Confessions of a Maintainer

13

Replies

  • BodyzLanguage
    BodyzLanguage Posts: 200 Member
    kristen6350 wrote: »
    I still, after 5 years maintaining, lose control. I stop logging, reduce exercise, eat more, stop weighing myself. Then one day when my jeans feel like they are vaccumed on me, I finally realize this isn't going to work anymore and get back on the program. It's something that I have to CONSTANTLY think about. If I get lax, I'm gonna gain. Now, I never gain more than 10 pounds (I know now that I never want to do lose 40lbs ever again), but I still let myself do it now and then.

    I can't be left alone with a full bag of ANYTHING. I still think the best bowl for ice cream in the container.

    I still hate exercise.

    That's no way to live. That sound's grueling to say the least. Constantly thinking about food without actually needed to lose a substantial amount. Your approach to maintenance may need some altering.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    I can see it never gets easy, yes I am jealous of people who do not have food issues, my daughter could care less about eating, must be nice but it is what it is so I keep on
  • Erika2011MaBelleFille
    Erika2011MaBelleFille Posts: 75 Member
    I know I want, and should, stay at my current weight, but my brain tells me to keep losing. It's a struggle. Find it harder to maintain my weight vs losing weight.
  • Erika2011MaBelleFille
    Erika2011MaBelleFille Posts: 75 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    I still don't like exercise.

    8 years I have been at it. I try loads of different things hoping I will be able to say 'like' one day- not even looking for 'love' but the best I can do is 'tolerate'

    Belly dancing was close, but when it wasn't offered anymore I didn't cry.

    Good job I love the benefits exercise gives me or you would never get me through those rec centre doors.

    Cheers, h.

    Ughhh...me toooooo
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    erika60007 wrote: »
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    I still don't like exercise.

    8 years I have been at it. I try loads of different things hoping I will be able to say 'like' one day- not even looking for 'love' but the best I can do is 'tolerate'

    Belly dancing was close, but when it wasn't offered anymore I didn't cry.

    Good job I love the benefits exercise gives me or you would never get me through those rec centre doors.

    Cheers, h.

    Ughhh...me toooooo

    Can you tolerate long walks? I enjoy putting on some music or a podcast and walking somewhere that sells coffee and just going and going and going. Or I just go without headphones because my brain goes 24/7 and it helps me relax
  • nvpixie
    nvpixie Posts: 483 Member
    Logging my food has made me much more obsessed and worried about food than when I wasn't counting. I'm not sure it's a healthy frame of mind to worry about every calorie, but it's the only way for me to keep my weight down.
  • KareninLux
    KareninLux Posts: 1,413 Member
    edited August 2016
    I feel like a 'voyeur' maintainer because I am not done losing yet. Just extending my 'holiday' from the losing phase until at least end August and then will probably get back to losing the last 10lbs I know need to go. For the past month and next week I have been trying to nail my TDEE. Seems to be around 1550 cals... mighty low. Oh, well. It is what it will be.
  • DanerTee
    DanerTee Posts: 263 Member
    PawPrint3520 wrote: »
    In October, I will have maintained a 105 pound weight loss for 10 years, and I still fight the part of me that wants to dive headfirst into a gallon of ice cream. Vacation is the toughest time because the little devil on my shoulder tells me that it's okay to eat anything I want when I'm on vacation.

    WOW, that is super Impressive!
  • DanerTee
    DanerTee Posts: 263 Member
    sunshira wrote: »
    Ive been on maintenance for a year and am really struggling this past week. I need a new goal and focus as i see old habits coming back and i keep telling myself tomorrow will be the day but I need to focus on today not tomorrow. I feel so much better slimmer and more fit. Why would i jeopardize this wonderful way that i feel. Help!

    Dig out some pics of you at your original weight and ask yourself, which is more important? That junk food in front of you, or never looking like that again? Wish I would have done that when I was in maintenance. Would have saved me a world of hurt.
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    Maintenance was the only goal I ever had. The only time I had to lose was after a pregnancy and I lost with no trouble.

