let's hear it for maintainenance

1246

Replies

  • Sul3i
    Sul3i Posts: 553 Member
    maintain at least 4 work outs a week. Maintaining is self control. If you don't have it, continue to log. If you do, than you'll be just fine.

    Agreed... maintaining is self control! If I stay active and busy I'm good! If I become a couch potato for more than a day forget it! I think for the most part for now I must log to stay on track.
  • castell5
    castell5 Posts: 234 Member
    My plan is to lose below goal so that I have room to gain while learning art of maintance. That's my plan :) we'll see how it works out when I get there, but love all the comments so far

    I agree with the quote above completely. I hit my goal of 135, and upped my calories from 1200 to 1500 and make sure I exercise every day. My exercise is at least 50 - 70 minutes a day, with running 4 days out of the week.

    I have been maintaining since 11/9/12 so a little more then a month and in that time, I not only maintained, but lost the additional 3 lbs.. My goal, as stated above is to drop to 127, why? Just because I think it would be very good for my frame and learning to maintain with a little room to learn. My new NEVER go over number is 132 lbs where I am now.

    My height is 5' 3" and my current weight is 132. I
  • Sul3i
    Sul3i Posts: 553 Member
    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.

    I say raise it!! Maybe gradually.. for a week or two go to 1300 then 1350 n so on... see how u do
  • Breadbar
    Breadbar Posts: 333 Member
    Bump
  • Jennical
    Jennical Posts: 219 Member
    Bump to read later.
  • KimBeron
    KimBeron Posts: 50 Member
    Bump
  • LadyRhodes01
    LadyRhodes01 Posts: 88 Member
    I as well have been maintaining since August finally reaching 136 lbs. I am currently 7 lbs lower than my goal weight, 129, since once I reached my goal after increasing my cals I still lost. I also decreased workout time which is awesome. It feels good to make time for other things that are important like quality time with my children and husband. Instead of constantly focusing on losing which was my main focus before. I did gradually increase my cals to maintenance adding 100 every month. I still carefully watch what I intake and make sure I exercise, this time I am determined to not get relaxed and lazy. I do not intend on gaining back that 37 lbs. So far so good, I haven't gained. I do monitor my weight daily, but the Thursday weigh in is the one that counts.

    Currently, my focus is more toning. I do want the chiseled back and six pack. Almost there. I do enjoy more treats than before. Luckily, I still stay within my calorie goal for the most part. I have never reached my goal weight in the past. I always stopped at 140 lbs and stopped exercising and tracking food. Of course, before I found MFP. It feels awesome to have hung in there this time. With the help of my pals, of course. I got more than enough motivation.
  • claritarejoice
    claritarejoice Posts: 461 Member
    Good thread, will keep reading later, thanks. I want to lose 15 more pounds. I've been doing everything right but haven't lost weight in a month - I hope these last pounds will go away soon.
  • Lazygal53
    Lazygal53 Posts: 294 Member
    bump for if i ever get there!
  • dogladytwo
    dogladytwo Posts: 97 Member
    bump. excellent thread....
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    What a great thread! I reached my goal in July, my 1 year anniversary of joining MFP. I've found maintenance pretty easy. I eat roughly 2000 calories a day and walk 3-4 miles a day according to my Fitbit. Because I NEVER want to lose 45 pounds again, the deal I've struck with myself is I weigh in every morning and whenever the scale is 2 pounds higher than my usual weight I start logging my food and being a bit more diligent with what I'm eating. It's only happened a few times since July.

    Kicking my sugar habit was one of the best decisions I've made. I don't think I could maintain my weight if I still craved sugar.

    Congrats everyone!
  • Breadbar
    Breadbar Posts: 333 Member
    Bump
  • iris2811
    iris2811 Posts: 124 Member
    bump
  • TigerEyes1969
    TigerEyes1969 Posts: 10 Member
    Bumping to refer to you as I deal with small struggles on my weight loss journey. :devil:
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
    Bump
  • kevin3344
    kevin3344 Posts: 702 Member
    I've been maintaining for a while, well since joining MFP, and my secret weapon has definitely been eating as clean as possible and running. I ran track in high school, gave it up for a while and started running again several years ago. It definitely helps keep the weight off. I also try and vary my workouts. This year I've completed a marathon, 2-half-marathons, an 8k, the Warrior Dash, Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, Ripped In 30, and also a few TRX classes sprinkled in there...anything to challenge myself.

