Any MAINTAINERS out there?

jerseyshorenurse

No, not mountaineers...maintainers...folks who have lost the weight, maybe more than once, and are just working at maintaining where they are?

I was 115 through my teens/early 20s. Fast-forward (or is it fat-forward?) to 165. Rewind to 119. Fast-forward to 176. Rewind to 107. My weight's been all over the map. I'm happy to say, I've kept the fluctuations pretty tight for the last 3 years and I just joined this site shortly after realizing 5lbs 'sneaked up' on me and deposited themselves in my jeans this winter. 5lbs...not bad. But all it would have taken is a little more stress or a little less motivation and I could easily have let it spiral out of control again. I know from experience, and I have NO desire to go through losing 50 or 70lbs ever again!

I never planned to count calories the rest of my life. Or to never indulge. Or to always be sweating my butt off in the gym. I really like to eat. Food is great. And I'm secretly inclined to laziness, although anyone looking in from the outside of my life always seems to think I'm some kind of IronMan triathlete, just because I *do* do some crazy stuff, from time to time. But it's definitely not my first nature. Sometimes dammit I just want to sit on the couch with my face in a bag of doritos (spicy nacho, please).

Just looking for tips, tricks, advice from other closet couch potatoes who struggle with not letting it 'slip' once you've gotten there. How do you keep on track, without always feeling like you're keeping track? )

elcyclista

I'm actually trying to gain but it's so darn difficult. I eat an average of 2500+ calories a day and still can't gain an ounce.

MemphisMarly

Not a maintainer... I'm still losing... but I AM a Mountaineer!

Go WVU!!!!!

jerseyshorenurse

I'm actually trying to gain but it's so darn difficult. I eat an average of 2500+ calories a day and still can't gain an ounce.

Hahaha, shut up :P I know there MUST be other people reading that who want to spank you right now, besides me. LOL, j/k. Try the sitting on the couch with a bag of doritos thing. Or how about a mass gainer? Like 500 calories dumped in a glass of water. Yum.

@ Memphis...trying to get my guy to take swing dance classes with me! He's only half-sold on the topic. I've only come up with one motivation tactic for him so far...and unfortunately, we'd both suffer! LOL

LadyGreatrick

I'm a maintainer. Was 180 in my teens and dropped to 135 in my early 20's went back up to 180 during and after my pregnancy and 3 years on am now sitting comfortably between 130-135 (which is my ideal weight).

I still flux though and find i can't weight myself but have to go by my measurements.

I know what you mean about not planning on counting calories/watching what you eat for ever. I LOVE food and am a passionate baker and chef in the house. I'm learning right now to find the balance where i don't feel depressed about constantly having to say "no" and bingeing on the stuff.

I also find my motivaton for working out flux's. one month I love it and am happily doing 3 days a week and then I miss one week (due to holiday or something) and suddenly just the IDEA of working out makes me cringe.

I'm only 26 so I'm hoping by the time I'm 36 It'll be a more natural part of my life and not something i have to constantly strive for.... living healthy that is.

As far as tips go... I have none yet! I suppose the typical: everything in moderation. I don't say no to cake/chocolate etc. I just eat less of it and not all the time. and If i do feel like pigging out I tell myself to wait 30 minutes and if I'm still feeling like it then I tell myself to wait another 30 minutes and then I'll eat something... usually after 30 minutes I'm distracted though. does that make sense?

Oishii

Search for the maintenance thread. We are here. It's great to have somewhere where I can say I don't want to lose weight any more, or gain any for that matter.

adriayellow11

I was just wondering this last night. I fantasize about staying on here and doing well once I meet my goal, but HAS anyone? It seems like all people I run into on here are coming down to their goal but no one is just maintaining something...?

Oishii

Oh, and check my sig... No explicit exercise going on here :laugh:

ickybella

The thread is here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/117340-maintenance-thread?hl=official+maintenance

Robin1117

oh, there are lots of us out there. What is that statistic about most people who lose weight gain it back? If we didn't still log on w/this tool and continue to exercise like we have learned to do in the process of losing, we would most definitely gain it back. I wish it wasn't so, but I think I'll be logging in and counting for a long time if I want to stay on track.

I have never been a couch potato, but don't love exercise. I do still exercise most days because I know I have to. I do love food, cooking, wine, high fat cheese, desserts, going out to dinner. If I didn't balance it by using this site, I'm sure I would have gained it back. The key is really to balance it all. I came on this morning to log my dinner out last night as my hubby and I have a "date night" every 2 weeks. Well, I'm sure I ate 1500+ calories (from app to dessert + wine) and will go way over my calorie allotment. I use this weekly report on the MFP iphone app that shows where I'm under and over and by the end of the week I plan my eating so it all averages out to what my maintenance calorie level is. That way I keep on track most days but don't worry too much when life gets in the way and have a few days of eating what I want.

Again, it's not ideal to be doing this all the time but I'm thankful for the support and friendship here.

goron59

I'm not maintaining yet, but probably will be in a month or two and am thinking about it quite a lot.

Bermudabarbie

Have been on maintenance since November. I am still very active on MFP.

Maintenance does have it's own set of challenges too. I realize I went a little too far in my weight loss and am now trying to gain back just a couple of pounds. I am just about there.

Do check out the maintenance thread too. It's a long one. You'll get lots of good information there too!

rayfromtx

I'll be checking this out later.

slimmerchick

ME! I've been maintaining since November - lost 35lbs with weight watchers and don't want to put any of it back on! Since I stopped paying for weight watchers I lost access to their points database, so I find it easier to count calories on here. I'm not exercising much, just walk my dog twice a day. I should exercise to tone up but I'm finding it hard to motivate myself to do it since injuring a back muscle a month or so back - it was agony for two weeks and I'm so scared of doing it again.

jerseyshorenurse

Yay for the maintainers! I think it's a common mistake for our casual acquaintances, coworkers, and people who just didn't know us "then" when we were heavier to think we've just 'got it easy' or we're just naturally trim. Ha. I've been fighting with my weight most of my adult life! Now I just show people pictures (and I don't even have any pics from when I was at my heaviest!), and they get it. I have been there. I know what it feels like to be uncomfortable in my own skin. I know what it feels like to be staring down 50 or 60lbs and how insurmountable it feels when you get started. I'm glad to know I can find a niche here, help some other people along the way, and just keep my motivation! Losing the weight is only half the battle. Keeping it off is tough too and takes commitment.