Is maintaining harder than weight loss?
missylectro
Posts: 448 Member
I'm just curious. Is it harder than trying to lose weight?
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Replies
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For me, yeah0
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How come?For me, yeah0 -
For me, no.0
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Each is challenging in its own way. Maintenance is simply a lifetime of NSVs; you need to shift your focus from losing weight to pursuing healthy and rewarding activities that give your life challenge & meaning. For me that's currently run-walking 5-10K races and training for a full marathon in Jan 2015.
If you view maintenance only as a time when you'll finally be able to 'afford' eating a few oreos a night and hitting the Chinese buffet again once a month, you need to make sure you don't send all of your fat clothes to the Goodwill because you'll be needing them again before long.
Start thinking NOW about what NSVs you'll be shooting for as you transition into maintenance so you don't get caught unaware.0 -
I don't think it is hard at all. It is much the same as when I was losing but not as aggressive. Word of caution though, if you think abandoning what got you to the finish line is going to work, be prepared to start the race over again. Been maintaining for about three weeks now with good results, other than the ribs and chicken wing binge one night (three pounds worth).0
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What does NSV stand for?0
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non-scale victory (e.g. clothes fitting better, running farther)0
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No its not.I'm just curious. Is it harder than trying to lose weight?
I still exercise which I love and enjoy and do not intend to stop.
I still eat healthy which I love and enjoy and do not intend to stop.
Occasionally, I indulge and its not like when I still trying to lose because I am not worried that I would not lose or that I would not get back on track again.
Maintaining being harder than losing is a fallacy....it is no where as challenging as losing weight...not by a long shot.0 -
I think psychologically it can be more challenging for some. It's easy when you're trying to set a goal and meet it and you're disciplined. I think when you move to maintenance mode, people sort of relax a bit and can find it difficult to stay on the straight and narrow.0
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No it's not harder to maintain than it is to lose. Your stomach and brain change to accommodate your new calorie intake, you're probably more used to exercising, and actually enjoy it now.
If you go back to your old habits of not watching what you're consuming--YES you will head right back up.
That's why I have eliminated the word "diet" from my vocabulary--because to me that word means something that is "temporary"--I use Life style change--meaning for the REST of ones life.
I just do portion control--I don't eliminate certain foods while bulking up on others--I just eat less of it.0 -
I wouldn't say harder for me, but a different mind set. After working toward a goal while losing weight I was a little lost at first on maintenance. After a little experimenting I found what worked best for me was to continue to have a goal mentality that kept me logging every day. I allowed myself a cheat day on Sundays. To "fund" that cheat day I ate at a 100 calorie deficit Monday through Saturday. That kept me logging everyday and shooting for something. Then Sundays were my reward.
I'm on a bulk cycle now so that's a completely different mentality.0 -
Technically it should be the same, but instead of the equation:
calories in < calories out
You have a new equation of :
Calories in=calories out (give or take a few).
Really there is the say wiggle room, one day you might be 200 up, the next 200 down etc.
But psychologically is where the battle lies. To not think of the weight loss as a short/medium term thing, and that you can stop "dieting" and "go back to normal". To think of it as close to permanent as can be, and embrace it as a new life style. I think that's what makes it hard.
(I'm on my second time losing my weight. I 'stopped' last time. I'm going to try to not stop this time, but change my calculation.)0 -
I rather plan to use MFP for the rest of my life, including for maintenance, and if later on I want to lose a few more. I don't feel like weight-loss is a summer classes type deal. Once you decide to do it, it's a sort of rest-of-your-life decision, and that's why programs and apps like MFP are nice to have because they remind you of how far you've come. I've signed off almost all of my favorite foods in large amounts and outside of special/desperate occasions (these include: Cherry Coke, Flaming Hot Cheetos, Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies, Cheese sticks/cubes, Burger King's grilled chicken ranch wraps) for life, and I think it's just a sacrifice you need to be willing to make if you want to lose weight and be healthy to a degree that makes you happy.
I can't see where maintenance should be more difficult. I'm by far no expert. But maybe if you thought that once you lost weight you could go back to eating anything you wanted and as much as you wanted, it will disappoint you to find out that you can't. But otherwise I find it extremely hard to believe it will be harder for me to stay under 1600 calories without exercise than to stay under 1200 calories without exercise.0 -
Much easier and more enjoyable at maintenance.
