Maintainers - how do you keep your head in the game?

flatlndr · October 2014

I've only been in maintenance for a month now, but this what works for me:

When I was in deficit, I simply ate less of everything. Very little excluded; everything was balanced, but calories were reduced
Now that I'm in maintenance, I eat the same foods as before, just a bit more of everything
I still log everything I eat. Otherwise, left to my own devices, I would start overeating again.
My focus now is on building fitness. The weekly routing that works for me is 3x strength, 2x fast cardio (elliptical), 1x long moderate cardio (hiking), 1x rest day.

Best of luck!

ianthy · October 2014

kluvit wrote: »

The only clothes I have are the ones that fit NOW, and I've invested a fortune in them, so I have tremendous motivation to make sure they continue to fit.

To do so, I use the same tools that worked to help me lose:
I maintain a +/- 3 pound range, and reaching the +3 means going back to weight loss strategies...logging everything and staying within macros.

I take breaks from logging, but I always come back if I start developing bad habits, add new foods to my diet, want to focus on exercise goals, or start approaching the upper limit of my range.

I typically eat the same things, but when I add new foods or go to new restaurant, I plan accordingly.

I make choices based on my budget and decide what is "worth it" to me. I still eat some of my favorites such as breakfast tacos, french fries, and ice cream, but typically not all on the same day...all are fine as long as I've got enough calories in the budget.

I even plan for the occaissional binge weekend (2-3 times per year...vacation, holidays, etc.) by increasing workouts and decreasing calories to lose in advance to the lower end of my acceptable range.

I like this approach.

970Mikaela1 · October 2014

I log my food 90% of the time. weigh myself often. lift my weights religiously. enjoy any foods I so desire. been maintaining for almost two years.

bulbadoof · October 2014

the five-pound rule is common:

if you get more than five pounds away from your 'maintaining' weight, it's back to the diet.

skyqueen6 · October 2014

I accidentally lost about 1 lb.

bethleahnutrition · October 2014

I finally have developed the habits to go back to eating healthy, not matter how bad a meal or day is. It almost takes effort to eat bad now for an extended amount of time because it's going against my habits. I can also really feel the unhealthy food making me unfocused and tired all the time. The trick is to go back to eating healthy as soon as possible and not let it go for weeks or months.

skyqueen6 · October 2014

bethleahnutrition wrote: »

I finally have developed the habits to go back to eating healthy, not matter how bad a meal or day is. It almost takes effort to eat bad now for an extended amount of time because it's going against my habits. I can also really feel the unhealthy food making me unfocused and tired all the time. The trick is to go back to eating healthy as soon as possible and not let it go for weeks or months.

Congratulations! Me too

KANGOOJUMPS · October 2014

I have never been fat,, BUT I have to kick butt to stay hot, how bad do you want it??? if you want to be hot,,, then get it in your head,,,hot, hot hot hot,,,, make it happen.

LivingtheLeanDream · November 2014

I try to keep my weight at 134 lbs and no higher than 136.
I keep focused on my fitness as I can pretty much eat what I want (in moderation) now. Mostly I make better choices and keep an eye on portion sizes.
I have too many gorgeous UK size 10 clothes that I want to keep on fitting me lol...that keeps my eye on the ball!

brdnw · November 2014

i weigh myself nonstop and have a designated range i'm allowed to be in depending on what i'm doing. I started to bulk up some and i said i wouldn't let myself get above 220 and now i'm trying to lean down and each week i have a designated weight that i want to be and i adhere to it. If i'm above where my range is, then i make myself do cardio more or be extra strict on my diet.

stuffinmuffin · November 2014

I keep logging, keep exercising and keep my goals interesting (goal tend to be fitness ones).

skyqueen6 · November 2014

I keep logging, exercising, and keep my goals interesting also stuffinmuffin.

skyqueen6 · November 2014

I'm going to vary my routine some next Friday. I am going to try kickboxing.

Unknown · November 2014

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JustSomeEm · November 2014

TastesLikeBurning wrote: »

skyqueen6 wrote: »

bethleahnutrition wrote: »

I finally have developed the habits to go back to eating healthy, not matter how bad a meal or day is. It almost takes effort to eat bad now for an extended amount of time because it's going against my habits. I can also really feel the unhealthy food making me unfocused and tired all the time. The trick is to go back to eating healthy as soon as possible and not let it go for weeks or months.

Congratulations! Me too

Agree as well. There is a day during each month that I designate to eat without regret. Thanksgiving is this month. I can't eat as much as I used to. And I also subconsciously eat healthier foods. It is hard to eat crappy anymore and I'm glad. Plus, I've made exercise a routine that I get cranky if I miss.

yeah - I get cranky if I miss too many workouts too. Makes it tough to fall off the wagon when my hubby and kids are telling me I need to go run for THEIR sanity. LOL!

I eat whatever I want but log it and keep an eye on the scale as well as exercising. I've found I maintain on more than I thought I would. If I hit 135, then I start tightening up my food choices.

Tanie98 · November 2014

i just reached my goal and i am planning to still log my food to keep me accountable

ValGogo · November 2014

how to keep head in game? Don't stop playing.

dnamouse · November 2014

I changed my mindset to fitness and health rather than weight loss.

And I'm a cheapskate, so I don't want to buy larger clothes, I like it right where I am.

Funny about being cranky when missing workouts. I had a headache last night but still got up at 5am this morning to workout. My husband asked me why. Because missing the workout would make me feel worse.

