What are you doing during weight loss to prevent future relapse?

I have gained weight again, but due to pregnancy. I kept up the exercise and logging throughout pregnancy though, so I was easily able to get back into exercise after my 6 week check and was still pretty fit. The only thing I still struggle a bit with (7 months post partum) is abs.

Once I reach my goal weight (again lol) I will always have exercise challenges for myself which will keep me going. Can I run in a better time? Can I lift heavier weights?

I've been eating the same way for so long that I can't imagine eating badly. Then again, I never really have. For me, exercise is the important thing, I need to keep pushing myself.

I've yoyo'd since junior high. Unfortunately, I know the statistics all too well.

This time I have a new mindset that will hopefully hold me through this.

First, I'm making exercise part of my life (as in part of my social life). My husband and I work out together. We run races for fun. We play tennis or go skiing with friends. We go for walks after dinner to chat. It's way more built into my lifestyle now and I'm actually enjoying it and having fun. I think that's the real key for me:exercise being something that I enjoy and not something that I dread.

Second, I'm planning on always having goal. My goals right now are my goal weight (obviously) and running a sub 35 min 5k. Then it will be a sub 30 min 5k. Then maybe a sprint triathlon. Basically, I'm going to continue to set fitness goals, so that I always have something to strive for and don't get complacent.

Third, my weight will most likely be a huge focus for the next 5-10 years. We're planning on starting a family soon and I will be tracking my weight during and post pregnancy. It kind of goes hand in hand with number 2 though. Obviously I'll gain some weight during pregnancy, but my plan is to keep it within the healthy range and then to lose it afterward. Obviously, there are some health conditions that can change that and I don't have a crystal ball, but regardless of how my weight gain goes during pregnancy, I'm practicing the skills to lose it now.

Finally, I'm a lot more forgiving of myself than I have ever been. I'm determined to not give up. I used to give up if I wasn't perfect. Now I'm focusing more on taking each day at a time. It doesn't matter if I wasn't perfect yesterday, what matters is what I do about today.

the reason for the "<insert overwhelming percentage here> of diets fail" statistic is that many people think they can go back to their old habits once they've reached their goals. there's no magic elastic waiting to snap you back once you stop moving forward, but anyone who thinks they can simply pick up their old life where they left off once the diet is done is missing the point completely. weight is a result of how much one eats and how much one moves. if you want to change your body permanently, you need to change the choices you make regarding it... permanently.

i gained 30 lbs over the last year through stress eating. i fell back into old habits and my body started falling back to my old body. that wasn't my diet "failing" or some magic elastic pulling me back against my will, that was my poor judgment, plain and simple.

my plan is to be more vigilant this time around, and make no room for excuses.

It was a long process to get to where I am, and I'm still not where I would like to be yet. This is what works for me, most was a reaction or solution to a problem I had a few years ago.

I usually eat 5 or 6 times a day, I don't like to go more than 4 hours without something. It just makes me grumpy, tired or scattered when I do.

I only eat when I'm hungry, I eat slow, drink water and I stop when I'm sated not full. If I have eaten a reasonable portion of food but still feel hungry I drink a glass of water and wait another 15-20 minutes then I eat a 100-200 calorie snack.

I eat 80-90% whole foods (dried beans, grains, fresh or steamed vegetables, fruit, meat) I usually only season with herbs. Most of my recipes contain less than 4 ingredients, none of them contain pre-packaged foods as an ingredient. (That's a pet peeve of mine)

For the other 10-20% of 'junk' or prepackaged food like chips, chocolate, iced cream, etc. I will weigh it and break it down into single servings before I put it away. I do this with fruit, nuts, berries and the vegetables I eat raw too.

I usually drink about 10 glasses or so of water a day, when I need caffeine I drink hot or cold teas instead of soda and I no longer sweeten them. I enjoy the occasional coffee (but currently watch my caffeine intake and keep it under 200mg a day.)

Exercise is something I look forward to, when I miss a day I get all antsy so I usually at least take a walk. I couldn't stop if I wanted to at this point because it's my stress release.

I weigh myself twice at the gym, before and after a workout (to make sure I drink back enough water.) So if I did start to gain weight I would be aware of it pretty quickly.

I physically can't eat some of the foods that I used to, after I discovered which foods I reacted to and eliminated them my reactions got worse and worse so I never have to worry about going back to those.

Beyond that, I'm older now and I am just in a much better place emotionally that I ever have been. I've learned to deal with stress in a healthier way, I've learned to take care of myself and try to get a proper amount of sleep when I can. I am far from ideal, but I am much happier with who I am.

lemurcat12 wrote: »

gradually slid out of my good habits, starting with exercise.

^^^This...

Daily exercise IMO, (both purposeful and NEAT) is the foundation of energy balance.

I made this not only about my body, but my mind as well. I keep focusing on how I am changing as a person inside and out - and I take time to say "good bye" to the old me...especially when I crush it in the gym.

I always keep in mind "can i do this forever"...and if the answer is no...then I dont do it. Keep things new and interesting, like you said. To try new exercises and new lifts, new foods, new meal plans. Even after I reach my goal of 100lbs lost...I still have a pile of goals to accomplish afterwards. This includes watching BF%...as well as having an annual fitness/mental challenge for myself (biking long distance, swiming open water, etc)

I have also looked into certification and am now doing a nutrition cert. I may never become a personal trainer...and that is okay if I dont. The information is priceless and I find having that education really makes it hard to turn back to old habits. I have also taken this journey slow. It has been over 2 years now, and that is just 2 years under my belt I have of being able to say I have kept the weight off. If I plateau...I always say to myself "I am now practicing for maintenance".

