What does Maintainence have to be so d@mn hard!

thinking_thinly
thinking_thinly Posts: 143 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I've lost 100lbs! Cool right? But this whole maintenance thing is so difficult. I find myself doing more of a "cut and bulk" rather than staying at one even level. I guess I don't want to fall victim to the whole "yo-yo" dieting thing. Is it really that bad of a strategy though? I mean, I'm talking 5lbs "bulking" then "cutting" down those 5lbs.

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    or you just have 5lb range for weight fluctuations? you cannot expect to stay one exact number every single day.... that isnt how it works. as long as you are within those 5lbs, its fine.

    once i got used to eating more, i found maintenance much easier than losing, food is good!
  • capperboy
    capperboy Posts: 99 Member
    Reverse for me I found the excitement of loosing much easier. At times maintenance is a drudge, I feel like a hamster on one of those exercise wheels.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Yeah, 5 lbs sound like a normal range to fluctuate within. It's probably impossible to stay at one fixed weight all the time.

    I suppose it depends on your mentality though. If you are reaching your goal and then kind of letting it go a bit, letting yourself gain until you get to 5 lbs, and then restricting again to cut it back... that's a bit different from just naturally fluctuating because of normal variation of intake and activity. It's still not really a bad thing, it can just take some time to get into that mindset of staying the same.

    Congratulations on your 100 lbs though. :flowerforyou:
  • LorienAnduin
    LorienAnduin Posts: 15
    It sounds like you are maintianing to me. People naturally fluctuate 3-5 lbs day to day based on bowel evacuations and water composition, completely independent of your muscle or fat cells.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    You cannot expect to stay at one precise weight every day.

    I have a 5 pound range. If I'm in that range, I'm all good. If I'm above it, I might tighten things down a bit for awhile, diet-wise, but I've never really been above it except for a day or two after some indulgent eating.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    or you just have 5lb range for weight fluctuations? you cannot expect to stay one exact number every single day.... that isnt how it works. as long as you are within those 5lbs, its fine.

    once i got used to eating more, i found maintenance much easier than losing, food is good!

    this

    5 lbs isn't something I would call a true cut/bulk... it's just how your weight works. could be water- could be poo... could be pee- could be anything.

    don't sweat it.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    or you just have 5lb range for weight fluctuations? you cannot expect to stay one exact number every single day.... that isnt how it works. as long as you are within those 5lbs, its fine.

    once i got used to eating more, i found maintenance much easier than losing, food is good!

    ^This. You must understand that your 5lb swing doesn't mean you've gained 5lbs of fat. Water retention, increased glycogen stores, food weight etc are all normal when you increase your calories and aren't eating at a deficit each day. There are two aspects of health - physical and mental. Many people disregard the latter. Constantly weighing yourself is an exercise in futility, and can cause you to stress mentally over something that is absolutely normal. You most likely will have 5-7lb swing in either direction depending on many factors - and this is throughout the day.

    Stop worrying about the number on the scale everyday. If you must, weigh yourself every week or every other week. You've worked hard to lose 100lbs! Don't let 5lbs make you second guess yourself!
  • nwg74
    nwg74 Posts: 360 Member
    Maintaining is hard for me. I also have a 5 pound range to maintain and despite me having the same calories I always have, I am up 10 pounds.

    Looking at the bigger picture, a couple of weeks ago I was the same weight I was 9 months ago so I have maintained my weight. I just hate how easy it is to see the pounds go up and up before it starts going down again. It can take 3 to 4 times longer to lose what goes on.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I'm talking 5lbs "bulking" then "cutting" down those 5lbs.

    That IS maintaining. 3-5 Lb body weight fluctuations are completely natural. Just as your losses weren't linear, your maintenance isn't static. It is impossible to be exactly XXX Lbs all of the time...you have water retention/release, timing of food in/out, waste, hormones, etc.

    It's completely normal..just as you had to view your loss as a general trend, you have to look at maintenance as a general trend...thus, if you're going weeks and months on end essentially "gaining and losing" the same 3-5 Lbs...you are in fact, maintaining.

    I tend to fluctuate between 178 - 183 day to day for the past 6 months. I even have days when I'm closer to 185 or 186 if I've had an exceptionally high sodium day (more water retention).