I ate exactly the same things when losing as I do when maintaining so now I get to eat more of the foods I enjoy and have more room for "treats".
More relaxed about logging, weight fluctuations and fitting my diet into my social life.
Weight was only one of my goals so maybe that makes a difference? It seems some people are a bit lost when they get to their goal and miss seeing progress as measured by their weight loss.0 -
it is much harder for me. I think everyone's different
No its not.I'm just curious. Is it harder than trying to lose weight?
I still exercise which I love and enjoy and do not intend to stop.
I still eat healthy which I love and enjoy and do not intend to stop.
Occasionally, I indulge and its not like when I still trying to lose because I am not worried that I would not lose or that I would not get back on track again.
Maintaining being harder than losing is a fallacy....it is no where as challenging as losing weight...not by a long shot.0 -
It was hard for me because I failed miserably.... :-( After having lost about 22kg (50 pounds), I assumed I had it all figured out. I knew my calorie portions by heart, I exercised regularly, I was on cruise control. So goodbye MFP. Then, after about 8 months or so, I managed to gain 7kg back. And get out of shape in a big way....
Two major factors:
1 - I underestimated the psychological effect of logging food. When I log, I really think about every calorie. I hate going over my daily count. It's a huge motivator to choose healthy foods, avoid too much alcohol, too many oreos.... I completely lost this psychological deterrent when I stopped logging. I assumed I would still follow calories in my head, so no worries. But I didn't.
2 - I changed jobs (actually changed clients, as I have my own business). In any case, my regime changed immediately, and I wasn't prepared. Changing regimes can really have a detrimental impact on a fitness program. I still had time to exercise, but at different times than before, requiring a rethink on my part on what to do and when. For example, I had much more free time in the mornings, little time after lunch. Before I was doing a lot around lunchtime or in the evenings, and suddenly that was out.
So now I'm back. I've started running again, I'm going to buy on-line skates later today to use after breakfast, I'm eating much better again, etc. I'm quite confident I'll lose the 7kg in 3 months or so.
So I suppose the key takeaway from my experience is don't underestimate how challenging it is to maintain weight, keep logging, and if you have changes in your schedule, immediately craft a new exercise program to match it.
--P0 -
Much easier and more enjoyable at maintenance.
I ate exactly the same things when losing as I do when maintaining so now I get to eat more of the foods I enjoy and have more room for "treats".
More relaxed about logging, weight fluctuations and fitting my diet into my social life.
Weight was only one of my goals so maybe that makes a difference? It seems some people are a bit lost when they get to their goal and miss seeing progress as measured by their weight loss.
Me too, I plan on logging in every day. MFP makes it sooo easy to track calories. I have it on my cell phone, so no matter where I am at, I know exactly what I am eating. I also purchased a Jawbone UP that syncs with MFP that tracks the steps taken, and you can also add in workouts, hiking, walking, cardio, strength on it that gives a very accurate count of how many calories you're burning in a day. I plan to wear one of these the rest of my life also.
Finally easy high tech solutions that goes where you go. And let's face it, knowledge is 1/2 the battle when it comes to losing weight, and getting fit, and staying fit.0 -
I think psychologically it can be more challenging for some. It's easy when you're trying to set a goal and meet it and you're disciplined. I think when you move to maintenance mode, people sort of relax a bit and can find it difficult to stay on the straight and narrow.
^^^^This..at least for me.
On thurs, I was 2 lbs under my goal weight I established about 2 weeks ago. Thought..ya..can enjoy the weekend. Had a dinner party and ate healthy...stuck with mostly proteins. Next morning...BOOM...4 lbs heavier. WTH? Back on the diet wagon...lost 1/2lb in the last two days. But pretty amazing what happens when I let loose of the reins for just one night. :sad:0 -
No its not.I'm just curious. Is it harder than trying to lose weight?
I still exercise which I love and enjoy and do not intend to stop.
I still eat healthy which I love and enjoy and do not intend to stop.
Occasionally, I indulge and its not like when I still trying to lose because I am not worried that I would not lose or that I would not get back on track again.
Maintaining being harder than losing is a fallacy....it is no where as challenging as losing weight...not by a long shot.
Thank you for such a clear and complete answer.. I was in a hurry before and I just wrote "not for me." I feel the same way and I have been in maintenance for more than 3 years.
