Harder to maintain than it is to lose?

Spiderkeys

Didn't ever think this day would could but, 'm getting so close to my goal weight of 75kg, and now gotta start thinking about maintenance mode, trouble is, I've trained myself to eat less, I feel full quickly and despite eating a bit more on some days, the scales countinues to drop.

I know maintaince mode requires you to eat more, but for some people on lower incomes, buying more healthy food can be quite costy, maybe I should eat at least some junk food and save money?

I feel it might get out of control and I've just find my yo-yo dieting from there, I dont want 5kg gain then diet to lose 5kg, etc. it is possible I could keep it on just the same number every week?

cwolfman13

It doesn't take much and doesn't require a ton more volume. A couple more Tbsp of peanut butter per day will kick you up another couple hundred calories...I didn't do it much when I was losing but now I pretty much have my apple in the afternoon with either peanut butter or a good handful of almonds rather than just on its own.

I started regularly packing a piece of string cheese with my lunches, etc. It was little things like this...didn't really cost extra and didn't have to consume a ton more volume.

Just keep in mind that yes...it is harder...your mindset has to completely change and you will now have different goals that aren't related to the scale and watching it plummet. Finding that balance can be difficult and a lot of people revert back to old eating habits and forgo exercise, etc. Don't do that...continue to do what you've been doing...just throw in 500 or so more calories per day. Like I said...EZ to do with a little dietary fat.

Fullsterkur_woman

Well, that's why I've been warning you to slow down your weight loss as you approach maintenance. That's why I suggested adding 100 calories per day per week until your loss slows to about 1/2 pound a week. For example, if you're eating 1300 calories per day now (I don't know why a man of your height would be, by the way; I'm a woman four inches shorter than you and I eat 2000 or so to maintain!), you would eat 1400 calories per day next week, 1500 calories per day the week after that, etc.

Sooner or later, your weight loss will slow and then stop. That's the place where you maintain.

Once you find that, you can do something like have a big meal once a week (or whatever you prefer) and "borrow" those calories from other days during the week, or just keep it constant and work your "treats" into that budget.

Remember when you threw away the nuts you bought because of how many calories they had and how much you used to eat? Don't throw them away next time. If you can't stop yourself from finishing them in one sitting, just buy smaller packets. Do you have avocados in your neck of the woods? You like that seafood salad sub from Subway, right? I think that's really delicious with some pepper jack cheese on it, and of course some spicy mayo. That'll add fat calories right there.

I'd also encourage you to get more protein, but that's another argument for another day.

Spiderkeys

You a point there FW, the weight dropping off superprising quickily, I think my 80s was faster than my 90s, and I see no sign off it slowing down and stopping, but yeah didn't think, I can start spreading butter on bread when I do have a slice(and cwolfman13 is right, it doesnt cost extra), don't like peanut butter much, but could try jam.

I want my weight to be consistent and drop slowly but i hate stalls, stalls is like a feeling of hopelessness and semi-failure, but I could of course keep what i'm doing, but have a kindof a cheat day once a week.

And yeah I still got those nuts I was given at christmas, they may come in handy.

Fullsterkur_woman

You a point there FW, the weight dropping off superprising quickily, I think my 80s was faster than my 90s, and I see no sign off it slowing down and stopping, but yeah didn't think, I can start spreading butter on bread when I do have a slice(and cwolfman13 is right, it doesnt cost extra), don't like peanut butter much, but could try jam.

I want my weight to be consistent and drop slowly but i hate stalls, stalls is like a feeling of hopelessness and semi-failure, but I could of course keep what i'm doing, but have a kindof a cheat day once a week.

And yeah I still got those nuts I was given at christmas, they may come in handy.

So you desperately need to work on getting your mindset right between now and when your weight loss stops, or you could find yourself on the fast track to regaining.

Stop thinking of them as stalls then, and start thinking of them as temporary maintenance. That's what I did when my loss stalled at the end of September, and then I decided I'd rather keep making strength gains anyway, so now I'm choosing to maintain. There will be time for me to lose fat when I get back from Iceland. I'm an athlete; one can just think of that as my "off-season".

I don't think a "cheat day" is the right mindset, because without logging your food you won't know how many calories you're eating, thus how many you need to cut back on other days to offset them. If you're going to log, then it isn't a cheat day.

