Is maintaining weight, just as hard as losing weight?
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Maintaining seems to be harder than loosing. Looking for some practical tips.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »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.
YES. This. 2 years into maintenance, 5 years told since began 35+ lb. weight loss. Losing and maintenance pretty easy due to the quote above. Maintenance is not even maintenance. It's just living.
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I don't think of maintenance as harder or easier - either one is just a process I need to stick with over the long haul in order to achieve my goals.
During weight loss, it was a matter of tracking calories, nutrition & activity, adjusting to keep the weight trending down.
In maintenance, I get more calories (yay!), and I need to track calories, nutrition & activity in order to stay in my goal weight range (for me, goal weight plus or minus 3 pounds, which encompasses normal daily fluctuations).
Psychologically, it might have been harder to maintain, but I learned a lot during weight loss about how to eat in a healthful way while staying full, energetic & happy. That learning is serving me well in maintenance.
Granted, it's early times - I've only been maintaining for 6-7 months. But it's going just fine so far.1 -
My habits have been fairly easy to maintain and not gain weight, but mentally sometimes it is harder without a challenge. When I was determined to lose 60+ pounds, I made it my mission. I had a laser focus on the goal and enjoyed the process of getting there. Now some days it's like....now what?? I try to set more performance type fitness goals now, like a 5k time or plank time, or...anything. But it's sometimes harder to find that same pure determination, drive, and motivation from deep within without a pressing goal.
Somewhere in the process I started to actually enjoy exercise instead of it just being a chore to drop weight. I feel better when I go. Now I enjoy working out, cooking, eating fairly clean, being more active, even becoming a morning person, don't really miss the alcohol. So it hasn't felt that "hard" to maintain habits or weight. I'm eating more than ever because my metabolism is so ramped up and don't feel deprived. I indulge here and there without stressing it or weighing myself every day. But I do feel like I lost a little of that "fight" in me to get at it and attack new goals without having more pounds to lose.5 -
I don't think of maintenance as harder or easier - either one is just a process I need to stick with over the long haul in order to achieve my goals.
During weight loss, it was a matter of tracking calories, nutrition & activity, adjusting to keep the weight trending down.
In maintenance, I get more calories (yay!), and I need to track calories, nutrition & activity in order to stay in my goal weight range (for me, goal weight plus or minus 3 pounds, which encompasses normal daily fluctuations).
Psychologically, it might have been harder to maintain, but I learned a lot during weight loss about how to eat in a healthful way while staying full, energetic & happy. That learning is serving me well in maintenance.
Granted, it's early times - I've only been maintaining for 6-7 months. But it's going just fine so far.
congrats for maintaining for 7 months. And that's a good word....learn as much as possible about weightloss, etc., to help with maintaining.1 -
My habits have been fairly easy to maintain and not gain weight, but mentally sometimes it is harder without a challenge. When I was determined to lose 60+ pounds, I made it my mission. I had a laser focus on the goal and enjoyed the process of getting there. Now some days it's like....now what?? I try to set more performance type fitness goals now, like a 5k time or plank time, or...anything. But it's sometimes harder to find that same pure determination, drive, and motivation from deep within without a pressing goal.
Somewhere in the process I started to actually enjoy exercise instead of it just being a chore to drop weight. I feel better when I go. Now I enjoy working out, cooking, eating fairly clean, being more active, even becoming a morning person, don't really miss the alcohol. So it hasn't felt that "hard" to maintain habits or weight. I'm eating more than ever because my metabolism is so ramped up and don't feel deprived. I indulge here and there without stressing it or weighing myself every day. But I do feel like I lost a little of that "fight" in me to get at it and attack new goals without having more pounds to lose.
This is awesome, reading that somewhere you picked up loving to exercise and all the other good healthy things that go with lifestyle. Thanks for sharing. I am taking notes from all of you!!!!1 -
@STLBADGIRL - Thank you! I think that was actually one of the most interesting things about these past 18 months. I had never exercised before or ever enjoyed working out. I would join gyms and never go. I think I took one spin class and walked out after 10 minutes. Or I would typically try one class, be so out of shape that I would physically not be able to do it, feel horrible, self-conscious, hate it, and never go back again. When I got serious about losing weight last year, one of my friends said, "You have to just be willing to suck for awhile." It ended up being good advice. I kind of relaxed about my starting point and stopped comparing myself to people who had been at this for years. I was not in shape, I was so de-conditioned. My heart rate went up to 172 in the first 3 minutes. Working out was NOT fun or enjoyable. But I stuck with it. Consistently. Feet to the floor, just gotta do it.
