Please share your number one strategy for maintaining

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Replies

  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member
    Not to get all Mr.Miyagi/Yoda on everyone, but my strategy to maintain...is to not "maintain." I always want have a fitness goal/something else to achieve health-wise (e.g., strength gains). Then, I tailor my eating to fuel my life and accomplish those goals.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    Continued logging- Food, weight & exercise.
  • horsewhisper91
    horsewhisper91 Posts: 456 Member
    Still keeping track or what I eat and staying active when I can!
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    Meal planning, ahead of time, helps me stay on track. Logging my food keeps me honest with myself.
  • magpie0
    magpie0 Posts: 194 Member
    Not drinking calories, eating protein and watching calorie densities are my strategies. I know that if I were hungry all of the time and had to continually count calories, I'd just regain the weight.
  • wmbrett
    wmbrett Posts: 31 Member
    I've only been in maintenance mode for a couple of months - and I now keep my calories at a 1/2 pound deficit per week since I could still lose a handful more pounds. Here's what I've learned and how I've changed my lifestyle over the past 12 months to lose 55+ pounds.

    1. I've paid much more attention to portion sizes - especially when it comes to cheese and chips;
    2. I exercise just about every early morning on the elliptical while working my way through various Netflix / TV Series;
    3. Although I never gave up beer, I have certainly changed the way I drink beer - I start with a great micro-brew, but then move to much lighter beers or wine.
    4. I eat healthier foods, healthier chips and dips, vegetables and dips, and healthier meals;
    5. I eat a great breakfast sandwich every morning full of eggs, sausage, ham, and various cheeses - starts my day off right;
    6. I use a FitBit and try to get at least 17,000 steps per day (elliptical included) and get outdoors much more often to walk for the enjoyment of it;
    7. I still log everything on MFP - I've been doing everything on MFP for about a year, and yes, logging gets old, but it keeps me honest and keeps my input / output in check.
  • celtbell3
    celtbell3 Posts: 738 Member
    Exercising every week PLUS remembering to get on the scale every once in a while (I do it one time a week) just to make sure.
  • mtapia713
    mtapia713 Posts: 29 Member
    For me its continue to set new fitness goals for myself.

    Some hard, some easy, some fun, some weird.

    For example:
    Run a race I have never entered in before
    Ride bikes/play hard at park with kids until they want to stop (not me)
    Dance every chance I get-at home, in car, with kid watching christmas light show
    Take a Trapeze class (thank you Groupon)
    Try freerunning with local specialized gym
    Relearn to Jump rope, then learn tricks
    ETC.
  • TravelDog14
    TravelDog14 Posts: 317 Member
    My main goal each day is to MOVE.

    Coming home from work and heading straight for the couch is not allowed, no matter how crap the day was at work. The consistency in getting some form of movement in every day has been key to my mindset about making this weight loss last.
    No backsliding allowed!
  • emelia_
    emelia_ Posts: 91
    Eat only when you are hungry and make it a point to become more active whether it's just a walk a day or joining a gym :) Good luck!
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Logging. Everything. Accurately.

    And choosing food you like eating.

    What nxyd10 said.. except I have gotten away for food as entertainment. I eat to be nourished.
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
    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.

    I absolutely agree with this. Plus, continuing to log calories until you are really sure you know what you're eating
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  • l_clc
    l_clc Posts: 126 Member
    Bumping to read later....I'll be maintaining soon and would love some tips as well :) thanks for posting OP
  • beaches222
    beaches222 Posts: 437 Member
    bump
  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
    This thread has been interesting - I have been in maintenance (aka plateau!!) for about 15 months but not actually "quite" where I wanted / aiming to be. I have eased back on the exercise and given in to temptation too often - so I am still aiming to lose weight; but when I do get to my goal, I will be considering the ideas here. I quite like the idea of NOT maintaining but always having a goal ... off to check my TDEE as well! :smile:
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    Honestly, it's just like losing weight with more calories.

    When I got within 20lb of my current weight I dropped my goal to "Lose 1lb a week.
    When I got within 10lb I changed it to "Lose .5lb a week"

    So I didn't suddenly have an extra 500 calories a day when I got to my goal.

