Is maintaining weight, just as hard as losing weight?

STLBADGIRL

I ask because I want to know what I am in for once I reach goal? Please share your story.

970Mikaela1

Harder for me. Losing all you need is a deficit. Maintaining you need to have figured out your real tdee numbers.

Joebob8

Its very hard. #1 reason not to try to lose weight too fast. The way I have explained this in other threads is as follows: instead of focusing on weight loss, imagine tomorrow you were to wake up with your perfect dream body. How would you care for it for the rest of your life? What would be sustainable and reasonable? It's all about habits and consistency.

Born_2_Lose

If you have adapted a healthy diet that will follow you throughout your life, then maintaining shouldn't be a problem. Those that only focus on exercise more then nutrition probably have a harder time maintaining.

brenn24179

I am afraid it is! It is easy to get complacent once you are there. If you are not cautious you gain it back. I got my weight down last July and I have had to focus, log, and stay on top of it all the time. It is nice to be able to eat a little bit more but the hard part is not to eat too much. It is a lifestyle change you have to stay with. I think eating out makes it more difficult, vacations, stressful situations that come up. Once you get the weight off you think oh yes I have made it but like I said you have to weigh often and keep on top of it. Logging is a pain but it works!

Rockstar_JILL

For me, maintaining is much harder...there is no immediate reward...no excitement. You don't see a lower number on the scale each week. You don't feel smaller in your clothes anymore. There is no immediate reward. It is so much harder to stay motivated.

soonpass

If you build the proper exercise and eating habits I think it's "easy" . I have lost close to 50 lbs and have maintained for months. If I didn't have a mommy tummy I would stay here..... how ever I can be thinner so I will try to lose at least another 20-25lbs. I workout hard regularly and eat a decent diet. Focus on losing weight the "right" way. That can mean different things to different people. I have done a couple of juice fasst but I lost my weight by eating real, whole foods at around 1400-1600 cals. No shakes, no pills, no 10lbs in 10 days cleanse diets, no 500 calorie diets, no low carb (you get the picture). Before I lost the significant weight I was gaining and losing the same 20lbs because of fad diets and supplements.

Good luck and add me if you'd like!

whitebalance

In some ways it's harder... Without a goal to work for and the constant feedback of the scale going down, blowing off a day/week/month can be tempting. A successful day in weight maintenance is a day when you do everything you're supposed to, and... and?... AND!!! ......... and NOTHING CHANGES. :grumble:

What a lot of us do is find new goals... Lifting more weight... Running faster or longer... Taking up a new sport... Doing push-ups, pull-ups, or whatever we couldn't do before. That helps to keep a focus on fitness.

Figuring out your maintenance calories is trickier than finding a deficit, but it's not really THAT hard: If you see the scale trending down over time, you eat a bit more; if you see the scale trending up over time (aside from the immediate glycogen bump or the expected TOM bloat), you eat a bit less. My weight has been pretty stable (i.e., always within a couple pounds of goal weight in either direction) through 8-9 months of maintenance with little adjustments when I felt I needed a change.

The harder part is staying the course, not letting the demands of daily life derail you and the pounds creep back on over time. For that part, I really recommend MOAR GOALZ.

margaretturk

I have been maintaining 15 months now a 25 pound weight loss. The reward for me is looking better in my clothes,being sick less often, and sleeping better. I try to log what I eat most days and I do weigh myself everyday. When I go over 3 pounds over my goal weight I cut back and I also try to get some form of exercise everyday. Someone once said on one of these forums it is easier to lose two pounds than trying to lose twenty again. I also try and live by the motto I will make good choices today, so I have a healthier tomorrow.

happysummerrunner

Last time a lost weight- a few years ago- I found maintaining to be pretty easy. I just kept up the good habits I developed while losing. And I didn't feel hungry like when I was losing. I maintained for over a year until pregnancy and then all my good habits went out the window! Now I'm losing again. Next pregnancy will be different.

auntiebabs

I think it's harder....
you get lots of encouragement as you lose, but not so much as you maintain.

you have to learn another new way of eating.

when i was losing I over estimated what I ate and underestimate my exercise.
when you want to stop losing you have to be a bit more precise.

And you have to recognize that MFP is a general guideline and not the perfect answer for everyone you have to tweak it to work for you. .

