Can't get myself into maintenance mindset.

2

Replies

  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
    I seem to be having similar issues. When trying to lose weight there is a goal to work towards and it's motivating to see a difference as ur body changes. Maintenance mindset for me is very difficult, I'm scared to gain again but I thought for some reason 'maintenance land' is this magical place where I can eat yum foods and a decent quantity... Ah to visit such a place... In reality according to my tdee because I'm a short-*kitten* maintenance is a pathetic 1331 calories per day, not magical which tends to make me want food so much, I never used to overeat in large quantities but I have been recently. I have to work out to have decent treats. The worse thing is nothing is changing anymore, no more feeling euphoric from losing and having people notice, having jeans that are too big etc.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    For me maintenance has been about three things:

    1.) When I was losing weight I never changed anything that I couldn't live with forever. I didn't cut out any foods. I still went out with friends.
    2.) I still log. It's been about 18 months since I reached goal weight. I continue to log pretty much every day. There may be a point where that's not necessary but right now I still think it is.
    3.) I have new goals. I started lifting and running, and actively trying to build muscle/lower my body fat percentage. The new goals gave me something new to focus on, because it's just not as exciting getting on the scale to see the number stay the same as it was to see the number going down.

    This. Although I find myself not eating enough and losing again rather than eating too much and gaining.
  • cathylopez1975
    cathylopez1975 Posts: 191 Member
    I am fairly new to maintenance and continue to log - even though I'm not pre-logging like I was. I even ate dessert twice today without even having a clue of calories. I think the hardest thing to me is learning to trust myself. Through the journey to lose 95 lbs. I have learned portion control and when to stop, as well as how to craft a healthy meal. I just have to trust that I can continue to do what has gotten me to this point! So I will log food and exercise.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I seem to be having similar issues. When trying to lose weight there is a goal to work towards and it's motivating to see a difference as ur body changes. Maintenance mindset for me is very difficult, I'm scared to gain again but I thought for some reason 'maintenance land' is this magical place where I can eat yum foods and a decent quantity... Ah to visit such a place... In reality according to my tdee because I'm a short-*kitten* maintenance is a pathetic 1331 calories per day, not magical which tends to make me want food so much, I never used to overeat in large quantities but I have been recently. I have to work out to have decent treats. The worse thing is nothing is changing anymore, no more feeling euphoric from losing and having people notice, having jeans that are too big etc.

    Are you sure maintenance is that low?

    Have you tested to find your true TDEE?
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    For me maintenance has been about three things:

    1.) When I was losing weight I never changed anything that I couldn't live with forever. I didn't cut out any foods. I still went out with friends.
    2.) I still log. It's been about 18 months since I reached goal weight. I continue to log pretty much every day. There may be a point where that's not necessary but right now I still think it is.
    3.) I have new goals. I started lifting and running, and actively trying to build muscle/lower my body fat percentage. The new goals gave me something new to focus on, because it's just not as exciting getting on the scale to see the number stay the same as it was to see the number going down.


    I do pretty much the same. Especially the new goals thing. I'm training to be a Zumba instructor, just got my certification, but need to get a group fitness instructor fitness certification and choreograph a class to teach.
  • TAMayorga
    TAMayorga Posts: 341 Member
    I have been at maintenance for 7 or 8 months, but MFP doesn't know it. All the previous repliers above me are correct about mindset, life-style change, etc. But it doesn't work for me. When I was losing, and went a few (or a few hundred) Calories over for the day, it simply created a plateau that I eventually overcame. But with maintenance, if you do that too often, you'll gain.
    You might be interested in a mind trick I play with myself. As I said, I didn't tell MFP that I'm at goal. I created an artificial goal 5 lbs lower than my original goal. And I haven't updated my weight since October 2013. So MFP hasn't given me those extra Calories that are our "reward" for achieving goal. And however you handle it, good luck to you!
  • raindawg
    raindawg Posts: 348 Member
    For me I set Sunday as a free day. In order to "fund" that free day I ate at 100 calories below maintenance Monday through Saturday. That kept me motivated to log and track every day. I still felt like I had a goal to hit each day. Then on Sunday's I eat whatever and how much I wanted. I'm on a lean bulk now so am eating a surplus currently.
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
    I seem to be having similar issues. When trying to lose weight there is a goal to work towards and it's motivating to see a difference as ur body changes. Maintenance mindset for me is very difficult, I'm scared to gain again but I thought for some reason 'maintenance land' is this magical place where I can eat yum foods and a decent quantity... Ah to visit such a place... In reality according to my tdee because I'm a short-*kitten* maintenance is a pathetic 1331 calories per day, not magical which tends to make me want food so much, I never used to overeat in large quantities but I have been recently. I have to work out to have decent treats. The worse thing is nothing is changing anymore, no more feeling euphoric from losing and having people notice, having jeans that are too big etc.

