For those who are maintaining

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lauriem1966
lauriem1966 Posts: 134 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Are you still tracking? I'm taking a break from weight loss until sometime in September, when my life will hopefully be less crazy. I also want to be eating a little more right now, its ice cream season and I'm okay with staying the same weight for 2 months. No hurry.

I STOPPED tracking and I gained 4 pounds in about 3 weeks :/ I started tracking again, but I'm wondering....is this how its going to be for the rest of my life? Or do you eventually get your brain trained as to how much you eat?
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  • SirBonerFart
    SirBonerFart Posts: 1,185 Member
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    Are you still tracking? I'm taking a break from weight loss until sometime in September, when my life will hopefully be less crazy. I also want to be eating a little more right now, its ice cream season and I'm okay with staying the same weight for 2 months. No hurry.

    I STOPPED tracking and I gained 4 pounds in about 3 weeks :/ I started tracking again, but I'm wondering....is this how its going to be for the rest of my life? Or do you eventually get your brain trained as to how much you eat?

    Depends on the individual we are all unique and special in our own way
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
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    I actually just went back into weight loss mode this morning to lose a few last pounds, after being in maintenance for the last several months. During maintenance I weighed myself every day and I spot checked my food about once a week. If I crept up on the high end of my maintenance window (a 3 pound range), then I cut back a bit until I got back down. I never got above 1lb of the high point of my maintenance range, even going on a week long road trip a few days ago and eating out the whole time. Maybe just sheer luck-who knows lol. I do know my appetite has changed drastically since I first started losing weight last fall and I credit that to the plan I followed for weight loss (alternate day intermittent fasting). I really learned what real hunger was and what was habitual eating. I also broke my night time snacking habit and no longer eat after 7pm. Those two things have been a huge help for me as I've been in maintenance-my relationship with food is much different today, than what it was when I was overweight.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I've learned what a typical portion size is and how I can combine foods to hit my calorie goals. I know all that. Doing it, however, is very different.

    I continue to log to keep me on track. If I don't, it's just a matter of time before I fall back into some pretty terrible habits.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I've been maintaining over 2 years.

    I log most of the time. Sometimes I get sick of it and take a week off. I take every weekend and holiday off.

    I also understand that my weight will fluctuate quite a bit. As long as my pants fit, I don't much care what the scale says.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    I log most of the time. Being cognizant of behaviour is part of the battle.
  • BrookeBQ
    BrookeBQ Posts: 163 Member
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    I am on maintenance and I will log forever and ever. I don't trust myself to fall back into my old ways, and I like my friends on here.
  • trophywife24
    trophywife24 Posts: 1,472 Member
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    Nope. I'll probably go back to it in the fall, for whatever reason logging and I aren't friends in the summer. I know I'm eating fairly well most of the time, my weight is around the same, etc so I'm good for now.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
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    I have to log or I'll gain.

    I still log every day, although I don't stress too much about weekend choices and sometimes skip the weekend logging altogether.
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
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    I've maintained over 2 years. I don't log weekends, or vacations. I am not sure if I will always, I think it keeps me in check-Even when I am not logging I keep a mental tab running;-) in my head.
  • kevin3344
    kevin3344 Posts: 702 Member
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    I joined in maintenance. I've weighed +/- 5-10 lbs since high school and I'm 46 years old....so not sure on the time frame :)

    Anyway, I'm here to set a good example for my family...hopefully they will see the wisdom in logging (and running, my go-to exercise)....if not, I'll just enjoy my MFP family here. I have no plans on leaving.
  • jdm_taco
    jdm_taco Posts: 999 Member
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    Stopped a long time ago just keep a rough estimate in my head.
  • boatsie77
    boatsie77 Posts: 480 Member
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    I've been in maintenance for almost 4 months. I weigh every day (I used to only weigh once a week when I was losing) to note changes. My weight is slowly still going down and I am slowly adding calories to try to get it to stabilize in my "goal range" which is 145-155 (I'm 5'8"). In order to accomplish that I must continue to log; and I'll probably keep logging for the foreseeable future..."if it isn't broke, don't fix it."
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Are you still tracking? I'm taking a break from weight loss until sometime in September, when my life will hopefully be less crazy. I also want to be eating a little more right now, its ice cream season and I'm okay with staying the same weight for 2 months. No hurry.