And it made my headache go away

jayche · November 2014

I just keep doing what I'm doing.

rainbow198 · November 2014

What is helping me is to keep going.

Continue exercising and being active daily. Continue being mindful of what I'm eating and my portion sizes. Continue planning out my meals the night before and also planning out my weekend treat meals. Continue writing down everything I'm eating and my workouts in notebook. Continue researching and reading about weight loss and fat loss online and read books and forums. Continuing looking at weight loss transformation photos - I find them very inspirational.

Also what helps me is looking at the small handful of photos I have when I was obese (I don't want to go back there!) and also going shopping for clothes and shoes help tremendously. It feels great being able to walk into any clothing store and buy cute, regular-sized clothes and smaller shoes/boots which gives me more options (my foot shrank two sizes and when from wide to regular width).

I don't feel like this is "work". When I was losing I made sure to do things I could do ongoing. For example it's freezing where I live now. I knew it would be tough to get out of my warm bed to go to the gym, so I decided to slowly build a home gym so I would have no excuses. Best decision ever.

These little things has helped me to maintain so I will keep going!

massimo690 · June 2015

I manage to stay within a weight range 191-195 lbs without too much control . Once I cross the line I start logging food and doing more excercise until I reach the bottom.

vsheetz1 · June 2015

Log everything.
If you don't know how many calories in something, don't eat it.
Weigh weekly - same time, same/similar clothing.
Target maintaining goal weight plus or minus 5 pounds.
Watch out for salt in food, as it will cause water retention and flux your weight.
Lots of fruit and vegetables.

opalsqueak007 · June 2015

For me, maintenance is about the same as when I was losing weight - everything is the same - diet, exercise etc. the only difference is that I get a few hundred calories a day more to eat. I log everything and weigh everything. I will be doing it for life, because I never want to be fat again. I am working towards strength now, as my next goal.

groodlesuk · November 2015

nehushtan wrote: »

Logging.
Regular bicycling.
Logging.
Reminding myself of past failures.
Logging.
Looking in the mirror.
Logging.
Visiting the success forum on MFP.
Logging.
Strength training regimen.
Logging.
Looking at old pictures.
Logging.
Looking at other men my age and older who are out of shape.
Logging.
Looking at other men my age and older who are in shape.
Logging.
Telling my story to other people.
Logging.
Remembering that other people know my story.
Logging.
Fear of failure.
Logging.
Liking my new wardrobe.
Logging.
Noticing that I still have a tendency to overeat sometimes.
Logging.
Threw out my old wardrobe.
Logging almost as soon as I finish what I've eaten.
Knowing that my wife is proud of my success.
Logged consistently for almost 1500 days so I keep logging.
My diet nuggets (see my blog at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/nehushtan).
Logging.
Having a cycle of breakfasts that are easy to make, stock, and rely on.
Logging.
Having calorie-cheap easy-to-make suppers.
Logging.
Having a wife that has been through the process with me and supports me knows what I need and what I can't eat and buys and cooks food I can eat and eats them with me even though she isn't currently on a diet.
Logging.
Knowing that other people are following my example.
Logging.
Not putting logging off to the end of the day.
Making room in the daily calorie budget for a little fun food at the end of the day.
Logging.
Knowing that I can count on myself to keep at it.
Knowing from experience that a holiday or a mistake will not destroy everything.
Knowing that logging is going to keep happening after a holiday.
Remembering to log things that I forgot to put in yesterday's log.
Logging holidays and binges and birthdays and mistakes.
Keeping track of my calories on a weekly basis so I can save up calories for splurges later in the week.
Logging (again).
Logging is honesty.
Logging is another way of looking in the mirror.
Logging is for me not for you.
Persistence.

"This"

sunman00 · November 2015

I've been maintaining nearly 2 years after losing 52lb; it's a mixture of regular logging, regular exercise & knowing what my TDEE is and making sure my macro's are well balanced around it.
oh, and this is a new way of life, not a diet, so I don't eat anything I don't like for the sake of it

gothomson · December 2015

I'm pretty amazed at how similar the approaches are to my own!:

I think "maintain healthy lifestyle" not "maintain weight";
I log every day - and plan meals for the week on a Sunday;
I allow for "celebration" days - Weddings, holidays, birthdays, and get back on track asap afterwards!;
I weigh myself once a week;
I exercise using the same routine x 4 - 5 mornings Aerobic step, in those same mornings I go to the gym x 2 as well;
I have a + & - rule of 4 lbs;
I have got rid of all my big clothes;

Also, I like this feeling! I can now walk up four flights of stairs and not be gasping for breath at the end! And I like to exercise! I never thought I'd say that :-)

faramelee · December 2015

There are so many positive responses here, I can really relate to pretty much all of them!

sistrsprkl · December 2015

I weigh myself every morning, log most of the time, and make exercises/activity part of my life. I like feeling healthy and energetic, wearing smaller sizes, and being strong so it's really not too hard to "keep my head in the game." Of course, sometimes I go way over my calories and sometimes I don't get enough exercise. It all works out though.

nxd10 · December 2015

Habit. It doesn't have to be in the game. I just have to do it - and I just do. My life is set up so I eat healthy and exercise pretty regularly. I notice when I don't feel good when I eat too much (last week for example). And I stop doing it. Logging helps.

lithezebra · December 2015

I've been at this long enough to know that if I stop paying attention, I'll put on weight. I've never put on more than a few pounds without getting back in the game. I've been maintaining for about 20 years.

Maintainers - how do you keep your head in the game?

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