how do i do this???

ewennmacher

so i know i am capable of losing weight, and i definitely know i can gain weight like a champ, but ive never been able to maintain. i lost 60 pounds in 2011 then got pregnant with #2 and gained 50 of that back. i went straight from weight loss mode to pregnant and never worked on the maintanince part. i m not there yet, but im wondering if anyone has any advice for me as to things i could be doing durring my weight loss period that will help me be able to maintain when i get to that point.

jkwolly

Eat at a calorie deficit.

If you provide stats such as height, weight, age, activity level - you can go online and get your rough estimated calorie intake needed depending on the desired weight loss.

ETA: spelling.

ewennmacher

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TamalamaZ

ETA means "edited to add". It's a courtesy if you edit a post that you include ETA and reason.

jkwolly was not picking on you, they were editing the spelling errors in their own post. Hope that helps.

TavistockToad

Eat at a calorie deficit.

OP was asking how to maintain?

its not really that difficult... you just have to stick to your exercise routine and not use maintenance as an excuse to eat everything... you can just eat a little more!

logging for a good few months usually helps so that you learn how many calories you need. you should also have a maintneance range, not one number, to account for fluctuations.

sweetpea03b

1) First and foremost... don't give up anything now you can't give up for life. I can't stress it enough! If you sacrifice too much now... once you get to the point to maintain you'll think "yay I can have cookies and ice cream again" and you'll find yourself slipping back into those old habits... too much ice cream... too often. If you fit it in now.... there won't be that danger of over-indulging later.

One thing I learned recently though I was dead set against it... measureing/weighing stuff. If you don't already... you should. It's so important so you know what healthy portions look like. Last week was my 1st week weighing my foods and I lost almost 2 lbs... it made such a huge difference because I was under-estimating like crazy! This is helpful later because you'll KNOW what 6oz of steak looks like so even if you don't weigh at maintenance you'll have a better handle on keeping reasonable portions.

Good luck!

tibby531

I'm finding "portion control" to be my biggest issue, and therefore what I focus on the hardest. I take one day a week off from logging my foods, so I try really hard to make sure I don't just continuously stuff my face with whatever's available on that day (which was how it was when I first started my weekly "off" days). I don't need to go back for thirds, just because it tastes so good. "there will be more food later," I don't have to eat everything just because it's in front of me. it will still taste just as good when I reheat it tomorrow. etc, etc, etc.

KetosisTina

1) First and foremost... don't give up anything now you can't give up for life. I can't stress it enough! If you sacrifice too much now... once you get to the point to maintain you'll think "yay I can have cookies and ice cream again" and you'll find yourself slipping back into those old habits... too much ice cream... too often. If you fit it in now.... there won't be that danger of over-indulging later.

One thing I learned recently though I was dead set against it... measureing/weighing stuff. If you don't already... you should. It's so important so you know what healthy portions look like. Last week was my 1st week weighing my foods and I lost almost 2 lbs... it made such a huge difference because I was under-estimating like crazy! This is helpful later because you'll KNOW what 6oz of steak looks like so even if you don't weigh at maintenance you'll have a better handle on keeping reasonable portions.

Good luck!

Agree. Diet is such a bad word, though we all use it. For most diet means some temporary eating habit that you don't plan on staying on very long. You need to find lifestyle of eating that you can live with.

SezxyStef

1) First and foremost... don't give up anything now you can't give up for life. I can't stress it enough! If you sacrifice too much now... once you get to the point to maintain you'll think "yay I can have cookies and ice cream again" and you'll find yourself slipping back into those old habits... too much ice cream... too often. If you fit it in now.... there won't be that danger of over-indulging later.

One thing I learned recently though I was dead set against it... measureing/weighing stuff. If you don't already... you should. It's so important so you know what healthy portions look like. Last week was my 1st week weighing my foods and I lost almost 2 lbs... it made such a huge difference because I was under-estimating like crazy! This is helpful later because you'll KNOW what 6oz of steak looks like so even if you don't weigh at maintenance you'll have a better handle on keeping reasonable portions.

Good luck!

all of this....as you can see I am 4lbs from maintenance. My plan is to continue to eat like I do now (and by that I mean same kinds of food) just maybe a bit more of them, continue with my exercise and logging and weighing.

When I do lose these last 4lbs my plan is to up my calories 100 a week until I hit my maintance (TDEE from my own data not a website) and see how it goes as far as fluctuations...I expect to see some...ups and down but will only allow a couple of pounds in either direction while at maintenance.

My ultimate goal is 20-22% BF but the weight of 155 is good for now...

ewennmacher

ETA means "edited to add". It's a courtesy if you edit a post that you include ETA and reason.

jkwolly was not picking on you, they were editing the spelling errors in their own post. Hope that helps.

thanks i reacted too soon

jkwolly

Eat at a calorie deficit.

OP was asking how to maintain?

Whoops!

Obviously read the thread wrong

cwolfman13

The most important thing you can learn while losing the weight is moderation and portion control. They are essential tools for maintaining weight. You also want to be consuming a diet (noun) that is sustainable...the only difference between me now in maintenance and when I was losing is a few hundred calories. While I eat a diet that is very nutritious and is comprised by a great deal of whole foods, I also enjoy things like pizza and other traditional staples of the SAD which is where moderation and self control/portion control really come into play. I would highly recommend moving away from the SAD though...not that you can't enjoy some of those things but a great many food products customary to the SAD are easily over-consumed and calorie dense.

To maintain your weight you need to be able to continue to rock your nutrition and your fitness and be able to practice moderation and portion control.