Your personal rules for maintenance ?

My rules are:

No drinks that contain calories, so tea and water total
80% unprocessed food and 20% treats (ice cream, occassional burger)
As little as possible rice, pizza and pasta
Tons of exercise, I run three times a week 10+km, walk every day my dogs for at least 5km, do weight training and regularly my elliptical
...and yes I weigh and log my food every day, less for calories, but more to see my micro and macro nutrients.

I have a step counter and a multisportswatch with heart rate monitor as fitness is my ultimate goal. Six months ago I could not run more than 100 meters, no I can run comfortably 10k, have participated in races and am currently training for a half marathon. For a former smoker not bad.

Stef.

I've never thought of this, but I've gotten some great ideas reading through the thread!

I'm still working towards slowly losing 5-10 pounds, or at least a few pounds of fat, so I'm not really maintaining right now, but during the summers I work at a sleep-away music camp for extra income. There's no internet or cell reception there, plus all the meals are pre-planned so I kinda have to go blind. What I did the first summer was just EAT, and ended up gaining 10 pounds back after the 7 week session. This past summer I made a better plan:

First - lotsa water [to help with digestion] and tea most mornings, coffee when I needed it.

For breakfast, no or low carbs, decent amount of protein, and whole fruits when available. I avoided oatmeal, toast, PB&J, cereal and tortillas successfully. Still ate pancakes, biscuits and some croissants because they stuff is TASTY, but never went for 2nds, and usually a good amount of eggs/bacon/sausage.

For lunch/dinner I always had a large salad and skipped bread products. Usually I'd just turn whatever we were having into some kind of salad: Sloppy joes = sloppy salad [no bun] burgers or sandwiches = salad toppings. There was also portion control built in as I was only supposed to take one scoop of food, so if I had a full plate and ate slow enough I could avoid seconds. I can still have dessert but just be conscious of how much is there and all that.

I tried to apply these rules at home and it kind of works, but I've learned that if I just do low carb for most meals and I still log during the week I can maintain better and keep myself honest. Being cheap has helped too, as I'll end up eating the same thing most days for breakfast [my staple is 2 eggs on 2 pieces of thick cut bacon on 1 piece of high-protein toast] and my lunch [a mixed green salad with some kind of protein, maybe other veggies]. Then I'll log some snacks to keep me going through the day and avoid drinking.

I'll probably keep counting for awhile, like someone mentioned here I'm still teaching my body to stop eating when I'm full, not when the food is gone, and counting helps me do that successfully.

If other people can maintain without tracking, more power to them. But I cannot do it. The 5 minutes a day is well worth the outcome.

I agree

For those of you who maintain without tracking/ logging everything, I wonder do you have self-enforced rules for keeping you on track in maintenance ? If so, I would love to hear them if you care to share them

I just don't follow many rules, I've slowly developed a way of life that is healthy, and this way of life also includes gradual detoxing methods, such as naturpathic actions and I've learned to eat foods that don't bother my digestion, I remember to take things like probiotics all the time, I love participating in hydrotherapy, in the winter I do cold swims frequently, and my natural interests are healthy interests.
I genuinely love sports and working out, so I never have to motivate myself to stay active.

I developed a very healthy relationship with food and my body. I rely on hunger pangs to tell me when to eat, rather than counting calories. This was because I used to suffer from anorexia, but it turns out not counting calories is the best way for me to maintain my healthy weight.
I eat lots and I eat regularily, because of that my metabolism is really fast now and I can eat whatever I want without ever gaining weight.
To me though, the most important thing is health, so I'd rather not eat "whatever" I want - so I try my best to eat as organic and as healthy as possible, but I also make sure to treat myself to unhealthy things often, and I never beat myself up about it.

I log everyday, except when I don't have access to a computer. But, I have rules.

Eat at home for as Many meals as possible.

Drink water as my main beverage.

When I go out, I typically eat vegetarian or lean meat dishes.

Don't use oil in cooking.

I eat 5 meals a day, almost always.

Weigh myself each morning before coffee.

I forgive myself after a binge, drink a glass of water, and move on. This is not a diet, it's my life.

80/20 for everything...exercising, eating, logging, drinking...it works. 10+ years on maintenance and haven gained more than a few pounds (and those pounds were on purpose, so actually I had to try to gain them).

Never quit logging, never quit weighing yourself. Measure self monthly or so. You have to stay on top of it. If you relax, you'll regain. I know it sucks but that's the truth of it.

I too got fed up with logging everything that went into my mouth. That was helpful when I started and while I was losing, but personally I don't want to go through life that way if I can help it. I've been maintaining for about five or six months.

My "rules", in more or less random order:

*Weigh myself every day. If I'm more than a pound over where I want to be, I know I have to clamp down to the minimum needed to eat small, but reasonable meals, plus a couple of low-calorie snacks. I cut out white carbs and definitely sugary foods.

*Exercise four or five days a week. For me, these days, that means a short workout when I first wake up during the week. Thirty or so squats, some yoga, abs, about ten regular pushups, some kicks and a few similar exercises. This takes around twenty minutes. I have a new boyfriend who likes to keep fit this way, so I joined him in this habit. We do three days on, one day off. On the weekends,we usually do something active like a hike or at least a lot of walking around. Every so often I still go jogging, but I've dispensed with the gym membership and most of the high-intensity workouts. The rules are 1) *consistency* and 2) doing a good selection of exercises and stretches to keep the body limber and reasonably strong. I'm 48, and I think this routine will serve me well as I get older.

For food, I took care to get to know what kind of portions of what kinds of foods I can eat without gaining weight, and my daily weigh-ins keep me honest. I'm a high protein/high fat/high veggie eater. It's just what works for me. I avoid white carbs, though I do eat them a few times a week in reasonable quantities, usually when out. I eat eggs every morning for breakfast. No toast, no oatmeal, definitely no pastry or cereal. During the work week, I generally eat protein and veggies for lunch, and a few snacks to include carrots, a boiled egg, and/or a protein bar. For dinner I try to do the protein and veggies thing. I have a drink or two a few days a week. But in general, if I'm having a drink, I can't have dessert, or can't have rice/potatoes/bread, etc. If I'm a pound or two overweight, I pretty much just clamp down. To boil that down to a rule, I adhere to the eating habits that I discovered work for me, watch portion sizes carefully, and cut out foods that don't work for me. As a 48-year-old woman, I do not have a big calorie budget. So almost everything that goes into my mouth has to contribute to feeling fed and to good nutrition. I find foods I enjoy that live in that intersection. I would love to eat a portion of rice with my lunch, but if I do, I can't have a beer with dinner. That sort of trade-off is my rule.

*When eating at home or packing my lunch (Monday through Friday), I conform to the above. If someone has a birthday, there's cake, or a dinner with friends, or some kind of special occasion, I indulge in a piece of cake or some rich food or whatever that day's temptation is. But, this is key, always limit the damage.

*In general, I try to lose a pound or two during the week in anticipation of being out on the weekend for meals and drinks. Similarly, in advance of a special occasion like a weekend away or a holiday, or going on travel for work, I try to lose a couple of pounds in advance so I'm not too far off of my goal after the occasion. I think a key is to avoid that feeling of desperation and hopelessness that happens when you've gone more than a couple of pounds over goal, by paying dues in advance.

*When eating in a restaurant, I eyeball my food and try to decide in advance how much of my plate is a reasonable portion. When I've eaten that portion, I take a break and think really hard about whether I need to eat more of it. I find that just standing up lets me know how full I've gotten. I don't know why, but I feel more full when I stand up.

*No chocolate except for my protein bars. I'm an addict. If I've binged on chocolate (or even eaten a little chocolate), it takes me a week to get over cravings.

*When I inevitably fall off the wagon, make sure to recover to normal eating habits for the rest of that day and the entire following day. After that it becomes easier.

*Pay attention to what makes me feel like crap. Yesterday afternoon a co-worker gave me some Cheese-Its. I love Cheese-Its. I ate them for a snack instead of the boiled egg I had brought in. By the time I got home from work, I was starving and ate a whole meals' worth of almonds before dinner. I should have just eaten the egg after the Cheese-Its. A few extra calories, yes, but it would have prevented the mini-binge.

So, boiled down:
1. Weigh every day. If more than a pound overweight, clamp down on any extra food.
2. Exercise consistently in a way I enjoy and works with my lifestyle.
3. Eat lots of green veggies and protein without worrying about fat.
4. Avoid white carbs and sugar, but eat them a few times a week as long as I'm not over my goal.
5. Lose a little weight before special occasions or times when lots of food will be around.

Then don't. My weight doesn't fluctuate by more than a pound or two most days. Usually when it does, it's because I ate too much. Do what works for you.

A caveat.... I tried the intuitive eating thing, bought the book....

and gained 20 lbs. X( If you try it, please don't wait until none of your clothes fit to step on the scale and check! It might work for you, who knows, but they make it sound foolproof and it's totally not!

I agree with this. Same thing happened to me every time I try it I gain weight. I also obsess whether im really hungry or not so it becomes obsessive. Im sure it can work for people though as that's probably how naturally thin people eat I just like more structure personally. Lots of the plans say not to weigh but I would recommend weighing just to make sure it is working for you.