let's hear it for maintainenance

bluefox9er

bump

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

I've been maintaining for over a year now and so far its all good. I went to my all time low weight this February and right now I'm almost 10 lbs. heavier but lost one dress size from size 4 to size 2

Workout is 90% heavy weight lifting twice a week at the gym doing full body with the vast majority of it on the compound movements that targets multiple muscles. The rest are 15-30 min cardio sessions that I do at home with either jump rope, stationary bike or workout DVD's and the sports I play that I also log in as my workouts. I used to workout 6 days a week but now I reduce it to 4-5 times a week since I feel my body needs more resting time for my muscles to recover as I'm doing more heavy weight lifting now. I realized that we don't need long workouts nor working out 7 days a week just to keep weight at bay. Muscle is the key.

As for my diet, since doing my program, my diet has changed. From eating a measely 1200-1400 I'm now eating at 1700-2300 calories.

Not to mention that my quarterly football (soccer) game and twice a month swimming sessions also motivates me to continue training.

REMEMBER THIS: IT TAKES SOME TIME TO LOSE WEIGHT BUT IT TAKES A LIFETIME TO KEEP IT OFF.

LadyIntrepid

I've been at maintenance since around July and actually been having a pretty easy time of it. I allow myself a three pound range, and the nano-second (weighing once a week) I go over that range by even an ounce, I go back into uber-logging, eating at deficit and adding in more cardio. Two out of the three times I've gone above the maintenance range since July, it took me exactly one week to get back. The third time it took me two weeks because it was after Sandy/Thanksgiving. I'm now back at the bottom of my range and it feels great. I think the key is, for me at least, is to nip it in the bud before it gets too far. It's been pretty painless.

cgfol1

This thread has been really helpful.

I hit (passed) my goal I think four or five weeks ago. I have been increasing my calories each week, so now I am up to 300 more in food calories and 100 less in exercise calories, so an added 400, and I am still loosing weight. Its not rapid but it is still happening. Its been really interesting watching the calorie number go up but my butt shrink haha. I think maybe I will take another day off exercising to see if that levels the loss off.

embjojo

I'm just starting maintenance. This has always been my downfall in the past so I'm following this thread for tips.

m1311

I've been in maintenance since August. At that point, I decided I could go it without MFP, but the weight crept up by a couple pounds, and so I jumped back on here. I'm almost 54, and it seems as though it's easy to gain weight without trying at this age.

I'm 5'9.5" and this morning hit 146 for the first time since my wedding day almost 27 years ago (didn't log it, b/c it's not the "official weigh-in day"). I've been trying to maintain at just under 150, the weight that I remembered fondly for a long time. I am getting about an hour of exercise most days. Right now my husband and cook is out of town, and I always lose weight when he isn't around to take care of me, so I am trying to eat as much as I can. We'll be together at the holiday, so I will be making up for lost time.

When I got close to goal, I left my settings to lose 1/2 pound a week. I haven't moved it from there, giving me about 1580 calories, but I have always eaten back my exercise calories, and that means I'm logging what looks like about 2100 a day right now. I'm getting a little lax about measuring things, so I may well be eating a couple hundred more than that. I'd rather not have to measure everything, so this setting feels like it's working for me right now. I weigh myself every morning, because I don't do those wild rides I hear about from others. Most days I'm exactly the same. But if I have gained, I know to step back from my food. If I have lost, I know to try to eat up to my limit that day.

While I don't find maintenance so difficult, I am mildly frustrated that I can't go it alone. I've spent all my married years going up and up, down a little, then up some more. MFP was the first system that helped me really understand what I was eating and how it related to my daily activities. For all the questions I see on the different groups about when to eat, whether to eat exercise calories, how to figure the proportions, I think that the slow-and-steady 1/2 pound a week loss is generally the best, and that by following MFP guidelines most of the time, success is likely in most cases. I would like to be able to apply what I've learned and not be spending the time that I do here. Luckily there are many wonderful people signing in, so I have a nice group of fellow rowers and a few maintenance friends to keep support running strong.

