Time to choose maintenance or "cop out"?
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20yearsyounger wrote: »It's all about balance. You have realized that 115 doesn't give you any extra benefit other than some type of mental bragging rights that don't really matter that much. Great job maintaining 120-122 for a year.
Seconded.
I've been at 172-177 for 3 years; last year I got down to 165 but it wasn't very fun - no carbs after 2pm, no desserts except 1x/week, maniacal workouts...and you are spot on about the bolded above - no one cared or noticed that I was under 170 except me.
Now I just track & stay aware..if scale gets to 175 then I dial it up.
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xMrBunglex wrote: »20yearsyounger wrote: »It's all about balance. You have realized that 115 doesn't give you any extra benefit other than some type of mental bragging rights that don't really matter that much. Great job maintaining 120-122 for a year.
Seconded.
I've been at 172-177 for 3 years; last year I got down to 165 but it wasn't very fun - no carbs after 2pm, no desserts except 1x/week, maniacal workouts...and you are spot on about the bolded above - no one cared or noticed that I was under 170 except me.
Now I just track & stay aware..if scale gets to 175 then I dial it up.
The no carbs after 2 PM sounds like torture. I'm able to keep to the dessert once a week pretty easily -- with a diabetic husband, I just don't keep dessert in the house much. 1 dessert a day basically puts me way over.0 -
expectation management.
goals are not fixed.0 -
TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »OP
I was for months on 1200 had to lose my weight for medical reasons and i did.
My wish/dream/desire was to get to 144 pound
So besides the fact i had to lose weight i started also to have a goal.
Now 8 months later and 96 pounds lighter i feel so damm good.
I have let go the dream. I get slowed upped in calories as my weight goes down ( so i do it reversed) till my journey ends at my maintenance level.
I started with losing 2 to 5 pounds a week ( yes crazy i know but had water was bloated) When i reach Onederland i went to 1300 calories a day. And now at 163 pound i am around 1400.
and i expect to go up again a 100 when i get to 155 pounds..but i wait and see. This is not dont by MFP btw i do a supervised program..but that is beside what i want to tell you.
Now i am in a state of a changed attitude about my weight loss. From having to lose weight i am now at ...meh lost a pound great another one. But i am not worried or impatient to lose it. Never was really but the desire to be 144 pound was all that time there and now its gone.
I am feeling great, younger and doing good. My lab stats are excellent. And i am relaxed about it.
Some days i eat indeed like you said above the 1400 and near maintenance..just because i want to. Because i went out or cooked something special.
To be fair i think and realize now i ended my weight loss journey in a way.
I still will lose weight because i keep doing what i am doing but slower. When i am at 150 pound which is still hard to imagine for me, i wonder how i will feel about it. And if it is such a magic to get to the 144 pound like i wanted before.
So in a way there is acceptation going on in my head. How i am now, getting use to the leaner and fitter person i became again.
And my goal weight is not important anymore. But the way i feel is.
So yes 1400 for now still probably it get upped slowly in coming months. But that is just my program i follow and i am very relaxed about it.
So yes i understand what your saying ( i have a hard time in English to explain to you what i exactly feel about it
).
But i hope i explained how it worked and still works for me.
I have let it go... I am happy and indeed do the same I just watch what i eat and keep counting so i dont gain weight ever again. That is the only important rule i will stick to.
owlhouse , beautiful job!0 -
Not a cop out at all. No shame. I stopped before I hit my goal. It felt right and I didn't see any real reason I needed to lose another pound. What was another 5 pounds really going to do? Nothing significant...other than maybe make me have to go buying new clothes again since I was on the edge of a size. And that's not a positive lol.
I'm going to guess that with your meals out you probably have a decent balance of calories since 1200 a day wouldn't be maintenance for you. Since that's the way you prefer to eat (lower days but bigger on meals out) and you're maintaining, just keep at what you're doing and don't feel like you need to drop calories to lose any more. Way to maintain! I say never change anything that's working if you're happy.0 -
TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »OP
I was for months on 1200 had to lose my weight for medical reasons and i did.
My wish/dream/desire was to get to 144 pound
So besides the fact i had to lose weight i started also to have a goal.
Now 8 months later and 96 pounds lighter i feel so damm good.
