Maintaining Weight Loss

riveraphx

Hi All,

I've been a member since 2007 and I have gained and lost 50 plus pounds about 8 different times. I am exhausted of always starting over and once again I am here in the same predicament. Lost it all, only to gain it all back (plus some). The hardest part for me is obviously maintenance. I've always been very controlled in my weight loss, only to spin out of control at the end. I get to the point where I can't be strong anymore and I want anything and everything, i.e. McDonalds, cake, pastas, candy bars, etc.


Please share with me how you have maintained your weight loss. Your tricks, habits, lifestyle changes, etc. Also, if you're not quite to the point of maintenance, how do you envision you will keep you from gaining your weight back.

Thank you so much!

Pebble321

Yup, losing weight is not the hard part (hell, we've all done it before!), but making long term changes to keep the weight off is the biggest challenge I've ever faced.

I lost nearly 22kg (almost 50 pounds) last year and I've put back on about 3 kg. I feel as though this is the most critical time because it is soooo easy to slide back into those old bad habits that got me fat in the first place. In my case it is usually buying (or cooking) and eating too much junky food - chocolate, cakes etc that tips the scales in the wrong direction.

I wish I knew the answer to "how to maintain" - but I'm just experimenting to see what I can do.

Some things I've learnt so far:

- I have to accept that I need to make changes that I can keep up for the rest of my life. There is no "diet", there is no "end date", there is no "goal weight". Only good eating and exercise habits that will keep me healthy forever (or not!).

- some days it will be really easy to eat healthy foods and fit in some exercise. Great, lets celebrate those!

- some days are going to be REALLY hard and I'm going to do a spectacularly crappy job at eating well and/or exercise. I keep telling myself that just because I've had one bad day, one block of chocolate, one sleep in, one (or three) too many glasses of wine, it's not excuse to give up and do exactly the same the next day.

- I'm trying to set up a "new normal". So, eating well and exercising needs to be what I do as "normal" behaviour. If I don't do that on one occasion, it's OK, but I can't do that every day. Previously, my "normal behaviour" was eating too much junk, with a few days of good eating and exercise thrown in.. .... I can't go back to that.

- I'm the one who has to do this. I am so much better at eating well when my husband is at home, but we both travel a lot for work so I have to had good habits that I can sustain when I'm on my own too.

That's all that pops into my head right now - but I'd love to hear what other people have learnt about maintaining too.

Good luck!

marywilsoncline

Hi, I have lost a total of 110 lbs since starting this journey back in August of 2010. At my heaviest I weighed 210 lbs after having my little boy. I started out to lost down to 175. I got there and did'nt want to stop so I said ok I'll go to 150 go there still not satisfied. I quess because I saw that I could loose the weight now here I am at 100 lbs. I stopped loosing as fast as I was though so I chalk it up to my body telling me its done with loosing. I exercise everyday only giving myself a "rest" day maybe once every month. I feel guilty if I don't workout. I eat nothing fried anymore. I stopped that back in 2010. I don't eat out very often at all and when I do it is a 6 inch subway sub on wheat bread. Thats another thing, I eat only whole wheat bread now. I replaced "junk food" with fresh fruit and veggies also. I have done a change for the better. Good luck:flowerforyou:

LJCannon

In October I will have been at - or within 5 pounds - of my Goal Weight for 2 years. I look at Maintainence as a Job. If I want a Hamburger or Pizza, I get it, but I pair it with a Healthy Choice like Fruit or a raw Vegetable. I will ALWAYS have to be Vigilant and Aware of what I eat. When I do over indulge, I Log it, and make a note to remember just how CRAPPY I feel. Eating a Big Pizza or a Deluxe Combo Meal is NOT worth how my body feels afterwards.
I will also ALWAYS have to be active (some people call it 'Exercise'). I aim for 120 minutes / 14,000 steps every day. Occasionally I will fall a bit short, but other days I go a bit longer.
It is a Huge Commitment, but it is one I am willing to make because I KNOW what the option is - Obesity, Illness, and Dependance on others for Daily Activitys.

