When does the hesitancy fade?

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molson55
molson55 Posts: 59 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Okay so I know I JUST moved to maintenance, so I shouldn't be that alarmed I don't think right now, but did anyone else have almost a fear of eating more once they shifted from weight loss to maintaining. Like today, I maybe ate 100 calories more than I would on a normal day, and got nervous cause that would have been over my level for weight loss.

Just wondering if anyone else experienced the same thing and when they finally became used to being able to eat more.

Replies

  • HAS415
    HAS415 Posts: 48 Member
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    Absolutely. I went about 15 pounds under where my trainer wanted me at. He's afraid I've developed an eating disorder and I think he may be right. Be careful. Don't get hung up on the numbers. If you hit your goal, just eat more but keep it healthy and stay active. Good luck!
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    I've been maintaining for 7 months, and I am still having trouble eating at maintanace a lot of days. It still seems strange.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,039 Member
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    I think for me, it is about food is not so much entertainment anymore. I enjoy food, but I just feel better on days that I eat enough, not too much, not too little. Enough is harder on some days than others.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    It fades when you realize that you're in complete control and it's your game and others are just playing in it.

    +1
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I'm where you are now - also just in maintenance. The feeling of hesitancy has subsided over the last week or so. I've had a couple of days when I've been over what I planned (still finding my maintenance calories..) and it hasn't had any noticeable effect. I'm still losing a bit, but I've learned it's only the long-term which matters, so I'll do what I did when I was losing, reassess when the month's up (not every week) and TOM comes.
  • Mlkmaid
    Mlkmaid Posts: 356 Member
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    I think hesitancy is actually a good thing. You should eat consciously. I know when I stop thinking about it is when I get the dreaded "weight creep".
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,212 Member
    edited October 2014
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    I was definitely hesitant and unsure my first year of maintenance. No one wants to undo all their hard work losing weight.

    My second year of maintenance was the confidence builder. I had maintenance down that second year. "I've got this".

    Now in my third year of maintenance, the transition is complete. I'm now on autopilot.

    I have my maintenance plan, I've implemented it, tweaked it a few times and it works just as I intended.

    The confidence will come in time. Best wishes!

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  • AmigaMaria001
    AmigaMaria001 Posts: 489 Member
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    Oh for SURE... I am petrified about eating at maintenance now for fear of falling off the wagon and going back to my old habits!
  • MrsATrotta
    MrsATrotta Posts: 278 Member
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    I am no where near maintenance but I know if you made it this far you can work through whatever lies ahead. Good luck!
  • irleshay
    irleshay Posts: 102 Member
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    An extra 100 calories for one day won't add on anything.
    Also, gaining a little during maintenance isn't like this slippery slope you can't recover from. :) I've put on 2 or 3 pounds here or there, felt the pants get tighter. Just step back, eat well again, and exercise -- it comes off. Or reassess if that doesn't work.

    Rest easy and enjoy maintenance!
  • molson55
    molson55 Posts: 59 Member
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    Thank you so much everyone!!! You guys have really put me at ease and more confident about my switch!! Best of luck to all of you as well :D happy eating!
  • Oneironaut
    Oneironaut Posts: 43 Member
    edited October 2014
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    I only started eating maintenance a few weeks ago, but I've been getting less hesitant about it as I've seen my weight stay in an acceptable range. Sometimes I feel like I should be gaining weight rapidly when I'm eating what feels like so much more than when I was cutting, but that weight never comes.
  • cdcjensen
    cdcjensen Posts: 30 Member
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    I've only been in maintenance mode for about a month and still have to remind myself that real people who are of normal weight eat real food all the time and don't blow up again by having a cheat meal, an unusually high calorie day, etc. For me personally, I'm finding that as long as I continue to track and record what I'm doing, it's all leveling out over the course of the week -- I enjoy myself when I go out, but then I really step back the next day and am super disciplined, and then I'm relatively "normal" the other days of the week. Somehow, when I check in on the scale each week (as a gut check, not as an absolute), the number is staying right there with where I want to be. It's slowly showing me that the balance is right -- a little excess here, a little discipline there, and just keeping it in perspective the rest of the time and not freaking out. Good luck -- I'm right there with you with figuring out this amazing new world that is maintenance!
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    Some good thoughts to remember but currently still on my way down but plan to stay with a keto diet if it proves healthy since my number one goal is pain management of the arthritis.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
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    I know I feel like I will gain weight when I eat pizza or choc cake and stuff like that. I guess I feel like I will get carried away. I think it is good to be cautious with stats saying 95% gain their weight back. That is scary so we should watch it but believe we can do this if we don't get lazy and let our old habits creep in.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I did, which is why I only upped my calories half-way (250 calorie deficit) for several months before feeling confident. One of the things I like about the app, rather than the site, is that you can see the average for your week. I feel confident that I'm okay if my weekly average is under my goal even if I go over one day.

    BTW - Almost two years 'maintaining' and I'm 5 pounds under where I started.
  • molson55
    molson55 Posts: 59 Member
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    Thank you so much to everyone who has responded!!! I'm feeling a little better, especially after hearing about some of your successes (and that I'm not the only nervous one). I did up my cals this week by about 100 from my weight loss goal, and plan to slowly add them on until I am comfortable. Scary process, but I'm so ready!!
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,197 MFP Moderator
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    Congrats on hitting maintenance! And thanks everyone for your inputs... as one of the folks who hit maintenance and was also a bit nervous about eating all that extra food. I've been on maintenance for a few months, and have held steady at 130 pounds mostly. I still eat at a deficit during the week, and don't worry about extra calories on the weekends. I have a 135 pound cap. If I hit that number, I'll go back into 'loss' mode until I'm back down to 129 or so, then head back into maintenance... though I haven't had ANY gains yet (YAY). I got rid of all my 'big' clothes, so that's about as much as I can gain and still be able to comfortably wear my clothes. LOL!
  • daynerz
    daynerz Posts: 227 Member
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    Dont worry about perfection of the calculation. For it will never be exact. Judge with pictures and the mirror.

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