Minor setback and a revelation

kennyh75
kennyh75 Posts: 20 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Anyway, I've been off the forum here for while. I still log every day, but after losing by 60 (240 to 180 as of last June), I got a "bit" lazy.... sneaking in bigger portions, heavier beers, candies at work... lots of those "quick add calories" days!.... many of you know the deal. My new wardrobe I procured sill fits fine, though I had not weighed myself since October. Frankly, I was scared to see the number, and if my clothes still fit fine, why even bother with the scale?

Running a half marathon tomorrow, went to pick up our packet today. Realized when we got there, in order to sign the waiver, they require us to step on a scale. I was actually really nervous about it. The result.... 195... I gained about 12 pounds since October. It really brought me down for a few hours, just the thought of getting heavy again is incomprehensible to me.

I came to realize, though, after contemplation tonight... this was the best thing that could have happened. I saw the reality of the scale, IMMEDIATELY knew why I gained the weight, and simply resolved to tweak my logging habits... I imagine things will soon back to normal with a little more discipline.

One thing I quickly realized, the MFP "maintenance weight" number is a weight-gainer.... I reset my setting for a -1, might stay at that for a few months and see how it goes. My wife, who also lost of lot with me, WITH perfect maintenance, has stayed at -1/2 now for months, and she's rolling along.

Replies

  • Mpol2
    Mpol2 Posts: 442 Member
    A little learning the hard way... Good for you for catching it now and taking a sensible approach to solving it.
  • GSXRGIRL61
    GSXRGIRL61 Posts: 6,490 Member
    @ Kenny: I'm where I want to be, so I want to do what your wife is doing. She set her new goal as .5 lb loss per week, right? Does she eat all of her exercise calories back, or is her net usually below what MFP has for daily calorie goal?
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
    While everyone chooses for themselves how often to weigh in. This is part of why I do it every day (and I don't get upset by slight ups and downs). I lost 50 pounds about 10 years ago, and only started regaining when I got out of the daily weighing habit. Thankfully, I still caught myself early. I believe most people on the Weight Loss Registry weigh in every day--or at least every week. It definitely helps me to stay mindful. I expect I'll be a daily weigher for the rest of my life--and feel great about it.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    Have you taken body measurements and logged them for future reference? Weight is only one way to measure progress. I don't know your workout habits but what if you have gained muscle? Not all weight is created equally.
  • omatga
    omatga Posts: 56 Member
    Good for you!! Not for gaining some of the weight back, but realizing that you were off your game and therefore getting back in the game. It's scary how quickly you can fall back into bad eating habits, or exericise habits (although you're running a half marathon so you apparently still got that part under control). Nutrition has always been my struggle. I'm not a terrible eater, I just love to eat! And I am a bit of a wino. Red wine in the evenings is my treat. So I have to be careful too. I say you get a pat on the back for taking responsibility and getting back in the game. :)
  • MadBabysMama
    MadBabysMama Posts: 373 Member
    Good lesson for you and the rest of us. Maintenance is the true goal, not the loss itself, so the journey continues for all of us even after "goal" is reached. Thanks for sharing, and good luck with the race and your continued success.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Congrats on knowing what to do next and being ready to do it. AND running the half marathon!

    I know people say clothes are a good indicator, but not for me. I can gain 20 pounds and still fit into clothes just fine.

    To maintain, I keep on 'lose half pound a week', log everything, and eat back my exercise calories. We're all different.
  • NotAResolution
    NotAResolution Posts: 58 Member
    I've done over 40 races and a half dozen half marathons, I've never had to weigh myself before signing a waiver. What kind of race was this? Were you signed up as a Clydesdale?
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I think it's great that you're recognizing it early and taking action. That's a big part of the maintenance effort - noticing the slips and making adjustments. Those twelve pounds will be gone in no time, whereas losing 60 again would have been a big task.