MFP gives me 1600 to maintain 140lbs
while in Real life I'm logging 1450 cal. and maintain at 145 lbs.

cardsfanlv

I've always had a harder time maintaining.. but that's my own fault for letting old habits find their way back into my lifestyle.

capperboy

Actually harder, the thrill achieving targets and seeing results on the scales is hard to replace. Maintaining for me is a bit of a grind, still log every day and weigh once per week very ho hum.

stealthq

In some ways it's harder... Without a goal to work for and the constant feedback of the scale going down, blowing off a day/week/month can be tempting. A successful day in weight maintenance is a day when you do everything you're supposed to, and... and?... AND!!! ......... and NOTHING CHANGES. :grumble:

What a lot of us do is find new goals... Lifting more weight... Running faster or longer... Taking up a new sport... Doing push-ups, pull-ups, or whatever we couldn't do before. That helps to keep a focus on fitness.

Figuring out your maintenance calories is trickier than finding a deficit, but it's not really THAT hard: If you see the scale trending down over time, you eat a bit more; if you see the scale trending up over time (aside from the immediate glycogen bump or the expected TOM bloat), you eat a bit less. My weight has been pretty stable (i.e., always within a couple pounds of goal weight in either direction) through 8-9 months of maintenance with little adjustments when I felt I needed a change.

The harder part is staying the course, not letting the demands of daily life derail you and the pounds creep back on over time. For that part, I really recommend MOAR GOALZ.

This make sense to me - this is the way I want to shift to maintenance. I'm kind of getting a head start, changing up my lifting program as I'm increasing what I eat and trying to be more interested in increasing the weights rather than seeing the scale drop. Knowing (for now) I can increase weight on every lift every workout vs waiting a month to see a scale drop helps.

pkw58

I think there should be another category - increasing fitness. I can maintain the number on the scale, but what I am really working on now is being fitter. Walking more, getting the jiggles smaller, being disciplined about my health in general - drinking the water, getting the sleep, eating nutrition dense food. Taking my daily vitamins.

Maintaining weight - mischief managed fairly well, getting fitter - getting easier.

editorgrrl

I find it way easier—I can eat more! Both weight loss & maintennance take a whole lot of trial & error to find what works for you. My weight fluctuates even more now, but I don't panic. I chose a window (for me, +/- 2.5 lb.). When my weight goes above the window, I cut calories (for me, 100 at a time). If I go below, I add calories. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Losing weight is simple, but not easy. If you can do that, you can do this.

sijomial

Maintaining is easier for me - losing or maintaining is just a numbers game and when you are maintaining you have more calories to play with. So once I've hit my macro targets I've got more "fun calories" to enjoy.

It's important to replace weight loss goals with something else IMO. Fitness, body comp, weights, speed, distance, sporting or event goals - whatever floats your boat.

frangrann

I've always had a harder time maintaining.. but that's my own fault for letting old habits find their way back into my lifestyle.

I agree. So hard to stay disciplined over the long haul.

littleburgy

I'm very new at maintaining, and I'm finding it to be a balancing act. You suddenly have more calories and freedom. But you still have to be responsible.

For me, one minute I'm happy about the extra food I get to eat, the next I feel a bit of panic or guilty if I think I've eaten too much. I'm still logging and it's helping me to balance all of those conflicting feelings out. If the numbers are right, then I should be OK.

Spiderkeys

I didn't find losing weight hard at all, maintaining seems to be hard, just cannot find the correct maintance number, either find myself like I've eaten too much or eaten too little, it's like it's gonna be a lifetime commitment of yo-yo dieting.

302cupcake

I've been maintaining for about 4 months and although I have not had a problem staying at my current weight, I still need to work hard to balance my intake and exercise. Because I lost a large amount, I think my body is more likely to regain if I drop my guard. I exercise most days, but have never eaten back those calories (those numbers are over estimated anyway) and I doubt I will ever eat more.

I look at my body as being extremely fit and extremely at risk for blowing back up, but accepting that makes it easy to stay on track. I'm rarely hungry and no longer struggle with binge urges because I know I can fit most foods into my day. I've sorted out most of my wardrobe and will never tire of seeing a size small or size 4 - that thrill has replaced the thrill of seeing the number on the scale go down.

