Trying to maintain after calorie restriction... Help!

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  • mreimer102
    mreimer102 Posts: 28 Member
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    Its all about portion control. To maintain, stick to the suggested meal sizes. I eat no more than a cup of anything. If I eat chicken, not fried, I make sure the vegetables are under 1 cup and if anything else is added, keep it portion controlled. Still continue to eat every 2-3 hours to keep up your metabolism. You can have whatever you want, just keep the portion size down. I have two friends who have maintained just doing that. Of course keep up with your water.
    Melba
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
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    I maintain 98 at about 1450 and am 5'5.5" I indulge at times, but stick to around that amount. I have never exercised before, but am starting to. Just go slow. keep your maintenance levels and try to stick to them. if you over indulge one day, don't fret...just get back on track. I over ate all through London/paris vacation....but when I got home, I went back to maintenance.
  • hellokittyhorror
    hellokittyhorror Posts: 70 Member
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    I suggest you stop counting calories and count carbs instead. It is so much easier and effective! Check out the Primal Diet, which restricts carbohydrates but still allows you the occasional glass of wine, noggin of cheese and smidge of dark chocolate. In a nutshell this is how:

    Ditch grains: refined grains, whole grains, bread, pasta, muffins, biscuits, bagels, cereal, baked goods, pancakes. Anything made from flour, really.

    Ditch sugar: white sugar, candy, cake, cookies, pastries, milk chocolate bars, high fructose corn syrup, soda, milkshakes masquerading as coffee drinks. If it’s made in a bakery or a factory or a restaurant and it’s sweet, just avoid it.

    Ditch vegetable oils and trans fats: corn oil, soybean oil, canola, sunflower/safflower, margarine, shortening, anything with “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredients list. Use butter, ghee, olive oil, coconut oil instead.

    Ditch all other junk foods, most of which encompass the previous three “food” categories: potato chips, crackers, “crisps,” Cheesey wots-its etc.

    Only eat real food such as decent quality preferably grass-fed meat, fowl, fish, eggs, and dairy (if you're not lactose intolerant) vegetables, fruits and nuts.

    To lose weight restrict your carbohydrate intake to less than 100 grams per day. Once you've achieved your desired weight 100-150 grams should effortlessly maintain it. Good luck.


    I think that different ways of eating work for different people. For this reason, I don't thinks it does anyone any good to refer to another's way of eating as "moronic" unless you have years of empirical, longitudinal data to back up such a strong opinion.

    I agree with a lot of what you're saying. And research (some of which can be found on the blogs I mention below) corroborates what you're saying. I have a hard time seeing if it works right for me as it's hard to give up quinoa, which I understand is a pseudo-grain but some thinks if it looks like a grain, and tastes like a grain....

    I also agree that avoiding sugar is key. I like xylitol a lot. It's not zero carb, so you can't go nuts with it, but it is better than sugar and is actually GOOD for your teeth! Dentists in the EU recommend it. I have about a tablespoon a day.

    I think you are spot-on about the oils and quite far from speaking like a moron. I really wish people would pay more attention to all of the cheap oils that restaurants use. A major reason why these oils (corn, soy, vegetable, seed oils, to a lesser extent "heart healthy" canola) are so bad for most people is because of their high Omega-6 content. For more on this you can read Wellness Mama's or Chris Kessler's blogs, among others. There's a lot of convincing evidence that too much Omega 6 is strongly related to a whole host of diseases i.e. diabetes, obesity, etc. All should check out the info before judging & dismissing others, for your own sake!

    Also, if anyone has any tips for being grain free as a very busy vegetarian-based omnivore (don't really like meat, chicken or pork), let me know!
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
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    I don't want to lose weight, I just want to go back to a normal diet like I maintained for years with a healthy weight before the eating disorder began. Cutting out sugar and wheat and only eating whole foods over the summer has definitely taught me a lot about the health benefits and made me more aware of what's hidden in processed foods. I intend to carry on eating mostly whole foods and avoiding sugar but I never want to cut it out completely. Going on a restrictive diet like primal is what got me into this mess in the first place so I definitely don't want to give myself any rules like that again. I believe everything is ok in moderation and will be happy if I can stay at my current weight while eating a healthy whole food diet with the occasional piece of cake, pizza and night out drinking when I feel like it.

    Congratulations. It sounds like you have been through a lot and come out the other side. It also sounds like you know what works for you and what your pitfalls have been. Being on a site where most of us are counting everything, you may not get the advice you are looking for. I know that I have nothing to add, but reading your posts makes me think you have the answers. Just not the confidence to let things play out for awhile. Another thought may be looking at Intermittent Fasting. I know that is what I plan to do when I go the maintain. It plays well with how naturally my hunger is up and down.

    Good Luck!

    Thank you, I have actually started IF, like the 5:2 diet but only one day a week. It's the only time I've counted calories since I suddenly stopped counting after the break up and thats only because I need to make sure I stay between 500-600 calories. I've done it the last two Mondays, mainly because I tend to eat healthy during the week and splurge a bit at the weekends. So far I find that I don't feel as bloated as I used to after the weekends and also it helps refresh my system as I only tend to eat processed foods and drink alcohol at the weekends.

    I do not recommend the 5:2 diet or IF for someone dealing with disordered eating. It's a form of restriction that can wreak havoc on your mental well-being and not really assist you in overcoming the food issues. I think you should work on developing a healthy relationship with food. Eat the way you used to an exercise at a reasonable rate and where your body stabilizes is the weight that you should accept. You shouldn't have to FORCE your body to maintain a certain weight through restriction or overexercise as that's what got you here in the first place. Your body is smart and you weren't overweight to begin with so maybe where you want to be isn't necessarily the weight that's healthiest for you.
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
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    I maintain 98 at about 1450 and am 5'5.5" I indulge at times, but stick to around that amount. I have never exercised before, but am starting to. Just go slow. keep your maintenance levels and try to stick to them. if you over indulge one day, don't fret...just get back on track. I over ate all through London/paris vacation....but when I got home, I went back to maintenance.

    Sorry to point this out but you're EXTREMELY underweight so whatever you did to lose the weight and whatever you're doing to maintain the weight is likely not ideal for your health.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    Arg!! Zombie thread everyone! RUN!!

    1sgpx1.jpg
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    I think it'd be best to calculate your maintenance intake on here, using what you see as the most appropriate activity level, and logging your exercises. One issue I had when I first started using this site was that I overestimated my activity level. When I adjusted from 'active' to 'lightly active', the scale went back down. Now I use a Fitbit Flex to get my TDEE and I log my exercises. Since you're well within a healthy weight range and a bit of gain wouldn't be too harmful to your health, I think you should just experiment with trial and error of calories. It sounds like your attitude towards food is much healthier now. Good luck!
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
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    One way to avoid obsessing is to have a goal weight range instead of a single number. Instead of thinking of your goal weight as 116, think of it as 115-120. That allows for normal ups and downs of sodium/water and TOM. As long as you're in that range, you eat healthy, exercise regularly, splurge occasionally, and enjoy your meals. If you go above, go back to counting the calories until you come back to your goal range.

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