    Confessions: 1, I zigzag my calories to an excessive extent. 2, I actually took the bathroom scale on my vacation this summer. And 3 (the big one), I keep extensive spreadsheets of net calories, gross calories, macros, micros, body weight, bmi, body tape measurements, caliper measurements, body fat, lifting 1RM's, steps, cholesterol and other blood test results, blood pressure, and even frequency/location of campouts. Basically every health metric I can measure and track. Complete with summary tables and graphs including standard deviations. And I'm always looking for metrics to add to my spreadsheets.
  • mabedrick
    mabedrick Posts: 6 Member
    I feel like a fraud when people say that I'm an inspiration to them with my weight loss (125 lb) and maintenance (3 years now) since last year I gained 10 lbs and have lost only 2 of them back...
  • pkoll
    pkoll Posts: 135 Member
    I think maintenance is more difficult than losing weight because at least when you are losing, there are multiple rewards along the way (e.g. seeing the scale go down, buying new clothes, etc..). I got to maintenance once, then quit logging and exercising as much and gained more than half my weight back. I still love to eat, but am back to logging and staring to lose again. I love to eat!
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
    pkoll wrote: »
    I think maintenance is more difficult than losing weight because at least when you are losing, there are multiple rewards along the way (e.g. seeing the scale go down, buying new clothes, etc..). I got to maintenance once, then quit logging and exercising as much and gained more than half my weight back. I still love to eat, but am back to logging and staring to lose again. I love to eat!

    Me too. I love to eat. I know there are several people who say they see food as fuel, and technically they are correct. But whew food is way more than fuel to me. :) However, my kryptonite is junk food. Cooked meals don't phase me as much, but I can eat candy, cookies, and junk like that all day. Haven't done that in over a year though. So, I take it one day at a time.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,186 Member
    mabedrick wrote: »
    I feel like a fraud when people say that I'm an inspiration to them with my weight loss (125 lb) and maintenance (3 years now) since last year I gained 10 lbs and have lost only 2 of them back...

    You are not a fraud. You still lost 125 pounds. The only time I ever felt bad when someone told me I was an inspiration was when a friend told me I had inspired her and she had cut out sugar and gluten. I never cut either of those things and I told her that, but she seemed so disappointed to learn I was just counting calories.
  • Abm4n
    Abm4n Posts: 529 Member
    nxd10 wrote: »
    I love food! In fact I appreciate it even more now that I'm eating consciously. That has helped me maintain four years. Never put food in your mouth that doesn't taste good.

    Thanks for saying that. I can relate to this.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I surprise myself sometimes still. Like going out for lunch and being full after the bread/appetizer and deciding to actually pack my entree and have it for dinner instead... which I would NEVER have done before. Oh and passing on dessert too.

    Then there are days when I just want to gorge myself with a 3000 calorie meal.

    I absolutely can't figure out how some people survive on prepared/frozen/packaged meals and don't get fat. I had to do it for 2 days and I was SO HUNGRY trying to stay within my calories.

    I'm obsessed with being active. Can't stand spending even a few hours not doing anything at home. I often do a 1.5 hour workout and still go for a 3 miles walk after. I am 100% sure that I would still be at least overweight if I didn't exercise.

    (might have mentioned some of those before, oh well)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    jennitm wrote: »
    I confess that I still can't be left alone with an opened bag of Doritos.

    This is me. After all these years, tortilla chips are still my weakness. In fact, hubs bough a bag yesterday, and the scale is up two pounds today. Yay sodium and carbs lol.
  • foursixfour
    foursixfour Posts: 6 Member
    Sometimes I still Eat My Feelings due to boredom, stress, lonliness etc.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Going on 3.5 years...no logging. I actually find it pretty easy...for the most part I eat and I train, rinse and repeat and I enjoy eating well and make some pretty incredible things in the kitchen that a lot of people would think to be calorie bombs but they're really not...but I still go to town on a whole pizza from time to time which is why we only really go out once per month or so.
  • hmrambling
    hmrambling Posts: 321 Member
    I still don't keep many snacks in the house. The only snack food in the house most of the time is protein bars. I don't buy crap that I don't think I should be eating. I reserve that junk food eating for when I go out with friends, which is usually on the weekends.

    I still have "bad food choices with Hope" nights with one of my best friends. Oh yeah, when we get together, we know we are going to make bad food choices. Lots of them. And be miserable.

    Everything else in moderation, and occasional "bad food choices with Hope" nights.
  • girlgroves
    girlgroves Posts: 235 Member
    I've only been maintaining (+/-5lbs) for about 9 weeks now but I must confess I've kept my MPF calorie limit set to lose 0.5lbs per week. Just because I don't quite trust myself not to go mad yet! And probably just as well - because my second confession - 1 digestive biscuit is never enough!
  • mrmeza123
    mrmeza123 Posts: 34 Member
    I'm really enjoying melon and vegetables with my salads. The flavors stand out. I'm also a cook, being around everything, I enjoy eating fresh.
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    I love maintenance. Been doing it for the past 5 years without gaining a pound back and even lost a few more. I don't track my food as I find that it works better for me if I just eat what I want and stop when I'm full. Because I eat a lot of high protein and fiber foods I find that I never overeat anyway since I'm satisfied for longer periods of time. Don't over think things. Just eat and enjoy your food.
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