Maintenance Thread

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  • slimmerchick
    slimmerchick Posts: 189 Member
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    Hi, just came upon this thread from reading somebody's post today - may I pop in from time to time? I am logging my food to help me maintain my weight - so far I've stayed within a lb or two so I am really pleased. I do weigh daily which I know I shouldn't, but I feel it helps me stay on track. I do have days where I go over my calories but it hasn't done any harm so far, and if I am keeping an eye on it, I can correct any damage before it happens by eating light for a couple of days. :)
  • jerseyshorenurse
    jerseyshorenurse Posts: 47 Member
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    Hi! I've joined MFP as a maintainer so I'm joining this thread! I've gained and lost and gained several times in my life and I'm just trying to find that happy medium and stay there! I've stayed in a pretty narrow range for 3 years now, but found myself 5lbs heavier this winter and it was my wake-up call! I am trying to renew my motivation and healthy habits because I AM NOT GOING DOWN THAT ROAD AGAIN.
    Adding photos didn't work for me, but whatever! They're in my profile and in my head.
  • mjheinrich
    mjheinrich Posts: 87 Member
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    Hi! I've joined MFP as a maintainer so I'm joining this thread! I've gained and lost and gained several times in my life and I'm just trying to find that happy medium and stay there! I've stayed in a pretty narrow range for 3 years now, but found myself 5lbs heavier this winter and it was my wake-up call! I am trying to renew my motivation and healthy habits because I AM NOT GOING DOWN THAT ROAD AGAIN.
    Adding photos didn't work for me, but whatever! They're in my profile and in my head.

    Welcome jerseyshornurse. Looks like you've done pretty good for only gaining 5 lbs in 3 years but congrats on the wakeup call and not letting it get out of hand. I think you'll love the site and support you get from MFP. I was happy to find this thread and there isn't a lot of direct support for us maintainers but we know we have to continually work the program to keep off what we worked so hard to lose!
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,980 Member
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    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: I'm happy to have found this thread.......It took about a year for me to lose the 70 pounds that I wanted to lose (for years I said I was probably about 20 pounds overweight :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: ).....In the last year I've stayed under that goal and dropped as much as five pounds lower.:bigsmile: When I started my weight loss journey, one of my tools was to give up "recreational eating" and the longer I eat for health instead of for entertainment, the better I like it. I log food and exercise every day and don't ever think that I can just relax and it will be OK......I love my friends on MFP because this is a place I can talk about smart eating and exercising and you understand.......too many of my face-to-face friends think I'm obsessive so I'm careful who I tell about how I live my life......my husband is my biggest supporter and he loves the healthy way we eat. :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • Robin1117
    Robin1117 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    But I think it's really important once we get close to our goal to focus on things like body fat %. If your weight on the scale went up because of muscle then you are now taking up less space. Which means you are smaller even if you are heavier on the scale. IOW, it's a good thing. But, if it's fat, then it's something to worry about. And, if it's water, then it's temporary and neither a good nor a bad thing.

    My body fat % has remained the same so I think I am gaining a combination of fat and muscles. I will know for sure next month when I get a dunk test done again.


    MacMadame--what do you use to calculate bodyfat on a regular basis? I never have so am not sure how that works. Overall, I think it might be more muscle-I have been doing the 30 day shred for the last month and do feel stronger. My clothing is actually a little looser in some places. I would love to know my bodyfat too--but maybe it'll be just another number I'll end up obsessing over? :smile:

    Welcome all the new folks! Would love to hear your stories and input and questions.....
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    This is the first time I've tried conciously to maintain my weight (my sig file is to remind me of that!) and I worry that it's making me completely neurotic (see? I'm even neurotic about whether I'm neurotic :laugh:). In the past I would lose the weight, lose interest in my weight and slowly regain the 10 kg I'd lost. I don't want that to happen this time, but I am thinking about my weight so much at the moment.

    My latest worry is whether I should get new scales to check whether I really weigh what I think and therefore whether I should really be trying hard not to lose any more weight. If I bought new scales that said I was over my goal weight I could stop worrying about it. But what if they said the same, or less?