Nettie96fb

wow, good going, I'm getting close to my goal, and am quite apprehensive about the 'maintenance'. It's easy to lose it...well not easy, but easy to count the cals to lose it, but I wouldn't have a clue how much I should eat to stay at the right weight for me.

dorothytd

Maintenance for close to six years, but did drop a few pounds (and develop some muscles) since joining MFP in March. It is so much easier to track here than in my little notebook. And I love the support. I do not own a heart rate monitor - I have actually been successful with the MFP numbers. (Although I do tend to overestimate calories eaten and underestimate calories burned a wee bit...)

Age: 44
Height: 5' 5"
CW: 126
Calories: 1530 PLUS exercise (usually 2000 - 2100)

I exercise 6-7 days a week, cardio and strength

I love maintenance, but for me, it is still a lot of work and balance.

LadyOfOceanBreeze

I'm attempting to maintain...trying to find my magic number... I'm still losing, slowly.... but I'm eating like a horse.

This was fairly accurate for me:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

this makes me want waffles.

pass the maple syrple please? thanks

workout_junkee

I have been maintaining for awhile know. I eat 2000 calories a day, run 3 times a week, cross train 2 times a week and yoga once a week. My weight has stayed very consistent.

Age: 36
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 123
Body Fat: 23%

_Tuyana_

I switched to maintenance a few weeks back from 1200 cal net (I'm 158cm or 5'2") and the first 2 weeks were scary, because my weight shot up 1.5 kgs that I lost just before to get to my goal of 48 kgs. It took a lot a second-guessing and soul-searching (did I wreak my metabolism on 1200 cal, should I introduce extra calories gradually instead of going straight to my maintenance 1450 cal, was this gain just the water weight because I changed my carbs from 30-30% to 40%, etc. etc.), but the weight has settled about 0.5 kg above my goal weight. I took progress pics today and compared them to September when I started; even though I'm not at my goal weight, I'm happy with my progress.
I usually exercise 6-7 times a week: lift weights 3-4 times a week (on stage 4 of NROLFW), the rest is cardio.

dorothytd

[/quote]

this makes me want waffles.
[/quote]

pass the maple syrple please? thanks
[/quote]

Me too! EVERY TIME I see a post!

kdiamond

8 years of maintenance here. I've gained a little weight but all muscle and it was weight I planned for...went from 105 to 112.

secretlobster

Lost 40lbs in the beginning of 2009
Maintaining 135-138lbs for almost three years now. It started out difficult because I think my metabolism took some damage eating low-calorie for a few months, but it's easier now and I've increased my calorie limit. I don't log as much as I used to, or weigh myself as often, which for me is a great part of the process because obviously I don't want to have to count calories every day forever.

Maintaining is SO MUCH EASIER when you are actively maintaining your musculature by strength training (for me it's mostly boxing). An active person who makes regular exercise a part of their life is not going to fall off the wagon in terms of weight maintenance.

jofjltncb6

In to read later.

(Maintenance is hard. Gaining and losing is easy.)

taso42

been maintaining/bulking/cutting per my whim for a while now.

BigMech

Yesterday was my 1 year anniversary of hitting my goal, and I have maintained my weight for the past year. I'm actually up a little bit, but that is because I have been adding some lean mass, so it's on purpose.

I hit my weight loss goal before I joined MFP, but it has been a great tool for maintenance, as I have found you need to pay even closer attention when maintaining and/or bulking. By logging my food, it makes me pay attention to what I'm eating as well as how much, and insures that I keep my macros inline as well.

saxmaniac

^^^ Same as this guy... I lost nearly everything before MFP. Back-dated my numbers and have maintained for over year. I'll stop logging when it suits me, and then come back to it, if it creeps up.

floridapanthergirl

Thank you thank you thank you. You folks sound so up beat and overall pleased with what you have accomplished! And you don't make it sound so complicated! Yeah!

