Why is Maintaining So Hard?

I've heard it quite a lot on this site that maintaining is harder than losing the weight. Why is that? To me, it seems counterintuitive and that it should be easier -- as you get to eat more food. Do people just stop tracking and find out that their estimates aren't very good? Do they go back to their old ways and eat unhealthy food choices or just overeat generally?

I'd love to hear from people in maintenance, or have been in maintenance, in particular. I'm not there yet, but would like to better understand the challenges so I can be as best prepared as possible. And if some didn't find it harder, I'd like to hear about that too. Thanks!
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Replies

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    I've been in maintenance since since January of this year, and I've learned it;s all trial and error. I had a difficult time starting out because I kept losing weight even though I was eating those maintenance calories plus my cardio calories back. It took me a few months to mess with my calorie intake and I've been successfully maintaining within a plus or minus 3 to 4 calorie range for the last few months.

    It's also important to remember that weight fluctuates and just because you're up a day or two does not mean you've gained fat. Fat appears over time.
  • norcalskater
    norcalskater Posts: 194 Member
    Its not really hard. You get to eat more calories than you do when you were losing. I think people just stop tracking and fall back to their old ways. Some people gain 5 lbs of water and think it's fat. I just set my calories at 1850 even though my maintenance is 2100. It gives me room in case an entry or two isn't accurate. I've been maintaining the same weight for 3 months now. it jumps around 1-3 lbs but that's normal water retention.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    Good to hear from at least two people that don't think it's too hard, though it can be difficult initially to figure out your maintenance calories. Thanks for the feedback!
  • sublimelifeOG
    sublimelifeOG Posts: 4 Member
    I agree with the idea that people stop tracking. That is always a problem for me. I have a good idea of what and how much to eat (may be another problem for people who stop cold in tracking and don't understand how much to eat or what it really adds up to), but my problem is that I allow myself a few too many treats because I see/feel such a large buffer zone... but before you know it, they stack up to a ton of extra calories. My new plan is to stick to one treat meal a week. I only ever gain about 10 pounds max before I get back down, but I never stay at my goal weight very long. I usually hover for a while within about 3 pounds.

    I think the root of it is complacency. I am happy with relaxing about my food and just keeping my eye on my weight so I know to buckle down when I begin to get off track, before it gets out of hand.
  • soxobsessed
    soxobsessed Posts: 130 Member
    I have been maintaining for a year, at first I gained a bit and realized I needed a lower calorie count to help me maintain. Once you figure that out it is pretty easy
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
    Maintenance is not hard. If anything, it's easier than eating to lose weight, since you get to eat a bit more calories. Sure, you can make it hard by eating a lot of filling, low-calorie foods ("I just can't eat all my calories! Too much food! Still losing weight! HALP!") or by going back to not watching what you eat ("I'm gaining weight! I'm not eating bad stuff, I swear! HALP!") but with a little common sense and some patience to fine-tune things, it's an easy transition.
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
    Maintenance is boring, quite frankly. Weight loss, while difficult, is exciting. Your body is improving, you get new clothes, you see that number on the scale - you feel awesome! Maintenance is just...the same. There's no immediate, tangible reward for your effort like seeing the number drop. Which is why I think setting feasible fitness goals is so very important to keep the lifestyle going. Get those tangible reward moments by smashing weight or distance or speed records - you'll want to eat properly to help you get there too!
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I don't find it difficult.
  • indianarunner76
    indianarunner76 Posts: 108 Member
    Maintenance has been much easier. Consistency is the key. I still track and enjoy whatever I want in moderation. Love it
  • jlahorn
    jlahorn Posts: 377 Member
    It's hard for me because my maintenance calories are still really low. I have been maintain around 1450 for the last year. I've tried adding more, but I start gaining. It's hard to grapple with the fact that, for the rest of my life, I can only really afford to have one delicious and satisfying meal per week. Only one day a week can I afford to have one or two glasses of wine. I love food, and I really miss feeling like I could just enjoy meals on a regular basis.

    When you're losing weight, it feels like there might be an end in sight - like you'll get to your goal weight, and then you can just eat reasonably well, not fall back into old habits, and be fine. Maybe that's true for 6' tall 25-year-old males, but it's sure as hell not true for me.

    If I sound cranky, it's because I am. I went to one impromptu happy hour this week, and that now means that I don't have room in the calorie budget to order anything but fish and steamed vegetables when I go out to dinner at a great local restaurant on Saturday. This is some serious bulls....

    Thanks for asking :D
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I'm sure there are varying reasons, but for me the big one is just the fact that it is maintenance. During weight loss there are goals to meet and celebrations when those goals are met. People comment on how great you look and how impressed they are with your progress. You don't hear "Great job on not gaining the weight back." nearly as often.

    It's easy to let the weight creep slowly back up, and then after a few years, you realize you need to start losing again.

