I have less self control while maintaining then I did while losing

srecupid · November 2016

I went from around 250 pounds last september to about 165 this year. Well anyway the last couple of days have been brutal. I had about 500 calories leftover for the day after work and decided to go for a jalapeno mchicken which was 430. Well anyway the guy upsold me on a medium fries for $1 more which was 340. So yeah I'm over already. And part of me just snaps when I'm already over my goal. I just don't stop and tell myself i'll try again tomorrow I just keep eating and eating and eating. When I was losing weight it was easy because I had some kind of goal to focus on. Now I think I'm kinda rebelling against the "rules" i set for myself by forcing a certain amount of calories on myself. Anyone go through this and have any advice? The good knews is I know I'm doing it. The bad news is I have no *kitten* clue how to stop it.

kommodevaran · November 2016

I am having something similar at the moment. I have to tell myself that I'm used to eating too much, and it's okay to want more, and that I can't expect to feel satisfied at all times. But it's also okay to eat a bit too much now and then, as long as I don't do it all the time, and when I feel okay, I don't feel the urge to eat all the time.

JoshD8705 · November 2016

Maybe you should consider a different kind of goal now. Have you considered a lean strength training bulk? Maybe you'd be happier if you started seasonal bulking, and cutting.

Vailara · November 2016

I think maintaining can be even more difficult that losing! I think the difficulty with calorie counting to maintain is that it has to be precise. Obviously if you have a figure for a 500 deficit while losing, for instance, then it doesn't matter too much if you go over by 100 calories every other day. You'll just lose slightly slower. But if you do that when maintaining, then you'll slowly gain.

Personally, I found it easier NOT to count calories when maintaining. I still had to be vigilant and keep in control, and I did that in various ways - weighing daily, portion control, only eating at meal times and so on. Sometimes I found it helped to keep a diary of what I was eating, even I didn't count the calories. Writing it down seemed to keep me on track. I do think changing things every now and then seems to help, especially if you're getting frustrated with what you're doing. But this is just what has worked for me personally, of course.

The other thing, I think, is accepting that occasionally you're going to have a bad day, or a bad weekend, or even a bad week. You're going to maintain for life and that life may include job changes, house moves, bereavements, new family members, relationship breakdowns, illness, etc. etc. that might make it difficult to stick perfectly to your plan. So don't beat yourself up about the occasional blip - it's going to happen.

Well done on the weight lost, and good luck maintaining!

BigGuy47 · November 2016

JoshD8705 wrote: »

Maybe you should consider a different kind of goal now.

I think it's critical to have a fitness goal while in maintenance. I seriously doubt that I would be able to maintain my weight without fitness goals. In addition to getting stronger I find that my appetite is far better controlled with regular exercise. Conversely, if I stop exercising I tend to overeat.

It's good to have goals.

srecupid · November 2016

JoshD8705 wrote: »

Maybe you should consider a different kind of goal now. Have you considered a lean strength training bulk? Maybe you'd be happier if you started seasonal bulking, and cutting.

I want to start running but it's November in Chicago and I can't really afford weight training right now. I did just hike 5 miles stopping for a protein shake on the way so back on the wagon but maybe it would be easier to not binge if next meal wasnt always in the back of my mind like counting calories

micayla75 · November 2016

I lost a lot of weight one other time and people said it must have been hard. I didn't think losing the weight was nearly as hard as maintaining it and now I am back up and past where I was.

Thank you for starting this thread and I will check back when I am at my goal weight. Good luck to you and I hope the advice here helps!

zyxst · November 2016

For me, the goal of maintenance is to not gain weight. Maybe I'm one of Those People who don't have a tough time maintaining after weight loss.

RoxieDawn · November 2016

For starters it is too not worry about the 150 calories if I want to go over if I really want it. I look at the week for total calories goals.. So I might can go over 500, and maybe be cut a little on other days.

Its is and always will be a forever feet that I have to consciously do every single day. I have to watch what and how much I eat or I go right back to way I was.. I must always watch calories, make sure I keep up the exercise and make wise choices. It does not stop at weight loss.

mamadon · November 2016

I've been maintaining for a few years. I look at my weekly calories rather than daily like a lot of people do. That way I can bank extra calories for those over days.

silverfiend · November 2016

I understand your frustration and I'm battling it myself. I was 5 pounds away from my goal when I went on a cruise in September. I started out good, but by the end I had lost all control. I was determined to get back on track after getting home but its been a huge battle. Ever since, I have had good (disciplined) stretches and then something in my head says IDGAF and I end up eating fatty/sugary junk.

It doesn't make any sense that I could be so disciplined for 9 months and suddenly it's all gone in a few days. I've finally stayed on track for the last couple weeks, hopefully we can all keep our heads on straight this holiday season!

EDollah · November 2016

I found maintaining much harder. I think one "problem", at least for me, is that it was less exciting. Seeing another 1-3 pounds lost every week was pretty exhilarating at the time. That's only one factor of course. I do think the "freedom" from meticulously tracking was a hindrance too. Meaning I tried to maintain on feel, rather than hard numbers. So I lost the battle and added around 90 pounds. OP, I hope you can get back on track so nothing so drastic happens to you, it is a bummer to have to grind through the process all over again. I've lost 30 of those added pounds, but still a ways to go...

