Please share your number one strategy for maintaining

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  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member
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    Not to get all Mr.Miyagi/Yoda on everyone, but my strategy to maintain...is to not "maintain." I always want have a fitness goal/something else to achieve health-wise (e.g., strength gains). Then, I tailor my eating to fuel my life and accomplish those goals.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
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    Continued logging- Food, weight & exercise.
  • horsewhisper91
    horsewhisper91 Posts: 456 Member
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    Still keeping track or what I eat and staying active when I can!
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
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    Meal planning, ahead of time, helps me stay on track. Logging my food keeps me honest with myself.
  • magpie0
    magpie0 Posts: 194 Member
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    Not drinking calories, eating protein and watching calorie densities are my strategies. I know that if I were hungry all of the time and had to continually count calories, I'd just regain the weight.
  • wmbrett
    wmbrett Posts: 31 Member
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    I've only been in maintenance mode for a couple of months - and I now keep my calories at a 1/2 pound deficit per week since I could still lose a handful more pounds. Here's what I've learned and how I've changed my lifestyle over the past 12 months to lose 55+ pounds.

    1. I've paid much more attention to portion sizes - especially when it comes to cheese and chips;
    2. I exercise just about every early morning on the elliptical while working my way through various Netflix / TV Series;
    3. Although I never gave up beer, I have certainly changed the way I drink beer - I start with a great micro-brew, but then move to much lighter beers or wine.
    4. I eat healthier foods, healthier chips and dips, vegetables and dips, and healthier meals;
    5. I eat a great breakfast sandwich every morning full of eggs, sausage, ham, and various cheeses - starts my day off right;
    6. I use a FitBit and try to get at least 17,000 steps per day (elliptical included) and get outdoors much more often to walk for the enjoyment of it;
    7. I still log everything on MFP - I've been doing everything on MFP for about a year, and yes, logging gets old, but it keeps me honest and keeps my input / output in check.
  • celtbell3
    celtbell3 Posts: 738 Member
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    Exercising every week PLUS remembering to get on the scale every once in a while (I do it one time a week) just to make sure.
  • mtapia713
    mtapia713 Posts: 29 Member
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    For me its continue to set new fitness goals for myself.

    Some hard, some easy, some fun, some weird.

    For example:
    Run a race I have never entered in before
    Ride bikes/play hard at park with kids until they want to stop (not me)
    Dance every chance I get-at home, in car, with kid watching christmas light show
    Take a Trapeze class (thank you Groupon)
    Try freerunning with local specialized gym
    Relearn to Jump rope, then learn tricks
    ETC.
  • TravelDog14
    TravelDog14 Posts: 317 Member
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    My main goal each day is to MOVE.

    Coming home from work and heading straight for the couch is not allowed, no matter how crap the day was at work. The consistency in getting some form of movement in every day has been key to my mindset about making this weight loss last.
    No backsliding allowed!
  • emelia_
    emelia_ Posts: 91
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    Eat only when you are hungry and make it a point to become more active whether it's just a walk a day or joining a gym :) Good luck!
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
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    Logging. Everything. Accurately.

    And choosing food you like eating.

    What nxyd10 said.. except I have gotten away for food as entertainment. I eat to be nourished.
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
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    My # 1 strategy was to shift my focus from weight loss/diet to fitness. I had already been exercising throughout my weight loss journey, but I decided to venture into the world of strength training in order to really challenge myself and to hopefully get better definition. It was a good way to channel all of that determination and charge-ahead energy that I used to lose the weight into something equally constructive and healthy.

    I absolutely agree with this. Plus, continuing to log calories until you are really sure you know what you're eating
  • l_clc
    l_clc Posts: 126 Member
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    Bumping to read later....I'll be maintaining soon and would love some tips as well :) thanks for posting OP
  • beaches222
    beaches222 Posts: 437 Member
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    bump
  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
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    This thread has been interesting - I have been in maintenance (aka plateau!!) for about 15 months but not actually "quite" where I wanted / aiming to be. I have eased back on the exercise and given in to temptation too often - so I am still aiming to lose weight; but when I do get to my goal, I will be considering the ideas here. I quite like the idea of NOT maintaining but always having a goal ... off to check my TDEE as well! :smile:
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
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    Honestly, it's just like losing weight with more calories.

    When I got within 20lb of my current weight I dropped my goal to "Lose 1lb a week.
    When I got within 10lb I changed it to "Lose .5lb a week"

    So I didn't suddenly have an extra 500 calories a day when I got to my goal.

    ONE THING I REALIZED.. Since I consistantly stay under my Calorie Goal I was still losing weight so I bumped it up to compensate. ( somehow seeing that bigger number means I'm supposed to eat more right?)
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    Bump.....soon to be at my maintenance.
  • kemaru22
    kemaru22 Posts: 5 Member
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    Never lose focus!!

    I joined Herbal One at the start of the year and reached my goal weight. In a couple months of maitenance though I gained 5 lbs back. While it may not be a lot for me it was scary because I noticed slipping back into old habits and I wasnt as focused on what my goals were. That is why I just joined myfitnesspal - to regain my focus and dedication! Always try new foods, new exercises and new support so that you will never get bored.
  • lolablitz
    lolablitz Posts: 38 Member
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    Avoid high-fructose corn syrup. Completely. Which means I make my own desserts and buy good chocolate :) I eat a lot of chocolate and I was fine in maintenance and have been having an easy time gaining weight very slowly with this pregnancy.

    There was a study done by researchers at Princeton where they found that mice processed HFCS differently than other sugars and they stored an alarming amount of fat in their abdomen over the duration of the project. That was enough for me. It's in so much processed food from bagels, tomato soup and cheap protein powders to Yoplait yogurt and ketchup. Fast food restaurants love it because it's such a cheap sweetener. It's ubiquitous but it's not that hard to avoid once you start looking. Read labels.

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