The Psychology of Maintenance-your tips!

savemama
savemama Posts: 105 Member
edited November 13 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I lost slowly and feel that has made it easier to maintain. Plenty of time to ease into a new lifestyle. Even so, after several months I am seeing the numbers slowly bump up (been sick so less active).

So I thought it would be fun to get everyone's input on this. What are your best MENTAL tips for maintenance? How do you course correct? How often do you weigh? How often do you track?

What were your best learned tips for the head game of maintenance?

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • savemama
    savemama Posts: 105 Member
    For me, I actually interviewed my "naturally thin" friends. I found that one weighs herself once a week. When she sees a bump, she cuts out sugar/dessert and lessens grains for the week. No tracking or measuring. Just eyeballs it. Weighs again.

    She is active and lifts so usually that's all it takes! If not, she does it another week. Blew my mind. So nonchalant. So simple.

    I've been doing that and it's worked pretty well this far- until sickness kept me down.
  • savemama
    savemama Posts: 105 Member
    jenniferjohnsonament wrote: »

    It's WAY easier to drop 2 lbs then 10,15,20 lbs!

    So true!
  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
    Reframe what reaching GW actually means. It's NOT happily ever. It's NOT a blank check to resume the lifestyle habits that got you overweight in the first place.

    You'll maintain with the same methods you lost fat, only with a slightly increased intake budget. It could be saying stuff like "eating and exercising for health" or "recomp" or whatever motivational that chase away complacency and keeps you going. Finds what works for YOU :)

  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
    I have been in maintenance for a couple of months now.

    I go by weekly calorie goals and I log everything on MFP. If I over indulge one day I am more careful the next, so that over the course of a week I stay at or under my weekly calorie allowance. If I am more than 2 lbs up I throw a real low calorie day in to get back into my weight range.

    I also work out a lot and I do eat most of my calories back as I measure my exercises with a heart rate monitor and multisportswatch.

    I weigh myself whenever...used to do it daily, but now every couple of days.

    So far it works for me. Best part is that I don't stress about occassional over indulging anymore as I know that I can quickly compensate by some low calorie days.

    Best of luck
    Stef.
  • jenniferjohnsonament
    jenniferjohnsonament Posts: 85 Member
    SKME is right...it isn't the one overindulgence...it is the culmination of MANY indulgences that puts on the pounds. I like the idea of looking at your intakes in terms of weeks at a time.

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    nxd10 wrote: »
    I agree about the range. I weigh every day to make sure I'm there. To me the most important thing is to think of the goal. The goal wasn't to get to a particular weight. The goal is to STAY at a particular weight range for the rest of my life. So every day I'm in that range, it's a plus.
    ^^ I like how you put this :smile:
  • DanaHerro
    DanaHerro Posts: 186 Member
    I've been in maintenance over a year now. For me, it's having a range, like the other posters mentioned. For me, I need to live between 150-155 to feel good. When I get under 150, my belly looks better but I start to see and feel ribs and hip bones and that just grosses me out - it's just not the way I want to feel or look. When I get over 155, I can feel the bloat and my clothes don't fit right, etc. In general, when I'm 150 on a Friday and 153-154 on a Monday, it's perfect. I eat between 1600-1800 calories per day during the week and on the weekends I don't count or care. Rinse and repeat :) I work out 6 days a week like normal and don't ever worry about eating exercise calories back - they're just my "bank" for the weekends :)
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I've been in maintenance for nearly 2 years year now. I also have a range, but perhaps a larger one than the other posters. 120 -130 works fine for me. I weigh once a week, or whenever I feel like it, but generally once a week. After the winter I am generally closer to the top of that range, but by the time summer is here I will be back to the lower end of the range. I don't stress over it unless I cross the 130 (which I did once, but will not again). Anything below 120 and I begin to look sickly.
  • rdlewis123
    rdlewis123 Posts: 106 Member
    I've been in maintenance for about three months. I am actually over what my original goal weight was but I am not losing weight but losing body fat and gaining muscle mass. I still have to hold myself accountable and track on a daily basis. I weigh about once a week but not for the actual weight, I track body fat and muscle mass numbers.
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
    In August it will be two years on maintenance for me. Definitely give yourself a range - I have a 3 lb range I like to stay within. Be active - I workout 6 days a week for 60 -80 minutes. Lift weights - you can use our own body weight (sit-ups, push-ups, squats, lunges, planks). This is especially important for women, as we lose muscle mass when we age. Continue to log EVERYTHING so you can stay on track.
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
    I have been maintaining for 8 months and I have no range. My scale rarely fluctuates but then again I do not change things up very much. I eat the same things weekly and I exercise daily. I usually prelog daily and I eat between 1300-1400 calories. I do not eat back exercise calories but instead bank those calories for the weekend should I need them. I did not log this past Easter and I ate more than I expected. I was shocked when I weighed myself and lost 1.5 lbs. I have no explanation for this loss. I weigh myself every Friday and my scale has not moved in 8 months until last Monday. LOL I try not to sit all day....I am a walker. I drink lots of water, a cup of warm lemon water daily and I go to bed early since I get up at 4:45 am to walk a 5K first thing every morning. My best advice is to eat well and keep moving.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Pinky - Oddly enough, every time I really eat too much I lose the next day too. No idea why! But I bet it wouldn't work on the long haul. :) It's a very unusual thing for me.
  • Justygirl77
    Justygirl77 Posts: 385 Member
    savemama wrote: »
    I lost slowly and feel that has made it easier to maintain. Plenty of time to ease into a new lifestyle. Even so, after several months I am seeing the numbers slowly bump up (been sick so less active).