    And by "you", I mean me.
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    A lot of people don't make a gradual change in their eating habits. They go from eating, for example, 2500 calories a day to 1200 calories a day. They hit their goal and go back to old ways of eating because they didn't teach themselves long term, new habits. I think this is probably one of the more prevalent reasons that people have a hard time maintaining.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    Well, I'm glad to hear that some have not found it to be harder than losing, though I appreciate the points about psychological goals, changing habits and lower overall calories.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Maintenance is boring, quite frankly. Weight loss, while difficult, is exciting. Your body is improving, you get new clothes, you see that number on the scale - you feel awesome! Maintenance is just...the same. There's no immediate, tangible reward for your effort like seeing the number drop. Which is why I think setting feasible fitness goals is so very important to keep the lifestyle going. Get those tangible reward moments by smashing weight or distance or speed records - you'll want to eat properly to help you get there too!

    This was exactly my experience. When I lost 60 lbs before, I basically enjoyed it, and afterwards I maintained for several years by focusing on various cardio goals--pushing myself to run faster or bike farther, etc., rather than losing weight (I also stopped weighing myself and figured that knowing my clothes fit would be sufficient). At some point I got burnt out with the cardio and quit for the winter and gradually started to regain. There was more to it, but those were the basics, so even though it's quite far from now I'm trying to approach this with the idea that I'm never going to be finished, that there will always be goals for improving my fitness and body comp and all that to work toward, but just to vary them so I don't get bored or burnt out.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    One of the biggest reasons I would think would be losing weight too quickly and never actually learning HOW to eat properly. So people get to their goal weights but now they have to learn how to stay there. This is the biggest reason I encourage people to lose weight in a sustainable way.

    Losing weight via massive deficits (either VLCD or not eating back exercise) sets people up for metabolic slowdown via adaptation. So you get to your goal faster, but then you can't eat anything because your metabolism has slowed down so much to compensate for the lack of food during the 'diet'. For this person maintenance will suck..

    For individuals who learn to eat within a reasonable deficit and who have added some activity and fuel their bodies appropriately maintenance isn't too hard. I'm to the point where I may as well be in maintenance (losing about 1 lb/month while lifting heavy) and I don't find it tough at all. I'm eating somewhere between 2000-2400 on most days - that's a good thing! I can quite happily eat like this for a long time. Sure I'd like to eat more (I LOVE FOOD) but this is doable.
  • frankizoy
    frankizoy Posts: 83 Member
    Its not really hard. You get to eat more calories than you do when you were losing. I think people just stop tracking and fall back to their old ways. Some people gain 5 lbs of water and think it's fat.

    i agree with this
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    I've basically been maintaining for a year (with a +/- 5lb fluctuation). It's not hard to maintain. You just have to recognize that you can't eat like you did when you were fat and that you need to eat a little more than when you were cutting. Find that balance and go with it.
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
    I think the hard thing is the realisation that this is how you need to live your life from now on. Weight loss is arguably easier because once you've managed to get your head around the calories in vs calories out equation it is relatively easy to lose weight and be continually excited that it's working. Maintenance isn't so exciting, you no longer get the thrill of having got closer to your goal weight and you also no longer get to look forward to when you finally get to up your calories to maintain. For me this is why exercise is so important because as well as improving/maintaining fitness you get to eat more.

    Maintenance will be very difficult if someone has the mindset that they're done with weight loss and done with having to be careful. That's when it's easy to slip back into old patterns and gain again, and I think for some people who haven't actually changed their diets to a healthy or sustainable way of living then they kind of give up because it's going to be too hard to be constantly vigilant. As we all know a diet consisting of fruit and vegetables, high fibre carbohydrates and protein sources that haven't been bastardised by deep-frying or calorie-laden sauces allows you to eat a far bigger volume than if you were to eat mainly processed foods.

    Particularly for ex yoyo dieters it can be a bit of a downer to actually see what an average calorie intake should look like. I think many people actually have no idea how much is appropriate until they count calories - me included.

    I think having another goal or something to work towards when you reach maintenance is really useful. For me it's running, which has the added benefit of earning me more calories to eat as well as requiring me to be eating sensibly so I can get the most out of my training.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    Thank you for all your thoughts. It's very encouraging that so many people have found maintenance easy and/or manageable, and that not everyone finds it harder than actually losing the weight (but how it can be for certain people depending on how they lost the weight or how they're managing their lifestyle).
  • eryquem
    eryquem Posts: 66 Member
    It's hard for me because my maintenance calories are still really low. I have been maintain around 1450 for the last year. I've tried adding more, but I start gaining. It's hard to grapple with the fact that, for the rest of my life, I can only really afford to have one delicious and satisfying meal per week. Only one day a week can I afford to have one or two glasses of wine. I love food, and I really miss feeling like I could just enjoy meals on a regular basis.

    When you're losing weight, it feels like there might be an end in sight - like you'll get to your goal weight, and then you can just eat reasonably well, not fall back into old habits, and be fine. Maybe that's true for 6' tall 25-year-old males, but it's sure as hell not true for me.

    If I sound cranky, it's because I am. I went to one impromptu happy hour this week, and that now means that I don't have room in the calorie budget to order anything but fish and steamed vegetables when I go out to dinner at a great local restaurant on Saturday. This is some serious bulls....

    Thanks for asking :D

    Would it be possible to add more exercise to the mix? I don't know if you're exercising at all right now, but you could add getting to eat another 300 - 500 calories a day could be very worth spending 30-45 minutes/day exercising.