    Are you sure maintenance is that low?

    Have you tested to find your true TDEE?

    It does seem pretty low, I have been on about 5 sites, worked my tdee out and took the average. If I can eat more I'd be really happy as a life on 1331 seems a bit sad. I have put in sedentary and I eat back exercise cals as I am not consistent enough to say I work out x times a week etc. this is nice though so I can have treats when I have exercised.
  • svelt123
    svelt123 Posts: 173 Member
    :bigsmile: Guess What. You are already there! You are still in control! You know what you have been doing and not been doing.
    You are aware of your old habits creeping in there. So just do get back to it. The weight loss mode does Not exist. The heathy eating and heathy living mode is what you were doing. So just get back to it. Don't beat yourself up. It happens. What is great is that you are mindful about what is going on and you are honest with yourself. You know what to do. :wink: :flowerforyou:
  • ianthy
    ianthy Posts: 404 Member
    I am in a similar place. I have 10lbs to go and started reverse dieting - adding just 100 cals a day/week as I move towards maintenance. In the past my approach has been to get back to normal cals as soon as poss, throw out the diet plan and exercise! Got me nothing but weight gain and back on the weight loss loop.

    This time I have found that planning is key at the moment - the same discipline that I used during the weight loss stage needs to be used even more during this stage. I track everything, bought a small scales for weighing food, kettle bell for workouts when I can not access a gym/walk and also started with Fitbit yesterday. All designed to keep me on track and provide the info that I can not ignore in moving towards maintenance.

    As many have posted think of how hard you have worked during the weight loss stage - employ the same discipline. Also see if any of your MFP friends are in maintenance and connect up regularly - it's great support.

    Best of luck and feel free to add me to your friends list if you think it would help.
  • whisperfitandhappy
    whisperfitandhappy Posts: 101 Member
    I'm going through the same thing. I hit my goal, and then tried to stop counting calories. And guess what? I have packed on the pounds. ( Though I needed to gain some weight honestly) but now that I'm at a good weight I am trying to stay here and to eat healthy again. It's so hard! I feel like I mess up all the time:cry:
  • whisperfitandhappy
    whisperfitandhappy Posts: 101 Member
    I also feel that I need to keep track of calories. I stopped counting because I was losing my mind. I was resentful. I hated food and all the numbers. I missed enjoying food. Not counting is great but of course I've gained weight. I have started counting again though..It seems to be the only way I stay on track and eat right.
  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
    I have trouble with it as well! So I tend to do what RainBoots mentioned :) I just continue to eat at my deficit and during the weekend I can eat whatever I like, go over maintenance by several hundred calories if I want to (cheesecake tends to do that without even trying....), completely wiping out my deficit and effectively "maintaining" :laugh:

    I'm not sure if it would work for you, but it keeps me in a "losing weight" mindset, since I do have to pay plenty of attention to keeping that number the same :ohwell: Best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • bravid98
    bravid98 Posts: 80 Member
    I plan to keep on counting calories and logging my food for the foreseeable future.

    I'm convinced that fat people are lacking a gene that enables us to regulate our intake subconsciously.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I seem to be having similar issues. When trying to lose weight there is a goal to work towards and it's motivating to see a difference as ur body changes. Maintenance mindset for me is very difficult, I'm scared to gain again but I thought for some reason 'maintenance land' is this magical place where I can eat yum foods and a decent quantity... Ah to visit such a place... In reality according to my tdee because I'm a short-*kitten* maintenance is a pathetic 1331 calories per day, not magical which tends to make me want food so much, I never used to overeat in large quantities but I have been recently. I have to work out to have decent treats. The worse thing is nothing is changing anymore, no more feeling euphoric from losing and having people notice, having jeans that are too big etc.

    Are you sure maintenance is that low?

    Have you tested to find your true TDEE?

    It does seem pretty low, I have been on about 5 sites, worked my tdee out and took the average. If I can eat more I'd be really happy as a life on 1331 seems a bit sad. I have put in sedentary and I eat back exercise cals as I am not consistent enough to say I work out x times a week etc. this is nice though so I can have treats when I have exercised.

