Coming up on 5 years maintenance! :)

Quick thing. Maintenance is an interesting time. It can be a trial and error of sorts...because your goal weight may not end up being your goal after all. I reached my goal...and then got too thin...bony. I didn't feel right. SO worked to put a bit of meat on in a controlled way. Plus I am always experimenting with different things to keep maintenance interesting. I don't like to get bored. So I will do the intermittent fasting some days...and still my awesome workouts. But overall I just eat real and healthy as much as possible. My diet is probably 80% healthy and 20% "Fun".....and as difficult as it is......I do limit alcohol..which can add a ton of weight so easily.

But if you lost the weight the right way in the first place..then the maintenance experiment will be easy too. And we are all different. What worked for one person may very well not work for you. But treat your body with respect. Eat foods to nourish you and drink beverages to enhance your life. I drink a ton of water. Green tea. A little coffee. I eat foods to help me feel great and have energy. I do enjoy myself too. And one of the things I'd read early on is that naturally thin people do enjoy fun things....they just don't do it every day.

But don't fear maintenance. Just keep it interesting!! And know you can have a leeway and control it. YOU are in control now. Food does not control you anymore.

:flowerforyou:

Replies

  • iechick
    iechick Posts: 352 Member
    Happy 5 year anniversary!
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
    Jan 15th exactly. Almost there. But proof you can maintain a healthy life and figure!!
  • sixtyinchesoffury
    sixtyinchesoffury Posts: 321 Member
    hey lady!

    it's nice to see you're doing well I looked up to you in the early years so it's nice to you again

    Love,
    Ang
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Congratulations!
  • That's wonderful encouragement to a newbie. Congrats
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
    Awesome! I've been maintaining since January of this year. I find I have to mix things up to keep it interesting too. I'm always pushing the boundaries to see what I can get away with and still maintain. Knowing I have the tools to get back to goal after a failed experiment helps. I can't wait to be able to say I've maintained for 5 years. You rock!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Awesome....

    I've been maintaining nearly 7 months now after losing 40 Lbs...I've found it to actually be pretty easy so long as I keep on keepin' on with my fitness and always pushing myself. Some days, I swear that there isn't enough food in the world...
  • TravelDog14
    TravelDog14 Posts: 317 Member
    Always good to hear of long term maintaining success.
    I am planning on making that long (and beyond).
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    Well done! I'm coming up on two years. I've found fitness goals have really helped to keep the fire lit.
  • pkoll
    pkoll Posts: 135 Member
    Glad to hear it is possible-- as long as you keep paying attention!
  • moss11
    moss11 Posts: 236 Member
    Thank you for encouraging words! Glad your keeping in control and actually seem to be enjoying the challenge of maintanence!
  • tindy5799
    tindy5799 Posts: 221 Member
    THAT'S AMAZING! Congrats.
  • RobinsEgg
    RobinsEgg Posts: 3,702 Member
    Kudos for 5 years of maintenance - well done. I intend to stick with MFP after I reach my goal weight - long after, for maintenance purposes. In fact, I have already gone through periods of maintenance already, times where I did not feel like dieting, but did not want to gain, and practiced maintenance. It was good practice for the future!