The fear of maintaining is putting me off losing weight...

tattedbarbz

Ok so I started losing weight in May, lost 30lbs by August, then stopped and just ate whatever because I started a new job. I've just started trying to lose weight again in the past couple of weeks and I had gained about 7lbs, so i've just had to lose that, and now i'm continuing to lose again.
I wasn't exercising and I ate whatever (some days I had bad binges, some days I probably got the "normal" 2000 calories, it really depended) so I wasn't suprised with the 7lb gain, but I didn't mind it that much.

So anyway all i'm wondering is, how hard is it to maintain?
I absolutely love food and while i'm trying to lose weight I really feel like i'm restricting myself. Do you think when I complete my journey maybe by then my mentality will have changed so I will naturally prefer to eat healthier?

I definately would like to carry on exercising, it's just the eating i'm worried about. Really wouldn't want to un do my hard work.

sjohnny

Mr_Knight

I absolutely love food and while i'm trying to lose weight I really feel like i'm restricting myself. Do you think when I complete my journey maybe by then my mentality will have changed so I will naturally prefer to eat healthier?

Honestly?

No.

I can easily knock back 2000-3000 unnecessary calories a day. That's unlikely to ever change. So I will *always* have to pay attention to what I'm eating - now and forever.

serindipte

Very much this.

That said, I can't blame you. I put off quitting smoking for years because I knew I would always crave them. I would have to forever deny myself what I wanted if I quit. What was the point in stopping if there was always that chance of slipping?

I was wrong.

I finally did quit. Nov 8 of last year, I smoked my last one. I did crave them horribly.. for the first three days and then every now and then after that. Now, four months later? Nope, not at all. I haven't craved one in at least a couple of months. I was ready for how horrible it would be and now I can honestly say that I just don't want them.

Point being.. You won't know until you get there and you'll never get there if you don't make the decision to begin with.

MireyGal76

I absolutely love food and while i'm trying to lose weight I really feel like i'm restricting myself. Do you think when I complete my journey maybe by then my mentality will have changed so I will naturally prefer to eat healthier?

Honestly?

No.

I can easily knock back 2000-3000 unnecessary calories a day. That's unlikely to ever change. So I will *always* have to pay attention to what I'm eating - now and forever.

this.

I am a snacker. All the time.

If I stop tracking, I will eventually derail. But, when I do, I catch it quickly and rein myself in.

I tend to go on "maintenance holidays"

SbetaK

You have to change your life outlook/lifestyle/eating habits and activity/exercise to lose the weight. If you are just doing a temporary change to lose the weight, you can't expect it to stay off forever if you revert back to old comfortable habits when you reach your goal. Don't ban some of your favorite treats, just eat smaller portions, less often. Enjoy your progress and think about what is more important, your new health status, or eating what you used to but being unhappy with how you look or feel. Many quotes on this site with similar words of "when you reach your goal, remember why you started towards it". If you go slowly, you will get accustomed to the daily changes and eventually they will become your new habits. Another quote is the one that says if you always do what you've always done, you'll always be who you have always been. My favorite. I can be this fat unhealthy person I have been for years, or i can change my habits and be the person I have wanted to be. No way to get there without effort. Good luck!

montana_girl

This is why it's important to not restrict/deprive yourself now, while losing weight. Find ways to incorporate your favorite foods into your day (or once a week, whatever).

I always remind myself that any change I make regarding food or exercise, has to be one I can live with for the rest of my life. So I've learned to allow for the occasional indulgences, cut back on some of my favorite everyday foods, and have even eliminated a few foods from my diet (totally my choice for better health). But all the changes I've made I can live with.

Yes, maintaining is hard (for me, anyway), but it so worth it. I would much rather struggle with maintaining my weight than be where I was when I started.

nxd10

I found it easy.

Someone said the other day that people who have an easy time maintaining probably had a pretty healthy relationship with food and pretty good eating habits before they tried to lose. They gained weight because they got older and their eating outstripped their metabolism or 'life' happened (babies, sickness, whatever) and they gained weight. When they tried to lose, they had lots of good strategies to fall back on.

People who have a harder time either had eating issues before or had fewer good strategies to fall back on. Those who succeed despite that have taken to heart the lessons they learned while losing and have made it a new part of their life.

That sounds like what I read on the forums. Whichever you are, you can succeed.

Iwishyouwell

I absolutely love food and while i'm trying to lose weight I really feel like i'm restricting myself. Do you think when I complete my journey maybe by then my mentality will have changed so I will naturally prefer to eat healthier?

Since you "love food" and feel restricted whenever you're trying to lose, have you thought about creating a maintenance plan that works for your needs and strengths?

Perhaps you need to look into something like intermittent fasting in order to create a deficit that'll catch your tendency to overindulge.

Or maybe you can do a restrict/free eating alternate day plan, where you eat freely one day, and curb your choices/volume the next, that way you always are only a day away from the foods you "love".

It's so important that you find a way to maintain that's going to work for you. I know the "everything, every day in moderation" approach works for some, but it does not have universal appeal. Try and get creative and find ways to build in a deficit just enough to allow you to eat the way you enjoy, and still maintain your loss. Good luck.