Friends close to/at maintenance?

JaclynnGail

So, I am now fairly close to the point at which I would like to start maintaining...I am at 136 and want to be in the low 30's. As I'm getting to that point, it's starting to get harder to stay on track and I'm not entirely sure the best way to adjust my diet...when I was on a "1 and a half to 2 pounds a week" plan, it seemed easy. Now that I'm ready to slow things down, I feel like I want to eat everything in sight and that's obviously not a good plan. Would love some support and input from people who have had luck, after losing a fair amount of weight, with maintaining. Would hate to come this far just to fall off the wagon into a huge pile of Taco Bell. Thanks in advance!

iqnas

I feel the same way! Looking for some support to maintain as well! Feel free to add me

UrbanRunner81

I've been maintaining for awhile. I go up and down between a few pounds, but I keep losing inches, so I don't even care about the scale anymore.
I eat a lot, but also like to exercise a lot. I don't hold back on my favorites but I don't go overboard like I did before I lost weight though.

dddeans

I found the best way for me is to reduce gradually. Remember you have worked very hard to get to goal weight. You deserve some little rewards! I changed mine to .5 lbs per week, because maintenance seemed way too high. I am still fluctuating 1 to 3 lbs either over or under, but have to keep up the exercise.

Jill_newimprovedversion

I'm at maintenance, and to be very honest- THIS is the HARDEST part of the *battle*.
I reached my goal weight and as I was approaching the finish line, I had NO idea that I was supposed to slow down weeks before-
VERY HARD when you can *see* the *finish line*....you tend to want to HURRY UP and CROSS IT.
and I did....
then jumped from months of eating 1200 to 1600- and the old habits of the insatiable appetite returned with a vengeance.
RESULT? put 10 pounds BACK ON very quickly [NO DUH..just exactly what I FEARED] Now I understand the YO YO concept-
and how it's SO important to go SLOW and it's a mental change as well as the physical one.

Then a friend told me I needed to slowly INcrease my intake a few hundred calories for a week or so, then increase it again another 100...UNTIL I then reached my 1600 for what MFP determined to be my maintenance calories.

NOW that took some self-control, let me tell ya....

but it was wonderful advice......and I crossed the goal line a second time, and have been in maintenance mode for a couple of months now- and it's been great.
I don't even log weekends- nor generally fret over them either- that's the time when eating out, going to friends, potlucks, picnics, etc are the most common occurrence-
and was ALWAYS part of my *original* plan that although I limited those times on this journey, I had NO intention of eliminating times like this from my life FOREVER....
I knew when I started this journey that I needed to find things that worked into my life the REST of my life, not just to achieve a specific number on the scale.

I have found, and THIS IS JUST ME PERHAPS- but there are some *maintenance groups* under the GROUPS section
but it's HUGE group and
it OVERWHELMS ME- and I really don't fully understand what they're talking about 1/2 the time (which then intimidates me all the more)

SO, I feel like a fledgling now. The baby bird on her own, trying to figure out the rest of this journey.
Would be happy to come alongside you and support you- if you so wish.

JaclynnGail

Thank you so much for the great input, Jill! Sending you a request in 3...2...1....