Long time maintainers how do you do it
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47Jacqueline wrote: »I've been maintaining for a while. I log most days, but if I'm out of tqqown or at an event, I don't. Also, I don't go back and log after I've finished for the day. I changed my status to "very active." and it seems like I'm eating all the time just to stand still. My brother commented on this when I visited last week. ;-)
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Bookmarking this thready to keep me motivated to maintain.0
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I maintained for the first 30 years of my adult life from about 123-133 (am 5'2"). Before calorie counting and apps, if I gained I ate more salads and less junk food. When I turned about 52 I slipped up to a 130-140 range. Too high and here I am. At 124 again I'm trying to utilize the common sense of my past with the high tech of today. Somewhere in the past decade I got tired of paying so much attention. Silly me. I loved the check book analogy. Oh, and I've worked out my whole life.2
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I've stayed at my maintenance weight of 150 lbs. with no problem, for the last 2 years. I am a 5 ft. 8.5 in. female, 56 yrs old.
I eat a whole wheat cereal with a half a glass of OJ for breakfast, with 4 oz of vegetable juice, most mornings. I have a flavored Greek yogurt for lunch, and a big, old fashioned, home cooked meal for dinner, including dessert. I eat no snacks between meals and nothing after dinner. I never drink soda pop, regular nor diet. And I never drink creamed, sweetened, or flavored coffee or tea. Only water and black coffee for me. And no alcohol either.
I do one hundred Burpees, spread throughout the day, as my form of exercise. I also take a couple of flights of stairs, routinely, at a running pace, in my building. I play piano also, 1-2 hours a day, which is a form of exercise.
I track all my calories in a calorie app, and log all my exercise calories burned too.
This all seems to do the trick of keeping me at goal weight of 150 lbs.
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I'm 5ft 8 currently at 140lb and really struggling to maintain. I cycle and run a lot and despite wearing a heart rate monitor when I train to try and keep an accurate account of the calories I'm burning I can't get the balance right and I'm still dropping.
The easy solution is to eat junk food but then I yoyo up and down and is not what I want to do. Any tips would be appreciated1 -
Been maintaining for a year. I still track my calories in and try to do it honestly, no matter what. I'd love to do 10,000 steps a day but can't get it in most days but do make sure I don't do fewer than 5,000 steps.0
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It's a great question. I peaked at 215 lbs in 1999. Once I 'woke up' to how big I was, I jumped on it. Time didn't matter to me as I just wanted to be healthy. Looking at my logs (I still have them!), I reached my goal in 2004 (a total loss of 65lb). I have been maintaining between 150-155 for 12 years! What that meant was as soon as I reached 156, I logged. every. time. I NEVER allowed myself to gain more. I heard about MFP just this January as I was struggling getting back to 150. Best decision in my life. 12 lbs down and I'm at 145 just by following the rules. (I do TDEE and am SLOWLY increasing my food towards maintenance). Also, I did NOT exercise to lose my first 65 lbs. I wanted so much to succeed, I focused on one thing at a time. Food. I had exercised previously and had an solid muscle base that I believe helped to lose the weight. After I had my food figured out, I added exercise back in. As an added note, as my daughter found herself reaching 216 a few years ago, she texted me one day, 'I'm ready' and we've been a weight losing team since! We text our successes and our frustrations. We talk about body image issues and insecurities. I'm so incredibly proud of her.7
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12by311 wrote: »
Also, I've basically maintained my weight for 9 years now. Had two pregnancies during that time as well.
Oh and one more thing, weigh at least once a week, even when not trying to lose!Geeze louise. Two pregnancies and you kept it off! Congratulations!!!!! My mother had 4 kids, and she is so tiny and frail still. Although she kept her physique, she didn't keep muscles. I WISH I could push her to do a little bit of strength.
Another pregnancy now. My youngest is almost 10 months old. I'm 8 lbs from my normal adult weight - which is my first goal. But I want to cut more to show more muscle definition.
Same thing applies as what I stated 1.5 years ago. I would also add weight lifting specifically when being active. The older I get, the more important I see this. I've been lifting on and off since I was about 13 years old (33 yr old now). I definitely think my muscle mass helps me "bounce back" after pregnancies and just in general with being able to do things in every life.-2 -
About dead from forty years of yo yo dieting results I just flat out stopped dieting to lose weight and started eating to be healthy only in late 2014. It worked and as a by product some weight came off putting me at 200 for the first time in 22 years and the body has maintained there for one year now. The pain management control by my way of eating was my initial objective. The control is good as well as my health markers are improving.
I do weight my body each AM to track my net CICO results and check my breath acetone levels to monitor my macro compliance. At 65 this is working for me and I plan to continue to do so until I get new info that may require a modification to my way of eating. If my weight goes over 205 for a week I just do not eat the last meal of the day and right before bedtime for a couple days and monitor my weight.
