Can't get out of weight loss mode

Step 1) Breathe
Step 2) Look at yourself- and realize you look great! :flowerforyou:

I tend to get obsessive like this sometimes, too. Granted I'm not on maintenance yet, but I'm VERY close. Once you start counting calories it can very quickly escalate into something unhealthy. You're just a bit younger than me and sometimes girls in our age group can feel even more pressure than those who are in their 30s, 40s etc (not always mind you, in that age range- just sometimes).

Whenever I start to feel OCD about this I remember that I only have one life to live. While maintaining weight is super important, stressing about it won't do me any favors (it can actually contribute to weight gain).

Think about this, too: Will one or two "bad" days (ie days you go out with friends) really matter in 5 years? Nope! As long as you work towards keep a healthy relationship with food, you can "mess up" every now and again and it's not going to matter in the long run.

Oh and stop weighing yourself every day. I used to do that too, and it honestly just ended up pissing me off. Fluctuations happen. Stick to once a week- seriously.

As for you feeling more insecure now than before, I'd venture that you're not actually insecure about it... you're just stressing over maintaining the great look you've achieved. But what good is a fantastic body if you're not out showing it off to the world?

Feel free to add me for support.

ETA: Wanted to add something. If your focus is now moving towards strength training/toning... you NEED to eat! You will not see the results you want in your muscles if you are not feeding them properly. So when you are eating up to your maintenance calories, just remember you are eating more for a NEW goal, which in the end will be equally as satisfying as your original weight loss goal.

You described me perfectly. I was the EXACT same way. I was truly a diet-Nazi.

I decided to go into maintenance in June, but I didn't relax on my dieting and get used to the idea of maintaining weight until these past two weeks. You just have to push yourself, get out of your comfort zone while also continuing to make wise, smart choices about what you put in your body. It takes time, patience, and constant reminders to yourself to relax, and to enjoy life. You aren't trying to lose anymore, so stop acting like you are.

Here's a few things that helped me start:
- Stop counting calories for a week. Just one week, then you can start again.
This alone helped me realize how ridiculous I was being, how strict I was.. I haven't counted calories in a month and I actually lost weight without meaning to. Imagine that.. (Im going to start counting again though to make sure I stay on track since I've become more lenient on my diet..)
- Change your diet. Go three days without eating what you're used to eating.
Keep the choices healthy and listen to your stomach when you are satisfied, but you'd be surprised at how uplifting it s.
- Eat something you haven't allowed yourself to eat since you started losing weight.
I avoided red meat at all costs because it was so much higher in calories versus chicken or fish. I had a filet the other day, and it was seriously life-changing. It also killed the beef craving I had been having for the past few months that nothing seemed to satisfy.
- Go out to eat and let someone else order for you. (Make sure its a healthy option though)
Scary as hell. I was used to ordering salads, but I let my father order me a grilled fish with risotto, which was very scary for me because rice, breads, etc.. are my absolute favorite foods that I used to devour, but I was able to stop eating when I felt satisfied and to my surprise, half of the risotto was still left on the plate.

The trick is portion control, listening to your body, and making the right choices. Use what you have learned, and start LIVING.
I've become a MUCH happier person. I've become more calm, more open to things, less stressed, I sleep better, I feel better, and Im actually enjoying my food and my workouts. It just takes time and patience!

60 pounds is great.

It is normal to go up a few pounds when in maintenance. As long as the calories are not excess it is just water weight.

I am still trying to maintain after 5 months. I stayed the same weight for months but recently gone up 6 pounds in just a couple of week. I am not eating the calories required to be that weight so after time I know it will go back down. I am trying to weigh myself once a month now as so it doesn't matter if my weight goes up as long it goes back down.

But you don't ever want to be terrified. It's just weight.

I haven't switched calories up yet, but I'm also not losing at this point. What I have done is relaxed and exercise a lot more. I'm focusing on fitness. My net is down a bit, but my eating calories are actually up and I feel very comfortable. I don't feel like I'm dieting.

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So here's my advice: exercise a few hundred calories every day and then eat that. Keep focusing on the fitness and see if you're hungry at all. I ALWAYS get hungry when it gets cold and I expect at that point I'll up my calories a tad.

I'm glad I'm not alone. I feel what all of you are feeling! Still trying to find my balance. I just eat when I'm hungry now but I realized it isn't that often anymore! Which is scaring me. I don't want to be ruled by food anymore. I obsessed about my maintenance weight too, I just feel the need the go lower. It's harder to maintain than to diet!! I feel lost! I mean I know we can't gain it all back overnight but just the scales scare me!

Try eating more.

I can really relate to this .. I hit my goal weight 2days ago and I just can't get my head around that I should be moving onto maintainance mode now .. It actually scares me
I know I will be counting calories for a long time to come if not for the rest of my life and I am actually ok with that but I do want to lighten up a bit about it because at the moment it consumes me for example I had a family funeral last week and I was worrying all week about having to eat outside of home after the funeral and not be able to count the calories , I was also freaking myself out about not being able to go to the gym that day !!
Like that's not normal and that's not how I want to live my life , if I can't count the calories in it I won't eat it simple as that ..
My little nephew made cookies and gave me abit to taste and I wouldn't even eat it I mean it was tiny but nope no hope was it entering my mouth when I couldn't count it
Now I have upped my calories by 100 this week and cut down on cardio by 20mins but considering I was doing 70mins of cardio I'm still doing quiet abit
How do I get into my head I'm not going to magically become fat again overnight , I'm at goal weight but I'm considering going lower now so if I fluctuate I still won't do over my goal weight ! I already did this and my boyfriend warned me not to do it again

I really didn't think this transition was going to be so hard I thought I'd be jumping for joy hitting goal weight but its kind of been overshadowed my me worrying

My main advise is to weigh once a week, honestly you can fluctuate upto three lbs in the space of the day i.e. if you need to release your bowels !! (has to be said)

Weight the same time once a week and you'll be much less stressed and actually look forward to weighing It will also take you a while to understand how much you need to eat/exercise in order to maintain so be patient with it and do something different like an extra class if you find you are putting on lbs not maintaining!