And you won't keep your weight consistent entirely. Accept that it'll fluctuate a couple of kg due to sodium, extra carbs, heavy exercise, etc. You don't have one number that you weigh, your weight will be in a range when you're in maintenance. Mine has about a 6 pound range right now.

ETA: I don't mean to come off as having a bossy tone here. I just seem to adopt a simple, direct manner of speaking with you. Not sure why. :indifferent:

Fullsterkur_woman

You a point there FW, the weight dropping off superprising quickily, I think my 80s was faster than my 90s, and I see no sign off it slowing down and stopping,

Not so surprising. Your net intake is really, really low. I'm concerned about your muscle mass loss, especially considering you don't do weight training (unless you started that?). That's going to lower your basal metabolic rate.

sijomial

I know maintaince mode requires you to eat more, but for some people on lower incomes, buying more healthy food can be quite costy, maybe I should eat at least some junk food and save money?

I wondering how you are classifying healthy food and junk food? Calorie dense carbs like potatoes, rice, pasta are relatively inexpensive so couldn't you simply carry on eating as you have been and add some more carbs to get your calorie count up?
Beans of many kinds are also inexpensive. Remember that calorie dense does not equal unhealthy!!

I feel it might get out of control and I've just find my yo-yo dieting from there, I dont want 5kg gain then diet to lose 5kg, etc. it is possible I could keep it on just the same number every week?

Think this highlights why some people think maintenance might be harder than losing. Logically you could treat it exactly the same as when you were "dieting" but just with a higher calorie allowance. The fear of loss of control or not having the reward of weight loss seem to be the issues some people have.
You will need to accept that you cannot stay exactly the same weight day after day or week after week so set yourself a + / - range which you regard as maintaining. Accept that weight varies naturally and it's not a bad thing.

Really believe you should start tapering off the speed of your weight loss for the last few kg's so that it's not such a sudden jump from losing to maintaining.
The other thing is to think about new goals - fitness and / or strength goals for example.

Last thing - be happy with what you have achieved!! You should be celebrating not fearful.

TavistockToad

I feel it might get out of control and I've just find my yo-yo dieting from there, I dont want 5kg gain then diet to lose 5kg, etc. it is possible I could keep it on just the same number every week?

it is not realistic to think you will be exactly the same weight every week. you should have a maintenance range, not a single number. anything 2kg either side of your goal weight should be acceptable...

also bare in mind that you may find you put on a pound or 2 when you eat more as you are replenishing your glycogen stores.

you might want to look into IIFYM - theres nothing worng with a bit of 'junk' if it fits your macros!

Zomoniac

If you're anything like me, whilst you might think you're almost there because you only have 5kg to go, it'll take you longer to get that off than the first 30kg did.

Patovader

Hello, yes it is. Bar my little 5lb gain over x-mas I have been maintaining (+ or - 2lb from goal) since April 2012. Start by adding just 100 cals a week until you find a level that works. It is of course not an exact science but you will enjoy the extra leeway it gives you - good luck

Schtroumpfkin

Stop thinking of them as stalls then, and start thinking of them as temporary maintenance.

LIKE THIS!

Fullsterkur_woman

It's almost like I have seen these other responses somewhere before... Hmmm... :bigsmile:

So, what's really, really keeping you eating so few calories every day? What will legitimately happen if the scale stops moving downward?

twixlepennie

Didn't ever think this day would could but, 'm getting so close to my goal weight of 75kg, and now gotta start thinking about maintenance mode, trouble is, I've trained myself to eat less, I feel full quickly and despite eating a bit more on some days, the scales countinues to drop.

I know maintaince mode requires you to eat more, but for some people on lower incomes, buying more healthy food can be quite costy, maybe I should eat at least some junk food and save money?

I feel it might get out of control and I've just find my yo-yo dieting from there, I dont want 5kg gain then diet to lose 5kg, etc. it is possible I could keep it on just the same number every week?

First of all, you do not stay at a constant weight-you will have a maintenance window, not a set number. Most people have theirs set between 5-10lbs. Your weight will fluctuate day to day and it has nothing to do with real gains/losses.

Second of all-you're only going to be upping your calories by a few hundred calories for maintenance. That's hardly going to cause your grocery budget to sky rocket :huh: That's like the equivalent of a spoonful of peanut butter and a banana.