    The most important aspect of maintenance in my experience has been making sure I stick to my fitness. Really, I've been able to pretty much eat whatever and maintain so long as I'm getting it on in the weight room and getting my cycling/runs in.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1071202-why-you-gain-weight-if-you-eat-more-than-your-cut
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Been in maintenance for the past year and I agree with other, my weight fluctuates 5 lbs. either way on a weekly basis and it is perfectly normal. Best of Luck
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    I'll add on to those who have already said that staying within a range is normal. At first I thought that maintaining was boring because I wasn't seeing a new lower number on the scale to get excited about. But now I just concentrate on enjoying my food and experimenting with new ideas, now that I have a few more calories to play with. And focus on how much better I feel.
  • harleygroomer
    harleygroomer Posts: 373 Member
    you will get there....... I had the same problem but now I can pretty much SEE food and SEE the calorie count in it. You know inside what you can do and not do and what you HAVE to do to earn a"no-no". But have faith, you will get there. My trainer also had me MAINTAIN my weight everytime I lost 20 lbs just to get use to it. I also go on a very strict 10 day ADKINS diet just to shake things up and keep my off the plateau's. But look at it this way--this is not a DIET, this is a lifestyle change, because you will always watch what you eat and you will always exercise--afterall--skinny people do the same thing!!
  • deje0201
    deje0201 Posts: 4
    This is hard! I have been on a yo-yo my whole life. I feel like food and exercise has been a struggle. I was able to maintain 40 pound weight loss for over 18 months and then I got lazy... I felt like it's off it is going to stay off so I went back to those old habits. Mind you I have a lot going on in my personal life that I feel like I jump to excuses. My fitness buddy moved 5 hours away and I have not been able to replace and without her it is just not the same.

    I want to keep the weight off as it has helped with my migraines, my blood pressure has been lower and I have been able to do more with my energy levels. I am finding it really, really hard to get motivate again and I truly would like to get my BMI down to average. I don’t know if that is possible.

    Sorry about my cry baby story. .. Looking for support I guess.

    Jes
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Maintenance IS gaining and losing the same 5 pounds over and over again.
  • AnthonyKolka
    AnthonyKolka Posts: 74 Member
    Agreed, maintenance can be very annoying and nerve racking. I am caught in the "I want to build some muscle" / "I don't want to gain any weight at all" trap a bit myself.
  • melham
    melham Posts: 233 Member
    If I ever get to maintenance, I'll commiserate. I've been trying to hit maintenance for two months, but keep losing. Now officially down to the "underweight" category. Yeah, when I fantasized about this before it looked a lot less bony and more like some uber-hot Victoria's Secret runway show. Now? Pretty much just looks like I need a cheeseburger. Oh, well.
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    Maintenance IS gaining and losing the same 5 pounds over and over again.

    This is pretty much my view. I have a three pound window that I allow myself to fluctuate within (that may not sound like much but I'm small). When I get to top of my allowable range, it's time to buckle down.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Reverse for me I found the excitement of loosing much easier. At times maintenance is a drudge, I feel like a hamster on one of those exercise wheels.

    Too true. Losing slowly and steadily seemed to take forever, but you did get the perk of the pound down. Now that I'm there, it's just keeping on keeping on. Forever. But . . . so is brushing your teeth and showering. After six months I finally feel like I'm getting a good feel for this, loosening up, still sticking to my calories, and exercising more. It becomes a habit not a focus.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    If I ever get to maintenance, I'll commiserate. I've been trying to hit maintenance for two months, but keep losing. Now officially down to the "underweight" category. Yeah, when I fantasized about this before it looked a lot less bony and more like some uber-hot Victoria's Secret runway show. Now? Pretty much just looks like I need a cheeseburger. Oh, well.

    Sounds like a little exercise (lifting) would do wonders for you. And get you hungry enough to eat the cheeseburger.

    I found last week I had a really hot top on, which my husband loved. And then I realized I have a new area of 'blubby' fat around the armpit that resulted from another pound lost without enough muscle gained.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Maintenance IS gaining and losing the same 5 pounds over and over again.

    This is pretty much my view. I have a three pound window that I allow myself to fluctuate within (that may not sound like much but I'm small). When I get to top of my allowable range, it's time to buckle down.

    Me too. And that's the strategy that the weight loss registry says works really well long term. I'm 5'10", but 3 pounds really is my normal bounce now. Not really any more than that.
  • melham
    melham Posts: 233 Member
    If I ever get to maintenance, I'll commiserate. I've been trying to hit maintenance for two months, but keep losing. Now officially down to the "underweight" category. Yeah, when I fantasized about this before it looked a lot less bony and more like some uber-hot Victoria's Secret runway show. Now? Pretty much just looks like I need a cheeseburger. Oh, well.

    Sounds like a little exercise (lifting) would do wonders for you. And get you hungry enough to eat the cheeseburger.