gmeekatty

I'm approaching this again for the 100th time at least. Maintaining is so much harder, I think bc there are no little "rewards" along the way..ie. the lbs lost. We have to "wean" ourselves off that reward system. I think a transition to maintenance by slowing down our loss toward the end might help. One thing I find that helps me, both in losing and maintaining, is to keep my food choices simple. Too much diversity revs up my taste buds and my 'cravings". Better to find a few really good meals and repeat them over and over. That way meals are satisfying but not "exciting". We don't need "exciting" bc we overly respond to it. Rotating a few meal choices and snack choices makes shopping and daily planning easier. When I introduce too many different foods and tastes, my appetite gets all over the place.

BeetleChe13

Hi! I've been maintaining for a good five months now. I lost 18 lbs. I may lose up to 6 more, but I'm happy where I am for now. I've maintained my weight loss simply by continuing to log. I'm terribly inconsistent about any exercise I get, so I've been eating cleaner and continue to count. The few times I have stopped logging because I thought I had it under control, I gained weight back quickly. As soon as I started counting again, I'd lose it again. So, I still log and will continue to do so as long as this site exists. It's just a part of my life for good.

Another lifestyle change has been eating less junk. I ate fast food for nearly every meal and worked at a restaurant when I first started. Now I eat mostly clean, watch not just my calories but my macros (and sometimes micros), and only eat fast food once or twice a week.

I think one key to maintaining is not letting yourself slip into complacency. None of us have the perfect body, so we should continue to strive for... something! Right now, I'm working on my body fat percentage. I care less about weight than I do about my health, so I am focusing on eating cleaner, exercising more, and getting fit, even though I'm 4 lbs lighter than my original goal weight. Constantly having a new goal keeps me from slipping back to where I was.

Rockmyskinnyjeans

I feel like I lose the weight, then gain back weight, then lose more, only to gain again, as well. It's been a never-ending battle all my life. Even after a life-altering weight loss surgery, the battles with my weight didn't end. I had 2 kids after that surgery and had to ward off the bad eating habits that came back with trying to nourish those 2 pregnancies. Let me tell you, this is (I hope) MY time and I am going to win this battle. I am tired of buying smaller clothes, only for them to fit a little while then sit there and have to be replaced by bigger sizes again. No more!

It's time to maintain it!

That being said, I'm scared to death to hit maintenance mode. I am afraid the pounds will creep back on. I still have to get my head on right for that one, but that is what this site is for, right? Amazing motivation here!

jenslife82

Right there with u! Ive lost 30-50lbs many times before and always gained it back and then some! This time I'm in it more to be healthy than skinny. I make sure I log every day (and get back to it if I slip up and don't log for a few days) and I plan to continue logging probably forever. I have developed a love for running, mostly because it makes me feel amazing after even though it's hard doing it.
I think what makes this time different is the ability to brush my self off and get back up every time I slip up.(getting much fewer and farther between!) The success stories are so motivating for me that I try to get on here as much as possible and read the amazing things people have done. Losing weight takes work, keeping it off takes work and I'm willing to keep working until it is automatic.
Also learn to listen to your body and don't stop! Wait until your hungry to eat and then pay attention to how u feel after eating certain things. Greasy makes me feel yukky even tho it tastes good. Fresh fruit and veggies also taste good and I feel great after. Hopefully that turned into a life lesson for me so I will always lean toward the healthy choices.
Can't wait to see what other ppl who have maintained post on this topic!

riveraphx

thank you so much for sharing your stories with me. There were lots of little tidbits that I'm going to remember for when I reach that goal again. Something I've known and some of you mentioned above was to continue logging. Once again thank you so much.

shmunster

I've been maintaining for almost 4 months, it was going fairly well, but I am starting to struggle now, and I think gmeekatty hit the nail on the head, cos there arent any rewards now, I think I need new goals of some sort, I need some challenges, Ive backed off on my exercise and figured out where my limits are with gaining/maintaining/losing small amounts but I need some big motivation again!

I think I will need to continue logging for a long while yet cos I know I will try to push my luck if left to my own devices!