Thirdly-there is no 'bad' or 'good' food. Food is food. Eat what you enjoy, keep an eye on macros if that floats your boat, move around a few times a week and stay within your calorie allotments. That's the key to long term, successful weight loss maintenance.

Unknown

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mccindy72

It's almost like I have seen these other responses somewhere before... Hmmm... :bigsmile:

So, what's really, really keeping you eating so few calories every day? What will legitimately happen if the scale stops moving downward?

^This^. Once you get it stuck into your head that you *have* to see the scale drop week to week, it's hard to reset yourself to want to see it stay within a set range from week to week. As this poster has advised you multiple times on this thread, slowly add in calories until your loss slows. Then by the time you reach that goal weight, you'll be used to eating more, so it won't be an abrupt change to which to adjust. Remember, you are on one leg of a journey which will continue for the rest of your life. You're just turning onto a different road, not pulling over and stopping. You haven't reached a destination when you reach your goal weight, you've just turned the corner onto a different road.

erickirb

wow, I just looked at your intake. Even for losing weight there is no reason for a man to be under 1600 Net calories/day. I suggest you change your goal not to lose 1lb/week, then in 3-4 weeks change it again to 1/2 lb/week. this will get you ready for maintenance without one large jump in cals, and ensure that you don't lose much lean muscle mass. The larger your deficit the larger the % of your weight loss will come from muscle. And now that you don't have a lot to lose this is even more imperative.

Fullsterkur_woman

wow, I just looked at your intake. Even for losing weight there is no reason for a man to be under 1600 Net calories/day. I suggest you change your goal not to lose 1lb/week, then in 3-4 weeks change it again to 1/2 lb/week. this will get you ready for maintenance without one large jump in cals, and ensure that you don't lose much lean muscle mass. The larger your deficit the larger the % of your weight loss will come from muscle. And not that you don't have a lot to lose this is even more imperative.

I think you meant "now that you don't have a lot to lose", right?

I know how exhilarating it is to see that weight come off so fast, and especially once you get near the end you want to double-down and "get there" that much faster, but I promise, I guarantee, that if you do that, when you start trying to maintain, you are going to immediately gain 5 pounds. And then you're going to want to cut your calories drastically again to deal with that. But you need to understand that that immediate 5 pound gain is *normal*. The way to avoid seeing it, really, is to sloooooow down and sneak up on maintenance, so that it never knows you're coming. If you just gradually lose that last little bit until you're naturally eating at the level you'll maintain on, there won't be the spike at the end.

Now will you please just go eat a sammich?!

Annie_01

wow, I just looked at your intake. Even for losing weight there is no reason for a man to be under 1600 Net calories/day. I suggest you change your goal not to lose 1lb/week, then in 3-4 weeks change it again to 1/2 lb/week. this will get you ready for maintenance without one large jump in cals, and ensure that you don't lose much lean muscle mass. The larger your deficit the larger the % of your weight loss will come from muscle. And not that you don't have a lot to lose this is even more imperative.

I think you meant "now that you don't have a lot to lose", right?

I know how exhilarating it is to see that weight come off so fast, and especially once you get near the end you want to double-down and "get there" that much faster, but I promise, I guarantee, that if you do that, when you start trying to maintain, you are going to immediately gain 5 pounds. And then you're going to want to cut your calories drastically again to deal with that. But you need to understand that that immediate 5 pound gain is *normal*. The way to avoid seeing it, really, is to sloooooow down and sneak up on maintenance, so that it never knows you're coming. If you just gradually lose that last little bit until you're naturally eating at the level you'll maintain on, there won't be the spike at the end.

Now will you please just go eat a sammich?!

I like your approach with this guy...he needs some tough love!

You have given some excellent advice that I will try to remember when I get closer to my goal.

Thanks for just being blunt and laying it on the line!

Fullsterkur_woman

I like your approach with this guy...he needs some tough love!

You have given some excellent advice that I will try to remember when I get closer to my goal.

Thanks for just being blunt and laying it on the line!