    I'm 45, 5'11" 170lbs. Calories are set at 2,100.
  • shmunster
    shmunster Posts: 538 Member
    Been maintaining for 9 months now, it's hard, so much more temptation because you've got those extra calories to play with but I am determined to keep it off, decemer I've been slipping but I still keep logging away and weighing in each week and keeping myself accountable

    I've also had a couple of Injuries that have set me back each time I get really into a particular type of exercise but I just keep walking and let the rest sort itself out
  • Jennifer_Lynn_1982
    Jennifer_Lynn_1982 Posts: 567 Member
    Great thread!! I literally just hit goal yesterday and have now set my profile to maintenance...honestly, I'm a bit scared...thank you for the tips, if any of you are looking for maintenance friends, please feel free to add.

    I'm 30, from Vancouver, 5'5, SW 156.8, CW 134.6
  • thx_1138
    thx_1138 Posts: 2
    I was at goal 10 mo. ago and have lost another 12lbs since then.
  • uwdawg07
    uwdawg07 Posts: 372 Member
    I hit my first goal of 120-121, and I've been maintaining, even though I want to be losing. haha

    But I'm 5'3" and maintaining on 1500-1600 calories a day. I exercise a lot and will be upping my calories to 1800 or so, so we'll see what happens with my weight.

    Great thread!
  • ggaspard
    ggaspard Posts: 2 Member
    I have been on maintenance for 2 months now. I really feel I need variety to keep it up. Constantly looking for new food and exercise choices. I am 5'5" 135 eating at about 1700 calories a day.
  • _namaste_
    _namaste_ Posts: 246
    Love this thread!
  • lamarnnem
    lamarnnem Posts: 189
    I lost 95 pounds in 20 months and have been maintaining for 16 months. This is my 3rd MFP anniversary.

    I'm 5'6", I weigh between 145 and 149 and I'm about to turn 61.

    I track what I eat every day faithfully as I eat it. I either run, swim, bike or elliptical every day for at least an hour.

    How you maintain has a lot to do with how you gained weight in the first place. I can only speak for myself - I started gaining weight when I was in high school and I spent the next forty years at an unhealthy and obese BMI. There were some significant weight loss diets in there where I got down to where I am now and there were equal weight gains which took me back.

    I'm not that careful about my exact calories but I keep to between 1800 - 2200. I weigh myself daily but I only record it once a week. It fluctuates within this four pound range. When I'm at the top of it, I'm extra careful about what I eat and I try to say "no" more often.

    I'd love to lose another five pounds - I did this summer when I was in training for a sprint triathalon. I figure I'll probably lose it again next summer when I go back into training.

    Maintenance is harder than losing because:

    1. You exercise all the same self-restraint that you do when losing and it doesn't get much easier to do;

    2. You don't get any of the thrills of losing - no lower numbers, no smaller clothes, no excited compliments. You and everybody else get used to the way you look. Life becomes normal.

    3. There is skin sagging somewhere on your body.

    4. Life has the same hard/sad/devastating moments that it always has. You can't comfort eat your way through them anymore so you have to find new strengths.

    On the other hand,

    1. You never look in the mirror, see a photo, catch a glimpse of your reflection and have that automatic cringe response. Lots and lots of times, you have a "looking good!" response.

    2. You feel great physically. Your doctor loves you. You can read every article on "how to eat healthily" and think, "Yup. Got that one." You have bursts of joy when you run/bike/swim or just move. You don't get out of breath unless you want to get out of breath. You start taking up activities that never even crossed your mind before just to see if you'd enjoy them.

    3. You have deep down pride in yourself. You're living life the way it is meant to be lived. You start applying what you learned about yourself to your other problems. You start owning your life.

    To have those last three, I'll log every bite I eat and work out every day for the rest of my life. With a song in my heart.

    Jeanne

    Great post.
  • mttlng
    mttlng Posts: 6
    My puppy's name is Waffles
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    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.


    I lost at 1200 NET, easy. Each person is so different.

    I now eat 1900-1960 to maintain.

    I'm 5' 8.5" and around 142.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    My puppy's name is Waffles

    LOL!!!!

    That's a GREAT name!
  • smittybuilt19
    smittybuilt19 Posts: 955 Member
    Very useful thread folks. Will have to refer to this in the coming months when I reach GW. Congratulations all!
  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
    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.


    I lost at 1200 NET, easy. Each person is so different.

    I now eat 1900-1960 to maintain.

    I'm 5' 8.5" and around 142.

    VJ- I'm 5'3 and 135 currently. I'm trying to lose but basically maintain at 1800 calories gross. I've never gone below 1600 gross calories per day. I also splurge on weekends usually at least once. I workout 6 days a week.
  • lieselLalor
    lieselLalor Posts: 169 Member
    Bump.
  • steffiejayne
    steffiejayne Posts: 7 Member
    Bump.

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