    I found last week I had a really hot top on, which my husband loved. And then I realized I have a new area of 'blubby' fat around the armpit that resulted from another pound lost without enough muscle gained.
    Thanks for that! I agree. I am finally getting back into my regular sport, rock climbing, three times a week. I was out with an injury for six weeks. Between that and losing a considerable amount of weight before, during and since, I managed to lose a lot of muscle. Once I've been back on the walls for a few more weeks the weight loss should stop. If I'm really lucky, I'll start to regain the muscle I've lost. If I could get back a pound or two of lean muscle in the next three or four months, I would be over the moon. In the meantime, I think I might just eat a cheeseburger!
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    I agree! Yesterday I went way over my calorie goal and the day before I went under. I seem to alternate high and low calorie days, but the way things are stacking up, I will eventually gain if I keep at it. Plus I only had 5 lbs really to lose, so I have less to play with. :ohwell:
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Everyone has said this... but my bodyweight fluctuates by as much as 4 lbs and I'm still cutting... Don't sweat it.
  • steffij100
    steffij100 Posts: 85 Member
    For all you guys who are at maintenance- when you hit your target or ideal weight, did you then carry on a couple of pounds below, so that your ideal weight became the average of this 3-5lb window? I know there's an interesting thread on this which someone has kindly posted above, but just wondering.
  • Knsclptr30
    Knsclptr30 Posts: 38
    It shouldn't be if you carb cycle and or do the zig zag diet approach
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    For all you guys who are at maintenance- when you hit your target or ideal weight, did you then carry on a couple of pounds below, so that your ideal weight became the average of this 3-5lb window? I know there's an interesting thread on this which someone has kindly posted above, but just wondering.

    I don't use my weight as my goal. My weight is a result of the functions- not part of the equation.

    I set my calories based on my goals. Do I want to cut- bulk or maintain? For my cut this summer- I was cutting for a photoshoot... the visual results were the only thing that mattered- I didn't know what weight it would be- or where I would wind up- the goal was a set DATE. so the weight- was largely irrelevant- it only served to help keep my TDEE on a cut- rather than leveling out once I'd lost some weight (happened- lost a whole 6 weeks to maintance when i thought I was cutting- I'd just evened out- it was sad)

    I think way WAY to many people see the weight as a huge part of the equation- and when you get to a point about maintenance- I feel like you shouldn't be worried about weight loss- you are focused on what your muscles and body are doing. yes you are looking at weight- but only because of body fat- not because weight is the number. At that poing you know XXX weight means you are around XX bf%. Verses someone else who is just trying to be XXX weight because it's how much they weighed in high school.

    Despite cutting and loosing weight being the exact same thing (in principle) the general goal/movement behind them are different. Someone cutting is doing so for a very specific reason... while some one who is 'just trying to lose weight' is usually just trying to stop being fat.

    And neither is good nor bad- they are what they are. I don't allow my physical number to determine anything. I can tell via visual abs- and other muscle definition if the cutting is working- I can tell when it's nto- I'm getting smaller and my lifts aren't increasing.

    The number is just a number. it's to help me track- it's not what I'm aiming for- I don't care. I have goals to look a certain way- and to pull certain lifts- both of those are coupled with bulking/cut/maintain cycles.

    I'm not sure if that helped at all- but my weight is largely irrelevant to me. It's simple a reflection/function of the rest of what i'm doing rather than a goal or something to aim for really.
  • steffij100
    steffij100 Posts: 85 Member
    Understand what you are saying Jo. I think you're right, once one gets to, or close to, maintenance, the way one feels and looks is at least as important as the scale (though obviously the scale got many people there in the first place). That's also part of my thought process now. However, I think I would find it hard to totally let go of the scale number as a) I'm quite target driven! and b) to be honest, the weight I have lost has been more vanity pounds than actually really needing too, as I wasn't exactly overweight to start with. In other words, I don't have an awful lot to play with if I start creeping up again, and I feel good at my target weight. That said, if any weight which goes back on is (hopefully!) a bit more muscle than fat, than maybe I won't mind!

    Thanks for your thoughts :smile:
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    For all you guys who are at maintenance- when you hit your target or ideal weight, did you then carry on a couple of pounds below, so that your ideal weight became the average of this 3-5lb window? I know there's an interesting thread on this which someone has kindly posted above, but just wondering.

    No, I didn't. I hit my goal weight and then kept on doing what I was doing, only with more wiggle room diet-wise. I don't have to work very hard to maintain in this range. I've been above it one, below it once (stressful job change time resulted in some loss I knew wouldn't last). I did not bounce up immediately once I hit that weight, because I had been increasing calories gradually for months prior. I was only eating slightly below maintenance at that point. There was no big glycogen refill needed ;)

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