    If I were you I'd work on slowly increasing calories (by maybe 100 every couple of weeks) just to see if you can eat more.

    I had to put in 4'11", 50 years old, 95 lbs to get it that low using my preferred TDEE calculator. If you're younger, taller, or heavier than that then it seems more likely that's your BMR.
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
    Maintenance calories are what you make them! You are not "stuck" with 1330 calories for life to maintain. Maintaining works the same as losing - if you want to eat more, move more. I have worked my way up to nearly 2000 calories per day and am technically still losing... Because I find that the more I eat, the more energy I have! Every time I have upped my calories by 100 (about every 3-4 weeks), I see from my fitbit that my average burn has gone up by 100-200 calories! So I am now burning about 2300-2500 per day (walking 15 minutes fast about 3 times a day, regular daily 45-60 minute workouts including lifting, plus tackling house stuff I didnt have the energy for before).

    I think it is totally cool I can eat all day, hitting my macros, and still lose weight. I am not trying to lose more (working on recomp) but still trying to hit what is my maintenance level! Remember, calories = energy. But you have to use that energy to avoid storing it.

    Slowly up your calories, and your activity until you get to the point where you are happy with the amount you are eating, your weight is fairly stable, and you are comfortably active. You can change your BMR/TDEE ! It takes time and patience, just like losing weight.

    I personally want my body to get used to burning at least 2500 calories a day, as the chances of me eating that much daily are pretty slim anyway and I absolutely love being that active every day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    For me maintenance has been about three things:

    1.) When I was losing weight I never changed anything that I couldn't live with forever. I didn't cut out any foods. I still went out with friends.
    2.) I still log. It's been about 18 months since I reached goal weight. I continue to log pretty much every day. There may be a point where that's not necessary but right now I still think it is.
    3.) I have new goals. I started lifting and running, and actively trying to build muscle/lower my body fat percentage. The new goals gave me something new to focus on, because it's just not as exciting getting on the scale to see the number stay the same as it was to see the number going down.

    You've maintained for 18 months? You're my hero, that's discipline.

    I definitely think setting new goals might help. I think I experienced a bit of...depression? once I hit my goal weight. Like, oh, I did it, now what?

    I shouldn't have read this. I am reading the end of the book before I have finished reading the middle! AUGH! Please tell me you all are just kidding and this is a joke. Just a bad dream going bad? I don't want to count calories forever. I like this diet because it is working, however, I've been grumbling the entire time. I am not a person of discipline for long extended periods of time. Here's a question. Can you maintain w/o watching your calories and then when you gain five pounds, go back on the calorie count? I'm thinking that would be ok to do. Or am I totally off my rocker?

    I've been maintaining for over a year now...I no longer physically count calories and log them...I am MINDFUL of what goes into my pie hole. My diet (noun) is not vastly different from when I was losing...I get 500 or so more calories per day, and that's it...that's an extra desert or a couple beers in the evening. You simply cannot go back to old ways of doing things and maintain your weight loss....

    IMHO, the lifestyle change has nothing to do with counting calories and everything to do with changing the way you eat, the way you think about food and energy, and what you do from an activity standpoint. I never went into any of this thinking I'd log for the rest of my life. I took those 6 months and learned proper portion control....I learned to keep a rough tally in my head and it would come out pretty close to what I put on paper...I learned moderation...I learned that to maintain my weight, fitness has to be as much a part of my daily as going to work. Nutrition and fitness have to become a part of who you are.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    I plan to keep on counting calories and logging my food for the foreseeable future.

    I'm convinced that fat people are lacking a gene that enables us to regulate our intake subconsciously.

    so true!
  • IcanIwill1
    IcanIwill1 Posts: 137 Member
    So...I hit my goal weight about 2 weeks ago and attempted to gradually transition back to maintenance calories. Almost immediately, I found myself reverting back to bad habits in a BIG way - snacking, drinking, not being as diligent with my workouts, etc. Although I haven't stepped on a scale in about a week, I can feel some weight already creeping back on, and it's totally discouraging.

