Long time maintainers how do you do it

Sabine_Stroehm

I'd like to hear from other folks who've maintained their weight loss for several years or so.
What do you do to maintain?
What sort of lifestyle changes did you make while losing or after that made it easier (or possible?) to maintain your loss?
And, are you active/do you exercise regularly?

What works for you?

Thanks. It just seems with all the discussions about LOSING weight, hearing from some long time maintainers would be helpful. Since THAT is one of the biggest challenges.

cheers

Sued0nim

Good idea

Marking my place

VeryKatie

Bump - I want to know how and if they track calories or weight anymore... among other secrets...

55044TeamJoy

The best advice I've ever heard: "Lift heavy things. Often."

ekat120

Great question! I think I'll have to weigh and log indefinitely, but am interesting to hear from people who've been successful.

DayByDayGetStronger

There is a great book I read called "Thin for Life". It gives great examples of how people maintained their weight loss over years. My best advice? Make MFP part of your life just like checking your email, voicemail, and bank balance, etc every day.

What I tell my patients who want to lose weight and maintain is this:
Think of tracking your intake and exercise is like tracking your checking account. Would you ever go to a store and swipe your debit card without ever knowing what your balance is to spend or what the price of the item your buying is? Eating without tracking is exactly this.

Who would ever go to Best Buy and just start writing a check for the prettiest washer and dryer or fanciest computer just because you were "hungry to have one"? Blind eating is just like blind spending.

Would any of us irresponsibly ask the question, "Hey when can I stop checking my balance at the bank? It's getting old seeing how much money I have or don't have every day . I just want to relax and spend freely and assume that I have unlimited funds available". Or how about, "Hey, I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks...can't I just blow a bunch of cash that I don't have and just worry about the overdraft fees later when I get home?"

I would hope not.

Your friendly Registered Dietitian

dawnmcneil10

I've been at this for 14 years, I lose for a while then maintain that loss, lose some more and maintain. Something clicked last year and all the changes I've made over time have led me to the lightest weight I've ever been, I'm "healthy" by all the charts and while I haven't been here for years (almost 7 months now) I've successfully maintained losses for long periods. Here's how I've done it....

I made subtle changes over the years and went back to basics. I pretty much look at food now as fuel, I listen to my body and know it needs protein to feel full, veggies to have energy and when I'm going to burn a ton of calories that's when I go for the carbs. I know the signs that I'm thirsty, the signs of being hungry and I learned I need to eat even when I don't want to. I was a meal skipper, horribly bad for me, this I now know.

I'm active for 30 minutes every day. It doesn't matter what I do, I actually find I've discovered so many active things in life I have a hard time sitting still, that and there isn't much cushion on the back side anymore. :blushing:

I do log my food most days, I'm a little free with the diary on the weekends now mostly because I'm busy doing things and stopping to take the time to log food seems almost obsessive. I always use the recipe calculator when I create a new dish so that I know just where the meal stands for nutritional value. At this point I'm not sure if I'll ever stop logging regularly, I enjoy the friendships I've built on MFP so if I'm going to come on here to visit then it seems like a few minutes to log food is no big deal.

I hope this helps any of you working your way to "maintenance" mostly what I would say is that you have to find your own balance, that's to me what "maintenance" is, its not some secret club, it's just finding your own self along the journey.
Good luck!

Unknown

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Hornsby

I can't wait till I have been maintaining that long. For now, 9 months of maintaining involves just being sensible really. I don't log that often, but will usually log for a week or so just to make sure I am staying relatively on track. As long as my weight stays the same, and my measurements keep going down in the places I want them to go down, and up in the places I want them to go up, I will stick to keeping it simple.

waltcote

I certainly haven;t been maintaining for a really long time but I have stayed in the same range for a few months. I am just doing what i did to get here. I have been leaving my calorie goal at -.5 lbs per week or at maintain weight. Still weighing myself probably too often(daily) but it has worked so far.I do go over about once or maybe twice a week but like I said has been working so far. Going to the gym religiously and also when I golf i always walk,never use a cart. It's a really good and fun calorie burn.:bigsmile:

970Mikaela1

Weigh and log my food. lift weights three times a week. stay active. eat what I want.

Sabine_Stroehm

Weigh and log my food. lift weights three times a week. stay active. eat what I want.

This is what you do in maintenance? How long have you been maintaining?

The_Enginerd

I've been maintaining for close to 3 years. I still weigh and log all of my food, and I lift and run regularly. Currently I'm in running mode for a half marathon, so I'm lifting 2 times a week and running 3-4 times a week for a total of 25-30 miles per week.

