Will move into maintenance soon and scared

EuroDivas

Hello,

I am nearing the end of my weight lost and hope to move into maintenance soon. The closer I get to the end the more anxiety
I have about maintenance. I am afraid that I will just gain weight again and not maintain.

How problematic is the maintenance phase. Anyone going through this and would like to share tips etc.?

Thanks for your feedback.

editorgrrl

Set your goal to .5 lb. per week until you reach goal. The closer you are to goal, the more slowly you lose. Then switch to maintenance, and continue to eat back your exercise calories at the same rate you are now. Give it a few weeks. Your weight will fluctuate, and it will take trial & error to find the number of calories at which your weight will stabilize.

Choose a window (for example, plus or minus 1kg). If your weight goes below that, raise your calorie goal by 100 calories (or start eating back all your exercise calories, if you weren't before). If your weight goes above your window, cut 100 calories.

Congratulations on approaching goal!

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

PaytraB

Congratulations on getting close to your goal!
The hardest part about maintenance is to get used to thinking of your weight as a "range" instead of a "number". You will gain and you will lose within that range. For example, you'll have to get used to being 140-150 lbs and not 145 lbs. On maintenance, weight isn't static.
You might gain a few pounds back as your body finds a new balance of water & glycogen but it'll only be a few pounds and you'll level off after that. It's hard not to panic when these few pounds come back on. It's a normal adjustment and nothing to panic about.
Trust in what you've learned on your journey. As Editorgrrl says, slow down your weight loss for those last few pounds. It'll help you and your body adjust to maintenance.

EuroDivas

For example, you'll have to get used to being 140-150 lbs and not 145 lbs. On maintenance, weight isn't static.
You might gain a few pounds back as your body finds a new balance of water & glycogen but it'll only be a few pounds and you'll level off after that. It's hard not to panic when these few pounds come back on. It's a normal adjustment and nothing to panic about.
Trust in what you've learned on your journey. As Editorgrrl says, slow down your weight loss for those last few pounds. It'll help you and your body adjust to maintenance.

Thanks. Do you think I should go 1-2 kilos below my goal so I have a buffer for possible weight swings?

Hornsby

Yes, go a bit below your goal if you think weighing in over it will bother you.

I will say that so far, I have though maintenance was easy. Hopefully, it will be for you as well. Granted, I've only been doing it for 3-4 months, but so far, so good.

emirror

You have received some good advice here. Specifically, go to maintenance slowly, and go a bit below your goal to allow for any gains while you transition.

I'd like to add... don't go changing the foods you eat. Eat the same things, just a little bit more. Don't stop weighing and measuring your food.

And, by the way, CONGRATULATIONS on being so close to goal!!! YAY!

Sparren

The biggest thing - is continuing to monitor! Continuing to use a tool like MFP will work wonders. A couple of years ago I reached my goal, and thought I could maintain by myself, and stopped using MFP after a while. Here I am back again, after gaining back 8kgs! This time, I believe I have learned my lesson, and once I reach goal, will continue to monitor. Monitoring caloric intake is a long-term lifestyle, rather than a short-term weightloss tool! All the best - looking forward to the day when I can also say that I'm close to my goal!

EuroDivas

The biggest thing - is continuing to monitor! Continuing to use a tool like MFP will work wonders. A couple of years ago I reached my goal, and thought I could maintain by myself, and stopped using MFP after a while. Here I am back again, after gaining back 8kgs! This time, I believe I have learned my lesson, and once I reach goal, will continue to monitor. Monitoring caloric intake is a long-term lifestyle, rather than a short-term weightloss tool! All the best - looking forward to the day when I can also say that I'm close to my goal!

I also left some time ago and came back as I gained the weight back. Same as yourself, I do plan on remaining active on the site and logging my meals.

EuroDivas

And, by the way, CONGRATULATIONS on being so close to goal!!! YAY!

Thanks for the nice words and advice.

DianneP6772

I have been at goal for about 3 months. I actually went maybe 2lbs under. Since then i have had a 3 lb range. I think 5 lbs is much more realistic. I have logged everyday and plan to - forever! I have gone up to an average of 2000 calories per day - but i have made sure to exercise. I am still so worried about going back up to where i was all my life! Never again - so I am a bit crazy about this whole thing. Hopefully in the near future i will mellow out about it - but for the meantime - log, log, log.

emjaycazz

Congrats!

The most important trait that I see people doing to successfully maintain is to continue to have fitness goals (e.g., marathon training, strength building), and to eat to support those goals. It sounds so cliche, but it is truly a lifestyle change as opposed to reaching a finite "goal."

eso2012

I was at maintenance and now having a relapse of binge eating which of course lost my tip top shape.

I feel - and have been told - that it is important not to treat anything as a "permanent phase". It is more an achievement for you to celebrate AND a reference point should you go off course in the future. The line is not straight.

A good example. I know people who HAPPILY put on a few pounds during a vacation, knowing that they have already established a good, life-long habit of healthy eating and regular exercising..so they just enjoy the moment, and re-adjust after the holiday.

Congrats on your achievement. No need to be anxious - easier said than done, I know, but remember you have made it.

EuroDivas

Thanks for all the feedback.