    I'm not sure why the maintenance mindset is so difficult! I did so well and was SO disciplined in weight loss mode. I'd be interested to hear about how others get themselves in the right mindset to maintain...
    There really is no difference between weight loss mode and maintenance ....remember its a lifestyle change. Maybe that is where the problem lies.
    When you want to stop losing weight all you do is just up your calories a bit until you get to the "bite" to use automobile clutch control analogy (Your maintenance calories)
    You still workout, you still log what you eat or at least keep a careful eye, you still make sure you stay within your TDEE, you still weigh from time to time, to see what the trend of your weight is.
    Only if you see weight loss as something you do for a short time and then stop, or you deprive your self deeply during weight loss, do you have the situation with what you just described.

    Being a life long yo-yo dieter, I learnt those truths the hard way. Thanks to MFP I now know better.
  • IcanIwill1
    IcanIwill1 Posts: 137 Member
    .........................................................I absolutely love being that active every day.
    I absolutely love being active too. I was telling a friend I love when I hit inclines, on my walk..the look she gave me...ouch.
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
    I seem to be having similar issues. When trying to lose weight there is a goal to work towards and it's motivating to see a difference as ur body changes. Maintenance mindset for me is very difficult, I'm scared to gain again but I thought for some reason 'maintenance land' is this magical place where I can eat yum foods and a decent quantity... Ah to visit such a place... In reality according to my tdee because I'm a short-*kitten* maintenance is a pathetic 1331 calories per day, not magical which tends to make me want food so much, I never used to overeat in large quantities but I have been recently. I have to work out to have decent treats. The worse thing is nothing is changing anymore, no more feeling euphoric from losing and having people notice, having jeans that are too big etc.

    Are you sure maintenance is that low?

    Have you tested to find your true TDEE?

    It does seem pretty low, I have been on about 5 sites, worked my tdee out and took the average. If I can eat more I'd be really happy as a life on 1331 seems a bit sad. I have put in sedentary and I eat back exercise cals as I am not consistent enough to say I work out x times a week etc. this is nice though so I can have treats when I have exercised.

    If I were you I'd work on slowly increasing calories (by maybe 100 every couple of weeks) just to see if you can eat more.

    I had to put in 4'11", 50 years old, 95 lbs to get it that low using my preferred TDEE calculator. If you're younger, taller, or heavier than that then it seems more likely that's your BMR.

    Thank you for this :flowerforyou: I really want to eat more as I have been having urges to eat tons (I'm not keen on the word 'binge' but defo massively over indulge a few times a week at the moment). I am 32, 4'11 and 98lbs, my bmr comes in around 1150 (ish) I will try to increase, maybe by 50cals a week to be cautious. I appreciate u looking into it for me!
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
    I seem to be having similar issues. When trying to lose weight there is a goal to work towards and it's motivating to see a difference as ur body changes. Maintenance mindset for me is very difficult, I'm scared to gain again but I thought for some reason 'maintenance land' is this magical place where I can eat yum foods and a decent quantity... Ah to visit such a place... In reality according to my tdee because I'm a short-*kitten* maintenance is a pathetic 1331 calories per day, not magical which tends to make me want food so much, I never used to overeat in large quantities but I have been recently. I have to work out to have decent treats. The worse thing is nothing is changing anymore, no more feeling euphoric from losing and having people notice, having jeans that are too big etc.

    Are you sure maintenance is that low?

    Have you tested to find your true TDEE?

    It does seem pretty low, I have been on about 5 sites, worked my tdee out and took the average. If I can eat more I'd be really happy as a life on 1331 seems a bit sad. I have put in sedentary and I eat back exercise cals as I am not consistent enough to say I work out x times a week etc. this is nice though so I can have treats when I have exercised.

    If I were you I'd work on slowly increasing calories (by maybe 100 every couple of weeks) just to see if you can eat more.

    I had to put in 4'11", 50 years old, 95 lbs to get it that low using my preferred TDEE calculator. If you're younger, taller, or heavier than that then it seems more likely that's your BMR.

    Thank you for this :flowerforyou: I really want to eat more as I have been having urges to eat tons (I'm not keen on the word 'binge' but defo massively over indulge a few times a week at the moment). I am 32, 4'11 and 98lbs, my bmr comes in around 1150 (ish) I will try to increase, maybe by 50cals a week to be cautious. I appreciate u looking into it for me!

