Maintainance: can everone do it ? and how ?
bobby5112
Posts: 10
Over the years I have known dozens of people who had a successful weight loss 'project' in their adult life, but I only know of 1 or 2 that kept the weight off. 15 years ago I lost weight over 6 months prepping for a competitive summer sport but it didn't last.
In this "Maintenance" discussion board there are good suggestions on the mechanics of maintenance, but little said about discipline of maintaining those good practices. ie. sticking with it long term.
Personally my focus on all my optional interests have been episodic. I undertake an interest or a project for a few weeks or a few months and then I am on to something else. Over the last 5 months I lost 40 pounds, back to my high school track team weight. Now that I have done that I am already tempted to replace the "weight loss project" with something else. The pleasant distraction of something like a week long trip with friends puts me at risk of losing focus on weight maintenance forever . . my mental focus tends to move on to new interests.
Discipline, eating-habits etc are just words that describe behavior. Hearing the words, thinking those words don't make it happen. Ok, maybe saying "just do it" will solve the problem of long term focus
I know that some people exhibit discipline about eating for a life time. My 100 pound wife eats like a bird unless there is a special occasion when she eats like everyone else. I have no idea how to get there. Keeping Oatmeal-Raisin cookies out of the house is a good start. I gave away all of my fat cloths to charities that ask for cloths.
Any good ideas on the mental challenge of keeping the weight off ? Can good eating habits really become a habit for everyone ?
In this "Maintenance" discussion board there are good suggestions on the mechanics of maintenance, but little said about discipline of maintaining those good practices. ie. sticking with it long term.
Personally my focus on all my optional interests have been episodic. I undertake an interest or a project for a few weeks or a few months and then I am on to something else. Over the last 5 months I lost 40 pounds, back to my high school track team weight. Now that I have done that I am already tempted to replace the "weight loss project" with something else. The pleasant distraction of something like a week long trip with friends puts me at risk of losing focus on weight maintenance forever . . my mental focus tends to move on to new interests.
Discipline, eating-habits etc are just words that describe behavior. Hearing the words, thinking those words don't make it happen. Ok, maybe saying "just do it" will solve the problem of long term focus
I know that some people exhibit discipline about eating for a life time. My 100 pound wife eats like a bird unless there is a special occasion when she eats like everyone else. I have no idea how to get there. Keeping Oatmeal-Raisin cookies out of the house is a good start. I gave away all of my fat cloths to charities that ask for cloths.
Any good ideas on the mental challenge of keeping the weight off ? Can good eating habits really become a habit for everyone ?
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Replies
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figure out maintenance calories
eat to that number
continue to weigh/log/measure all food
continue to do some form of exercise...
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figure out maintenance calories
eat to that number
continue to weigh/log/measure all food
continue to do some form of exercise...
Or really, only the first 3 are required. If exercise is omitted then one just needs to figure out one's new estimated maintenance needs (now lower), eat that for a while and monitor.
I mean this is like asking "how do people lose/gain weight, can everyone do it?" Like, yeah of course everyone can. And there are plenty of people who naturally maintain their weight without tracking (some who've used MFP can successfully maintain without tracking as wel, although I'd assume it's not as successful for them).
I've been able to stick to eating at a deficit for over 5 months. It's not hard. Pretty sure I can stick to eating maintenance, and thus more food, comfortably once I reach my goals lol. I will say though that it must be harder for people who do not log their food or track calories in any way, because there is much less control. When I first lost weight years ago it was without any knowledge of my intake, only lots of exercise. So I of course gained it all back when I stopped exercising regularly and kept eating the same and then eating even more.0 -
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You have to keep measuring and logging. Think about it like brushing your teeth and showering. You don't do that as a hobby then quit, you must do it for the rest of your life.0
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In this "Maintenance" discussion board there are good suggestions on the mechanics of maintenance, but little said about discipline of maintaining those good practices. ie. sticking with it long term.