    I think I'll try to see the doctor today and get weighed there, and ask some questions I have about sugar too.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    No doctor available! I'll try some scales in town, or at a friend's. The sugar question will have to wait.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    My scales said nearly 2kg less than my friend's! So that's good. I'm not really lighter than I was at school :laugh: Time to get new scales, and stop worrying that my son might be underweight too:laugh:
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,980 Member
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    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: I weigh myself twice a day and record the weight to keep on track, but the most important thing is how i feel and how my clothes fit.
  • altushe
    altushe Posts: 57 Member
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    Hi maintenance friends! I am glad we all have common struggles and ones that we never anticipated once we finally lost the weight. It's been 3.5 months since I joined MFP as a maintainer. While I am getting more used to and comfortable with the calories needed (food and exercise) to maintain, it is still not any "easier" from a mental/emotional standpoint - will it ever be? Maybe it's just hard for those of us who have never gotten to this point before and have a new resolve to stay here vs going back to the painful processs of yo-yoing up and down so many other times.

    For those who have had longer-time success with maintenance, I would love to hear some of your success stories, especially if there was a turning point for you when living a thinner lifestyle becomes more natural - or will it always be something that takes some extra thought.

    I have found that logging on MFP and corresponding with other members to be the best support in this journey. Looking forward to hearing stories/tips from everyone who is here to maintain a new healthier lifestyle.
  • pamp1emousse
    pamp1emousse Posts: 282 Member
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    So this week I've been really inconsistent with my calories, going way over then cutting back to compensate, etc. Oof! It's unexpected but I've found myself way more anxious trying to maintain than I was when I was trying to lose. Maybe that's because I'm not sure where my maintenance level is, but I think also because, assuming I'm not at a deficit, whenever I go over there's no buffer between my calories and a surplus! I guess I just have to get it into my head that going over occasionally will NOT make me gain all the weight back. Or probably even a pound! Definite change in mindset needed though, I think.

    @oishii - haha I can totally relate... I've found myself to be neurotic about being neurotic too! I figure as long as you can laugh at yourself, it's ok :tongue: I avoid going on other scales like the plague, and scales at the doctor's or the gym are used by so many people so frequently that they may well be a little off. If you're getting consistent readings from yours then you're doing well!
  • mia66
    mia66 Posts: 425
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    This was a good week for me. I am still within my weight range but at the very low edge. I weigh 124 lbs, my range ( 124-126 ). I have had great energy this week and feel relaxed with my body image which has been hard for me at many points. Hope this contines. I hit the gym 5 times this week and really felt lots of energy before and after. I always work out 4-5 times a week and take off a few extra days during my cycle, this works for me.
    I also allow myself 1 take out food day a month and really enjoyed a Burger King meal last night with out any guilt at all. I feel like I am in a good place with myself right now.
    Thanks everyone for a place to talk.
    Mia.:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:





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  • gailosborne
    gailosborne Posts: 435
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    Thats great Mia!! Its good when you finally feel you can relax for the odd evening and know it will not send you on a downwards spiral. I guess we'll all get to the point eventually of relaxed vigilance about what we eat. I know I can never eat the foods I used to in the quantities I did or even regularly - I know I cannot forget about portion sizes, sugar, fat etc. but I also know once in a while will not hurt me.

    Well, I've been clothes shopping this weekend.Let me tell you I had loads of fun. I think I am now developing my own sense of what suits me if that makes sense.

    When I got to goal over a year ago, the choice for a UK size 12 girl compared to a UK size 20-22 girl was overwhelming. There was so many styles etc I could choose from I had no idea. (Now I have the same issues with dating but that is another story for another day!!! )

    This weekend I have shopped til I dropped with my mum!! I have remained a fairly constant weight for over a year but lost fat and inches since then, and am now a size 10 in most things.

    I loved it- I felt pretty and feminine, I strutted about in the changing rooms in my underwear and bought some really beautiful things. It was a lovely feeling.

