There is no end point

2»

Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I consider eating a healthy diet, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight as the cornerstone of self care. Yes, there is no end point, but so what? We should never stop taking care of ourselves. We do a whole slew of things (hopefully!) to look after ourselves (regular check-ups, wearing a seat belt, flossing and brushing our teeth) and those things also have no expiration date.

    But I have found maintenance is more interesting if I set regular monthly fitness and health goals. This month I'm targeting reducing my Fitbit reported December sedentary minutes by 5%. I want to sit a lot less!
    This is a great goal. My new one was 10k steps every day, not just 6 out of 7 days.
  • Rak0ribz
    Rak0ribz Posts: 177 Member
    Well, there _is_ an end point, come to think of it; it'll be nice to only have to buy a regular-sized coffin. Probably be able to get a pretty good deal.
  • raqueldaisy
    raqueldaisy Posts: 47 Member
    Well, there _is_ an end point, come to think of it; it'll be nice to only have to buy a regular-sized coffin. Probably be able to get a pretty good deal.


    LOL!!!!!
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    Very true! My goal last year was do Couch to 5K and run a full 5K without stopping. Then I set a new goal to run one in under 30 mins. Did that twice; now for 2014 I want to run a 5K in under 28 mins and train for/run my first 10K. I also want to re-lose Nov/Dec weight gain right now and maintain from there. Focusing on things like eating at least 5 servings of veggies and fruits a day, keeping a good protein/carb balance for each meal and snack, etc.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I struggle with maintenance....I can do gaining weight and losing weight real easy.....but maintaining, nope.
    Any amazing life changing tips...or just tips? :)

    The word "maintenance" implies work. If you've ever had an old 70s VW Beetle then you know what I'm talking about. The problem, as the OP stated is that people see maintenance as the finish line...they're done. They stop being mindful of what goes into their mouths...they stop exercising...they don't weigh themselves...they don't continue on with any of the things that got them to this point.

    That's the kicker...maintenance is actually where the real work begins. You have to remain vigilant. You have to continue to practice portion control and you have to be mindful of what you are putting into your body. You have to keep stepping onto the scale and/or otherwise monitoring your "progress" just as you would while losing. It's even more difficult because now it's a balancing act...you don't want to lose and you don't want to gain...you want your input to be roughly equivalent to your output.

    You have to understand that there will be good days and bad days...you're not going to be 100% all of the time...you're going to miss workouts from time to time and you're going to over indulge from time to time...holidays happen, birthday parties happen...random Saturday nights out getting blitzed and eating all of the pizzas happen. Rather than letting this things derail you and being of the "gotta start over" mindset...you have to change your thinking to just getting back up and keep on keepin' on. It's a lifetime endeavor.

    I would add that in my experience and observation, the worst possible thing that people can do when the get to maintenance is quite exercising. I see it here all of the time and posts asking about how much they should be exercising for maintenance...my exercise didn't change at all when I went to maintenance...I simply ate about 500 calories or so more per day than I was to lose. People really fail to understand that exercise is so much more than just a calorie burn to lose weight. It is absolutely essential to maintaining a healthy weight long term and vital to your overall health and well being. I don't think I've ever seen anyone stop their fitness and be able to maintain their weight (without already being otherwise very active).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Also, I would liken it a bit to going to school....everyone is in a hurry to graduate so they can be done...but what they don't realize is that school was the easy part...now they gotta go bust their *kitten* in the real world. It's eerily similar....
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    *like*
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    I think living is the whole point, for me. I would rather eat less, move more, be healthier. Than eat more, move less and feel yucky.

    A little discipline every day is a now easier than a big overhaul like I did in 2012.
  • 1ZenGirl
    1ZenGirl Posts: 432 Member
    People have a tendency to think that there is a destination or an end point to weight loss and fitness. If you think of it as an ongoing journey, it is possible to find success. There is this impression that when you set a goal of weight loss, you reach that goal and take a picture of your success, and you are done. Once the weight loss goal is reached, maintenance begins. Maintenance can often be more challenging than the weight loss, because you have to change your mind set from one of eating less calories to eating the right balance of calories. This is why so many of us talk about weight loss and maintenance as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. It's not a short term plan, it's a lifetime of work and dligence.

    :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    Once the weight loss goal is reached, maintenance begins. Maintenance can often be more challenging than the weight loss, because you have to change your mind set from one of eating less calories to eating the right balance of calories.

