Question for maintainers ..

lotusspark

Would you say your fitness is the same, more or less than when you were losing your weight?
I'm a ways from goal but just curious how much effort it might take to be the new me, when
I reach that joyful point. Thanks for any replies.

sunglasses_and_ocean_waves

Holy crap you've lost a lot of weight! Congratulations!

I think I eventually cut back from 6 days a week to 5, and I ate a little more. I maintained well for 2 years and then got sick, so I'm back. But honestly, maintenance was not much different than weight loss. I just had more freedom I suppose.

juliep1974

I'm more or less maintaining now and I'd say my lifestyle is pretty much the same all around. I still eat at a deficit Monday to Friday and don't log weekends (so always go over those days!). I exercise the same amount too (5-6 days/week). Great job on your loss!

Nissi51

What got you there is usually what will keep you there.. slack off and it's game over!

At least that's what I found. I do a little less in terms of hours in the gym.. but intensity is higher when I am there. Eating.. constant focus!

keeponkickin

I would say I've cut back a tad on the cardio but I definitely keep up the heavy weight lifting. I am able to eat more. You've done a fabulous job! Look at that weight loss you've had so far. Kudos to you.

darrensurrey

Would you say your fitness is the same, more or less than when you were losing your weight?
I'm a ways from goal but just curious how much effort it might take to be the new me, when
I reach that joyful point. Thanks for any replies.

I have reduced my CV; my strength training remains the same - but increasing as I find the loads easier. Just seeing what's possible by eating good food, logging and continuing to push the limits.

sevsmom

I've been hovering in the same 6lb range for a year. I am more lenient with my food choices now, but I still work out 5-6 days a week. It really is part of my life now. I know how hard I work and how much I can usually eat. It's a happy balance.

vicksvapo

For me, maintenance is a lot more difficult than losing the weight. I don't have the "high" on the scale of seeing the numbers slip by. I still work hard at the food choices, portions and keep an honest food diary. I also challenge myself with my fitbit to walk more steps, stairs, to keep active more hours of the day. I also do yoga and zumba. If I don't, the scale moves up.

Wish it were easy, but that is the way it is, and when I zip up my size 10 pants, for me, it all makes sense!

Jamie2007

I am maintaining. I have cut back on cardio drastically. I eat more calories now and I lift more weights. I believe the more muscle you have the easier it is to maintain. I also used to only have 1 cheat meal per week. Now I have a cheat DAY and a cheat meal per week! Love it!

Flowers4Julia

Hi,
I've been maintaining for about a year (lost 35)......and I'd say I do about the same cardio, but have added more strength/resistance types of activity. Not a huge change really. I agree with one of the above posters that when you slack, you usually slide back. But, this is a new lifestyle right and we want to be more active and stronger to be healthier, so continue to workout with activities that you can enjoy and sustain!! It's a great thing I think! Best!

molly589

Bump! I definitely need to read through this post. I'm at the point of maintenance now myself (at 70ish pounds down), and I'm not sure if my activity level should change or what I should be doing. Thanks for this!

kaitlynelkins9

I actually do more aerobic exercise now that I'm maintaining, but that's only because I just really enjoy distance running. I lost the vast majority of my excess body fat while I was learning to run and thus couldn't physically run as fast or as far as I can run now. And now that I eat much more closely to maintenance (I still eat at a very small deficit to encourage a reduction in body fat percentage), I find that it's easier to run long. But that is completely personal and not necessary to maintain one's weight at all. As long as you're consuming about as much as you're expending, no matter how much you're expending, you should maintain your weight. It's up to you how much exercise you want to maintain. Regular cardiovascular exercise is important for cardiovascular health, but it isn't necessary for weight maintenance as long as you are eating the proper amount of food to balance your expenditure.

kdiamond

I would say the hours I put in are the same, but the intensity level and what I do are totally different and have progressed. I used to lift Barbie weights and spend all my time on the elliptical when I was first losing my baby weight, now I spend very little time doing HIIT and lifting heavy weights. I still spend about 5-6 hours a week in the gym, just utilizing it differently.

moustache_flavored_lube

I switched to focusing on improving fitness, and eating for health, instead of focusing on calories and losing weight.