    So I thought it would be fun to get everyone's input on this. What are your best MENTAL tips for maintenance? How do you course correct? How often do you weigh? How often do you track?

    What were your best learned tips for the head game of maintenance?

    Thanks in advance!
    I'm thinking a tracking device such as fitbit or the jawboneUP i'm currently using will be good to take into maintenance....it is really helping me make decisions about what to eat and to take that extra little walk, etc.

  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    I've been maintaining for about 6 months. I have a range of 120-125, although I'm looking to shift the range down just a few pounds to 115-120. I don't really see any difference in clothing until I get to 130+.

    Maintaining is about more of the same learning how my body responds to what I ask it to do, but with a narrower margin of error than losing. Right now, I'm spending a bit of mental effort understanding my triggers for weight gain: sleep (lack of just a little sleep seems to affect me a lot), stress (causes the lack of sleep..) and business trips (I'm not in control of meals on the types of trips I do). I'll be spending time thinking about strategies for these 3 things.

    I weigh myself every day when I'm at home, look mainly at a 10 day average weight, and I'm correcting course right now because I have a few weeks when I'm not traveling and my schedule is relatively predictable, so I can focus a bit more on losing the few pounds from my last business trip/spring break.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
    Because there is no 'finish line' per say to maintaining what helps me from being overwhelmed with the thought "OMG I have to do this for the rest of my life" little panic attack is to continue to have goals.

    Instead of weight loss goals now I have various fitness goals. Currently I am working on upper body definition.

    I've been maintaining since Aug 2013. And I'm very similar to @PinkyPan1 with very little weight flux (1-2 lbs around that time of the month) because I have a set repertoire of foods I enjoy.

    Best of luck to you!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited April 2015
    Every day I work on accepting that I could eat everything everywhere all the time, but that would lead me to being overweight again, so I won't do that. Instead of moaning over what I can't do, I enjoy what I can do, and carefully budget my calories into the most enjoyable, but still very healthy, treats.

    I'm about 6 months into mainteneance - all I know is that in three days is my 1 year anniversary as normal weight. I think that not being sure exactly when I hit goal weight, is a good omen - I just eased into maintenance that way. I do and think the same losing weight and maintaining weight.

    I weigh every day, enter into Fitbit and let Trendweight analyse the numbers. I have a happy range around 56-59 kilos.
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Every day I work on accepting that I could eat everything everywhere all the time, but that would lead me to being overweight again, so I won't do that.

    This is kind of my mindset, also. I've been maintaining my current weight for four years. I have occasional days where I allow myself to eat whatever I want, but I balance them out with lower calorie days. For the most part not much has changed since I moved from weight loss into maintenance. I still weigh/measure food and log it (and exercise), and try to stay within my alloted calorie goal as often as I can. I've shifted my focus to improving my fitness level. I don't weigh too frequently, the mirror tells me what I need to know.