I agree with weight manage success is only success if we keep it off for the rest of our lives.1 -
I tell myself I'm a contracted afl footballer and need to keep my skin folds in check. I also tell myself I get paid to do my "2nd job" exercise.
I was tempted and had this pyscological urge for 3 days in a row to buy an Easter egg but for all the wrong reasons (for comfort) and each time what stopped me was seeing fat people all around me buying the chocolate and I'm thinking do I really what to look like that again. I also tell myself it's not on my list of foods to eat as I am an athlete. I walk around the shops with a cockiness about me haha
This works a treat.4 -
I tell myself I'm a contracted afl footballer and need to keep my skin folds in check. I also tell myself I get paid to do my "2nd job" exercise.
I was tempted and had this pyscological urge for 3 days in a row to buy an Easter egg but for all the wrong reasons (for comfort) and each time what stopped me was seeing fat people all around me buying the chocolate and I'm thinking do I really what to look like that again. I also tell myself it's not on my list of foods to eat as I am an athlete. I walk around the shops with a cockiness about me haha
This works a treat.
Haha, I love this idea!0 -
GaleHawkins wrote: »... and check my breath acetone levels to monitor my macro compliance.
Holy moly- how? Can you smell your own breath, or do you have some device?
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GaleHawkins wrote: »About dead from forty years of yo yo dieting results I just flat out stopped dieting to lose weight and started eating to be healthy only in late 2014. It worked and as a by product some weight came off putting me at 200 for the first time in 22 years and the body has maintained there for one year now. The pain management control by my way of eating was my initial objective. The control is good as well as my health markers are improving.
I do weight my body each AM to track my net CICO results and check my breath acetone levels to monitor my macro compliance. At 65 this is working for me and I plan to continue to do so until I get new info that may require a modification to my way of eating. If my weight goes over 205 for a week I just do not eat the last meal of the day and right before bedtime for a couple days and monitor my weight.
I agree with weight manage success is only success if we keep it off for the rest of our lives.myfitnesspale3 wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »... and check my breath acetone levels to monitor my macro compliance.
Holy moly- how? Can you smell your own breath, or do you have some device?myfitnesspale3 wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »... and check my breath acetone levels to monitor my macro compliance.
Holy moly- how? Can you smell your own breath, or do you have some device?
I just googled this and it seems to be a device for people with diabetes.0 -
Honestly, you have to stay vigilant and keep to the healthy habits - but keep it fun. Tracking food and exercise keeps you honest - its too easy to backslide otherwise. Mostly you have to want to stay healthy. And remember, as you age, your body changes so you may have to adjust food and/or exercise.0
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Ive maintained a 20lb loss from my original 25lb loss (aka i gained back 5lbs). Just find a maintanable lifestyle for you! weighing 130lbs was not easy for me to maintain unless i was in trainng/athlete mod, so during summer I wasn't able to maintain it. I gained back 5lbs and for the past three years kept off 20lbs. I make sure to exercise at least 3 times a week, and I just makebetter food choices over all. Yeah sometimes I'll go three days in a row eating some sort of junk food for snacks, but my main food is healthy and a good choice. Honestly just being moderatly active and aware of what youre eating and making good habits take over old habits (I use to just continuously snack, like eating straight from chip bags etc, and now I always eat out of a small bowl or plate) and it is habit.5
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Great advice and very inspiring. posting so I can find my way back here for inspiration.0
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long tim gym goer, first time mfp user, mainly to save my *kitten* from doing excel spreadsheets all day for food. lol. any friend is good friend. lets keep this up.0
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louisemcelroy wrote: »did you lift when you were trying to lose weight too? I'm only asking because I go to the gym 5 times a week and really enjoy lifting weights but keep getting told it will put weight onto me.
Whoever told you that is wrong - I wear a heart rate monitor for my gym sessions and I lose the most calories when weight training or doing HIIT. Cardio such as cycling, rowing, treadmill is the least effective at burning calories unless you are sprinting at about 15km an hour consistently for 15 minutes and who wants to do that? Lmao
I go 3 times a week and normally stay nearly 2 hours as you need to stretch a lot which can take 20-30 minutes. I have lost 33 lbs since 3rd Jan and I have never looked so toned even though I want to lose another 16 lbs ideally!
Weight training is also important for muscle strength, flexibility and that "toned' look which makes you look fit. It is also important to do everywhere not just spot reduce because your body is fickle and won't just lose weight in one specific area that you want it to.
Make sure to start with lower weights then build yourself up - fitness blender is really great so Google them (it's a fit married couple who do diverse amazing videos).
Good luck!0
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