Personally my focus on all my optional interests have been episodic. I undertake an interest or a project for a few weeks or a few months and then I am on to something else. Over the last 5 months I lost 40 pounds, back to my high school track team weight. Now that I have done that I am already tempted to replace the "weight loss project" with something else. The pleasant distraction of something like a week long trip with friends puts me at risk of losing focus on weight maintenance forever . . my mental focus tends to move on to new interests.
I'm kind of the same way. I stayed motivated through the challenge of losing weight, but a month or two after maintaining I felt my interest starting to slip. Maintenance is relatively easy and maintenance is boring. So I decided not to maintain. I am now trying to add more muscle, strength, and endurance. I'm also trying to shed the last bit of expendable fat.
It's every bit as interesting as losing weight was, probably more so.
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One of my MFP friends had an interesting observation today -- the difference between maintaining and gaining 10 pounds over a year is about 90 calories a day. To me, that means you gotta be keep an eye on the scale (or other measurements, if you prefer) -- I don't care how diligent you are about weighing and measuring, your margin of error is bigger than that.0
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Refocusing on a fitness program as you suggest sounds like a good plan. Turns out I am doing the same thing trying to rebuild strength and endurance. So far it has been easy to couple that goal with an ongoing weigh maintenance program.0
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You have to keep measuring and logging. Think about it like brushing your teeth and showering. You don't do that as a hobby then quit, you must do it for the rest of your life.
I'd rather exercise for the rest of my life than log... it's less of a chore! Logging has made me miserable. I lost the first 45 lbs without it, albeit a little slower, and let's face it... it's not like we're going to forget that a single Reese's peanut butter cup is 110 calories... My personal plan is to "cut back" on logging. My food might stay warm that way.0 -
Once I got past the initial learning curve, I've never found logging to be much trouble. The only time I don't want to log now is when I want to eat something and not acknowledge that I'm eating it. Like pizza. I really shouldn't eat any more than one or two slices of pizza, but it's pizza, and there's no way four or five slices are going to fit into my daily allowance. When I'm around pizza I wish I'd never heard of logging calories.0
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You have to keep measuring and logging. Think about it like brushing your teeth and showering. You don't do that as a hobby then quit, you must do it for the rest of your life.
Exactly. Or, not necessarily measuring and logging, but keeping track and staying under your calorie limit.
Also, I think "maintenance" is associated with "monotony" but I've maintained my weight for years but have drastically changed my goals as time goes by. By keeping goals fresh the little things like logging and measuring don't take center focus.0 -
It's not a MUST situation for everyone. It depends on the individual....you must do it for the rest of your life.
I've seen posts in this forum from users that have maintained for well over a decade without logging.
Now the whole brushing teeth and bathing thing... ...yeah, that's something you want to do on a daily basis.
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Have a maintenance range (i.e. a weight range that you are happy within) and just know that when maintaining sometimes you'll be on the lower end and sometimes you'll be on the higher end (like after a week away with friends or a holiday). Track until you know your maintenance calories and roughly what that eqautes to in real terms (what you can eat day-to-day and week-to-week) and then stop tracking if you want to. With this approach you'll also need some kind of method of knowing when you're reaching your upper limit so you can reign things in for a bit (maybe track again for a little while). For me when certain pieces of clothing start to get tight I know it's time for a mini 'diet'.
My point is that if you make maintenance as intuitive as possible it can be sustainable long term. Of course it's going to be a lot easier if you've built good habbits while losing and haven't lost through a quick fix fad diet.
I think that's probably why a lot of people re-gain. They don't view it as a life long issue. They want to lose the weight as quick as possible so that they can go back to the way they were eating before when in reality we know it won't work because the way they were eating before was the reason they were overweight in the first place0 -
Here's what a lot of people go wrong...they lose a bunch of weight and they think they are done...in reality, they're just beginning. You don't stop paying attention just because you've reached some arbitrary number on the scale. In reality, you've only arrived at the starting line of the actual race that you were (or should have been) training for. Unfortunately, people go through all this "training" and never actually run the real race...in their minds, they're done...it's over with...back to the good old days and the good old ways. That'll never work in a million years.
