for a few months and of course kept an eye on my weight.

Then, in September, I stopped logging cold turkey and have been following more or less the same routine of eating that I arranged by logging. I think I gained maybe 0.5-1.0 lbs within the first month or so of eating without logging (probably started eating an extra 100 calories somewhere without thinking). But, other than that, my weight has been within a 5 lb range of the weight I stopped losing at for the past six months, with fluctuations rarely more than a couple of lbs here or there.

I still weigh certain foods and I still make sure to get proper portion sizes. Now, the only time I'll log something is if I'm trying to see how a new recipe or meal fits into my plan or if I'm uncertain about something. Look at logging like you would training wheels on a bike. By logging food, you're learning what kinds and how much of certain foods you need to eat to achieve whatever your goal is. Once you've gotten into the groove you're able to remove the training wheels and hold your balance. That's what maintaining is to me, adhering to good habits that have been learned throughout the course of the time you've been logging.

lisalsd1

Someone already mentioned mine, but I'll second it.

Switching mindset from weight/losing weight to fitness and fitness goals. Exercise is immensely important for maintaining your desired weight. You can't stop exercising once you get to where you want to be...exercise is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.

I started setting fitness goals: run this long, run this fast, etc. I also started using weights, started slowly, and started adding more weight/ more reps. I set mini-goals now: this week I want to add 5 lbs to whatever machine, etc.

Fitness goals make exercising less boring, more fun, and allow you to feel a sense of accomplishment when you hit your goals. This def keeps me motivated.

heypurdy

I find the most helpful strategy in maintaining my weight is reflecting on how far I've come. I often look at old pictures of myself at my heaviest and am thankful I now live a healthy, active lifestyle. I don't ever want to look or feel that way again so it's a good way to make sure I don't gain it all back! I also make sure I have at least two snacks throughout the day: mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

twixlepennie

For me-
-I still weigh daily and keep track on a graph (phone app). This way I can see the big picture/patterns.
-still keep a food log, though not on the weekends now
-always have a goal to work towards. Right now that's completing a strength training program and working on being able to run 3 miles without walking. After I do these then I'll make new goals to work towards.

jmp1958

By not letting a cheat meal/day turn into a week or longer.

klmorg1227

Someone already mentioned mine, but I'll second it.

Switching mindset from weight/losing weight to fitness and fitness goals. Exercise is immensely important for maintaining your desired weight. You can't stop exercising once you get to where you want to be...exercise is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.

I started setting fitness goals: run this long, run this fast, etc. I also started using weights, started slowly, and started adding more weight/ more reps. I set mini-goals now: this week I want to add 5 lbs to whatever machine, etc.

Fitness goals make exercising less boring, more fun, and allow you to feel a sense of accomplishment when you hit your goals. This def keeps me motivated.

And I will third it!! exercise is SO important. A poster above said something like don't forget to work out once in a while...but I say work out a lot more than that. I do 6 days a week very consistently. But I think everyone who is striving to maintain a healthy fit lifestyle should at least do 3 or 4 days a week.

ShannonMpls

Nothing changed when I started maintaining, except that I had a bit more leeway in terms of calorie intake. I maintain the same habits in terms of exercise and nutrition. Maintaining has been pretty easy so far (15 months in).

BigSnicka

My # 1 strategy was to shift my focus from weight loss/diet to fitness. I had already been exercising throughout my weight loss journey, but I decided to venture into the world of strength training in order to really challenge myself and to hopefully get better definition. It was a good way to channel all of that determination and charge-ahead energy that I used to lose the weight into something equally constructive and healthy.

This is actually what I've done as well. After losing my desired weight my focus shifted to toning and sculpting my body so that I can achieve the "look" that I want. This has me eating more calories, strength training, and I must still watch "what" I eat so that I don't end up regressing by eating items that aren't digested or useful to reach my ultimate goal. It has become my lifestyle instead of my diet.

web816

My key for weight maintenance (and weight loss for that matter) is intuitive eating. This means eating based on your body's hunger/fullness cues--Eating when GENTLY hungry and stopping when HUNGER IS GONE. If you truly follow these rules, there is no eating out of boredom or overeating to the point of being uncomfortable. The beauty of this is that your body will adjust your needs for you. If I am excercising, I will be hungry more often than on a rest day, so I can eat more! Our bodies are very smart and good at self-regulating if we simply listen to its signals!

Other than that, I try to pick foods based on their nutritional value not caloric value. Yes, sometimes we simply eat for the taste of something, but our food selections should be to provide our body with the vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, etc that we need. Calorie counting is obviously important and beneficial, but being a little more flexible during maintenance is ideal.

Eat intuitively and eat for nutrition...words to live by!

chani8

This is a really important topic!

I've been on maintenance for a little while and I'm trying to figure it all out.

I've decided to try the "No S Diet" as my maintenance strategy. It's looking like a good idea.