Hi everyone, new to the board but not knew to dieting and binging. It was really hard to finally after a lifetime of dieting to loose the 50 lbs. I did it. Unfortunately I did not loose the cravings with the 50lbs. I will not put that weight back on. So know I fight the battle 50lbs lighter. Those cravings are brutal once you give in they get worse and worse until you hit rock bottom as I have after gradually gained 1-8 pounds back mostly water. I have stopped the ride by joining MFP. I have come to the conclusion that I am addicted to Sugar, Salt and Fat and if I can stay away from those three things I can have an amazing life, healthy, energy, sleep good, mood is good and I look younger. When you think of it their is really nothing that I can't have to eat. My goal now is to loose 15lbs. I am the same height as Marilyn Monroe and she was 154lbs.
Have a great day.

FortWildernessLoopy wrote: »

Iwishyouwell wrote: »

That's a lovely shade of naivete you're sporting there. Or is it arrogance? So hard to tell sometimes.

On the road for a few months and already you not only know you'll be the one to never regain, but also you're so smart about the reasons other people do. It's because they "diet", and you're, a few months in, the one who made a "lifestyle" change, therefore you're immune.

Yes. I'm sure everyone who made a "lifestyle change" has experienced perfect weight maintenance. And only the big, bad "dieters" are the ones who regain. Sure.

Read it as you wish, but I wrote it both in answer to the OP's question and also because I am a 42 year old female who has gained weight back before whenever I'd lose it due to , yes, 'dieting'. Your damned right I have the answer. So does everyone else. It is a matter of choice and I am choosing not to fall back into the stupid habits that made me have to lose the weight in the first place. This isn't something that is out of my (or your) hands. It's hardly naivete nor arrogance. The word you are searching for is determined.

Your determination is admirable. Everybody here is determined. Keep in mind that, like you, most of us have been in this rodeo for awhile. Some of us have regained after long maintenance periods (such as myself). We all know it's within our control.

So your determination isn't the parts I, and apparently a couple others, took issue with. It's being 8 months into your latest endevour, which you have not walked out long enough to even remotely call a set "lifestyle change" yet, but your insistence that you're doing it the right way, and everyone who regained is doing it the wrong way.

Here's the thing, the thing that many, many find out; you can have all the answers, determination and knowledge in the world...and still rebound. You can make a "lifestyle change", totally own your role in your own weight gain, throw away all your dieting books, reach goal, and maintain for years and years...and still regain.

Because this is a life long journey and sometimes, as determined as we are, we falter. Actually most people falter eventually. Which is what this thread even exists.

If it were as easy, or as pat, as your posts suggest, the failure rates wouldn't be astronomical.

A little humility, and a healthy dose of reality, go a long way.

FortWildernessLoopy wrote: »

I am the same height as Marilyn Monroe and she was 154lbs.
Have a great day.

Marilyn Monroe was not a 154 pounds. She fluctuated, like many people, but at her smallest she was 115 pounds. The woman was curvy as hell, but she was usually very small.

http://starcasm.net/archives/169858

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Find new goals to achieve. Or reset current goals for bigger ones. Be adaptive.

1.) Make goals that are not centered around weight loss, like increasing lifting numbers, decreasing run times, etc.
2.) Continue logging my food. I plan on doing this forever.

As someone who has been down this road more than once, I don't think there is any trick. You simply have to want it. When you stop wanting it, you'll regain.

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

As someone who has been down this road more than once, I don't think there is any trick. You simply have to want it. When you stop wanting it, you'll regain.

^^^ This.

I have realized that this will be a lifelong task. No end date. Which do I want? Candy and junk and all that comes with it (e.g., fat, pain, unhealthy, embarassed, lazy, unhappy)? Or being fit and all that comes with it (e.g, being strong, energetic, pain-free, healthly, confident, happy)? It's a choice and I choose the latter. So I'm holding myself accountable, always. I will never allow myself to go so far off course again. These have been the most miserable 2 years of my life. The key for me was realizing that there are so many other things in life that I can do with my time besides eating crap. And eating crap has prevented me from enjoying those things because it made me fat.

maxit wrote: »

Iwishyouwell's cynicism aside, life is all about making choices. One can't control a lot of what happens outside one's skin, but one can choose how to respond. FortWilderness is making choices today, and states determination to be mindful for the days to come. That, in my opinion, is the key. Determination does not equal outcome, but if it is backed up with action, intention is likely to be fulfilled.

I've lost over 110 pounds (and counting), likely more than the majority people around MFP. And I've experienced maintenance a lot longer than most with a previous effort. I've been where FortWilderness, and many others are; high on early success, determined that getting fat again wasn't possible, a bit judgemental about others who rebound, the whole nine yards.

The statistics speak for themselves. It's not cynical to acknowledge that the chances for rebound are astronomical and it works against all of us. Most people who lost and eventually regained were "determined". Slapping a "determination" label on maintenance doesn't magically excuse you from potentially being one of the 8 or 9 in 10 people who fail at weight loss maintenance. The choices you're so determined about today don't necessarily speak for the actions you'll take tomorrow.

Being real about the odds, and aware of the huge potential to rebound, is helpful in the long run. It helps keep you vigilant, humbled and aware. There is nothing cynical about that.