Is maintenance REALLY harder than losing weight?
Replies
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Is eating more food harder than eating less food. No, not for me. Maybe if someone lost their weight following a fad/crash diet and never relearned their eating habits, then they could have issues maintaining.2
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EbonyDahlia wrote: »brenn24179 wrote: »why do so many gain their weight back? Because it takes a lot of discipline. Being fat is hard, eating different is hard, you have to pick your hard, yes both are hard but I don't like being fat. Never ending have to be cautious all your life, dirn it.
I've never understood this quote. Being fat is easy and requires no effort whatsoever - you can mindlessly be fat for years. I found it crazy easy to be fat for over 20 years. Much pissing and moaning about being fat, but nothing hard about it.
I could be wrong, but I always thought that meant hard in terms of people being judgy or making rude comments, any possible effects on health and mobility, etc.1 -
Geocitiesuser wrote: »Someone said to me that it was almost time for "the hard part" when I told them I was near my goal weight.
But is it really harder? I don't plan on changing my exercise routine or foods that I eat, but I am definitely looking forward to eating 500-600 more calories per day!
It was easier for me, but I didn't do silly diet fads or stop my exercise routine when I hit maintenance. Too many people think.. hey.. I lost the weight.. screw exercise I'll just eat what I want now. Fail. Stick with whatever program got you to maintenance, watch your calories closely and ramp up to maintenance level slowly, and you'll do fine. Part of maintaining your weight is learning how to deal with the occasional over eating or over indulgence. For me, I either exercise more before it happens or after to make up for it. A year later and I'm still counting my calories, and probably will for at least another year.3 -
It should be easier, considering you get a higher calorie goal, usually. I think that the issue is figuring out the level at which you maintain, which will take a little time, trial and error. Then there is the fact that you need to remain as active as you were when you were dieting or your maintenance calories will change and you may gain weight.1
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the little bit of experience I had with maintaining it was easier. I lost 40lbs then for the last 2 months I took a break (before going on to lose 20 lbs more) I ate a little different only in that I had a little more food than I was eating, so instead of eating 3-4 oz of any kind of meat, I ate 5-6 oz, added an extra smoothie, added extra Tbl of pb, ate rice more often, had an evening snack. I did lose 1 lb thru all of this. So, I had a taste of what it will be like & I did fine with it. I continued to weigh & log it all. This week I started back on losing3
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jennypapage wrote: »@glassofroses i agree it does become 2nd nature. And like i said it's really easy to do. But sometimes i find myself feeling a tad annoyed when i have to weigh 3 pieces of an apple, or a tomato, knowing how few calories they actually have. I'd rather save 100-150calories each day just so i won't have to weigh these things. At the moment though i have to weigh everything to make sure i eat enough.I lost a bit more weight than i wanted, and i do not want to drop any lower, but i don't want to gain any either.So for now, i keep weighing everything in order to keep the balance right.
My comment was more aimed at @crazyycatlady1 than you, but I know what you mean. I can't say that I weigh tomatoes anymore but I don't really eat them with any sort of frequency. Does weighing them make much difference to your overall calorie goal over not weighing them?
I've been trying to count macros this week which is a whole other ball game but I had someone explain it to me and I finally understand it. I still weigh things but it's just a nice vibe to be counting something other than calories. I'm hoping that the transition into macros will help with the transition to maintenance, just because I can't seem to fuel my body on calorie counting because I just fill myself with carbs. Love carbs.
Macro counting means structure, high carb structure, mind, 
and I have to hit or get as close to my protein as possible. It's going pretty well so far. She says on Day 3. XD 0 -
Personally I do not think so, you learned the recipe during the weight loss, and I sort of have adopted it as a "way of life", which is why i not see this as a diet. I have been on the same "weight group" (I have got a weight range to keep to) for almost 2 years now, without any issues1
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Losing was easy, maintaining was easy, but losing another 20 lbs to get under 130 I'm having a hard time getting back into the mindset. I lost 35 lbs easily in about eight months with just portion control (weighed/logged). I decided to stop logging and have maintained for six months (1-2 lb fluctuation). My maintenance cals seem to be a comfy number, so eating less than that is going to be a challenge.
My big problem is that I while I move a lot during my day, I don't play any sports and exercise makes me feel jump-off-a-bridge depressed afterwards and physically painful (arthritis and old injuries) so until I suck it up and do something, I think losing will be harder this time around than maintaining. I am my own worst enemy right now.
TL;DR: My personal experience says the ease of losing vs maintaining depends on where you are in the process vis-à-vis your routine and eating habits.2 -
In my personal experience
Losing : easy.
Maintenance: easy
Recomp: That *kitten* is so hard man3 -
glassofroses wrote: »jennypapage wrote: »@glassofroses i agree it does become 2nd nature. And like i said it's really easy to do. But sometimes i find myself feeling a tad annoyed when i have to weigh 3 pieces of an apple, or a tomato, knowing how few calories they actually have. I'd rather save 100-150calories each day just so i won't have to weigh these things. At the moment though i have to weigh everything to make sure i eat enough.I lost a bit more weight than i wanted, and i do not want to drop any lower, but i don't want to gain any either.So for now, i keep weighing everything in order to keep the balance right.