Than you for supporting me! In fairness, this guy's been on my FL since September, and I've been telling him this all along. Maybe he thought I was just pulling this stuff out of my posterior, and now that a bunch of randos on the Internet are telling him it will suddenly become true? :laugh: I think maybe because I'm not losing weight right now (by choice at the moment) I don't have any street cred... Because I've never lost 50+ pounds the wrong way (losing tons of muscle), 45 pounds, 25 pounds, 20 pounds, 10 pounds, 15 pounds, 10 pounds... I have found more ways to be unsuccessful at losing weight and keeping it off than you can shake a stick at! But the one way that works at maintaining the weight loss, that one's just too crazy, I guess. :indifferent:

Spiderkeys

Actually I just a newbie to dieting, it started with me thinking I won't lose any, but yeah from reading your advices im upping my calories week by week, and yeah im not strength traing at a gym yet, but I keep busy and do a lot of hard labour work around the house everyday, it's become much easily with less weight to drag around too.

And as some other poster stated than the last 5kg will be extremely slow and hard to lose, maybe for some people, but I've lost 10kg in just over a month, I've noticed Im almost losing 1 pound a day, so my goal looks promising, and yeah it will be a shock you reach your goal weight too quicky then suddendly maintaining without preparing first, so Im upper my calories a bit.

Boogage

I had to take a bit of a break to realise that I could maintain on a higher amount of calories. I struggled mentally for 3 months to (very slowly) up my calories and I lost 10lbs more than I mean't to because my body was so happy to have more fuel that it started to work more efficiently and burn up the fat. It took a couple of weeks of eating crap over Christmas to make me understand that I could eat a lot more as I ate what I wanted (lots of choc and biscuits) and didn't gain anything. I'm 5'4, currently 107lbs, sedentary since Christmas and maintaining at 1550-1600 cals a day so I'm guess you could get away with eating quite a bit more. I am finding it hard to eat mainly so called 'clean' foods to make up the calories but continuing to log is helping me control the junk intake.

Fullsterkur_woman

Actually I just a newbie to dieting, it started with me thinking I won't lose any, but yeah from reading your advices im upping my calories week by week, and yeah im not strength traing at a gym yet, but I keep busy and do a lot of hard labour work around the house everyday, it's become much easily with less weight to drag around too.

And as some other poster stated than the last 5kg will be extremely slow and hard to lose, maybe for some people, but I've lost 10kg in just over a month, I've noticed Im almost losing 1 pound a day, so my goal looks promising, and yeah it will be a shock you reach your goal weight too quicky then suddendly maintaining without preparing first, so Im upper my calories a bit.

You're totally not a newb, dear. I've seen you give good advice to others. I. have. seen. it.

I know you've lost quickly lately. It's just that we're telling you that this is not a good thing.

Good for you for upping your calories. Food is not the enemy; you just gotta learn to live with it, not fight against it. You know what might be fun? Brainstorm up a bunch of your local delicacies and we can all help you find ways to fit them in to your calorie goals. You live in Australia, right? I must admit to being pretty ignorant of the cuisine, but I did have a koala bear piggy bank when I was a kid, so I got that goin' for me. I can't believe there's a whole continent that I know so little about. So! Time to educate me.

Fullsterkur_woman

I am finding it hard to eat mainly so called 'clean' foods to make up the calories but continuing to log is helping me control the junk intake.

So why are you trying to do that? If you're getting enough protein and fat, and you're eating your 5 a day fruit/veg, you can totally eat the rest as "junk food". There's no extra credit here.

Annie_01

Actually I just a newbie to dieting, it started with me thinking I won't lose any, but yeah from reading your advices im upping my calories week by week, and yeah im not strength traing at a gym yet, but I keep busy and do a lot of hard labour work around the house everyday, it's become much easily with less weight to drag around too.

And as some other poster stated than the last 5kg will be extremely slow and hard to lose, maybe for some people, but I've lost 10kg in just over a month, I've noticed Im almost losing 1 pound a day, so my goal looks promising, and yeah it will be a shock you reach your goal weight too quicky then suddendly maintaining without preparing first, so Im upper my calories a bit.

There is a part of me that understands where you are coming from.

Today I reached the 200lb mark on the scales...1lb away from seeing a 1 in that first position for many years. I am also just 4lbs away from a total weight loss of 50lbs and that same 4lbs will put me half way to my goal. I would love to lose it in the next few days. Is it possible...well yes but not very realistic. The realistic is that hopefully by the end of the month I will have accomplished this.

I started out just as you did...setting a limit of 1200 calories...trying to stay under that. I lost weight but it was just not something that I could keep up. I also knew that when I got closer to my goal weight that my weight loss would slow down...at 1200 calories...I had no where to cut back. I upped my calories...I now average losing more weight than I did at those 1200 starving me to death calories. I also have more energy and better control over what I eat.