    Good luck training for your race!
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
    @OP, thanks for posting your experience. Being a multiple offender myself, losing and gaining weight back again several times, I realize that losing is only part of the journey. I started maintenance a month ago and still working on finding my maintenance level. Luckily you caught it early. I plan to continue logging daily and weighing myself weekly until I am comfortable that I am maintaining within a +/- 5 lbs range.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    This is a wonderful reminder that regularly weighing in during maintenance is imperative. I plan to weigh myself weekly during maintenance to keep abreast.
  • andyluvv
    andyluvv Posts: 281 Member
    This is a wonderful reminder that regularly weighing in during maintenance is imperative. I plan to weigh myself weekly during maintenance to keep abreast.

    Can anyone else report that MFP's maintenance calories are wrong? Everywhere I looked seem to suggest the same value :s
  • bassettmama
    bassettmama Posts: 13 Member
    I agree with you on the MFP maintenance number. I keep myself at "lose 1/2 pound per week" and maintain within a pound or two. If I put it at maintain--I gain.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    This is a wonderful reminder that regularly weighing in during maintenance is imperative. I plan to weigh myself weekly during maintenance to keep abreast.

    Can anyone else report that MFP's maintenance calories are wrong? Everywhere I looked seem to suggest the same value :s

    Any calculator is just giving you an estimate...a starting point. People get hung up on this and I don't get it...why do people think some calculator is going to give them some exact number to maintain/lose/gain whatever? All of these calculators just use statistical averages to give you some kind of reasonable estimate of your calorie requirements...you have to make adjustments per real world results...it's really nothing to get hung up on.

    For some, MFP's maintenance number will result in gaining...for others, they will continue to lose...others will maintain just fine. Issues can easily arise from underestimating or overestimating activity level as well as underestimating intake and overestimating burn. You have to make adjustments as per real world results with any of these calculators.

    Also, I've been maintaining for 9 months and the OP's post is exactly why I weigh in at least a few times per week. Catch a trend early and it's pretty quick and painless to deal with it.
  • andyluvv
    andyluvv Posts: 281 Member
    I lost 42lbs three years ago on MFP. Then I stopped - biggest mistake ever! This time around - I have learnt a very tough lesson. Before - I mean last time I was only using the app - hadn't discovered the website - this time I have friends and of course these forums to guide me. This time when I do meet my target and then get to maintenance I will not stop - I will keep weighing myself every day ( crazy I know) and keep logging in.

    I have also stopped eating sugar added food - haven't decided if I will start again when I reach Nirvana!
    Good luck on your journeys everyone!

    I would advise against weighing yourself DAILY as you'll have weight fluctuations - best thing is to check your weight once a week to keep yourself on track.
  • salvyhead
    salvyhead Posts: 66 Member
    Congrats on the amazing accomplishment of 60 plus! Wow.

    If it helps you're not alone. I refused to weigh myself (just stubborn) when I started maintenance and it was a big mistake. Didn't even own a scale. Immediately piled on like six lbs. I think it took about five minutes. :) Not sure exactly but it was quick.

    Bought a scale - compared it to a known good one at the gym - and now it's part of my daily routine. Brush teeth, step on scale. Every morning. It's the constant feedback I need to behave myself.

    And I was not logging my intake. Another mistake - bad combination.

    Didn't think I'd need either - but I was wrong. Weight loss is not for the faint of heart. :)

    On the fluctuation issue - that is something to keep in mind but it doesn't worry me. After weighing every day for months, I know my range and I know not to panic when it inches a few lbs. upward. In my case - it goes up most dramatically almost always after a day of higher sodium intake so I know it's mostly water, anyway.

    If you are really concerned about it - you can use one of the tools that averages out daily fluctuations. There's a spreadsheet on Scooby's http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/download/AccurateWeightCharting.xls that seems to work pretty well and some folks have had success with https://trendweight.com/ but I have not tried it. Your mileage may vary of course.

    Good luck and keep the faith.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I would advise against weighing yourself DAILY as you'll have weight fluctuations - best thing is to check your weight once a week to keep yourself on track.
    On the other hand I would advise weighing daily so you understand and accept what normal weight fluctuations are and spot any trends early.
    BTW - set a new personal record this week for a 24hr fluctuation, 7lbs.
    That doesn't mean it's fat or that I've failed in some way. Just data.

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