NRBreit

I like to continually set new fitness related goals. Doesn't matter what it is. Could be a new personal best for a 5K run. Or maybe a body fat % goal. Or maybe adjust your diet/macros for awhile just to see if you like the changes. Maybe to look good for a special event. Always have a goal. The tracking will come along with preparing for that goal. The key is to never reach the destination.

Sabine_Stroehm

I've been maintaining for close to 3 years. I still weigh and log all of my food, and I lift and run regularly. Currently I'm in running mode for a half marathon, so I'm lifting 2 times a week and running 3-4 times a week for a total of 25-30 miles per week.

Half marathon! Nice!

Sabine_Stroehm

I like to continually set new fitness related goals. Doesn't matter what it is. Could be a new personal best for a 5K run. Or maybe a body fat % goal. Or maybe adjust your diet/macros for awhile just to see if you like the changes. Maybe to look good for a special event. Always have a goal. The tracking will come along with preparing for that goal. The key is to never reach the destination.

I like this mindset!

Pirate_chick

There is a great book I read called "Thin for Life". It gives great examples of how people maintained their weight loss over years. My best advice? Make MFP part of your life just like checking your email, voicemail, and bank balance, etc every day.

What I tell my patients who want to lose weight and maintain is this:
Think of tracking your intake and exercise is like tracking your checking account. Would you ever go to a store and swipe your debit card without ever knowing what your balance is to spend or what the price of the item your buying is? Eating without tracking is exactly this.

Who would ever go to Best Buy and just start writing a check for the prettiest washer and dryer or fanciest computer just because you were "hungry to have one"? Blind eating is just like blind spending.

Would any of us irresponsibly ask the question, "Hey when can I stop checking my balance at the bank? It's getting old seeing how much money I have or don't have every day . I just want to relax and spend freely and assume that I have unlimited funds available". Or how about, "Hey, I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks...can't I just blow a bunch of cash that I don't have and just worry about the overdraft fees later when I get home?"

I would hope not.

Your friendly Registered Dietitian

Best analogy ever! Thank you!!

sewilliams32

Hi,

I've been maintaining for about 10 years now. I have to log my food daily to keep me in check. I initially just concentrated on my diet and I lost 63lbs. I fluctuate a couple of pounds here and there but logging certainly stops it from getting worse. I have accepted the fact that I am always going to have to log my food.

The main change for me which has helped me maintain is fitness. I exercise a minimum of 3 times a week, a mixture of running, cycling and combat, which I never did to this extent when I was actively losing. I also like to sign up to events/challenges to help me keep focussed.

alphabetsoup2013

I read that book years ago and found it very helpful/insightful. It is based on data from The National Weight Loss Registry: http://www.nwcr.ws

Here is a link to the summary of their research findings (about what strategies have proven successful for people who have managed to maintain a significant weight loss over time): http://www.nwcr.ws/Research/default.htm

There is a great book I read called "Thin for Life". It gives great examples of how people maintained their weight loss over years. My best advice? Make MFP part of your life just like checking your email, voicemail, and bank balance, etc every day.
Your friendly Registered Dietitian

Sabine_Stroehm

Hi,

I've been maintaining for about 10 years now. I have to log my food daily to keep me in check. I initially just concentrated on my diet and I lost 63lbs. I fluctuate a couple of pounds here and there but logging certainly stops it from getting worse. I have accepted the fact that I am always going to have to log my food.

The main change for me which has helped me maintain is fitness. I exercise a minimum of 3 times a week, a mixture of running, cycling and combat, which I never did to this extent when I was actively losing. I also like to sign up to events/challenges to help me keep focussed.

It's interesting, I don't really sign up for events.... but do use fitbit to keep me motivated some.

Sabine_Stroehm

Any other long term success stories here? Weight loss FROM MFP, before MFP....?


stories wanted!

merisaOct3

Bump. Great thread.

Thanks for the responses thus far. Surprised (Not surprised?) at how many folks are saying they still log regularly.

themedalist

I'd like to hear from other folks who've maintained their weight loss for several years or so.
What do you do to maintain?
What sort of lifestyle changes did you make while losing or after that made it easier (or possible?) to maintain your loss?
And, are you active/do you exercise regularly?

What works for you?

Thanks. It just seems with all the discussions about LOSING weight, hearing from some long time maintainers would be helpful. Since THAT is one of the biggest challenges.

cheers

I have found maintenance over the last two years fairly easy. I watch what I eat and opt for nutritionally dense food. I no longer use a food scale or measuring cups to weigh and measure my food, but I do keep track of my intake with broad brush strokes so that I can keep an eye on my macros and micros (and to some extent calories). Walking is my primary exercise. I walk about 3 to 4 miles a day per my Fitbit and supplement with a couple of 35 minute HIIT sessions at the gym per week.