    ONE THING I REALIZED.. Since I consistantly stay under my Calorie Goal I was still losing weight so I bumped it up to compensate. ( somehow seeing that bigger number means I'm supposed to eat more right?)
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Bump.....soon to be at my maintenance.
  • kemaru22
    kemaru22 Posts: 5 Member
    Never lose focus!!

    I joined Herbal One at the start of the year and reached my goal weight. In a couple months of maitenance though I gained 5 lbs back. While it may not be a lot for me it was scary because I noticed slipping back into old habits and I wasnt as focused on what my goals were. That is why I just joined myfitnesspal - to regain my focus and dedication! Always try new foods, new exercises and new support so that you will never get bored.
  • lolablitz
    lolablitz Posts: 38 Member
    Avoid high-fructose corn syrup. Completely. Which means I make my own desserts and buy good chocolate :) I eat a lot of chocolate and I was fine in maintenance and have been having an easy time gaining weight very slowly with this pregnancy.

    There was a study done by researchers at Princeton where they found that mice processed HFCS differently than other sugars and they stored an alarming amount of fat in their abdomen over the duration of the project. That was enough for me. It's in so much processed food from bagels, tomato soup and cheap protein powders to Yoplait yogurt and ketchup. Fast food restaurants love it because it's such a cheap sweetener. It's ubiquitous but it's not that hard to avoid once you start looking. Read labels.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Make new goals. Mine are now fitness based.

    Allow yourself a weight range for maintenance.

    Also don't let things start to slide too much. I continue to log every day. I don't think that's necessary for everyone, but you should be aware if your weight starts to creep up so that you can correct the problem before it gets away from you. But, keep the second point in mind. It's normal for weight to fluctuate in maintenance just like in weight loss.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Avoid high-fructose corn syrup. Completely. Which means I make my own desserts and buy good chocolate :) I eat a lot of chocolate and I was fine in maintenance and have been having an easy time gaining weight very slowly with this pregnancy.

    There was a study done by researchers at Princeton where they found that mice processed HFCS differently than other sugars and they stored an alarming amount of fat in their abdomen over the duration of the project. That was enough for me. It's in so much processed food from bagels, tomato soup and cheap protein powders to Yoplait yogurt and ketchup. Fast food restaurants love it because it's such a cheap sweetener. It's ubiquitous but it's not that hard to avoid once you start looking. Read labels.

    Stories like this make me glad I'm not a mouse.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't eat any differently than I did when I was losing except I eat a few hundred more calories. Also exercise is even more important to maintaining than it is losing. Also keep setting new goals and keep crushing those goals.

    Essentially, continue to get your fitness on and your nutrition on. Hopefully while you've been losing you've taken the opportunity to learn portion control and moderation and didn't just practice deprivation dieting....deprivation dieting usually results in gaining the weigh back because you never really learn how to eat the things you enjoy and do so in a balanced and healthy way which is essential to maintenance.
  • zichab
    zichab Posts: 1,493 Member
    Bump for future reference!
  • afiallo
    afiallo Posts: 20 Member
    Exercise and drinking lots of water
  • foodiscomplicated
    foodiscomplicated Posts: 85 Member
    Why it's So Difficult For Some to Maintain Weight...

    Watch this excerpt from the HBO documentary series, "The Weight Of A Nation".

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Big slice of pizza
  • sdps745
    sdps745 Posts: 33 Member
    Also bumping for future reference.
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
    I have maintained my weight loss for a while now. It isn't as hard as I thought. I didn't track and actually haven't exercised in months. I just kept up my good eating habits. I eat sweets and "bad" food too..just in moderation.

    I weigh myself every day...so if I notice the scale move up a little bit..I just watch it for that day and I am back to normal.


    I am starting to track again now and exercise..because I decided to lose another 5-10 pounds. I figured I took a long enough break. :)
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    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 was me, too. I continued to lose at the calories that MFP said was my maintenance goal. I figured out my TDEE and tried that. I initially gained about 3 pounds, which I expected (glycogen stores replenishing), but I was a bit edgy about it, thinking that it may be weight gain, not glycogen gain. But my weight gain stopped and I've been a steady weight since.
    I only weigh myself once a month. I still log everyday and have averaged out my daily calorie goal to include exercise (meaning that each day's calories are roughly the same and I do not eat back my exercise calories as they are included in my daily calories already).
    I pay attention to how hungry I am and don't worry about whether I reach my daily calorie goal or go over it. I look at a weekly average and find that it works out well.

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