Maintenance is messing with my mind

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  • marija09
    marija09 Posts: 24 Member
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    as long as you're not bingeing, your new weight will be stabilised. good luck on reaching your target!
  • ZBuffBod
    ZBuffBod Posts: 297 Member
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    My top weight is 5 lbs which I allow myself at holiday seasons. I just adjust my calories, work it off and go right back to maintenance. Don't get so caught up on the weight though...once you start lifting, you may gain weight, but does your clothes fit. May want to keep one or two outfits as your test outfits.
  • marija09
    marija09 Posts: 24 Member
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    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    crb426 wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    Everyone has "fat days" there's nothing you can do other than tell yourself it's just a little bloat (if you even are!) Or you're just having an off day!

    It's funny because after I originally posted this I went through the day having "am I too thin?" moments! See!? Messing with my head! Ha ha.

    I spent the first year of maintenance alternating between I look great and I'm too thin. After a year, the thin days started getting replaced by fat-feeling days. I've been logging this whole time and my weight is fine. It's just the stupid mental games.

    After the holidays and too many "fat" days, I decided to change my maintenance range down five pounds. I'm still at the top of normal BMI, so I have room to do that. Now, after three weeks of deficit with two pounds lost, I'm back to feeling too thin again. Can't win sometimes.

    I'm starting to think that if I can feel both too fat and too thin within the same five pound range, it must be the perfect weight for me. :smiley:

    i know how you feel, i guess that's why anorexics sometimes see themselves as so fat and sometimes as so thin. it must be that we're paying so much attention to some detail that's less than a mm. if i feel good, i usually feel/look to myself as skinny, but if i feel bad, i feel/look to myself as fat. wierd right?
  • marija09
    marija09 Posts: 24 Member
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    crb426 wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    Everyone has "fat days" there's nothing you can do other than tell yourself it's just a little bloat (if you even are!) Or you're just having an off day!

    It's funny because after I originally posted this I went through the day having "am I too thin?" moments! See!? Messing with my head! Ha ha.

    you're right! i tend to focus on the number on the scale, and if that's within my range, i just tell myself that i'm being tricked by little monsters in my head!
  • speeno
    speeno Posts: 55 Member
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    I rarely weigh myself now, I go by the mirror and how my clothes feel.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I think maybe maintaining is "boring" compared to losing weight. When on a diet it's exciting and something look forward to when you weigh, and your weight is down.
    All of a sudden that rush is gone, and replaced with humdrum same weight everyday on the scale.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    it will go when you have done it for awhile. relax, chill. have a drink/.
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
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    You know, this isn't great advice for everyone, but personally I stopped weighing regularly. My focus is now on exercising regularly and just being more active in general. I eat within my maintenance calories most days. I will allow indulgences and compensate for them by eating at a deficit for a day or two afterwards. I don't have those feeling "fat" or "skinny" days when I'm not staring a number in the face. I check in on the scale maybe once a month just to make sure I haven't drifted.
  • AmigaMaria001
    AmigaMaria001 Posts: 489 Member
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    I find maintenance harder than losing. When eating at a deficit I always knew what I was doing and stuck with it no matter what. Now I am scared to death I'll gain all the weight back and lose complete control of myself.
    I kept the weight off for way over a year with only smallish gains which I took control of fairly quickly - until Nov... through Jan. Now I am up 9 lbs and it's really tough getting it back off again. Those last 10 were the hardest for me in the first place and they are not any easier this time.
    When I reached maintenance originally I posted that I had finally hit my goal and someone said, "congrats but now the real work begins..." I thought he was crazy, but I find in my case, he was totally on point with that comment. Maintenance is harder for me. I guess I'm an, "All or nothing" kinda gal - either on a diet or eating like a horse. I want to learn the in between - the eating all things in moderation. Praying I will get there eventually.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
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    brynnsmom wrote: »
    You know, this isn't great advice for everyone, but personally I stopped weighing regularly. My focus is now on exercising regularly and just being more active in general. I eat within my maintenance calories most days. I will allow indulgences and compensate for them by eating at a deficit for a day or two afterwards. I don't have those feeling "fat" or "skinny" days when I'm not staring a number in the face. I check in on the scale maybe once a month just to make sure I haven't drifted.

    I do the same exact thing! I actually found that I saw more "body progress" when I set goals like "leg press 210 - 4 sets of 20 reps" instead of "lose 2 lbs." I only weigh in every three months or so, because I have an OCD mind set that would probably cause me to go nuts if I was weighing in daily.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,711 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I think maybe maintaining is "boring" compared to losing weight. When on a diet it's exciting and something look forward to when you weigh, and your weight is down.
    All of a sudden that rush is gone, and replaced with humdrum same weight everyday on the scale.