If you look at the people who've had success, they've all made significant changes in the way they live their lives...and I'm not talking about logging a diary...I'm talking about making nutrition and eating well and regular exercise and developing other healthy habits that you take into perpetuity. You have to get out of the mindset that you're going to only be doing this for X amount of time and then you'll be done...because really, you're never done.0 -
you cant spend too much or you get in debt, same way with eating, eat too much and you get fat, calories in, calories out0
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Maintenance is tough, no doubt about it. For me, I have to plan and plan and plan and log. Plan a few major dinners for the week, plan what to buy, buy it all, and execute. I eat almost the same breakfast weekdays, which I don't mind and never feel in a rut. Plan for lunches: bring to work 3-4 days and buy out 1-2 days at the cafeteria or elsewhere. And log it all. I've regained up to 10 pounds a couple times since reaching my goal weight 5 years ago and have reduced it back down each time. I refuse to buy bigger clothes (tossed them all when I lost the weight originally) so as I start squeezing in to clothes I buckle down and lose it again over many weeks. It's a cycle of maintain - gain - lose. Most of the time my gain is a few pounds, which isn't too bad to reduce again (but damn it's so easy to go up 3 pounds in one "bad" week). And it's ok, I enjoy junk food sometimes or eat way too much of something. I'm human.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Here's what a lot of people go wrong...they lose a bunch of weight and they think they are done...in reality, they're just beginning. You don't stop paying attention just because you've reached some arbitrary number on the scale. In reality, you've only arrived at the starting line of the actual race that you were (or should have been) training for. Unfortunately, people go through all this "training" and never actually run the real race...in their minds, they're done...it's over with...back to the good old days and the good old ways. That'll never work in a million years.
If you look at the people who've had success, they've all made significant changes in the way they live their lives...and I'm not talking about logging a diary...I'm talking about making nutrition and eating well and regular exercise and developing other healthy habits that you take into perpetuity. You have to get out of the mindset that you're going to only be doing this for X amount of time and then you'll be done...because really, you're never done.
This says it all.
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I've been maintaining for two years and yes, I still log all my food and exercise. It works for me, takes very little time and keeps me accountable. But more than that, I have completely changed my relationship to food. I spend more time on food preparation, I batch cook, I always have good and healthy food available to me so that I am not tempted to make poor choices. And I always save room for treats and special occasions. That's how I think of it as a lifestyle change.
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My point is that if you make maintenance as intuitive as possible it can be sustainable long term. Of course it's going to be a lot easier if you've built good habbits while losing and haven't lost through a quick fix fad diet.
That is great advice, one example might be using portion control. Half your plate is greens, 1/4 meat, 1/4 carb or something along those lines. Then you should never have to log and maintenance would be easier once that's instilled as a habit.
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Two years of maintenance and I struggled the first year. I kept losing even more weight. I tried to stop logging and go with how I felt. I guess I felt like dieting. I was used to losing weight and feeling hungry. That state felt normal to me. I was down to 124 pounds, not underweight, still within the scale of normal, but on the low end of normal. I started to lift, eat well and pay attention to my protein. I gained to 136, fit well in my clothes. Then I had a tragic life experience. The gains of muscle and losses of fat are still carrying me. I don't know exactly how to explain, except that a person should always strive for the best they can be, because you never know when life will bring you up or bring you down, be the best you can be at all times. Being fit is being ready.0
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I think it boils down to how much does one 'buy-in' to the whole lifestyle change concept vs. lose a few pounds.
Human beings are creatures of habit by nature so yes to the OP question. If you are consistent enough then new conscience routines will become new habits. But the mind has to be receptive to this change and the key is consistency imho.
Just think of it this way, most kids doesn't pop out of the womb volunteering to faithfully brush their teeth of their own accord regularly. They are taught, reminded, & nagged to; probably for a good portion of their lives before it became a thoughtless habit.
