What do you wish you had known about maintaining?

I've lost 70 pounds--twice. Don't let that happen to you. Accept the new reality and enjoy your new fitter self. Great job on your success. Keep asking questions and lean on this community for support!

apullum wrote: »

JeepHair77 wrote: »

I'm small enough that my "maintenance" calories are still kind of strict, and so I still FEEL like I'm working hard.

That certainly worries me too. I'm not quite 5 feet tall, so it's not like my maintenance calories are going up by some dramatic amount! So while I don't think that I'm going to just cut loose and eat everything all the time, it is a little frustrating to understand that I can never eat like I did when I weighed over 200 pounds, unless I want to be over 200 pounds again. Have you found any kind of new goals or ways to keep yourself motivated now that you don't have the same sorts of small victories that you had when you were losing?

As a petite woman who has been maintaining for over 7 years here is what worked for me.

Stats: 5'1, SW 130, GW105, maintenance 100-105lbs range.

It took a year to lose 30 lbs on 1200 cals eating back 75-100% of my exercise calories until the last 5 or so lbs when I dropped it to 50-75%.

When I reached maintenance my calories were still 1200. I ate that amount plus exercise for a while then started a gradual reverse diet by adding 25 cals every couple of weeks. That got me to 1350.

My exercise cals were another 200 cal so I held a steady TDEE 1550 cals.

Last year I added weight lifting 3 days a week and started slowly losing so added an extra 50 cals a day and I stablized at 1600 at 103 lbs.

The last cals are estimates as I rarely log or weigh myself unless I notice I am losing or gaining outside my maintenance range.

Motivation for exercise, which I don't really enjoy, and calorie compliance comes from being fit enough to do exciting things in real life that I wouldn't be able to do at a lower fitness level, compete in the odd 10km race, and look so much better clothed and naked.

Also, I really, really don't want to revert to my old weight and fitness level. Where I am now suits my personality so much better.

Cheers, h.

Be aware of slipping too far below your goal weight as well! It may seem okay to lose a few extra pounds but ultimately if you don't learn to maintain without losing you'll keep losing and that isn't healthy physically or mentally. You've been working hard for years and deserve more calories, more food, a somewhat less-strict diet. It's hard to make that mental shift but it will happen. I'm in weight loss mode again now after re-working goals but when in maintenance I weighed every day (I like to understand trends) and still logged everyday (though not as painstakingly accurately as when I was eating at 1200 cals and I didn't worry about missing days if it was inconvenient).

A lot of people have mentioned the novelty of goal weight wearing off, and having less motivation for maintenance. Honestly my motivation is renewed every summer when I get to wear bathing suits and feel good. Shopping for clothes in regular sizes and feeling good in them hasn't worn off yet and I've been maintaining (mostly) for a few years, now. Seeing myself in pictures and thinking I look good is a great motivator.

If you really don't find maintenance motivating you can give yourself rewards. Two months of maintenance can get you a new pair of awesome running shoes or a massage at a spa or a new book. I buy myself a new little $10-$20 plant when I maintain for two weeks (but I am obsessed with succulents and such). It may seem problematic to have rewards based on buying myself stuff but I probably end up treating myself a lot less often with the reward system. It just feels better, like I *deserve* to buy a new bathing suit top rather than just buying stuff all the time like I used to. A good non-monetary reward I've found is getting my boyfriend to agree to giving me massages, hehe.