    Anyway would love to hear if anyone else has experienced a 'wow everything fits me' what do I wear shock!!

    Love Gail x
  • BernieMBurke
    BernieMBurke Posts: 206 Member
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    Hey I just stumbled across this thread today and thought I would pipe in. I started on MFP in March 2010 and lost 80 lbs by the middle of November. I've been trying to adjust to the maintenance schedule ever since. I'm still tracking and I have lost another 10 pounds. On the good side is that I gained 2.2 pounds this week (first time in a while, not counting vacation). Since I was over 4,000 caliories short this week, I don't think it was too much food. I've really stepped up the exercise this last week (3 weight sessions; 9 cardio sessions), so I'm attributing it to muscle build-up. Of course it could be the body going into starvation mode, but I feel fine. I've seen all my doctors in the last month (got three of them UGH!) and they are all happy.

    My maintenance calorie goal is 1990 before exercise and I averaged 850 calories burnt a day this week. That's 2,840 calories a day. During my weight loss, I was eating around 1,750 calories and I got used to it. I've gotten myself up to around 2,200 calories a day, but I just can't eat much more.

    Any ideas would be welcome. I did pick up some Low Sodium Almonds, so that should help.

    Bernie
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Gail, I've never been a size 20, but even with the drop from a 14 to a 12/10(UK) I feel like their are more clothes that would actually suit me. People Tree this season has a Laura Ashley print jumpsuit, which I would have ignored as for 'skinny people' even a few months ago, but now I see it as perfect for me... I just hope there's one left in the sales!

    Bernie, how tall are you? That sounds like a lot of calories to eat! I'm still bumping my calories ever upwards, trying to find the right balance.

    I did buy new scales because the old ones made me sound too skinny. Now I'm only just under my goal weight, not 1.5 kg under. That makes me less anxious. The fat percentage bit is useless though... Apparently I was 24% fat last night but 21% or so this morning, so it's clearly nonsense!:mad: Ah well... They were cheap (£14 at Argos) so I shouldn't expect much.
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
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    Gail, it is a thrill to go clothes shopping now! I am still so surprised when I try things on and they look so good. I bought two dresses last week and I am still amazed!

    I have been really maintaining. No gains and no losses in over two weeks. Maybe I am getting the hang of this.

    The one thing I am accepting is that exercise MUST be a regular thing for me. It is a lifetime commitment to doing it!

    D
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,980 Member
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    :flowerforyou: I don't do anything different since I reached my goal weight except to eat a few more calories......every once in awhile I'll eat the meal served somewhere instead of bringing my own food, but I consider this a new way of life.:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
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    Barbie...what are the cats doing? I need glasses! :laugh:
  • jerseyshorenurse
    jerseyshorenurse Posts: 47 Member
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    Gail, it is a thrill to go clothes shopping now! I am still so surprised when I try things on and they look so good. I bought two dresses last week and I am still amazed!

    I have been really maintaining. No gains and no losses in over two weeks. Maybe I am getting the hang of this.

    The one thing I am accepting is that exercise MUST be a regular thing for me. It is a lifetime commitment to doing it!

    D

    I'm going on a cruise in a couple of weeks and while I have a closet full of cocktail dresses and such for formal nights, I have a nasty, nasty habit of wearing a lot of black, and for this cruise not only do I want to look fabulous, but I want to wear something more tropical. I tried on a few things today, one of which was black but such a pretty shimmery gathered fabric...I couldn't resist trying it on and LOVED it but then saw the same dress in coral and remembered my goal to get something colorful. There was a sales gal standing nearby so I asked, "Do you think I can pull off wearing this color? I'm trying to get away from black but I think this might put me over the edge." Her very kind reply was, "Absolutely, I'm pretty sure you would look good in just about anything." Awww...I really appreciated that, especially compared with the days when I would be mortified at the thought of dress shopping.
  • jerseyshorenurse
    jerseyshorenurse Posts: 47 Member
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    Oh, and I bought the coral one :)

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