And then you start seeing the progression. And one day you're running a minute longer than you could the day before. Or lifting a weight you couldn't even pick up a month ago. Or feeling your core now strong enough to support you for an exercise instead of sagging. And realizing you don't need to do the modification anymore. Now I can barely get my heart rate up to 172, even with intense exercise. A group fitness class is still always challenging, but you get stronger. And it becomes fun to attack new goals or reach new milestones you never thought possible. Now it is my stress relief, my adrenaline burn, my therapy, something I genuinely look forward to doing.
I've also found the more I challenge my body and the more it performs for me, the more motivated I am to fuel it, take care of it, give it good nutrition, get recovery sleep. I went from someone who ordered (not healthy!) takeout every single night to cooking, and trying new things, and being creative in the kitchen.
And I think surrounding yourself with like-minded, supportive, positive people makes a huge difference too. People who inspire to be better, push harder, help others. In all aspects of life, not just health and fitness. I think with enough consistency, somewhere along the way healthy changes shift from feeling strenuous, uncomfortable, unappealing - to habits and routines that make you feel good, energetic, capable..and then it spirals.3 -
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Why, yes. Yes it is. You still have to count calories. You still have to work out hard and often. You're not really doing anything differently from weight loss except you get more calories. How many more depends on gender, age, and body size. For me it's...
wait for it....
A WHOPPING 200 MORE! *throws confetti*
So basically for some people it just entails being reasonable; for others it's restriction for life. As a man, you are probably going to be on the less restrictive end of things.2 -
I don't think so - I've been at my target weight for the last 6 months - Just grateful to get there, No more fat me...STLBADGIRL wrote: »I ask because I want to know what I am in for once I reach goal? Please share your story.
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@STLBADGIRL - Thank you! I think that was actually one of the most interesting things about these past 18 months. I had never exercised before or ever enjoyed working out. I would join gyms and never go. I think I took one spin class and walked out after 10 minutes. Or I would typically try one class, be so out of shape that I would physically not be able to do it, feel horrible, self-conscious, hate it, and never go back again. When I got serious about losing weight last year, one of my friends said, "You have to just be willing to suck for awhile." It ended up being good advice. I kind of relaxed about my starting point and stopped comparing myself to people who had been at this for years. I was not in shape, I was so de-conditioned. My heart rate went up to 172 in the first 3 minutes. Working out was NOT fun or enjoyable. But I stuck with it. Consistently. Feet to the floor, just gotta do it.
And then you start seeing the progression. And one day you're running a minute longer than you could the day before. Or lifting a weight you couldn't even pick up a month ago. Or feeling your core now strong enough to support you for an exercise instead of sagging. And realizing you don't need to do the modification anymore. Now I can barely get my heart rate up to 172, even with intense exercise. A group fitness class is still always challenging, but you get stronger. And it becomes fun to attack new goals or reach new milestones you never thought possible. Now it is my stress relief, my adrenaline burn, my therapy, something I genuinely look forward to doing.
I've also found the more I challenge my body and the more it performs for me, the more motivated I am to fuel it, take care of it, give it good nutrition, get recovery sleep. I went from someone who ordered (not healthy!) takeout every single night to cooking, and trying new things, and being creative in the kitchen.
And I think surrounding yourself with like-minded, supportive, positive people makes a huge difference too. People who inspire to be better, push harder, help others. In all aspects of life, not just health and fitness. I think with enough consistency, somewhere along the way healthy changes shift from feeling strenuous, uncomfortable, unappealing - to habits and routines that make you feel good, energetic, capable..and then it spirals.
So I kept clicking "awesome" then "insightful" then "awesome" until I finally said "oh, heck, I'm just gonna quote the whole thing so I can see it in print again, and tell @divcara that I think it's awesome and insightful". I especially like the bolded parts, but I like the whole thing.
This is exactly what I found when I started getting active, and stuck with it.
Excellent post.
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It's way easier for me. All I have to do is keep weighing myself weekly and adjust accordingly. With losing, I had to make a long-term plan. Now I just make minor adjustments to my eating/activity.1
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Harder.
I miss the rush of weighing and seeing the lower number....0 -
I find maintaining much easier. I'm lucky that my natural appetite lines up perfectly with my maintenance calories, therefore maintaining my weight doesn't require much effort.
Eating at a deficit requires much more vigilance and willpower for me.0 -
My story is I added a bigger breakfast and more snacks. Ben and Jerry’s every night! How is that hard?0
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markrgeary1 wrote: »My story is I added a bigger breakfast and more snacks. Ben and Jerry’s every night! How is that hard?
Good point.0 -
I find maintaining easy. I recently took about a six month break from losing and just maintained after a 28lb lost. I didn't really log, I just ate with that thought in the back of my head not to eat as much as I wanted to. I knew my body wanted me to gain the weight back and I simply chose to ignore it and always stop BEFORE I wanted to. I logged a little here and there, you can check out my diary it's public. Its the constant vigilant awareness that kept me within 3-5 lbs of the weight I was when I changed to maintenance.