I think that the key is to be vigilant and aware of our eating habits and to keep up with our exercises routine, what ever that may be.0 -
I hope more people who have lost more than 10 pounds reply to this thread. Interesting that most replies are from members whose tickers show very low pounds-lost numbers... of course that could be just the amount the lost "this time" or with MFP.
I wonder if taking a year or two to lose weight because you have so much to lose, puts you in a different place than if you lose 10 pounds (or less) in a few months?
Another thought I had is that people who take control when they are overweight by just a few pounds compared to those who (like me) allow themselves to get morbidly obese before losing weight, are more nervous or shocked when they gain just a few pounds back, whereas someone who has lost 100 pounds might think "well I'm still 90 pounds lighter" if they gain back 10. Just rambling thoughts.
I feel that learning portion control and tracking/logging what I eat is something I want to do pretty much forever, now that I understand how it enables me to feel healthier. I hope that maintenance will be more of the same without the deficit. Hope, hope, hope.0 -
I think it's easier because you will catch yourself slipping before it gets out of control and know exactly what to do to get back on track.0
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It took a bit longer for my mind to catch up and my biggest hurdle was actually increasing my cal intake and not panic when my weight fluctuated.
Now it's not as stressful0 -
For me, yes. I know how to lose weight. I know how to gain weight. I have never maintained my weight loss. That being said, I reached goal yesterday. Yikes!0
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<--3.7 years today graph. 10 pounds bump up that inches up and down. But would love to keep going up!
After a year of weight loss I got to my 50lbs off goal. A little low for my body, but just needed to touch the goal. Bumped up 3 lbs and was really good there. Got slack every vacation and inch up to 10lbs from my good weight. This 10 lbs wiggle room if kept unchecked would bounce all the way back to inactivity and eating poorly. If I didn't keep at it and keep trying.
So, at first, yeah it's easy! You finally get to eat more! You don't gain with that, either. Until you start making poor choices a little too often. Get lazy and complacent.
But, the good news is the physical fitness is much quicker to get back than it was, if you don't let yourself go very long. A couple of weeks of effort consistency and you are back in the saddle. And you have good habits already, you just have to rein it in.
Keep the good habits as life changing habits, not just weight loss time behavior. This stuff is forever. It's worth it. It feels good to feel good. Keep the old pictures and remember that you don't want to start from the beginning, and you can keep it.0 -
I did get rid of all my fat clothes. It's good. My entire wardrobe is my small size clothes and they are tight. Which means to buck it up buttercup. I will NOT buy more fat clothes! The small size IS my size, now. If it doesn't fit, I will have to put in the effort until it does fit again. The clothes became my barometer.If you view maintenance only as a time when you'll finally be able to 'afford' eating a few oreos a night and hitting the Chinese buffet again once a month, you need to make sure you don't send all of your fat clothes to the Goodwill because you'll be needing them again before long.0 -
Harder? No...but it takes more precision if you're not comfortable with a certain maintenance range.
I think the best approach is just to make periodic evaluations of how well you're maintaining and make adjustments accordingly. As long as you aren't convinced that you're going to maintain a specific number on the scale, it really isn't *that* difficult.0 -
For me, yes.0
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I've been maintaining for over three years now. Neither one is difficult for me, personally. My personality type has a ton of self control. I just plug in the numbers and it works. I was never technically overweight, but I had been noticing a gradual creeping up of my weight as I aged, so I decided to reverse the process here on MFP proactively, BEFORE I got to the point of being overweight. I think it's easier to be on maintenance only because I can eat more - I enjoy food. Otherwise, it's the same to me. :flowerforyou:0
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I don't think maintaining is harder, but it was a little scarier for me at first. I KNOW how to lose weight - I've been doing it forever. And I know how to gain weight - I've done that a number of times, too. I don't think I've really ever stayed the same, until now. I've stayed in my maintenance range for 4-5 months. At first, it felt like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. I was afraid to increase my calories because I didn't want to regain. But I finally stopped stressing and trusted the numbers and my body.
The challenge for me is eating the foods that I avoided while I was losing. I tell myself that a little bit won't hurt. And it doesn't really. But I don't like the way I feel when I eat certain things - like candy, cookies, and other junk food. I feel so much BETTER when I eat the new way I've learned to eat. So that's the way I eat as much as possible.0 -
maintaining is only normally had for people who go on fad diets or lose control/go back into bad habits, thats why diets are bad idea but healthy eating/lifestyle works0
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