Committing to a new healthy eating life is really no different except we don't have parental figures to stand over us policing.0 -
One of my MFP friends had an interesting observation today -- the difference between maintaining and gaining 10 pounds over a year is about 90 calories a day. To me, that means you gotta be keep an eye on the scale (or other measurements, if you prefer) -- I don't care how diligent you are about weighing and measuring, your margin of error is bigger than that.
^^ interesting point...and good to know 0 -
I believe it's extremely hard for people to wrap their mind around the idea that they have to, on some level, watch what they're eating for the rest of their lives (or however long keeping a lower weight remains imperative to them). I know that was something I didn't want to accept back when I lost weight the first time at 19 year of age. I resisted that notion and ultimately, after years of success, regained what I lost and double (for several other reasons as well).
I've had long periods of maintenance at various weights. I've discovered that it's really not that difficult at all for me to maintain in a good 10 lb range. So, for me, getting to goal maintenance shouldn't be much different than maintaining at higher weights that are still significantly lower than my heaviest.
The keys that have worked for me over the last few years that have made me more successful than in the past:
- Accepting how far I've come. That was huge problem the very first time I lost and then regained plus double. Back then it was all or nothing; if I wasn't at goal, I might as well be at my biggest. Learning to accept the work I have put it makes it much easier for me to fight for how far I've gone.
- Not taking weight gain as a big deal. Some panic when they've put on a little weight, as I once did. I don't anymore. If I gain, big deal. It's just a little fat.
- I stopped villainizing food. There are no more "good days" and "bad days". I prefer to eat at least 70% of my diet as meats/seafood, vegetables, nuts and fruits. But I still have wicked sweet tooth and sometimes I overindulge for days, weeks, hell I've had months. But I don't beat myself up, shame myself, or villainize any more. That kind of shame in the past just lead me to continue overeating desserts and getting fatter and fatter.
- Do an exercise regiment that you actually enjoy. It makes all the difference in whether you'll stick to it or not.
- Try to be very in tune with how your body feels at various weights. I'm now VERY aware of even relatively small gains and losses and I hate the way I feel past a certain weight. The discomfort almost forces me to get back on the ball if I've crept up. I can't ever claim that I just gained 15 pounds and didn't notice.
- Being obese again isn't an option. I've had to fall in love not with just how far I've come, but my vision of where I'm going. That vision has to be more real to me than the obese man I'm leaving behind.
Lastly you have to do this in a way that you truly feel you can implement and stick to for life. I personally don't log or count calories; that's not something I'm remotely interested in doing for the rest of my life and I find the thought abhorrent. I lose and maintain with intermittent fasting and making sure I eat a diet that's naturally satiating and enjoyable, without being too calorie dense, with room for indulgences. The IFing is extraordinary. It's actually helped me keep weight gain down during some periods were my usual diet has gotten a bit off the rails and taken a journey through Candyland for way too long. It's gotten to the point where I can't imagine not using some form of IFing in my life, which goes a long way toward aiding me in being able to do it for the long haul.
Find what works for you. That's the major key. In the quest to lose weight, or maintain, lots of people say you "must" do this. Even the above I've stated is all just what works for me. Don't be afraid to break the mold and create your own journey. You're the only one who has to live it.0 -
Also, I think "maintenance" is associated with "monotony" but I've maintained my weight for years but have drastically changed my goals as time goes by. By keeping goals fresh the little things like logging and measuring don't take center focus.