So my fitness is much better

debi_f

I'm been maintaining since November for the most part (hovering in a 2-3 pound range), and I find myself doing pretty much the same things I did during weight loss. I do some kind of workout 7 days a week (with the occasional day off), and I watch what and how much I eat. I've upped my allowable calories per day, but not by much. I think I've just found where my body wants to be, but I don't want to gain any of it back, so I stay as vigilant as possible.

But part of it, too, is that it really has become a lifestyle. I'm not "dieting" anymore. Now, I just look at it as "my life." This is the way I work now. I workout doing things I love to do -- running 4 times a week, Pilates 3 times a week, some biking when I can fit it in. But I do these things because I like them, not because I'm trying to lose weight.

Of course, a year ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of liking any type of exercise, but now, feeling strong and healthy (and fitting into skinny jeans) feels even better after a good run or a hard class. It's all just a matter of perspective.

skylark94

I still do the same workouts because I enjoy them and want to stay strong. I just eat a bit more to eliminate the deficit.

The_Enginerd

Depends what you mean by fitness... I'd say better because I can do more with less weight to slug around and I've made gains in strength and endurance from the time I started just due to the gains from experience.

In terms of what I do different now that I'm in maintenance, I just eat more. That's it.

NJL13500

I eat between 2000-2200 calories per day (1600-1800 when losing). I do more lifting now and less cardio, but I get to the gym or some sort of exercise 6 days a week for about an hour. I have increased the intensity of my cardio, but do it for shorter periods of time. I think part of that is because I weigh less and I'm able to push harder, but part of it is that I'm trying to train smarter.

My goal weight is 130. I give myself a 3 pound window either way for water weight. If I get above 133 for more than 1 week I cut back to 1650 calories until I get back down. I have never dipped below 127, so adding more has never been an issue for me. :-)

This has worked for me since early November. I've had to "red flag" myself a couple of times. I think if I were not so vigilant that the weight would creep back on. Not too different from losing to me. Log, exercise, and don't lie to myself about what I ate or how much I burned.

Good luck! Your weight loss stats are impressive.

darlilama

Just as much effort for me, for the most part. I exercise and log 5 days/week. I'm more active on weekends, though, so I am getting some "exercise". I no longer log food on weekends and I know I likely exceed my calorie goals, but I do not let the weekends be a "free for all" just because I'm not logging. Of course, I'm stronger and more fit than I was when I started and I hope to continue that trend!

Remember, you can never go back to your "old ways" or you'll just be back to where you started. That's why you see so many people saying this is a "lifestyle change".

bwnorton

First off, congratulations on your progress! I was in maintenance mode for several years. About 2 years ago, bad habits crept back in. I eat to cope, and I lost my way. Eating the food made me feel better at the time. And, I used the excuse that my Tanita scale needed new batteries to avoid the weigh-ins. It took another shock - knee pain and a cortisone injection - to jolt me back on track.

I love bike riding. For me, it's what I use for cardio. I also started to do the 10,000 steps a day plan. It's not that hard to work into a day, especially working at a large facility. I also use strength training. That way, I can keep the muscle mass.

Before I lost my way, I continued the habit of weighing in every week. Avoid the inner dialog that "Hey, it's only 10 pounds. I can start taking that off next week!" When I was maintaining my weight, if I went 5 pounds above goal, I went back on my low calorie diet. Becaues I excercise, I try to keep the weight loss to 2 pounds a week.

lotusspark

I really appreciate all your answers. I will plan to keep doing everything as I'm used to.
I've heard maintaining can be tougher than losing and I agree to that high us losers get
when the scale shares a drop. Guess once I get there I can take a closer look at how I
might tweak my formula so I never back peddle either.


Oh and thank you for the compliments on my loss thus far, wish I were finished, the battle
rages on.

Eileen889

I've been on maintenance for a few weeks now. I did lose 2 more pounds, though, so I had to increase my calories a little. I think I lost them due to my Insanity workout's that I started last week.... You've done great with your weight loss and shouldn't have any trouble maintaining. Good luck.

waldo56

Been almost a year now.

I do pretty much the same thing exercise-wise. I'm a lot stronger and more flexible, cardio fitness is about the same, a hair better. I concentrate more on strength though.

lithezebra

I was a habitual exerciser before I lost weight, while losing weight, and am still a habitual exerciser. I'm not the very strongest I've ever been, but I'm close.