I have let go the dream. I get slowed upped in calories as my weight goes down ( so i do it reversed) till my journey ends at my maintenance level.
I started with losing 2 to 5 pounds a week ( yes crazy i know but had water was bloated) When i reach Onederland i went to 1300 calories a day. And now at 163 pound i am around 1400.
and i expect to go up again a 100 when i get to 155 pounds..but i wait and see. This is not dont by MFP btw i do a supervised program..but that is beside what i want to tell you.
Now i am in a state of a changed attitude about my weight loss. From having to lose weight i am now at ...meh lost a pound great another one. But i am not worried or impatient to lose it. Never was really but the desire to be 144 pound was all that time there and now its gone.
I am feeling great, younger and doing good. My lab stats are excellent. And i am relaxed about it.
Some days i eat indeed like you said above the 1400 and near maintenance..just because i want to. Because i went out or cooked something special.
To be fair i think and realize now i ended my weight loss journey in a way.
I still will lose weight because i keep doing what i am doing but slower. When i am at 150 pound which is still hard to imagine for me, i wonder how i will feel about it. And if it is such a magic to get to the 144 pound like i wanted before.
So in a way there is acceptation going on in my head. How i am now, getting use to the leaner and fitter person i became again.
And my goal weight is not important anymore. But the way i feel is.
So yes 1400 for now still probably it get upped slowly in coming months. But that is just my program i follow and i am very relaxed about it.
So yes i understand what your saying ( i have a hard time in English to explain to you what i exactly feel about it ).
But i hope i explained how it worked and still works for me.
I have let it go... I am happy and indeed do the same I just watch what i eat and keep counting so i dont gain weight ever again. That is the only important rule i will stick to.
owlhouse , beautiful job!
ty Mikey you will get there too. You are doing soooo good.
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After being between 120 and 122 for about a year (I managed 118 for only a couple of weeks), I've made the decision that I should focus on maintaining my weight rather than losing and striving for an illusory "goal." I'm 5'1.5", and I had hoped to get to 115 or below, but I have realized that because of my age (56) and size, if I really want that goal, I have to seriously deprive myself. I eat around 1200 or below most days, but I do have days where I go out to dinner with my husband or friends and don't log. If I were to give up those days, or just eat salad at the restaurant, I could probably make my goal. I don't eat like a pig at restaurants (I usually take stuff home), but we all know that with eating out, there is less control of what's in the meal. On the other hand, I feel like I don't want to give up something in my life that is enjoyable for something that is illusory and in some ways, just vanity-based. I don't think I'm going to see huge health benefits from losing another 5 lbs. I walk about 2 miles a day and do kickboxing or zumba twice a week. I had been doing strength training but due to a shoulder injury had to back off on a lot of upper body work for about 6 months. Now I'm just doing yoga for strength and just gradually getting back into light weights and bands. I've been wearing a FitBit HR, and I have to admit even the heavier workouts don't exactly burn a ton of calories (at least not enough to give me 1800-2000 a day like some folks get on this site). Anyway, I've decided to let go of the goal, and decide my new goal is to stay the same weight I am now and maintain a decent level of fitness. I'm planning on sticking below 1200 on most days, and on the "off" days such as "date night" or holiday, just eating intuitively. Is this copping out or giving up, or is it making a choice for an acceptable objective? Has anyone else made a choice like this?
Not at all! I think that is your body telling you what weight it is comfortable at & if you are feeling good, then why fight it?
Goal weight is great but it really should be more of a guideline then doctrine.