    I STOPPED tracking and I gained 4 pounds in about 3 weeks :/ I started tracking again, but I'm wondering....is this how its going to be for the rest of my life? Or do you eventually get your brain trained as to how much you eat?

    When I went to maintenance I tracked for about 4-6 weeks I think...just to get a feel for it. Also, keep in mind that when you go to maintenance you're going to replenish all of your glycogen stores that are largely depleted as fast as they're restored when you're dieting...3-4 Lbs seems just about right for glycogen stores. This is why many people actually drop under their goal a bit before going to maintenance...knowing maintenance is actually going to be slightly heavier with full glycogen stores.

    Also, if you just upped straight to maintenance and didn't do it gradually, this will throw your body into shock. It is recommended that you close your weight loss gap the closer you get to maintenance to slow it down...kind of like coming to a stop light...you don't want to just slam on the breaks and then hit the gas...you ease into it. I came in nice and slow to maintenance and then upped my calories over the course of about 3-4 weeks to avoid throwing my metabolism into shock.

    I do not track anymore...I eat the same way I ate when I was dieting, just a bit more. Having tracked maintenance for a month or so helped me to see what a maintenance day looks like...what my snacks and meals and drinks look like. I've also learned to listen to my body...I train for endurance events and I also strength train...my body lets me know when it needs fuel.

    I'd also add that you can't stop working out. That's what most people do...diet's over and they equate working out with trying to lose weight rather than setting independent fitness goals. If you stop working out, most likely you will gain the weight back every time. Fitness has to be a lifestyle too...

    Lastly, just as your weight loss was not linear, maintenance is not static. You don't weigh exactly XXX Lbs all of the time; you have a floor and a ceiling and on average, the difference can easily be 3-5 Lbs. I have natural maintenance fluctuations between 180-185 and 175-180 on rest weeks when I drop a lot of water.
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
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    I am on maintenance and I will log forever and ever. I don't trust myself to fall back into my old ways, and I like my friends on here.

    This is how I am. I will always log, it doesn't take but a few seconds each time to log something. I need to log, or I will not stay on track.
  • ksavy
    ksavy Posts: 271 Member
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    I stopped logging for about 8 months. I gained about 8 lbs. It was slow enough that I didn't really notice but then I started to notice my clothes were not fitting as well. So I decided to start logging again about 3 weeks ago and have already dropped a couple of the lbs I had gained.
  • AAX2
    AAX2 Posts: 20 Member
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    I've been in maintenance mode for about 2ish years. I just started logging back to see what my diet looked like. At this point I have a general idea of calorie count, serving size, etc. so I know an average of what I am taking in without logging it in. Is my diet always perfect? Heck no. But like I said I am 100% aware of where I am going wrong(over eating, bad eating, etc), so I don't feel the need to log all the time.
    As others have said I love the encouragement on here regardless and it's nice to see other people losing weight/working on their fitness goals.
  • Skrib69
    Skrib69 Posts: 687 Member
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    This interesting to read. I have just started tapering to start maintenance, and am finding that I regularly don't want to eat all my calories. I appear to have a much better idea of how much I am eating. I still log, and think I will continue to do so for some time. Most importantly, I have made some good friends on MFP and enjoy the company!
  • lauriem1966
    lauriem1966 Posts: 134 Member
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    Hey thanks for all the replies. It helps to know how other people handle things. And like someone said...nice to be able to pinpoint where you've gone wrong if you do gain.

    I didn't know that about the glycogen stores. Makes me feel a bit better! I did move somewhat slowly into maintenance, added about 150 extra calories every few days. I should be having around 2000 and I'm no where near that today but I'm eating out tomorrow so I will be over.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    I'm planning to log pretty much forever. It's not that inconvenient.
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
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    I will be tracking for the rest of my life... it's too much of a habit now.

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