    I agree and this is why transitioning to maintenance and learning how to do it correctly IMHO should be emphasized more during the losing phase. It seems like and "end point", but it certainly is not. It's a clear signal to start setting a NEW list of goals. Personally, fitness related goals are my main focus.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    I understand. I started maintenance almost two weeks ago now, and...it's weird. Giving myself permission to start eating more is weird. My new body is weird. The thought of this being the beginning of a lifelong change (not just reaching a goal weight but staying there) is a bit daunting. I hate to say it but I'm obsessed with my scale. I hope as time goes by and I get more comfortable I'll be able to relax, but right now it's all so new and I don't think I trust myself enough yet.....
  • Lynzdee18
    Lynzdee18 Posts: 500 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I think maybe maintaining is "boring" compared to losing weight. When on a diet it's exciting and something look forward to when you weigh, and your weight is down.
    All of a sudden that rush is gone, and replaced with humdrum same weight everyday on the scale.

    Thanks! That makes SO much sense. It IS a rush to see the scale dropping, as just as it is a groaner to see it rise.

    I just began maintenance after Christmas. I had been planning to lose another 5 plus the 4 pounds that came with the holidays.... (I think they were just water retention and food in my system...but it scared the heck out of me.) But I just lost the 4 from indulgence and decided I had lost enough... My husband finally got me to think straight...long story.

    Now I focus on logging what healthful foods I eat and moving my body. I am actually enjoying the walking/jogging and find it takes my focus off food.....

    I think the idea of checking the scale fewer times a week/month and relying on my logging and clothes fit and feel might be a longtime solution....

    Truly appreciate all the ideas you offer here.....
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    brynnsmom wrote: »
    You know, this isn't great advice for everyone, but personally I stopped weighing regularly. My focus is now on exercising regularly and just being more active in general. I eat within my maintenance calories most days. I will allow indulgences and compensate for them by eating at a deficit for a day or two afterwards. I don't have those feeling "fat" or "skinny" days when I'm not staring a number in the face. I check in on the scale maybe once a month just to make sure I haven't drifted.

    I like how you think. I weigh often and sometimes I don't like what I see on the scales despite being well within goal range...I think for me I should do what you do :smile:
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 657 Member
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    Thanks for all the helpful posts! It's just weird adjusting to the new body I suppose.

    On the plus side, I've noticed my butt is firming back up after the serious sag that had been happening throughout the loss. :)
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,135 Member
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    This thread is exactly why I'm here. I was using another app that helped me lose 25+ pounds, but since I don't want to lose anymore, I switched over to MFP to try and focus on maintaining and fitness, not losing! I thought using a different app would help me psychologically make the shift, but I'll be damned if it's harder than I thought!

    My biggest problem is how to adjust my calories in. I was doing probably 1,500/day (sometimes even less) and now it wants me to do 2,000! I want to eat healthy and keep my BF trending down (my goal is to see my abs, if I can get some...), but trying to find another 500 healthy calories when most of my meals are probably 300-400 each... Wow! I need a fourth meal? I've already had snacks going (usually one in the PM), but goodness I just don't think I'm that hungry!

    I've been adding back in things like full cheese, mayo, creamer, butter, etc, to up the calories here and there, but that's not 500. It's like I'm either on a diet and losing or I'm not! The transition is strange. A good problem, but really hard to figure out!

    Enjoying all the posts here, makes me glad I'm not alone!
  • swim777
    swim777 Posts: 599 Member
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    I'm not in maintenance yet, but I'm really close. I know that as I add calories back, I'll see that 3-4 lb increase water etc... This is a dumb question, but as you maintain, do you lose this or do I need to go below my goal and give myself a buffer?
  • irenehb
    irenehb Posts: 236 Member
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    swim777 wrote: »
    I'm not in maintenance yet, but I'm really close. I know that as I add calories back, I'll see that 3-4 lb increase water etc... This is a dumb question, but as you maintain, do you lose this or do I need to go below my goal and give myself a buffer?

    Go to goal weight and gradually increase your calories over a few weeks until you get to your maintenance calories. This should avoid any water weight issues, if this concerns you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    You're overemphasizing some arbitrary number on a scale that is comprised of many things. Put your focus into fitness and good livin'...the rest tends to take care of itself.

    I've been maintaining going on three years and haven't logged a thing in that time save for a spot check here and there the first few months...just good livin' and I'm golden.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    swim777 wrote: »
    I'm not in maintenance yet, but I'm really close. I know that as I add calories back, I'll see that 3-4 lb increase water etc... This is a dumb question, but as you maintain, do you lose this or do I need to go below my goal and give myself a buffer?

    I stopped losing right at my goal weight. My first week of maintenance I ate 100 extra calories a day, and this week I've added another 50. So far my weight hasn't changed at all. I'm just going to keep increasing in small increments until I settle into my maintenance range. At this point I don't think I'm going to see any big jump on the scale.

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