    Very true. What's more, the right balance will change as you change because of factors such as pregnancy, injury, or increased activity. As you age, you probably will require fewer calories. The monitoring and adjusting never ends.
  • soozle2
    soozle2 Posts: 2 Member
    I consider eating a healthy diet, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight as the cornerstone of self care. Yes, there is no end point, but so what? We should never stop taking care of ourselves. We do a whole slew of things (hopefully!) to look after ourselves (regular check-ups, wearing a seat belt, flossing and brushing our teeth) and those things also have no expiration date.

    But I have found maintenance is more interesting if I set regular monthly fitness and health goals. This month I'm targeting reducing my Fitbit reported December sedentary minutes by 5%. I want to sit a lot less!

    This is great! What other goals have you had? I do not have a Fitbit yet....
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Maintenance was very much harder for me. I still go up ten or so lbs from time to time. (ie. halloween thru new years) but then i have something to concentrate on for a few months. I am one of the people who will have to log and weigh food foreverish.
  • onedaybeforethenext
    onedaybeforethenext Posts: 46 Member
    Great Stuff Everyone. Keep on Keeping on :) For me, I don't differentiate between how I go about Maintenance of how I went about Losing just my calorie intake is higher. No I just keep logging and working out (changing up my workout routines every 90 days.)
  • dixieracer27
    dixieracer27 Posts: 79 Member
    Well said!
  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member
    Gotta bring this back to the first page of the forum for all the new-to-maintenance folks (congrats on making your weight goals).
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    The secret to maintenance for me is to take it one day at a time and to stay conscious of my food intake.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    Gotta bring this back to the first page of the forum for all the new-to-maintenance folks (congrats on making your weight goals).

    :flowerforyou:
  • phoenixgirl81
    phoenixgirl81 Posts: 309 Member
    Putting my 2c in.

    I've been in maintenance since October 2013. I bounce between 71-75 kg. When I get to 75kg, I eat in deficit until I get back to about 73 kg and then go back to maintenance calories and control my weight more through exercise.

    I have had three periods since October where I haven't logged. One week in October when I went away for a week, during the Christmas/New Year period and a week ago after I sustained an injury through a long distance running race and decided to take a week to not stress/focus on food and just to focus on healing.

    I enjoyed those 3 weeks of "free eating" (at times this means over eating, at times this means eating things I wouldn't normally allow myself to eat while I'm logging because I can see they are 'dead calories' like jam doughnuts and wine), and at times it means being able to order what I want at a restaurant without worrying about how many calories/carbs/fat/protein/etc is in the meal.

    Unfortunately, I usually gain weight during these periods because I suck at estimating and sometimes go a little wild because I'm NOT logging and this is evidence to me that I still have an unhealthy relationship with food and I therefore know I will need to log for the long term.

    One of the hardest things for me being in maintenance is knowing what to say when people ask me how much I have lost. At my lowest weight, I had lost 69kg. When I gain a little in maintenance, it feels wrong to say I have lost 69kg when, gor example now, my weight is "only" 65kg less than when I started. I feel fraudulent, but I know I have lost that amount. I have the photo of the scales to prove it! Lol.

    At the same time, I know my running has picked up. Where I used to 'die' after 5km, I can now run 15-20km 'easily'. Therefore, I know my muscles are developing and getting stronger, therefore there's a chance that the weight I've "gained" is actually muscle weight. Hence why I don't try to get back down to 71kg.

    All up, I completely agree that this is a lifestyle thing for life. It doesn't stop when the scales show you're at goal
  • TriShamelessly
    TriShamelessly Posts: 905 Member
    Amen!
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    So true! I reached my goal in March 2013 and it's almost a year later and I'm up about 7 lbs from my goal. I was up 10 lbs a month ago, and then I smartened up! It takes work to keep the weight off.
  • KristinaB83
    KristinaB83 Posts: 440 Member
    Yep, sounds about right.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I agree with OP totally on this one. That "end point" is the major reason most diets fail. Health and fitness should be life-long pursuits. To me it's kind of like marriage: I didn't just get to goal (to the altar) sign the paper and then stop making an effort. I maintain my relationship and have made it a life-long priority. I've been on maintenance for years, I'm going to be there forever, and I'm cool with that. Totally worth it. :flowerforyou:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    This is a journey not a destination

    What is a journey without a destination? Aimless rambling?

Categories