I am slowly starting to see myself as a thin person, which is something I've never been able to own before. This has taken a little therapy and a lot of reinforcement from my family, friends and doctors. I've also started to deal (surgically) with some of the excess skin and although that's a bold step, it will help me maintain. I will have a few scars, but it will also have the body I have worked hard for.

It's very hard to maintain when you have been very heavy, those first few pounds of regain are hard to notice because you are still thinner than you used to be, but I knew that when I started and I know I will continue to keep the pounds off.

Blue801

Glad you asked this OP. I've been a little bummed about facing a constant struggle with weight for the rest of my life.:frown:

SaebraSpirit

In some ways easier and some ways harder.

Diet and exercise are not 'short term' solutions so once you reach your goal you must keep the healthy eating habits and working out regimes!
Of course who ever says no to cake on their bday


~~But you get what I mean, healthy is for life, not a few months!~~

cwolfman13

People tend to think of reaching their goal weight or whatever as crossing some kind of finish line. The reality is that you've just arrived at the starting line of the real race. People think they're done...but they're actually just beginning. They are finished losing weight...so they slack on their nutrition. People so closely relate exercise to losing weight that they fail to set independent fitness goals and they slack on their fitness and/or drop it altogether when they're done losing weight. These are the things that lead to putting all that weight back on.

It's not hard per sei...but people for the most part fail to truly make a "lifestyle change"....and really, maintenance is where that change comes through. Lifestyle change isn't about logging or keeping a diary or whatever. Ultimately, long term success is only sustainable when you make nutrition central to your dietary eating habits. You ultimately have to live a life that is fitness centric. Your nutrition and fitness have to be your new lifestyle and this is where pretty much everyone fails (about 95% of the population).

The only difference between losing an maintaining is a few hundred calories...that's it. You still have to rock your nutrition and rock your fitness. Failure to do so will ultimately lead to putting your weight back on. Hopefully you've spent some time while you were losing to really learn how to eat...learn portion control and moderation rather than deprivation as they are ultimately pretty necessary tools for maintenance.

Gingernut1949

With any other diet in the past I've always got to my goal, stopped dieting and weighing myself - and put it all back on again!
I've lost three stone (42 pounds, 20 kilos) on the 5:2 way of life and have maintained my weight loss since April last year by just eating up to 500 calories one day a week for the health benefits of fasting. I always weigh myself once a week so I can catch any rogue pounds before they multiply!

misskris78

Maintaining is easier for me - losing or maintaining is just a numbers game and when you are maintaining you have more calories to play with. So once I've hit my macro targets I've got more "fun calories" to enjoy.

It's important to replace weight loss goals with something else IMO. Fitness, body comp, weights, speed, distance, sporting or event goals - whatever floats your boat.

^^^ Yes! Just because you have lost the weight, it doesn't mean you shouldn't have a goal anymore. Maybe your goal is to do a single unassisted pull up, a 10k, 50 burpees, hike all 46 peaks in the Adirondacks, hike the Appalachian Trail... whatever. Maintenance doesn't meant that you stop having goals - it just means that you have the flexibility to adjust them a little bit.

CipherZero

It took me about a month to get it dialed in, but once I got it figured out I've been steady at 160±1 pounds.
It'll make the coming bulk/cut cycles a lot easier.

(Edit: Typing is hard!)

Slim_strategy

I've been maintaining for about 3 months now and you do have to stay focused , I still can't stop logging because I don't trust myself (I've tried but it's compulsive habit) xD you have more calories to play with so you have to be careful that it doesn't make you TOO relaxed that you fall into bad habits.

I've been eating about 80% healthy and 20% naughty ( so one treat a day eg. small dessert after lunch) throughout my day and this helps me to stay within my calories or I save a few calories for a nice treat on saturday like takeaway hehe
I think it also helps to set yourself new goals, like maybe to be more active more times a week or getting your 5 a day or something like that because it helps you to stay focused .
Whatever is manageable and keeps you happy because it is indeed a lifestyle change, no reverting back once you're done

themedalist

I think maintenance is easier than losing weight. 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.

editorgrrl

I consider eating a healthy diet, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight as the cornerstone of self care.

I love this!

Go_Mizzou99

It took me about a month to get it dialed in, but once I got it figured out I've been steady at ...

ditto...

btw - maintenance rocks!