Diet....Maintain....Diet Maintain....and so on

Firemansam79
Firemansam79 Posts: 416 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been losing weight since January 2013 but only using MFP since July and I have not realized this till now but I have been on a diet like I am going down stairs.

First a brief (Ok LONG) summary then a question about if it works should I keep doing it or go for a more steady drop.

How it all started was a weight loss thing at work. I just ate what I thought was healthier, smaller portions and cut pop out of my diet for a new year resolution. I am very active from January till march because I snowmobile 3-4 times a week and usually for 2 - 10 hours. This is done very aggressively and I believe I am burning more calories than I thought while doing it. I had lost 15 lbs by mid march and then became less active and maintained my weight through april with some but little activity and still not over eating. May the end of the weight loss was near and I kicked it into high gear again and finished a winner with 21.5lbs lost. For about a month I maintained again, not intentionally I just was very very busy and lost focus. My sister in law pointed me to MFP at the beginning of July and by the end of July I was down a total of 33lbs. A twist to the story is, I started biking at the same time. About 50 miles a week average. I actually gained 3-4 lbs right away and was always under my calorie goal. It was the end of July (20th - 31st) when the 11lbs vanished.

So come august I was down to riding bike about 20 miles a week and was on the road for work and lost focus again. gained a lb or slightly more back during that 30 or so days. Now I have regained focus again but only with my diet. I even throttled my daily goal up to 1800cals instead of 1600cals. I have been so busy at home I have not been able to get on my bike. Mostly cleaning and yard work.

Last week I saw no change at all. I was getting discouraged but yesterday the scale showed I lost that additional weight and today I was down 3.2 from yesterday.

Where the heck did that go? My hydration is good and I didn't have any big "outings" yesterday??

Back to the question I have after the story book.

Lose....Maintain.....lose Maintain.....Lose Maintain.

If its working should I keep doing it? Or is this borderline yo-yo dieting?

I haven't logged my new weight just to be sure its gone or maybe the scale was screwed up today. But this am I was 246 and yesterday I was 249.2.

I don't care if you lash me or support me I am looking for your opinion.

Thank You.

Replies

  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    You are "normal". Most people do not lose weight on a steady basis and the fact that you have maintained and not gained back means you are doing something right.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    Yo-yo dieting, to me, is crash-dieting to lose 20 pounds, then going off the diet and gaining it all back. Then going on a different crash diet, down 20, then up 20 again.

    Going on a deficit for a couple months, dropping weight, then maintaining for a month by changing up your energy balance, is not yo-yo dieting in my opinion. In fact, I know some experts suggest this method - you lose 5% of your body weight, then maintain for a month. Return to a deficit, lose another 5%, then maintain again.

    Your method of losing/maintaining doesn't seem to be an issue, but I DO think your calorie goal is much too low. Are you eating exercise calories?

    Sidenote: When I was losing, it was very common to lose 2-3 pounds seemingly "overnight". Not sure why, but I'd be at a standstill for a week, start to feel frustrated, and then wham - it finally showed up on the scale. And for what it's worth, it usually stayed off.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    This sounds completely normal to me. When losing weight I've always maintained, lose, maintained lose. In fact, when I maintain I tend to maintain, gain, lose, maintain... (bouncing around within 5-7 lbs).

    I can't imgaine seeing a loss every single day while losing, or seeing the exact same number every day on the scale.
  • clarinetmajor
    clarinetmajor Posts: 44 Member
    I think it is fine. I don't think it's yo yo dieting because are you really on a diet? Or are you just paying attention sometimes and sometimes, no so much? And that's okay. As a friend on MFP said to me, time is going to continue to pass, so you can either count calories and loose weight little by little over the next few years, or you can do nothing, not pay attention, and continue to be the same size or bigger. So I think you are totally fine. Don't worry about it! When you can pay attention, pay attention. As long as you are maintaining your losses or stay within 5 lbs + or - I'd say you are doing great!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    nevermind, bad image
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    You're on the right track so don't let the diet-maintain thing bother you. It's normal for many of us to bounce around a bit or stay steady for awhile before dropping again. Lots of factors account for this so it usually isn't only a one way road. Just think of it as the way your body prefers to handle it and keep up the healthy eating and exercise, with some variation along the way.
  • Firemansam79
    Firemansam79 Posts: 416 Member
    Yo-yo dieting, to me, is crash-dieting to lose 20 pounds, then going off the diet and gaining it all back. Then going on a different crash diet, down 20, then up 20 again.

    Going on a deficit for a couple months, dropping weight, then maintaining for a month by changing up your energy balance, is not yo-yo dieting in my opinion. In fact, I know some experts suggest this method - you lose 5% of your body weight, then maintain for a month. Return to a deficit, lose another 5%, then maintain again.

    Your method of losing/maintaining doesn't seem to be an issue, but I DO think your calorie goal is much too low. Are you eating exercise calories?

    Sidenote: When I was losing, it was very common to lose 2-3 pounds seemingly "overnight". Not sure why, but I'd be at a standstill for a week, start to feel frustrated, and then wham - it finally showed up on the scale. And for what it's worth, it usually stayed off.

    Thank you all for the reassurance. I'll just keep on keep it on then off. :)

    To answer the question if I was eating back my exerciser calories. I was but not nearly enough. Since then is really when I have not had too much intended exerciser.

    I really dont know how to track my physical activity when I get home. From the time I cook supper for the family till about 9pm I am constantly moving. Not real demanding stuff but not sitting on the couch either.

    Thanks again for the your input!

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