BinaryPulsar

I'm on maintenance. When I joined mfp I was set at 1500 and it was too low, raised activity level and put me at 1600, raised it to the highest which put me at 1700. Decided to use a TDEE calculator and set it to 1800. I lost 4 pounds during my time on mfp, so raised it to 1900, then 1950. Now I go between 1950 and 2200 (more once in a while). I think during the summer months I will be leaning more towards the higher amount. I dance, do yoga, strength train. If I notice weight loss, I increase my calories. My fitness is continually improving. I should mention that I am petite (and mid thirties).

Flixie00

5 ft 10" 166 lbs, 44 years old and have been in maintenance for 6 weeks.

I lost a further 2 lb at my last weigh in, am due to weigh in officially on Monday, and I think my weight has settled (I have had the odd sneaky check on my gym's scales). On the advise of an MFP pal, I had slowly upped my daily calorie intake the nearer I got to goal, so I think that has made my tansition to maintenance go relatively smoothly (so far anyway).

I still work out a crazy amount, but I think I always will as I love exercise. Consequently I am eating between 2,500 - 2,800 calories a day. Life is sweet

pkw58

5'8" 129 lbs 54 years old and have been maintaining for about 3 weeks... I set my lifetstyle to maintain and try to eat at least my calories before exercise...i eat out a lot so estimating calories is always dubious...

I want to be fitter with more lean toned muscle so while I feel great and enjoy wearing size 6 and 8 jeans... I want to run a consistent 10 minute mile and be able to take adult ballet classes.. So I like to think of my self as maintaining my weight but improving my fitness..

ktrn0312

bump for reference

skillingsrobertj

Bump...I'm still a bit away from maintenance, but looking forward to using idea's generated here.

Great topic..

TheLongRunner

I'm in maintenance! I have been maintaining since this summer. I have yet to find the perfect balance for my calories in/calories out...I am still perfecting that. Right now I am eating around 1500-1600 calories....maintaining at 130 and I am 5'8ish.

katevarner

5'3", 110 lbs., 47 yrs. old. I have been maintaining since Oct. 1, but I actually reached my goal in late July, just kept losing while I was learning how to maintain. Cut out a workout day during October because I'm training to walk a half marathon in February, so I work out 5 days per week, weights x3 and cardio x3 (both on Saturday). I eat between 1900 and 2300. My macros are set at 25p/30f/45c but I often go over on protein and fat. I have a BodyMedia Fit Link, so I have a pretty good idea what I'm burning and I try to eat pretty close to my TDEE every day.

ETA I'm about 20% body fat and would like to maintain that, too, or even reduce it by a little, but going to concentrate on that more after my half marathon.

tracypk

Love this post. I lost 35 lbs 2 years ago and was able to maintain for 6 months. I gained 20 lbs over 2 years or so. I am not looking forward to logging my food for the rest of my life. I obviously didn't do maintenance right the first time. I really plan on making changes for life. I hope that it will just be as easy as making good food choices, staying active and monitoring my weight and making adjustments as needed.

ourglasswalls

Love to check on this later. I was maintaining at 120 for awhile, and then a year ago fell off the maintenance train. I'm around 128 and still haven't been able to get back to my goal weight. But haven't given up hope!

Paulette0706

I am 45 years old, 5ft 2", weighing 123lbs

Really useful post, so good to hear so much good advice, about how to maintain after reaching goal. I'm about 4 to 5lbs away from my goal. So I have been thinking about maintenance. Seem to be fluctuating over the last couple of weeks. Planning to maintain over Christmas and then go back to trying to reach my goal after the holidays.

I run 3 times per week and lift weights 3/4 times per week. Just joined a new gym so started doing spinning classes once or twice per week.

Well done or all those who are maintaining! Thanks again for the post

:flowerforyou:

fitnwhole

Love this thread. I see that a few of you didn't like the very low calorie restrictive diet (I'm assuming 1200). I'm 5'2 174lbs my goal is to lose 44lbs. Any tips or suggestions? How much was your calorie intake when you were losing? I'm strongly considering increasing my calories to 1500.