    Ps from my profile pic I hope I don't look like a 50 year old lol!! :laugh:
  • TEMMEAlexa
    TEMMEAlexa Posts: 79 Member
    Most people happen to have some issues post-op. Mostly adjusting with the new diet plan. There are pros and cons for weight loss which must be kept in mind. Starting early on your preferred diet plan is pretty important.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I seem to be having similar issues. When trying to lose weight there is a goal to work towards and it's motivating to see a difference as ur body changes. Maintenance mindset for me is very difficult, I'm scared to gain again but I thought for some reason 'maintenance land' is this magical place where I can eat yum foods and a decent quantity... Ah to visit such a place... In reality according to my tdee because I'm a short-*kitten* maintenance is a pathetic 1331 calories per day, not magical which tends to make me want food so much, I never used to overeat in large quantities but I have been recently. I have to work out to have decent treats. The worse thing is nothing is changing anymore, no more feeling euphoric from losing and having people notice, having jeans that are too big etc.

    Are you sure maintenance is that low?

    Have you tested to find your true TDEE?

    It does seem pretty low, I have been on about 5 sites, worked my tdee out and took the average. If I can eat more I'd be really happy as a life on 1331 seems a bit sad. I have put in sedentary and I eat back exercise cals as I am not consistent enough to say I work out x times a week etc. this is nice though so I can have treats when I have exercised.

    If I were you I'd work on slowly increasing calories (by maybe 100 every couple of weeks) just to see if you can eat more.

    I had to put in 4'11", 50 years old, 95 lbs to get it that low using my preferred TDEE calculator. If you're younger, taller, or heavier than that then it seems more likely that's your BMR.

    Thank you for this :flowerforyou: I really want to eat more as I have been having urges to eat tons (I'm not keen on the word 'binge' but defo massively over indulge a few times a week at the moment). I am 32, 4'11 and 98lbs, my bmr comes in around 1150 (ish) I will try to increase, maybe by 50cals a week to be cautious. I appreciate u looking into it for me!

    Ps from my profile pic I hope I don't look like a 50 year old lol!! :laugh:

    You don't look 50 at all. That's why I doubt your TDEE is that low. :flowerforyou:

    If you're having urges to eat a lot more chances are good you're under-eating. But gradually increasing is a good idea. When I started bulking a few weeks ago my weight jumped up 3 lbs immediately, not because I'd gained 3 lbs of fat but because the increased food and especially carbs caused water retention. That's one reason to increase gradually. The other reason is that your TDEE will come up gradually to meet your new calorie amount. With increased food you'll have more energy to walk more, take the stairs, etc. But it can't adjust quickly so you want to give it time.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member

    SNIPS

    Are you sure maintenance is that low?

    Have you tested to find your true TDEE?

    It does seem pretty low, I have been on about 5 sites, worked my tdee out and took the average. If I can eat more I'd be really happy as a life on 1331 seems a bit sad. I have put in sedentary and I eat back exercise cals as I am not consistent enough to say I work out x times a week etc. this is nice though so I can have treats when I have exercised.

    If I were you I'd work on slowly increasing calories (by maybe 100 every couple of weeks) just to see if you can eat more.

    I had to put in 4'11", 50 years old, 95 lbs to get it that low using my preferred TDEE calculator. If you're younger, taller, or heavier than that then it seems more likely that's your BMR.
    [/quote]

    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    TDEE v. MFP calories are a big source of confusion when we talk about calories here.

    I'm 55, 5"10", 150 pounds, and my maintenance calories calculated by MFP are only 1440. But that's NET. I eat more than that almost every day because I get several hundred calories from exercise.

    The TDEE calculator (I have never done one before) has me at 1645 for sedentary and 1885 for light exercise (which is probably what I do).

    Both methods work, but they are DIFFERENT. MFP adds in exercise. TDEE doesn't. I do eat my TDEE , but using MFP my net calorie goal is 1440 and if I upped it, I would gain.

    We're using the same words but meaning different things, and that makes things even more confusing.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member


    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    TDEE v. MFP calories are a big source of confusion when we talk about calories here.

    I'm 55, 5"10", 150 pounds, and my maintenance calories calculated by MFP are only 1440. But that's NET. I eat more than that almost every day because I get several hundred calories from exercise.

    The TDEE calculator (I have never done one before) has me at 1645 for sedentary and 1885 for light exercise (which is probably what I do).

    Both methods work, but they are DIFFERENT. MFP adds in exercise. TDEE doesn't. I do eat my TDEE , but using MFP my net calorie goal is 1440 and if I upped it, I would gain.

    We're using the same words but meaning different things, and that makes things even more confusing.

    Wouldn't sedentary be the same though?

