Maintainers for over a year secret?

I've been maintaining at goal for just a little over a year now. I still weigh & log everything that goes into my mouth. This is (for me) what keeps me accountable. It's just part of my daily routine now & requires so little effort I plan on continuing for the rest of my life. I know there are many people that are successful at maintenance without logging, but I know myself well enough to know I'm not one of these people.

llbrixon wrote: »

I think for me...after I get to my goal that I will have to be accountable for my weight. I am slowly learning life style changes that must happen in order not to fall back into bad eat choices and behavior.

The way I see it, we are always accountable for our weight. Here is not the accountability factor, the individual themselves is.

I log everyday. It is the easiest way to make sure I'm not going overboard. I weigh once a week.

*hands up* me me me
2+ years maintaining goal range , I still log most meals and I am active.

I jump on the scales a few times a week to keep an eye that all is well.

I would say have a goal weight range of +/- 3 to 5lbs, when/if you get to either side of that range (and it seems a true gain and not a normal/natural fluctuation etc) adjust calories accordingly up or down.

llbrixon wrote: »

Just curious...How many people have reached their goal, been maintaining for at least a year or more, and still come back to My Fitness Pal to check in once in to post their weight to stay accountable? I am wondering if this is the secret to keeping the weight off.

I'm going on three years. I don't log or otherwise keep any kind of diary. I spent my time learning how to eat appropriately while I was losing and simply carried that over into maintenance. The difference between maintaining and losing weight is a mere handful of calories...an extra snack or two or slightly bigger portions at a meal.

I eat the same way now as I did while I was losing. My diet consists largely of whole foods and meals prepared from scratch, whole ingredients or minimally processed food stuffs. My diet is substantially plant based in that I eat a lot of whole grains, legumes, lentils, seeds, nuts, veggies, and fruit. I do also eat meat and other protein sources and keep it to lean sources most of the time...we eat a lot of cod and salmon, chicken...we eat lean pork or beef probably once every couple of weeks. I get most of my fat from avocados, nuts, cooking oils (primarily avocado and olive) and the like. Basically, my diet is largely based on the DASH diet as my primary purpose in doing all of this was to help better control my hypertension, cholesterol (was through the roof) and blood glucose (was starting to show per-diabetic readings and I'm hereditary pre-disposed).

When I was losing, I pretty much determined that eating out frequently made weight management more difficult that it needed to be so I really dialed that back and continue to only eat out on occasion. As a family, we use long weekend getaways and vacations and other "special" occasions to indulge in eating out...otherwise we have pizza night out every couple of weeks and my wife and I try to have a date night at least once per month if not twice at one of our favorite restaurants.

I also exercise regularly just as I did while losing weight. I actually probably exercise more and with greater intensity now than I did then because I'm not dieting and have more energy to just get at it. I generally ride about 80 miles per week on my bike and I lift 2-3x per week. I walk my dog regularly and do a bit of hiking and swimming in the warmer months. I also do all of the things I did while losing to improve my NEAT...I take the stairs at work; park further away from the office building, stores, the gym, etc.

I weigh myself regularly to make sure I'm on track. Body weight isn't static so you should have a range for maintenance...nobody weighs exactly XXX Lbs all of the time...maintenance is a range, not a specific number. If I see that as a general trend I appear to be putting on actual weight or my clothes are fitting tighter, I'll just cut out a snack or reduce my portion sizes and otherwise analyze any changes in my diet overall and adjust accordingly. Weighing in regularly and being mindful of how my clothing fits, etc ensures that I can nip it in the bud rather than letting it go and putting a bunch of weight back on.

I'm on MFP regularly primarily for the social media aspect...I don't use MFP to stay on track; my habits keep me on track.

I've not been good at maintaining in the past so this will be my greatest challenge but I am determined I'll not add sugar to anything ever again or eat cakes/biscuits but I'm struggling with fruit.....I cut it out and am fearful about bringing it back in in case my weight goes up again. To me the whole thing has been about ditching sugar and eating more nutritionally rich foods.....but can I sustain this?

I've been at maintenance for a couple of years now. Twice a year or so I log my food for a few weeks just to check on my macro balance and make sure I'm getting enough protein and my diet hasn't drifted too far back over to the carb side. It's sort of like rebalancing your 401K once a year.

Other than that, I don't pay much attention to my diet except to eat protein whenever I can. I weigh myself once a week, and if my weight starts trending up, I cut back on sweets, alcohol, and portion sizes and add in another day or two of cardio and in a few weeks it's righted itself again.

"Everything in moderation, including moderation." (Oscar Wilde) - good quote @ahoy_m8

dopeysmelly wrote: »

There is no secret. It's been a tougher journey than losing for me, but the keys are to continue with the behaviors which worked while you lost. For me, that's weighing myself every day, working out by doing exercises I enjoy, weighing my food (most of the time), but accepting I'm human and fall down occasionally.

Actually, maybe there is a secret.. personally I think it's that a lot more people keep the weight off than the stats suggest.

I'm more interested in my fitness goals but the big thing is that it's never over, it's not a journey with a destination but a constant process that needs to be adhered to. You'll find that most people who maintain continue to log, exercise and constantly monitor their weight, eating and exercise to keep things on an even keel. Another thing to remember is that you will likely need to do short durations of weight loss every now and then since pretty much everyone will have a tendancy to regain after holidays, vacations, celebrations or just lax times in their diet and exercise. Just make sure you continue to do what you need to in order to maintain your new liftestyle. The vast majority of people that lose will regain within about two years because they lose the mindset that allowed them to lose weight and soon drift back to old habits.

I have been maintaining for 1.5 yrs and I continue to log and exercise daily. I committed to a lifestyle change and it has been a fun ride. I love being fit and strong. I am in my best shape ever at the age of 55 and I have no plans of slowing down anytime soon. I was just asked last week by a family member " when will you be done dieting? And why are you still losing weight?" I had to explain that I am not dieting...I choose to eat healthier and that I have not lost any weight in over a year. She said to me that I am getting "too skinny" now. LOL Nope, I am the same weight just leaner. Studies claim that most individuals will fall off the wagon and return their previous weight and then some. I refuse to be one of those individuals.

I've maintained for over a year now too, and I echo much of what has been posted already. I weigh myself every day because, for many years, I avoided the scale and that allowed me to have a false sense of "I'm not THAT big!!". Once I saw that number on the scale and decided to take action, I knew that I had to keep myself accountable. I keep my weight within a 5lb range, so I don't stress about normal fluctuations. I also have continued to log my food and exercise every day. Again, it's a matter of knowing that I need tools to hold myself accountable.

I'm just around a year and other than exercising less and eating more, not much has changed. As someone said, I participate with my friends and give back. I also have many other friends who are in maintenance and still log. Seeing their activity motivates me and vice versus. I don't get on the scale much anymore cause it wasn't changing. If I look in the mirror and see less definition then I'm not doing the right thing. I actually enjoy logging my food (although I don't really measure as much). I'm much better at estimating food portions. I'm pretty excited about this new restaurant MFP feature.

llbrixon wrote: »

Just curious...How many people have reached their goal, been maintaining for at least a year or more, and still come back to My Fitness Pal to check in once in to post their weight to stay accountable? I am wondering if this is the secret to keeping the weight off.

I've been posting here for over a year.....started after I'd met my goal and ditched livestrong.com
I track EVERY thing I eat here and track my weight too. Not sure what the secret to maintenance is (I've been at or under goal for 2 years 8 months)...for me it was to not diet. Rather I decided to eat healthy most of the time and move every day.