i lke this better than the success thread

elisa123gal
elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
edited November 1 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
because i see you folks who have done it and what you're doing to keep it off. I have always wondered if any of you were out there. Is there life after the diet? Does it work for anyone?

Question... do you find exercise if more important in keeping the weight off? Or was it more important in taking it off.

Thanks.
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Replies

  • Seesawboomerang
    Seesawboomerang Posts: 296 Member
    For me, yes, exercise is way more important than watching what I eat.

    But overall, for everyone, it's important to view this as a permanent change in lifestyle, not just a quick-fix diet.

    I'm less concerned now with what my weight is, and more concerned with whether I eat well and exercise often.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Exercise was and is the key for me. I've never been a binge eater and I've eat a pretty healthy diet for decades. But I am not satisfied eating little enough to get to or maintain a healthy weight without exercise.

    This is a good thing, because it keeps me motivated to exercise and it is necessary for long term good health.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    Exercise is very important. I like having muscle mass and lower body fat because of lifting, it keeps me looking youthful, full of energy, my skin looks better, I could go on and on about the benefits. I can also eat a lot more!

    I lost my weight doing both, but diet was the more important element at the time. Now I keep a balance between healthy eating and exercise 5 times a week. It has become an addiction for me and I don't feel good unless I get my lifting on!
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,257 Member
    :flowerforyou: the only thing I changed when I reached my goal weight was to add a few more calories of food to my day----the same things I'd been eating all along and have an occasional meal that was not my usual food.

    :flowerforyou: I probably exercise more now than I ever did,
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    Hi! If I didn't exercise, I'd just have to eat less, so I can't really say one is more important than the other. To maintain my weight now, I eat around 2000. If I exercised less, I'd probably maintain on 1700-ish. I reached my goal weight about 9 months ago but I go back and forth between thinking I'd like to lose a few more and thinking I'd like to maintain :smile:
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    The weight loss maintenance research says exercise is key to maintaining and diet is key to losing. And a lot of exercise (I'm nervous) - like an hour a day. Hence my fitbit and focus on moving.

    Personally, I just know that I've hit what is a good weight for me and I want to look trimmer. My arms and legs have good muscle now, but I need to work on my abs and back and aerobic health. It just feels better. AND I can eat more without worries.

    The weight loss is good, but the exercise keeps you healthy. Frankly, I started this whole journey to avoid getting the diabetes and heart disease that runs in my family. The looking good part has been an unexpectedly pleasant bonus.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I have to agree with the need for exercise to keep weight off. I've found that the times I lost weight I could stop watching my food if I kept up the walking but as soon as I stopped that I put it back on. This time I'm not going to stop.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I've been on maintenance for well over 2 years now. Don't know about the research, but for me personally, maintenance doesn't depend on exercise. It's all about the eating, just like it was for weight loss. Exercise is important to me for other reasons: good health, stress management, energy and aesthetics. :flowerforyou:
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    For me, yes, exercise is way more important than watching what I eat.

    But overall, for everyone, it's important to view this as a permanent change in lifestyle, not just a quick-fix diet.

    I'm less concerned now with what my weight is, and more concerned with whether I eat well and exercise often.

    This.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    ... Is there life after the diet? ...

    I was never on a diet. I made a lifestyle change. There's no "after" with a lifestyle change. Life just goes on. :smile:

    If by diet you mean calorie deficit, then yes, life goes on once you reach goal. You just adjust your calories up to maintenance and keep making healthy choices more often than not. Make little adjustments as needed. :drinker:
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    I have maintained a 90 lb loss for almost two years, and it's the exercise that keeps me motivated.

    There are so many things I can do physically not because I'm strong, but because my body is light - it makes it fun! I can do pull ups, burpees, push ups, lunges, rock star jumps, pipe crunches, you name it!

    There is no effing way I would be doing these same exercises at 215 lbs - I would break something in the process if I tried.

    Oh, and there is the fact that clothes shopping is so much more fun too.
  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
    I love this thread :heart: Thank you to the maintainers for sticking around to teach everyone how it's done :drinker:
  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member
    I was just reading another thread in this forum, and for what it's worth the overall tone in here is more reasonable and calmer than elsewhere. People seem to have more patience and are willing to go in depth into actual discussions about things! Sort of shocking.:flowerforyou:
  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
    I was just reading another thread in this forum, and for what it's worth the overall tone in here is more reasonable and calmer than elsewhere. People seem to have more patience and are willing to go in depth into actual discussions about things! Sort of shocking.:flowerforyou:

    I agree!
  • manhn1
    manhn1 Posts: 137 Member
    Question... do you find exercise if more important in keeping the weight off? Or was it more important in taking it off.

    It really depends on how much weight you originally needed/wanted to remove. If it was a substantial amount, exercise isn't that important. But when you get to the 25lbs or less stage, I think exercise becomes more important. Besides the issues of fitness and strength, exercise allows you to explore, manipulate and view your body in different ways.