My comment was more aimed at @crazyycatlady1 than you, but I know what you mean. I can't say that I weigh tomatoes anymore but I don't really eat them with any sort of frequency. Does weighing them make much difference to your overall calorie goal over not weighing them?
I've been trying to count macros this week which is a whole other ball game but I had someone explain it to me and I finally understand it. I still weigh things but it's just a nice vibe to be counting something other than calories. I'm hoping that the transition into macros will help with the transition to maintenance, just because I can't seem to fuel my body on calorie counting because I just fill myself with carbs. Love carbs. Macro counting means structure, high carb structure, mind, and I have to hit or get as close to my protein as possible. It's going pretty well so far. She says on Day 3. XD
well it can be tomatoes, or onions, or any of that sort of little thing.well the thing is i like knowing exactly how much i can eat.Because it helps to know how much of the "good stuff" i can eat. A tomato can be the difference between a 28gram cookie instead of a 27gram cookie. Thus a bigger cookie for me.So i keep weighing
I don't count macros faithfully, but try to get as close as possible.Sometimes i'll be low on carbs and "complain" to my boyfriend that i had to eat chocolate and cookies just to reach my carb goal, because tomorrow is a running day. I love these days! 0 -
In my personal experience
Losing : easy.
Maintenance: easy
Recomp: That *kitten* is so hard man
In my opinion:
- Losing weight is easy if you have a lot to lose.
- Losing fat when you are lean is tough and arduous.
-Maintenance is not easy (else we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic)
- Recomp: hard & long winded
- Bulking: easy (eat, eat, eat)6 -
crooked_left_hook wrote: »I also have expensive taste in clothes so gaining enough to need a bigger size is enough motivation to snap me back into line
Oh yes, not wanting to buy bigger clothes is a HUGE (and incredibly vain) motivator for me. I had to buy EVERYTHING new except for one fleece which was microscopic on me to start with. The thought of having to buy all that again is just too much effort and waaay too much money.3 -
jennypapage wrote: »glassofroses wrote: »jennypapage wrote: »@glassofroses i agree it does become 2nd nature. And like i said it's really easy to do. But sometimes i find myself feeling a tad annoyed when i have to weigh 3 pieces of an apple, or a tomato, knowing how few calories they actually have. I'd rather save 100-150calories each day just so i won't have to weigh these things. At the moment though i have to weigh everything to make sure i eat enough.I lost a bit more weight than i wanted, and i do not want to drop any lower, but i don't want to gain any either.So for now, i keep weighing everything in order to keep the balance right.
My comment was more aimed at @crazyycatlady1 than you, but I know what you mean. I can't say that I weigh tomatoes anymore but I don't really eat them with any sort of frequency. Does weighing them make much difference to your overall calorie goal over not weighing them?
I've been trying to count macros this week which is a whole other ball game but I had someone explain it to me and I finally understand it. I still weigh things but it's just a nice vibe to be counting something other than calories. I'm hoping that the transition into macros will help with the transition to maintenance, just because I can't seem to fuel my body on calorie counting because I just fill myself with carbs. Love carbs. Macro counting means structure, high carb structure, mind, and I have to hit or get as close to my protein as possible. It's going pretty well so far. She says on Day 3. XD
well it can be tomatoes, or onions, or any of that sort of little thing.well the thing is i like knowing exactly how much i can eat.Because it helps to know how much of the "good stuff" i can eat. A tomato can be the difference between a 28gram cookie instead of a 27gram cookie. Thus a bigger cookie for me.So i keep weighing
I don't count macros faithfully, but try to get as close as possible.Sometimes i'll be low on carbs and "complain" to my boyfriend that i had to eat chocolate and cookies just to reach my carb goal, because tomorrow is a running day. I love these days!
Oh I see. I don't eat cookies -- 'trigger' food, can't moderate them so I just don't eat them. Then you must always believe in the love the of the cookie, even when you're frustrated.
Yes, I know these days too. Like today, I have to eat apple pie popcorn to get to my carb goal. So terrible. Much pain. So do you low carb the day before a run so you can high carb that day?
I tried on and off with macros, tbh, because I didn't quite understand them but I really think this new perspective is going to work for me. Before I was eating to not gain weight and eating what I liked, which is fine, but I have goals I want to reach and I need different kinds of food for that. I have had to break out the protein powder which I wasn't too happy about but if you need it, you need it. Add a bit of ice and call it a milkshake. 1 -
glassofroses wrote: »jennypapage wrote: »glassofroses wrote: »jennypapage wrote: »@glassofroses i agree it does become 2nd nature. And like i said it's really easy to do. But sometimes i find myself feeling a tad annoyed when i have to weigh 3 pieces of an apple, or a tomato, knowing how few calories they actually have. I'd rather save 100-150calories each day just so i won't have to weigh these things. At the moment though i have to weigh everything to make sure i eat enough.I lost a bit more weight than i wanted, and i do not want to drop any lower, but i don't want to gain any either.So for now, i keep weighing everything in order to keep the balance right.