I thank you for starting this thread and discussing your issues. I have already started to try and gain more info about maintenance even though I still have about 50lbs to go. The information being presented here has certainly given me a little more incite in to what I will be faced with.

nwg74

I am finding maintaining so hard. I went down from 26.5 stone (373 pounds) down to just over 12 stone (171 pounds). I managed to maintain 12.5 stone for most of last year which I was very happy with. Since November at first it suddenly upped half a stone (7 pounds) in just a few days to 13 stone and then a stone more by end of the year (14 pounds). Today I was 13 stone 10 pounds.

I just can't shift the weight at all. I can be the same weight for up to a week even down to the same half a pound.

I am currently eating 1700 calories but have gone down and higher and nothing seems to make difference.

I just want to see 12 stone again on the scales I hate seeing 13 stone on it.

Jestinia

It's harder for me to maintain than to lose as well. The difference is, at least now I know it, and I'm desperately trying everything I can think of to make it work. I did try a bounce of 10 pounds on the scale, constantly losing and gaining, and two things happened: 1. I ended up gaining over 10.
2. I noticed a distressing change in body composition. More belly fat!

So I went back to the tried and true low carb. But for the first time I didn't lose weight. It simply didn't cut my appetite like it did when I was very overweight.

So I'm scrambling now to find something that will work. Meanwhile, GNC has a nice stock of appetite suppressants, if you don't fear for your heart. Ask for Rapid Fire. Careful, it's strong. No, GNC/the makers of Rapid Fire don't pay me for this endorsement, though I should perhaps look into that. Stuff is expensive.

nwg74

I did try a bounce of 10 pounds on the scale, constantly losing and gaining, and two things happened: 1. I ended up gaining over 10.
2. I noticed a distressing change in body composition. More belly fat!

Exactly the same as me. I have put a couple inches on my belly and hips despite only 1700 calories a day.

Jestinia

I did try a bounce of 10 pounds on the scale, constantly losing and gaining, and two things happened: 1. I ended up gaining over 10.
2. I noticed a distressing change in body composition. More belly fat!

Exactly the same as me. I have put a couple inches on my belly and hips despite only 1700 calories a day.

Thanks for confirming it's not my overactive imagination! Well, it was worth a try, anyway.

We can do this, though. Because we are eyes wide open to the difficulty. And I don't know about you, but that puts me way ahead of where I've ever been before after reaching goal weight. I've never maintained in my life, but this time I'll find a way, and I'm sure you will too.

Fullsterkur_woman

I am finding maintaining so hard. I went down from 26.5 stone (373 pounds) down to just over 12 stone (171 pounds). I managed to maintain 12.5 stone for most of last year which I was very happy with. Since November at first it suddenly upped half a stone (7 pounds) in just a few days to 13 stone and then a stone more by end of the year (14 pounds). Today I was 13 stone 10 pounds.

I just can't shift the weight at all. I can be the same weight for up to a week even down to the same half a pound.

I am currently eating 1700 calories but have gone down and higher and nothing seems to make difference.

I just want to see 12 stone again on the scales I hate seeing 13 stone on it.

Get thee to a doctor. Gaining over 20 pounds in a couple of months without changing anything is something to be concerned about.

Fullsterkur_woman

I did try a bounce of 10 pounds on the scale, constantly losing and gaining, and two things happened: 1. I ended up gaining over 10.
2. I noticed a distressing change in body composition. More belly fat!

Exactly the same as me. I have put a couple inches on my belly and hips despite only 1700 calories a day.

Thanks for confirming it's not my overactive imagination! Well, it was worth a try, anyway.

We can do this, though. Because we are eyes wide open to the difficulty. And I don't know about you, but that puts me way ahead of where I've ever been before after reaching goal weight. I've never maintained in my life, but this time I'll find a way, and I'm sure you will too.

Low carb did nothing for me except screw up my brain chemistry. I lost four whole pounds in 8 months. The 4 pounds I keep in glycogen storage. :grumble:

How long have you been stalled? Have you visited the Eat, Train, Progress group? I think they have a couple of threads relevant to stalls there.

ibleedunionblue

I found it harder at first as I adjusted my intake. I was anxious adding calories, afraid I would gain weight. But over the course of 2 months, I was able to determine how much I could eat on exercise & non-exercise days.