    And I think the reason exercise is such a constant for people in maintenance mode is because exercise enables people to *actively* engage in directing and leading their health. The intake of food (or lack thereof), it's a bit more passive. I *do* lift weights. I *do* run. I do *not* eat donuts. I do *not* drink soda. Being proactive in your life just makes it easier to continue on with your health choices.
  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member

    And I think the reason exercise is such a constant for people in maintenance mode is because exercise enables people to *actively* engage in directing and leading their health. The intake of food (or lack thereof), it's a bit more passive. I *do* lift weights. I *do* run. I do *not* eat donuts. I do *not* drink soda. Being proactive in your life just makes it easier to continue on with your health choices.

    Wholeheartedly agree with this! If you're in maintenance, you've discovered through your past weight loss/fitness success that you have to be proactive...exercise is one way that this proactive mindset manifests itself.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member

    And I think the reason exercise is such a constant for people in maintenance mode is because exercise enables people to *actively* engage in directing and leading their health. The intake of food (or lack thereof), it's a bit more passive. I *do* lift weights. I *do* run. I do *not* eat donuts. I do *not* drink soda. Being proactive in your life just makes it easier to continue on with your health choices.

    I love this so much. I'm going to focus on this thought during my next workout!
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    I didn't do any type of exercise during weight loss and now that I'm in maintenance I'm walking around 10 miles a week. That's enough for me :)
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    Regularly watching the scale is the most important thing to do.
  • erikmsp72
    erikmsp72 Posts: 137 Member
    It's a both/and thing. I do watch the scale, because I don't want to not-pay-attention, you know? But exercise is so good. Every aspect of my workout that I complete feels like "Hey! I accomplished something!" . . . and it has changed my body in really good ways. I am physically stronger now than I was, I can eat more now than when I was not exercising, and I just enjoy moving now.

    So I think I need to do both. Consider what works for you, though.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I think exercise was my missing link all along. Food is important, but my eating was never THAT bad. I just wasn't active enough to be able to eat like I wanted.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    I think exercise was my missing link all along. Food is important, but my eating was never THAT bad. I just wasn't active enough to be able to eat like I wanted.

    Same here
  • perfect_storm
    perfect_storm Posts: 326 Member
    Once I reached my goal through diet and exercise I stopped logging food but continued to exercise I have maintained my weight w/o a problem for 2 years. I also enjoy wine and occasional treats but I do still eat healthy just eat more of it than the 1200 I was assigned. So basically what I am saying is I need to exercise to keep the weight off but diet is less of a concern now.
  • crisbabe81
    crisbabe81 Posts: 170
    ... Is there life after the diet? ...

    I was never on a diet. I made a lifestyle change. There's no "after" with a lifestyle change. Life just goes on. :smile:

    If by diet you mean calorie deficit, then yes, life goes on once you reach goal. You just adjust your calories up to maintenance and keep making healthy choices more often than not. Make little adjustments as needed. :drinker:

    QFT..
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    bcattoes wrote: »
    Exercise was and is the key for me. I've never been a binge eater and I've eat a pretty healthy diet for decades. But I am not satisfied eating little enough to get to or maintain a healthy weight without exercise.

    This is a good thing, because it keeps me motivated to exercise and it is necessary for long term good health.

    ^^ totally agree with this ☺
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    jlapey wrote: »
    I think exercise was my missing link all along. Food is important, but my eating was never THAT bad. I just wasn't active enough to be able to eat like I wanted.

    Same here


    ^^ .this ☺
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited November 2014
    elisa123gal wrote: »
    because i see you folks who have done it and what you're doing to keep it off. I have always wondered if any of you were out there. Is there life after the diet? Does it work for anyone?

    Question... do you find exercise if more important in keeping the weight off? Or was it more important in taking it off.

    Thanks.

    I think it's important either way....because fitness is important to your general health and overall well being. I don't tend to view my exercise as a weight control tool...that said, if I didn't exercise regularly, my maintenance calories would not be nearly enough for me to eat the way I like to eat.

    I have maintained for over 18 months now without logging...I developed an abundance of healthful habits when I was losing weight which I took with me into maintenance...It's the combination of those healthful habits as well as being continuously mindful and aware that have been the key to my maintenance thus far.

    In the end, it all comes down to energy balance and consumption...you can exercise all you want, but if you're consuming more energy (calories) than your body requires, you will gain weight. There are plenty of fat people out there who exercise religiously...

  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Yes, exercise is crucial. It makes my maintenance calories high enough that I don't fall off the wagon, and the fitness goals I've created give me a reason to stick to my calorie/macro goals.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    you cant outrun your fork. Or at least I cant. So watching what I eat is way more important than working out.
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
    edited November 2014
    elisa123gal wrote: »
    because i see you folks who have done it and what you're doing to keep it off. I have always wondered if any of you were out there. Is there life after the diet? Does it work for anyone?

    Question... do you find exercise if more important in keeping the weight off? Or was it more important in taking it off.

    Thanks.
    I lost my weight over a 2 year period - 93 pounds total in 2010-2011.
    I have maintained weight for 3 years now since November of 2011.

    Though a huge believer in exercise - both cardio and strength - nutrition is 70% of the equation when it comes to health and wellness.
    When it comes to fitness and physique, exercise is a must, or you end up just some skinny, little healthy person.
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