P.s well done on the loss! incredible!

It is so much harder than I expected , it's funny because I know I'm being erratic and a tad bit crazy about the whole situation but I still can't seem to stop doing it , my boyfriend keeps saying you know what your doing isn't right so why are you continuing to do it and I just don't have an answer for that question yet. I always thought of myself as being a very well grounded person but it seems like all types of normal are gone out the window with this one.
I was out last week and someone in our company was going on about this lady who counts calories while she's out and how crazy she is. Everyone was laughing and joking about it needless to say I didn't open my mouth

I know exactly how you feel! I lost 53 pounds 180lbs to 127lbs and I feel the same way.. We just have to adjust to our new bodies and our new heatlhy lifestyle... Losing weight is not easy at all so now that we reached our goal mantaining should be easy Im actually following a diet plan to mantain my weight.. I have a cheat meal every single week and I eat things that I enjoy during the week because the plan helps me with portions, time and what to eat.. It really is amazing how the Yes You Can Diet Plan changed my whole unhealthy habits and thanks to it I am able to mantain all the hard work I went through the last year.

I personally relate. To the extent that my fear of weight gain led to "disordered eating".

I will tell you the advice I was given, and then I'll tell you the parts I actually agreed to follow.

Quit tracking calories.
Quit getting on the scale.
Eat a well rounded diet in moderate portions and your clothes will tell you if you're maintaining your weight or not.
Exercise in moderation.
Enjoy what you eat.

Now here's what I really do. I track calories most days just to make sure I'm eating ENOUGH. I made a goal of 1600-1700 calories per day (based on TDEE and advice of a dietician) and I track calories all day and if I miss the mark by too much I'll drink an ensure clear at the end of the day to get to the 1600. Some days I don't worry so much about the calories and eat in a way that I know is more than enough, so I don't track at all to keep me from obsessing about eating too much. Those are nights when I have pizza or something that I am confident will put me over my 1600 minimum goal.

I get on the scale once a week. If the number is way off what I expect it should be, I allow myself to weigh in for a couple days just to give me the comfort that the number wasn't real (water weight, that time of the month, whatever). But I'm finding as time passes, I'm even able to let go of that need to re-weigh. I can see a weird number, think back to how I've eaten all week, and say "this isn't real, don't sweat it."

I'm working on "enjoying what I eat." I backslide occasionally and I've discovered that if I am fearful about what I've eating making me overweight again, I tend to have tummy problems as a result. So I am really focusing on a healthy relationship with food. And trusting myself that I can eat in moderation virtually whatever I want and not gain weight. Moderation is the key. And focusing on overall nutrition.

My last piece of advice. If you can't get a handle on this and you truly believe it's obsessive thinking, consider talking to a dietician, or someone who knows something about disordered eating. I'm not saying you're at that place. Just saying if you get there, consider looking into the possibility.

Don't worry, you didn't ruin your metabolism with your dieting! Remember when you were overweight? One day of eating low cal and working out like mad did nothing to lose weight. It was only by cutting your calories and upping your exercise consistently, day-after-day, week-after-week, that you were able to lose weight. Gaining it back is the same. One day here or there of indulging won't make you gain weight. So relax a bit, and focus more on your week-to-week, rather than your day to day. Set a weight range to stay in, rather than a single number. Give yourself 5 to 8 pounds of wiggle room, and you can adjust your calories accordingly if you loose or gain outside of that realm. Be kind to yourself!

It is scary and tough when you enter the maintainence mode of your weight loss journey. I've been in maintence since around April of this year. I have played with what calories I need to eat and what exercised cals burned cals I need to eat back too. I got as low as 124 for my 5'4" height but since I up'd my cals from 1200 to 1490 and eat back some of the burned exercise cals I am usually at 130-132 range which is fine with me. I go up/down a pound or two daily. I do weigh myself every morning to keep myself in check. Some might say that isn't good but for me I need to since not weighing is what got me to the 270 pounds I used to weigh. I will continue to log all food, water, exercise and other things in MFP. I realize I will have to do this for life since in the past that is what also got me in trouble after loosing weight. I will quit logging food or tracking calories and the weight crept back on.
I have never with held any type of food from me since starting my weight loss journey but practice portion control. If I want some ice cream I will have it but will only eat 1/2 cup not 4 big scoops like in the past. I feel there aren't any "bad foods" but eating in moderation and portion control is the key.
Good luck!

This made me feel better - I am nearly at maintenance and already wondering how i will cope.... Its good to know that there are others out there feeling the same

Will someone slap me .. I'm really struggling here with letting go of the amount of exercise I do and what I eat , I cut down on my calorie burn from cardio in the gym from 700 to 500 this week but today my boyfriend made me leave the gym after only burning 300 calories and I have severe anxiety now about it , I'm quiet frankly really pissed off about it because a cut from 700 to 500 was a big enough deal for me but I was doing good but only 300 today
I can't get outta this mode I'm in