Note that I may be a special case here, I dunno, because I gained the vast majority of my weight in sudden large amounts, not as a gradual gain over time. I very quickly gained 20lbs or so when I went from a walking job to a desk job, like in a couple of months, then I maintained that for a couple of years without even having joined MFP, I just adjusted apparently on my own. Then I got pregnant, ballooned up to 184 lbs, then after I had my kid, while breastfeeding I lost down to 141, then I stopped breastfeeding and due to my child's medical problems turned into a living couch (he had to sleep completely upright for the first four months of his life, so I became the human upright bed, and had to be VERY still every time he slept, and babies sleep a LOT), after which point I gained til I was 176 lbs over the course of those four months. I lost the 28lbs I have lost between September of last year and April-ish of this year, took a diet break over the rest of spring and summer, and now I'm back to lose the final 30. I didn't "gain" any weight during my diet break/recomp/maintenance, whatever you wanna call it. I hovered around the 150 mark within 3-5 lbs the whole time, which can be accounted for with water weight alone, and just normal weight fluctuation from day to day.
Here's the down side: I have a really hard time losing. REALLY hard. It's slow and arduous and tedious and unpleasant and I HATE working out, but I love to eat more. I have to be absolutely flawless with my logging, because my body is set to standard maintenance all the time, and really any deficit makes me feel like I'm not getting enough. And I NEVER take off my fitbit, because my burn estimate also has to be as flawless as is possible for the layman.
I really thought, back in the spring, that I was gonna totally gain back all the weight I'd lost and that I'd have to log everything forever and omfg panic. But it turns out I do okay without doing anything especially strenuous. Even stopping eating, as I said before, before I am ready wasn't that difficult compared to my 1000 calorie deficit. It was kind of relieving actually. I hope this helps soothe someone's fears. Everyone is different, but maybe you'll be different in this way, horrible losing but easy maintenance. I expect there are benefits to the easy loser with difficult maintenance too.
I don't say this to be a jerk to people who have a hard time maintaining, I'm just relaying my experience. I really think, for some people, that the loss is the huge PITA, and maintaining can be the easy part.0 -
I have found for myself that maintaining is not that hard to do. Just historically I maintain easily. I tend to lose weight in segments for some reason. I'll lose 10-15 then stop and just hold it where ever it is. I may gain a few pounds back, maybe not. Than I'll pick up again and lose a little more. It's a cycle for me. During these periods in between losing I don't know how I even really do it. It seems like if I eat more than I should I really feel stuffed. Now that I have my hunger control. I used to have a horrible time with hunger and that was really ruining me.0
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heck, losing it is hard enough atm, apparently I am suppose to be eating 2500 to maintain, and to lose 2lbs per week, eat 1500 per day, yet, at 1500 per day, it is up and down..... it is gonna be hell when I get to the point of maintaining.....1
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Yes and no. I am just pass the 4yr mark and I have gained about 10lbs of the 100lbs back. I have to kick my own rear every once in a while to get back on track. It is really easy to fall back into old habits. You will need to step on the scale forever and adjust what you are doing when that number changes. We don't get to take weight for granted the way some people do. The part that makes it easier, in addition to getting a few more calories a day, is that you know it is possible. When you are losing the weight part of you always questions whether you will reach your goal and that little bit of doubt make you wonder if the suffering is worth it. You won't have that anymore and other people will tell you how inspiring your journey is, and that will make you want to stay on track for them too. Also strictly from a vanity point of view, it is easier being thin. People treat you better, they look you in the eye, they smile, they make small talk. No one smiled back at me back when I was larger. I cannot imagine going back to that level of invisibility so that makes staying thin a higher priority than eating.
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I'm maintaining my weight right now.. Although I'm far from my goal.. Losing the weight was the easy part once I cut out the junk and walked more.. I think for me maintaining my weight is hard until I'm ready to shed the last 60 pounds.
You have to remember that it's a lifestyle change and don't forget why you lost the weight to begin with.. For example it's easy for me to feel like a failure until I realize that I shed a significant amount of weight and it hasn't come back nor will it.
I think what helps me is looking at pics of myself from a few months back and looking at pics of myself now and realizing I look soo much better now than I did a few months ago. And thinking to myself " I don't want to go back to being 220 pounds and sad".. This curbs my craving for junk if I haven't been eating healthy all week...
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heck, losing it is hard enough atm, apparently I am suppose to be eating 2500 to maintain, and to lose 2lbs per week, eat 1500 per day, yet, at 1500 per day, it is up and down..... it is gonna be hell when I get to the point of maintaining.....
If you're finding 2lbs a week too hard, you may want to switch over to 1lb a week. It might make losing easier and more pleasant.1 -
It's great to read everyone's different perspective on maintenance.0
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