    Maybe I'm wrong about that but I understood the difference to be that TDEE calculators include exercise and MFP's only includes NEAT. So if she's doing a TDEE calculator but putting in sedentary wouldn't that be the same? Or not. :huh:

    Not that it matters though. I mean really what matters are actual results and my advice would be the same. Try a gradual increase and see where your true maintenance is that way.

    eta: for me it's the same. Plugged my numbers into MFP as sedentary: 1630 to maintain. Plugged my numbers into www.fitnessfrog.com TDEE calculator as sedentary: 1629 to maintain.
  • I am a bit weird in that I dint find maintenance hard but I do find losing weight hard. (I think due to insulin resistance).

    My keys to maintenance are:

    Eat when hungry and stop when satisfied ( and not feel full or over full)

    Eat exactly what I desire. Mostly I want healthy food but if I want chocolate, or a glass of wine then I have it. I go and buy EXACTLY what I want. I wouldn't buy a large block of cheap chocolate and wolf it down and then feel crap. I would buy my absolute favourite.

    I try to slow down my eating and savour each mouthful. I have discovered that the first three mouthfuls are amazing. The rest less so.

    I try to avoid highly processed high GI foods and if I do have them I try to mix them with lower GI to lessen the blood spike and subsequent urge to eat due to falling blood sugars. Even blood sugars are my best friend.

    Try to reduce stress and sleep well. Stress hormones create a kind of hunger. Yoga and meditation are great maintenance tools (I really must use them ha!)

    Exercise. Very very few people maintain without without around an hour a day. Either step you incidental exercise or build in more formal exercise. It burns more calories, maintains muscles, helps you sleep better, reduces stress, normalises appetite and so much more.

    Habits. I have smaller bowls and plates to reduce portion size without thinking about it. I bulk up on low starch vegetables. I have my "go to" meals that I know are well within calories.

    I don't count calories because like a previous person mentioned I am just not a calories counter. I begin how I plan to continue.

    Best of luck. I
  • aserranzana16
    aserranzana16 Posts: 43 Member

    What do you mean by "deterrent effect"? Do you mean that logging isn't deterring you from overeating, or that you're still eating/logging honestly and within your calorie goal but gaining? If it's the former, I'm not sure what you can do other than remind yourself of your hard work and set new goals as others have mentioned. I'm loving paying attention to macros and working on heavy lifting. It's not as exciting to see the same weight on the scale day after day as it is to see the weight continuously drop, so you do need to find other things to keep it fun and focused.

    If it's the latter, your calorie goal is simply too high.

    It's the former. I'm just being silly. I need to learn to be able to motivate myself with things other than scale numbers. I've just signed up for some new workout classes, and I'm hoping that changing it up will help!
  • aserranzana16
    aserranzana16 Posts: 43 Member
    I seem to be having similar issues. When trying to lose weight there is a goal to work towards and it's motivating to see a difference as ur body changes. Maintenance mindset for me is very difficult, I'm scared to gain again but I thought for some reason 'maintenance land' is this magical place where I can eat yum foods and a decent quantity... Ah to visit such a place... In reality according to my tdee because I'm a short-*kitten* maintenance is a pathetic 1331 calories per day, not magical which tends to make me want food so much, I never used to overeat in large quantities but I have been recently. I have to work out to have decent treats. The worse thing is nothing is changing anymore, no more feeling euphoric from losing and having people notice, having jeans that are too big etc.

    I feel you on the "pathetic" nature of maintenance calories (I'm 5'1") and the idealized view of maintenance. Sigh. What I'm seeing from all these replies (which are all great!) we just have to find our joy in living life at a healthier weight...
  • aserranzana16
    aserranzana16 Posts: 43 Member

    I shouldn't have read this. I am reading the end of the book before I have finished reading the middle! AUGH! Please tell me you all are just kidding and this is a joke. Just a bad dream going bad? I don't want to count calories forever. I like this diet because it is working, however, I've been grumbling the entire time. I am not a person of discipline for long extended periods of time. Here's a question. Can you maintain w/o watching your calories and then when you gain five pounds, go back on the calorie count? I'm thinking that would be ok to do. Or am I totally off my rocker?

    Oh, no! Don't be upset! That was the opposite of what I intended with the post. I completely understand your desire to not have to continue logging ALL THE DAMN TIME, but from what I understand, it can be pretty detrimental to your health to yo-yo...that might just be for extreme weight swings, though. 5 lbs might not be so bad...