More than anything what I have is an ironclad promise to myself that I will NEVER put the weight back on. I had to be willing to fundamentally change the underlying habits that lead to my weight gain in the first place. For me, that was mindless junk food snacking. Without those empty calories, maintaining my weight and size has been pretty easy. Especially since I like exercising and staying active.

I weigh myself regularly and try on a snug pair of jeans monthly to make sure they still fit. Whenever my weight exceeds a 4 pound range, I reduce my calories moderately for a week or two until I'm back range. That's only happened a couple of times in two years.

Best wishes!

Sabine_Stroehm

I'd like to hear from other folks who've maintained their weight loss for several years or so.
What do you do to maintain?
What sort of lifestyle changes did you make while losing or after that made it easier (or possible?) to maintain your loss?
And, are you active/do you exercise regularly?

What works for you?

Thanks. It just seems with all the discussions about LOSING weight, hearing from some long time maintainers would be helpful. Since THAT is one of the biggest challenges.

cheers

I have found maintenance over the last two years fairly easy. I watch what I eat and opt for nutritionally dense food. I no longer use a food scale or measuring cups to weigh and measure my food, but I do keep track of my intake with broad brush strokes so that I can keep an eye on my macros and micros (and to some extent calories). Walking is my primary exercise. I walk about 3 to 4 miles a day per my Fitbit and supplement with a couple of 35 minute HIIT sessions at the gym per week.

More than anything what I have is an ironclad promise to myself that I will NEVER put the weight back on. I had to be willing to fundamentally change the underlying habits that lead to my weight gain in the first place. For me, that was mindless junk food snacking. Without those empty calories, maintaining my weight and size has been pretty easy. Especially since I like exercising and staying active.

I weigh myself regularly and try on a snug pair of jeans monthly to make sure they still fit. Whenever my weight exceeds a 4 pound range, I reduce my calories moderately for a week or two until I'm back range. That's only happened a couple of times in two years.

Best wishes!

Great loss and thanks for this!

SherryTeach

I've been maintaining for two years now, which isn't a huge amount of time, but mainly I do it by practicing the same skills and routines I adopted to lose weight. Since I never adopted a food or exercise plan I wasn't willing to continue forever, I have found it fairly simple to make this a "lifestyle change." I continue to log my food and eat a wide variety of nutritious food, add in some favorites for my emotional health. I practice exercise that I enjoy or at least am willing to do: treadmill, fitness trampoline, biking. I wear a fitbit and really try to keep my daily activity as high as possible.

BigGuy47

A while back after I lost a significant amount of weight a coworker said, ""yeah, it's pretty meaningless unless you keep it off for 5 years. You'll probably put it back on again". What an *kitten*. It pissed me off sufficiently that I have kept it off for 2 years so far.

In addition to being pissed off; I strength train 3 times a week, light cardio 3 times a week, weigh myself weekly, weigh some of my food (not all) and oddly enough I rarely log calories. I try to enjoy myself. If I want a cheese burger and a beer I have a cheeseburger and a beer.

louisemcelroy

did you lift when you were trying to lose weight too? I'm only asking because I go to the gym 5 times a week and really enjoy lifting weights but keep getting told it will put weight onto me.

BigGuy47

I didn't start lifting until I had already lost a bunch of weight (80lbs.) In hindsight that was a huge mistake. I lost a fair amount of LBM along with the fat. When I hit my goal weight I had mixed feelings. I was pleased to have lost the weight, but when I looked in the mirror I saw a smaller weaker version of my former self.

I'm now working on putting some of the LBM back on again. It's far more difficult to put it on than it is to try to hang on to what you already have. If I had it to do all over again I would have started lifting on day one. Live and learn.

jrline

Not sure if I qualify to answer but after spending the majority of the 90's-2012 well over 200lbs maxing out at over 260 in August 2012. I have maintained under 200 since February 2013. I track what I eat everyday still unless I have no internet service. I have found an addiction to walking/jogging/running so I average 20-30 miles a week. My quote is a body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body at rest tends to stay at rest so get moving. I will not allow myself to get over 200lbs again. I only weigh myself once a month. If I have gained more than I want and I am weight training now as well. I adjust my calories in accordingly. Good Luck don't allow negative thoughts to enter your mind.

dopeysmelly

A while back after I lost a significant amount of weight a coworker said, ""yeah, it's pretty meaningless unless you keep it off for 5 years. You'll probably put it back on again". What an *kitten*. It pissed me off sufficiently that I have kept it off for 2 years so far.

I snorted when I read this. I can see myself having the same attitude and training for a 5K just so I beat my sister's a*** for nagging me and putting me down about my weight, including sending out a you're-going-to-die-fat-and-unloved email copied to the whole family, including my very loving DH. Not only that, but I'm going to run it into one of those teeny-tiny bra tops just to piss her off even more.

optimism9

Great Analogy! This is very true!