  • NanBoh
    NanBoh Posts: 3 Member
    I never post but have been around awhile (down 52#s) and am about 5-10 away from maintenance so have just started reading this board. I have to say, this is one of the most helpful threads I've read in a very long time. You all know what you're doing, no BS, tonics, cleanses yada yada arguing, just experience and words of wisdom. Thank you very much for sharing with those of us who are new at this phase of the game.
  • jenniferjohnsonament
    jenniferjohnsonament Posts: 85 Member
    Honestly, I also find that I feel really great about maintenance this time around. I maintained for years after losing for my wedding...and then the sweet little boy in my profile pic happened :-)

    I feel "spoiled" when I go out to eat because I know that I can have whatever, in moderation...as long as I track it and make my week even out. I had a cupcake tonight after dinner...it wasn't the greatest, healthiest thing...but it fit into my calories and I allowed for that indulgence. THAT is what really feels great....maintaining in a way that I can actually DO for life.
  • michellesz
    michellesz Posts: 429 Member
    It's not a diet but a lifestyle change.
    What you put into it, you will get out of it.
    Log every single thing for accountability.
    Don't deprive yourself of anything~account for it.
    If you indulge a little extra, pull in the reigns and cut back to recoup. Don't make it a habit.
    Make an effort to workout, eat several small meals so you are never hungry & hydrate.
  • suzesvelte
    suzesvelte Posts: 134 Member
    Great thread. Rather "old" now but I found it by searching fpr psychology because I am "doing it again".

    I am 58 now - I have lost lots of weight lots of time in my life, and always always struggled to do maintenance. I eat really good, nutritious whole foods, do not drink alcohol and make my choices of food based on anti-cancer strategies. I also go to the gym three times a week - all of which I have done for 7 years - and initially I lost a lot of weight by rigorous application of the anti-cancer strategies ...

    but even so only slight over-eating piles on the pounds and I still really struggle with maintenance. So I am reducing again, but thinking ahead to maintenance and any help I can get toward keeping it off more successfully this time. It is so frustrating, but I really do not go "mad" or eat junk or binge etc.
    RaspberryTickleChicken wrote: »
    Because there is no 'finish line' per say to maintaining what helps me from being overwhelmed with the thought "OMG I have to do this for the rest of my life" little panic attack is to continue to have goals.

    I totally get this overwhelming thought. Dealing with that, and the strong / unbeatable urge to sometimes eat chocolate and biscuits which ovewhelms me too - and I don't find moderation easy. I find not drinking at all easier than having a little drink, for example. I dunno why not drinking is so much easier than not eating sweet stuff for me.

    So I am bumping this thread and wondering if anyone else wants to join this discussion.
  • swim777
    swim777 Posts: 599 Member
    Very helpful thread!!! Like the idea of looking at weekly calories and fixing a high day with a lower,one..I also save exercise calories for weekends
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited January 2017
    Glad you found this and bumped it! I'm using a 5 lb range. I was losing quite slowly at the, Sr of my maintenance strategy, still evolving, seems to be to eat like I was eating while losing, but I have a little more latitude for a glass of wine during through week or an extra dessert on weekends.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    So for me... when I get to the bottom of my range I stop logging for awhile. It helps me psychologically to leave calorie counting for a bit. I still weigh on occasion and when my weight goes past the top of my range I log again. This has worked for me for 3 years of maintaining within 10 lbs.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I went for a year without logging anything and stayed within my range. I started logging again in October because I saw a fluctuation outside of my range. It went back down quickly and I kept logging through Christmas just because I knew there would be a lot of temptation. At some point I start forgetting to log calories and then I'll wait until my weight gets out of range before I start logging again.
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    What are your best MENTAL tips for maintenance? What were your best learned tips for the head game of maintenance?

    I think that learning to put everything into perspective was a big help. Weight management is like anything else in life. Weight is something I monitor as a part of staying healthy, and it takes some effort, although, the effort is much less after using MFP for so long. One bad day, or even several bad days, won't end you. As long as you get back on track asap, you'll be fine.
    In the words of Dory the fish, "just keep swimming." It's hard to fail if you try.
    How do you course correct?
    If I notice I'm getting too low on the scale, I log more loosely and have that extra piece of what I'm craving so that I'm at a slight surplus. If I'm getting too high, I cut back a bit on calories. I tend to increase and decrease by 50-200 calories.
    How often do you weigh? How often do you track?

    Every day.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories