Maintenance Thread

So this week I've been really inconsistent with my calories, going way over then cutting back to compensate, etc. Oof! It's unexpected but I've found myself way more anxious trying to maintain than I was when I was trying to lose. Maybe that's because I'm not sure where my maintenance level is, but I think also because, assuming I'm not at a deficit, whenever I go over there's no buffer between my calories and a surplus! I guess I just have to get it into my head that going over occasionally will NOT make me gain all the weight back. Or probably even a pound! Definite change in mindset needed though, I think.

@oishii - haha I can totally relate... I've found myself to be neurotic about being neurotic too! I figure as long as you can laugh at yourself, it's ok I avoid going on other scales like the plague, and scales at the doctor's or the gym are used by so many people so frequently that they may well be a little off. If you're getting consistent readings from yours then you're doing well!

Thats great Mia!! Its good when you finally feel you can relax for the odd evening and know it will not send you on a downwards spiral. I guess we'll all get to the point eventually of relaxed vigilance about what we eat. I know I can never eat the foods I used to in the quantities I did or even regularly - I know I cannot forget about portion sizes, sugar, fat etc. but I also know once in a while will not hurt me.

Well, I've been clothes shopping this weekend.Let me tell you I had loads of fun. I think I am now developing my own sense of what suits me if that makes sense.

When I got to goal over a year ago, the choice for a UK size 12 girl compared to a UK size 20-22 girl was overwhelming. There was so many styles etc I could choose from I had no idea. (Now I have the same issues with dating but that is another story for another day!!! )

This weekend I have shopped til I dropped with my mum!! I have remained a fairly constant weight for over a year but lost fat and inches since then, and am now a size 10 in most things.

I loved it- I felt pretty and feminine, I strutted about in the changing rooms in my underwear and bought some really beautiful things. It was a lovely feeling.

Anyway would love to hear if anyone else has experienced a 'wow everything fits me' what do I wear shock!!

Love Gail x

Gail, I've never been a size 20, but even with the drop from a 14 to a 12/10(UK) I feel like their are more clothes that would actually suit me. People Tree this season has a Laura Ashley print jumpsuit, which I would have ignored as for 'skinny people' even a few months ago, but now I see it as perfect for me... I just hope there's one left in the sales!

Bernie, how tall are you? That sounds like a lot of calories to eat! I'm still bumping my calories ever upwards, trying to find the right balance.

I did buy new scales because the old ones made me sound too skinny. Now I'm only just under my goal weight, not 1.5 kg under. That makes me less anxious. The fat percentage bit is useless though... Apparently I was 24% fat last night but 21% or so this morning, so it's clearly nonsense!:mad: Ah well... They were cheap (£14 at Argos) so I shouldn't expect much.

:flowerforyou: I don't do anything different since I reached my goal weight except to eat a few more calories......every once in awhile I'll eat the meal served somewhere instead of bringing my own food, but I consider this a new way of life.:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Gail, it is a thrill to go clothes shopping now! I am still so surprised when I try things on and they look so good. I bought two dresses last week and I am still amazed!

I have been really maintaining. No gains and no losses in over two weeks. Maybe I am getting the hang of this.

The one thing I am accepting is that exercise MUST be a regular thing for me. It is a lifetime commitment to doing it!

D

I'm going on a cruise in a couple of weeks and while I have a closet full of cocktail dresses and such for formal nights, I have a nasty, nasty habit of wearing a lot of black, and for this cruise not only do I want to look fabulous, but I want to wear something more tropical. I tried on a few things today, one of which was black but such a pretty shimmery gathered fabric...I couldn't resist trying it on and LOVED it but then saw the same dress in coral and remembered my goal to get something colorful. There was a sales gal standing nearby so I asked, "Do you think I can pull off wearing this color? I'm trying to get away from black but I think this might put me over the edge." Her very kind reply was, "Absolutely, I'm pretty sure you would look good in just about anything." Awww...I really appreciated that, especially compared with the days when I would be mortified at the thought of dress shopping.

Wow it sounds lovely - I love coral, its such a lovely colour to wear with a tan. Im sure you will feel fab on the cruise.
I haven't got out of the habit of black yet - something to work on.....lol

Donna - I know its such a great feeling wearing what you want!!!

Hope everyone has a great day. x

@ maxine-- you are just like us! I think we all agree that we have become more obsessive about this since starting maintenance. It is tough to figure out the right amount--it takes time. I have been trying for almost a year and still am working at pinpointing the right number. great job in the your first few weeks of maintaining though. Keep checking in and we'll all work with you on it.

Shopping! Great topic. I just bought 3 new pairs of pants about 2 weeks ago and felt great and slim. Then I went away for the last week and at the same time was visited by the time of month. So here I had: extra eating. No exercise, and TOM = tight new pants. UGH....very depressing. I know....by next week all will be better but it was kind of a bummer to feel chubby in my brand new clothes when I went out this weekend. Oh, and I have the black problem too --except my range is black, charcoal, maybe cream and a little slate blue and olive green. Whenever my Chico's--bright color-pattern-wearing mother sees me she tells me how dull my clothes are. I would say "sophisticated" but hey, I digress...... spring will be here hopefully sometime soon and we can all try to break out into a few new happy colors to show off our happily-maintained figures

About maintaining--I'm with DeeDee---I didn't know before I joined MFP, but now I realize that exercise will be part of maintenance life, and just as much as I was doing when trying to lose. There are no shortcuts to staying fit and looking good. Wish it was not so..but it's reality. And as Altushe mentioned, having this community has helped a ton. I didn't use it very often while I was losing weight but was so confused when starting maintenance that I sought out help here. Everyone has been amazingly helpful and supportive and I'm so happy to have "met" everyone here.

Welcome newcomers! Look forward to more input from you all!

Have a great day! Robin

I'm going on a cruise in a couple of weeks and while I have a closet full of cocktail dresses and such for formal nights, I have a nasty, nasty habit of wearing a lot of black, and for this cruise not only do I want to look fabulous, but I want to wear something more tropical. I tried on a few things today, one of which was black but such a pretty shimmery gathered fabric...I couldn't resist trying it on and LOVED it but then saw the same dress in coral and remembered my goal to get something colorful. There was a sales gal standing nearby so I asked, "Do you think I can pull off wearing this color? I'm trying to get away from black but I think this might put me over the edge." Her very kind reply was, "Absolutely, I'm pretty sure you would look good in just about anything." Awww...I really appreciated that, especially compared with the days when I would be mortified at the thought of dress shopping.

Aw what a lovely thing to hear! I'm sure it's beautiful. Oishii - tried to see what you posted but it said access denied... hmm... dunno what's going on there

Robin - thanks! I definitely will.

I was so exhausted when I came home today I went on a massive binge (I mean MASSIVE. What I wrote in my diary x 100000 lol), justifying it along the way with "maxine, you should relax with food, some ice cream is NOT going to kill you, yes you CAN eat a whole loaf of bread, at the end of the day its 3500 cals in a pound!" etc etc :huh: lol I'm not quite sure that that's the best rationale... Oh well, the morbidly obese child living in my head has a point I guess, I'll just save a few calories over the next 2 days to clear up a bit of the damage. But my calorie consistency plan is NOT going well :grumble: !

Ah the perfect pair of jeans - I always find they take a while to track down but it's the BEST feeling when you find them. I had to wear a belt yesterday with my "yay I've lost weight" gift to self I got last month which was a surprise! Better was when I saw I'd had to make a new whole because the belt was too small last time I wore it (a year ago I think) and now I'm on the smallest hole!! Very exciting NSV.

Lol, Robin I'm wearing exactly those colours you mentioned now! That's what makes up my wardrobe too. It's all about the dark colours (MFP is underlining my spelling of colour in red... very annoying)

Maxine, I chuckled reading about your massive binge since I just got back from a weekend where there were buffet breakfasts and I totally binged. I gave up even trying to log anything, made up the day's quick calories at over twice my daily allotment. After returning I decided not to weigh on Monday but today I weighed and was shocked to see I was up 3 lbs. Sure am hoping this is water weight since I've been bad on the water too. Anyway, had a good couple first weeks of maintenance but now realize I can't go very far off the wagon as it jumps right back on me so quickly.

I've also enjoyed reading about your clothes shopping. I experienced the same thing last week. I tried a bunch of stuff on and they all fit great and finally looked fantastic!

I think you do Donna!!

Oishii I love the top - its lovely!!!

Here's something - I put on almost 3kg approx over the year I have been maintaining but my measurements were going down as did my dress size so I didn't count it as a gain. It was loss of fat and the building of muscle. Anyhow - now my measurements are pretty static - I lost over an off my waist this last time we measured - slowly but surely I am finally burning the last fat off my tummy!! However now the kgs I 'gained' have gone in the last 2-3 weeks. I've been doing heavy weights alongside the running and cycling and my metabolism or something has picked right up.

Well keep at it maintainers - we can win the battle!!

Gail, that is amazing news!!!:flowerforyou: I would rather weigh more but have muscle any day!!! Congrats! It is working!!:drinker:

Hi Dianna! Welcome! As a 46 yr. old woman, I love the sound of maintaining "until I get pregnant". I miss those days! Congrats!

Maxine, I agree with Jersey. I have been doing pretty well here right now. I tend to stay under M-Th, then I try to fast of Fridays (religious), and then on Saturday and Sunday I allow myself to go over. My husband works out of town and a restaurant meal is usually in the mix over the weekend. I LOVE Japanese food and as my husband is Filipino, anything with rice works for him. So, when we go out, I have no idea how many calories are actually in that food. I just eat it and enjoy!:blushing:

Carbs and breads could be a killer for me but I have found a nice solution for myself. I now make these yummy bran muffins and I put tons of protein powder in them. So, when I need a "bread" fix, I grab a high protein muffin. Sometimes I make them in a chocolate flavor. My family thinks they taste like cardboard,:laugh: but for this chick (free of processed sugars for almost 6 years) they taste great!

D:flowerforyou:

Well, Gail inspired me to retake my measurements. Somethings are sad like my breasts are literally disappearing! But the measurement I could not believe is my lower abdomen! Even though my weight has stayed basically the same since November, I have lost 7 inches, yes! count them! SEVEN inches in my lower abdomen!!! I have lost about a half of an inch to an inch in other places like my thigh etc. Also, according to my highly inaccurate body fat% reader, I have lost 0.7% body fat since November as well!

Thanks for inspiration Gail! This made my day!!

D

Hi everyone, I haven't posted here for a while as I haven't had much to report. I'm still logging my food everyday and eating and exercising pretty much the same however I've drifted to the top of my goal weight range but have stayed stable there. I'm trying not to worry too much, I'm working out pretty hard with weights at the gym and have had a noticeable increase in muscle size and strength which was my main maintenance goal.

I haven't lost as much weight as some of you but have gone from bulging out of a size 12 to comfortably fitting a size 10 and sometimes an 8 in trousers depending on the shop. Unfortunately I haven't had the money to go out and buy many new clothes so I'm still mostly wearing size 12 jeans with a belt. I have got a few smaller items ready for summer though and I'm looking forward to wearing better fitting clothes and showing off my hard work.

Okay, so I wondered if any of you have some insight into what to eat before a race. I have an evening race on Saturday and I know I'll need to eat something for supper (or at least a snack to tide me over). What do you eat prior to a workout or race?

I eat normally the day before a race but I also try to eat light foods and not heavy ones. So chicken instead of steak, for example. Then the morning of the race I have an entire routine based on how long the race is and what time it starts.

The one triathlon I did in the late afternoon, I had a normal lunch and then a PM snack and then my normal race nutrition during the race. It started at 4pm.