On not gaining the weight back...

francescainwonderland wrote: »

I guess my question is for people who've maintained weight loss -- how do you manage it? What's worked for you?

The simplistic answer is eating the right number of calories to maintain my weight within a few pounds either side of my goal weight.

The tools to do that for me are calorie counting, weighing myself daily to spot trends early and a form of intermittent fasting (helps me adhere to my weekly calorie goal but obviously that's a personal preference and by no means mandatory).

So yes there's an investment in time and effort but the rewards are well worth that investment. One thing I perhaps did differently to many is that my weight loss phase included all the same foods and exercise I enjoy - just simply a smaller weekly calorie allowance.

I'm not sure I'm the right person to comment on this as I'm currently 3 stone down of a total 6 stone I need to lose and am in a very similar position to you I think.

I previously lost 5 stone after having my children, but because a lot of that was down to increased exercise combined with breastfeeding for 4½ years, I never made the lifestyle changes and subsequently regained all the weight I'd lost (and then some of course).

This time round, it's taken a year to lose 3 stone so far, and I'm going to lose the remainder this year, but the main thing I've taken on board is that consistency is key... "slow and steady wins the race"! Your weight is probably going to fluctuate throughout the rest of your life, and I believe that you can't go through life denying yourself all the time because that won't be sustainable in the long term. There will be times you ease up a little and times you want to enjoy yourself (holidays etc) but I think that knowing you can do that occasionally whilst also being aware that your journey is a lifetime one will keep you on the right trend of being in control of your weight in the long term.

My husband has just reached his goal weight (4 stone lost) and I've found myself thinking how I've still got so much more to lose and feeling disheartened, but then I remind myself that if I had given in before, I wouldn't be a year on and 3 stone lighter - I'd be exactly where I was before.

Sorry if I've not worded this well, but I basically mean that I'm in a similar position and what's keeping me going is knowing that I can do this slow and steady and keep it up because I'm much more "aware" this time round. Every month you get through that you've lost or stayed the same - remind yourself that you've achieved something great by not gaining. Keep reminding yourself how well you're doing just by being aware of your food and exercise and not mindlessly letting yourself go back on autopilot again.

I hope that someone who has maintained long term can offer some better advice, but in the meantime I hope this helps xx

The trick is to "catch it" before it gets out of hand by weighing yourself every day and adjusting your intake accordingly.

I have not reached my goal yet, but I periodically maintain during winter every year before resuming weight loss. I set a weight limit for myself that I should not go above and if I'm above even by 0.1 pound I immediately either decrease my intake or quick fix it with one fast day.

Another trick is to eat the same things most of the time. Pre-calculate 20 or so dishes for each meal + snacks and pick from the list. If at some point feel like eating something different, run back to the calorie tool on MFP to make sure you don't overeat it.

Weight gain CAN happen even if you are sticking to eating healthy. It CAN creep up on you if you decrease your activity level without noticing. For example you know you are getting your exercise successfully, but you don't notice if you fidget, walk around and move less during your daily activities. That's why you need to weigh yourself daily.