Gisel2015 · November 2016

Maintaining is not harder than losing and it can be as exiting and challenging as you want it to be. You guys are making it harder by just saying that it is harder. It is a frame of mind that you need to change. Be positive. Do you have pictures of your previous self? Well, if you do just look at them and ask yourself if you want to go back to "that,' or if you want to keep going froward.

If you haven't changed your relationship with food, then you haven't learn much during the losing stage and you are not setting a good example to those that are just starting or reaching maintenance already.

Eat with pleasure but understand that food is to live and not the other way around.

leejoyce31 · November 2016

srecupid wrote: »

I went from around 250 pounds last september to about 165 this year. Well anyway the last couple of days have been brutal. I had about 500 calories leftover for the day after work and decided to go for a jalapeno mchicken which was 430. Well anyway the guy upsold me on a medium fries for $1 more which was 340. So yeah I'm over already. And part of me just snaps when I'm already over my goal. I just don't stop and tell myself i'll try again tomorrow I just keep eating and eating and eating. When I was losing weight it was easy because I had some kind of goal to focus on. Now I think I'm kinda rebelling against the "rules" i set for myself by forcing a certain amount of calories on myself. Anyone go through this and have any advice? The good knews is I know I'm doing it. The bad news is I have no *kitten* clue how to stop it.

Are you gaining since you are eating a bit more?

irenehb · November 2016

I find with maintaining that having a weekly caloric and a weekly fitness goal feels more freeing and less of a task than daily goals. It gives the flexibility to enjoy your weekends/downtime and than the other days you can be a bit more focused on staying on the maintenance track. It certainly becomes easier over time with the right mental attitude but without the restrictions of losing weight. Once you make it part of your everyday lifestyle (ie. a habit or routine) just like work, paying bills, walking the dog, etc you will think about it less and it will happen naturally.

JessicaMcB · November 2016

Just wanted to say I totally feel you OP. I hit goal at the beginning of September, dropped a little too far with hard training into the underweight category and after freaking out about that did something collosally stupid (ate some of my daughters' birthday cake after being keto for 7 months) which has spiraled into me feeling totally out of control and being up above my maintenance weight threshold for about a week now. Going back into serious cut phase tomorrow and am seriously disappointed in myself

I kept attempting this "eat treats in moderation" that people love to espouse on here but this ignores the fact that I apparently can't moderate treat foods, I swear to God I've tried

. My solution is to bite the bullet, go back to keto with my tail between my legs and accept I can never eat cake again if I don't want to be fat and hate myself (and before someone jumps all over me no I am not suggesting that other people cannot eat cake and be thin and happy, I am suggesting I am a moron who literally can't be trusted with confections lol)

I hope you figure out something more moderate than I have so you can have your McSammich and fries and maintain your weight too OP, hang in there

KareninLux · November 2016

Interesting thread. After about 9 months of steady losing I went into maintenance a few months ago 2 lbs away from my original goal. I was just tired. For the last month now I have been sitting at +4lbs at the higher end of my maintenance range you could say. Yikes.

So now I am now back in a deficit phase to try to get to my original goal of 145 lbs by Christmas.

For me the maintenance phase is trickier than the deficit phase was specifically because in maintenance I am eating more foods which are difficult to measure. So my CICO calculations are 'looser'. For me that is a slippery slope. If I can count exact calories then it seems I can keep my weight steady but as soon as the CICO accuracy slides then my weight only slides in one direction - UP!

Not sure if that makes sense to anyone.

So, for now - at least until Christmas - I am back tracking as diligently as I can - to keep a deficit and get these last few #@$*#()@_*$( lbs off.

trigden1991 · November 2016

A bit of tough love here but if you don't exercise some self control then you will end up back where you started. Then you'll have to go through the whole process again! Moderation is key especially when maintaing, instead of a whole large pizza, have a medium etc.

saggyandbaggy · November 2016

I am totally with you all! Losing the weight (160 lbs at best) was much easier than maintaining..... As soon as I eat a little more I just seem to go wild, Since reaching goal, I have been gaining and then losing about 20 lbs over and over - is that what normal eating is?? I think that so long as I keep an eye and don't let any gains go too far then it is manageable.

sammyjaynz · November 2016

sercupid - That's completely normal, I did a similar thing about 15 years ago, but if it helps have stayed about 170 since then. I think your body has a set point and it takes a while for it to adjust to the new set point. I've always found if you eat more than you would like, just do some body weight exercises to make up for it. Squats, Press ups, Sit ups etc, you might find you enjoy them! You'll still fluctuate naturally anyway, however I would stay away from McD's. The quantity of sugar in thier "so called" food will throw a spanner in the works with your blood sugar. Good luck

Jimed4 · November 2016

I believe that a body can be defective in small ways, such as needing glasses or hearing aids. You and I have a particular defect that tells us to eat too much. Add to that a world in which food is not scarce and we will tend to gain weight. If we were living during times of scarcity, this tendency might help us survive. Therefore, simply accept that it may always feel like someone is whispering in your ear telling you to overeat. A person who is naturally slim and athletic cannot teach you anything about this problem because they don't hear the voice. You simply need to devise a system to ignore the bad advice this voice is giving you and get the right amount of food and exercise.

I have less self control while maintaining then I did while losing

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