There was a thread a while back titled something like "Did your weight goal chose you or did you chose it?" and many people said that their weight chose them, including myself. It's just one school of thought that the body naturally gravitates to a certain weight where it is very comfortable to maintain. And since maintaining IS indeed for the rest of your life, the more seamless & effortless the better imho.0 -
Great post. I'm in the same place, only with a higher weight because I'm 5' 10". I wanted to lose another 8-10 pounds, mostly because 8 would put me at having lost an even 40 and 10 would put me at 180 which is a nice round number (stupid OCD!) but I look good and feel good and I'm having no trouble maintaining where I am right now, so I've stopped worrying about loss and am focusing on staying here and enjoying my new body and mind set0
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I agree with the others, no shame in it at all. I am barely within my normal weight range (I'm 147 and 5'4) I have been maintaining that for over a year, and did initially try to lose some more, but I like the amount I get to eat now and am perfectly happythe way I am!0
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You should go visit the thread that's been active about the 6'0" 22 year old who is 165 lbs. and eating 1000-1200 a day to lose 11 lbs. -- or maybe she should be visiting ours!rosehips60 wrote: »Great post. I'm in the same place, only with a higher weight because I'm 5' 10". I wanted to lose another 8-10 pounds, mostly because 8 would put me at having lost an even 40 and 10 would put me at 180 which is a nice round number (stupid OCD!) but I look good and feel good and I'm having no trouble maintaining where I am right now, so I've stopped worrying about loss and am focusing on staying here and enjoying my new body and mind set
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I'm in the same boat, too. Basically, my goal was to stay in a 127-132 range, and I always hover around 132. I think we're part of a self-selecting group of people who tend to be a little compulsive, maybe not to the point of needing medication, but let's face it, logging what you eat is something only someone with at least some compulsive tendencies is going to do for a significant period of time. So we can fall into focusing on a certain number or an even number. I do find that setting performance goals for physical activities I like (for me, biking and lifting) is a good way to take my mind off the number while still having a positive endpoint in mind.0
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It kinda chose me as well... My goal was 100lbs (I'm 5'1 and very small framed) + I wanted to say I lost 50lbs lol. Anyway... I got down to 105-106 and stayed there for a year while still trying to lose, but it just wasnt happening. I tried bulking, but got injured like 2 months into lifting. During that time, I gained about 4-5 lbs up to 110. I was was starting to feel pretty fluffy and wussed out and started eating a bit under maintenance again while doing light cardio and upper body workouts. Now I'm around 107-108, but my metabolism seem to actually be higher now after eating at a surplus for a while, so I'm able to eat a bit more and maintain. Im Just gonna recomp now when my leg is fully healed and I'm able to kill it at the gym again0
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So nice to read so many posts from other people who are a similar height to me - 5'2'' as I wasn't sure about where to set my Goal Weight. In the end I decided on 125 lb with a 3 lb flexibility either side. Yes, it would be nice to get down to my wedding weight which was 116 lb but realistically I am that much older and my arms in particular wouldn't look any better, so I've decided to congratulate myself on getting back down to 125 lb and try to make sure I don't ever go over 130 lbs - but that will be a challenge during the cold winter months!0
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Its in no way a cop out, I also made same decision last year as I just couldn't get below 133lbs, my original goal was 130lbs, as if 3lbs would have made much difference! this is my happy place as its no struggle at all to stay here so I made my peace with it. I enjoy my food too much and refuse to get hung up on a scale number.0
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annette_15 wrote: »It kinda chose me as well... My goal was 100lbs (I'm 5'1 and very small framed) + I wanted to say I lost 50lbs lol. Anyway... I got down to 105-106 and stayed there for a year while still trying to lose, but it just wasnt happening. I tried bulking, but got injured like 2 months into lifting. During that time, I gained about 4-5 lbs up to 110. I was was starting to feel pretty fluffy and wussed out and started eating a bit under maintenance again while doing light cardio and upper body workouts. Now I'm around 107-108, but my metabolism seem to actually be higher now after eating at a surplus for a while, so I'm able to eat a bit more and maintain. Im Just gonna recomp now when my leg is fully healed and I'm able to kill it at the gym again
110 lbs. is hardly "fluffy" since it's below my goal weight, and I'm your height! Congratulations on a 50 lb. weight loss! You are already making a commitment to your health when you are young, which is so important.
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I can so relate to this right now. I'm 5'5 and have been sitting between 143-145 after losing 20-ish pounds since December. My motivation to lose more has waned a ton because I'm pretty happy with how I look. I wouldn't rock a bikini, per se. But the other 99.9% of life is great.
But then I see these posts of women that are like 115 pounds at my height and I can't help but wonder if I'm a total underachiever or if there is some huge difference in muscle mass because I cannot even imagine hitting that weight.
So I've been changing my mind on almost a weekly basis whether I should maintain or cut a little bit more. I'm thinking of getting my body fat tested as a way to help me decide.0 -
115 lbs at 5'5" is pretty thin -- that's my goal and I'm 4 inches shorter. My sister is around 5'4" and in the 115 territory; she's pretty slim, no curves to speak of.0
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