Wow!! You have maintained your weight for years?? Congratulations, that is so inspiring to read. Could you give examples of how you have changed your goals to keep things fresh. I would be so interested to hear how you did that.0 -
Maintaining weight lose long term is statistically slim, indeed. I'm hoping the habits I created will ensure a diet that is healthy and controlled. For example I eat primarily the same whole food, plant based diet daily. I've trained myself to crave these meals and snacks and hope that as long as I prepare these meals as habit, I'll maintain for life. I'm approaching the 3 year mark and all is well.0
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Before I got to my current weight, I had a coworker that said she went to buy some pants and her normal size didn't fit her. Her daughter told her to go the next size up but she refused. She put them back and lost the few pounds to be able to get the size she always gets. At the time I thought that was a little extreme, but had I adopted the same philosophy, I wouldn't be the size I am. So that's what I'm doing - I refuse to buy bigger clothes, only smaller ones. The only valid excuse I'll allow myself for bigger clothes is if I'm pregnant which isn't going to happen anytime soon.0
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I don't think logging is as important in maintenance as when you're shedding fat. Not for me anyway. I have yo-yo'd a few times and am now on the way down again. The last time I really gain a lot of weight. I just went buck wild. When I think back to that mindset I realize I was in denial. I refused to get on the scale to be held accountable for what I was doing. When I finally did, the scale was +80lbs and I was mortified. But I had plenty of signs along the way: GERD, hiatal hernia, clothes don't fit, next size up doesn't fit, etc. But I was enjoying the gluttony. Then I hit rock bottom (long story) and am now obsessed with obtaining a lean and muscular physique like I had a few years ago. My greatest fear and challenge is not losing the weight. I love working out. I have OCD when it comes to not cheating and staying under calorie goals. My fear is reaching my goal and then getting complacent and then not remembering all the work it took and how great I feel when I'm fit. So I've told myself that when I get to my ideal body weight / composition I'm going to weigh myself everyday and make adjustments to my maintenance calories if my weight changes. I'm going to set mini challenges for myself and bask in success when I achieve them. Things like lowering bodyfat to a certain percentage, wearing a skimpy bikini and looking great at 47 years old, maybe teaching aerobics, doing century rides on my bike, etc. I enjoy challenges and I'm going to keep myself nimble for the rest of my life. I am going to enjoy indulgences every once in a while but not often. I will have a great guilt-free meal but won't take home doggy bag. No junk food in the house. Get rid of every oversized piece of clothing I own so that if I gain an ounce (slight exaggeration) I will know it. I'm going to remember the 1000 other things I love doing that have nothing to do with food and go do them. I'm going to take care of my body because I want to live a long healthy life.
Ultimately, you have to find our own motivation for maintaining, losing or whatever. I have a cousin who transformed her body more than a decade ago. She never gets too far off course. She always wants to lose a few stubborn pounds but will never let the wheels fall off. I totally respect that. It's about self control. It's not a life sentence because we all have to watch what we eat forever. Just like others have said, it's just another necessary thing that we shoudl do everyday like driving on the correct side of the road, not speeding, brushing teeth, going to work, bathing. It shouldn't be that hard. I truly believe I will be successful this time because I now realize that their is no end of the rainbow. This will just be an intro into a new, healthier life and that's a lifelong thing. I'm not thinking about exhaling when I reach my goal body. I'm thinking about the life I will have that involves healthy eating, consistent exercise and more energy to really enjoy all the things life has to offer that aren't food.0 -
Thanks for the post. I have been in maintenance about a month but mostly been keeping the same routine...logging food and continuing to exercise. I too have had the weight loss "success" in the past only to see it all come back. Logging is a pain and so is daily exercise. On the other hand, I like the new look and want to keep it. I feel much better and can do more things with less stress. I will probably keep doing the same things that got me here for good. I do quite a bit of business travel but manage to maintain my weight (which is hard...it's tough to exercise in hotels and there is much food temptation on the road) but, so far, the logging and working out are working. In the past, I viewed it as a diet. Now its a lifestyle.
The next big challenge...my sons come home from college next week and the house will return to feeding large young men. Portion control will be critical! In addition, they often bring donuts around!!0 -
I maintained my weight for almost a year after I lost my first 80 something pounds. I watched what I ate and continued to work out at least 4 or 5 times a week. Maintenance is easy if you make that healthy lifestyle an actual lifestyle. Once I decided that this was my life and I enjoyed living it that way it became easy and I maintained without much of a second thought (Unless Jack in The Box tempted me...).0
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