My comment was more aimed at @crazyycatlady1 than you, but I know what you mean. I can't say that I weigh tomatoes anymore but I don't really eat them with any sort of frequency. Does weighing them make much difference to your overall calorie goal over not weighing them?
I've been trying to count macros this week which is a whole other ball game but I had someone explain it to me and I finally understand it. I still weigh things but it's just a nice vibe to be counting something other than calories. I'm hoping that the transition into macros will help with the transition to maintenance, just because I can't seem to fuel my body on calorie counting because I just fill myself with carbs. Love carbs. Macro counting means structure, high carb structure, mind, and I have to hit or get as close to my protein as possible. It's going pretty well so far. She says on Day 3. XD
well it can be tomatoes, or onions, or any of that sort of little thing.well the thing is i like knowing exactly how much i can eat.Because it helps to know how much of the "good stuff" i can eat. A tomato can be the difference between a 28gram cookie instead of a 27gram cookie. Thus a bigger cookie for me.So i keep weighing
I don't count macros faithfully, but try to get as close as possible.Sometimes i'll be low on carbs and "complain" to my boyfriend that i had to eat chocolate and cookies just to reach my carb goal, because tomorrow is a running day. I love these days!
Oh I see. I don't eat cookies -- 'trigger' food, can't moderate them so I just don't eat them. Then you must always believe in the love the of the cookie, even when you're frustrated.
Yes, I know these days too. Like today, I have to eat apple pie popcorn to get to my carb goal. So terrible. Much pain. So do you low carb the day before a run so you can high carb that day?
I tried on and off with macros, tbh, because I didn't quite understand them but I really think this new perspective is going to work for me. Before I was eating to not gain weight and eating what I liked, which is fine, but I have goals I want to reach and I need different kinds of food for that. I have had to break out the protein powder which I wasn't too happy about but if you need it, you need it. Add a bit of ice and call it a milkshake.
No i do high carb the day before my run in order to get the energy i need to fuel it.The other days i don't pay attention to my carbs,so i can go as low as half the recommended amount and not care.
After many months of resisting, eventually i caved in and bought some protein powder myself. It's just too hard to reach my protein goals without it some days.Fat i can do easily, but protein, nope.1 -
jennypapage wrote: »glassofroses wrote: »jennypapage wrote: »glassofroses wrote: »jennypapage wrote: »@glassofroses i agree it does become 2nd nature. And like i said it's really easy to do. But sometimes i find myself feeling a tad annoyed when i have to weigh 3 pieces of an apple, or a tomato, knowing how few calories they actually have. I'd rather save 100-150calories each day just so i won't have to weigh these things. At the moment though i have to weigh everything to make sure i eat enough.I lost a bit more weight than i wanted, and i do not want to drop any lower, but i don't want to gain any either.So for now, i keep weighing everything in order to keep the balance right.
My comment was more aimed at @crazyycatlady1 than you, but I know what you mean. I can't say that I weigh tomatoes anymore but I don't really eat them with any sort of frequency. Does weighing them make much difference to your overall calorie goal over not weighing them?
I've been trying to count macros this week which is a whole other ball game but I had someone explain it to me and I finally understand it. I still weigh things but it's just a nice vibe to be counting something other than calories. I'm hoping that the transition into macros will help with the transition to maintenance, just because I can't seem to fuel my body on calorie counting because I just fill myself with carbs. Love carbs. Macro counting means structure, high carb structure, mind, and I have to hit or get as close to my protein as possible. It's going pretty well so far. She says on Day 3. XD
well it can be tomatoes, or onions, or any of that sort of little thing.well the thing is i like knowing exactly how much i can eat.Because it helps to know how much of the "good stuff" i can eat. A tomato can be the difference between a 28gram cookie instead of a 27gram cookie. Thus a bigger cookie for me.So i keep weighing
I don't count macros faithfully, but try to get as close as possible.Sometimes i'll be low on carbs and "complain" to my boyfriend that i had to eat chocolate and cookies just to reach my carb goal, because tomorrow is a running day. I love these days!
Oh I see. I don't eat cookies -- 'trigger' food, can't moderate them so I just don't eat them. Then you must always believe in the love the of the cookie, even when you're frustrated.
Yes, I know these days too. Like today, I have to eat apple pie popcorn to get to my carb goal. So terrible. Much pain. So do you low carb the day before a run so you can high carb that day?
I tried on and off with macros, tbh, because I didn't quite understand them but I really think this new perspective is going to work for me. Before I was eating to not gain weight and eating what I liked, which is fine, but I have goals I want to reach and I need different kinds of food for that. I have had to break out the protein powder which I wasn't too happy about but if you need it, you need it. Add a bit of ice and call it a milkshake.
No i do high carb the day before my run in order to get the energy i need to fuel it.The other days i don't pay attention to my carbs,so i can go as low as half the recommended amount and not care.
After many months of resisting, eventually i caved in and bought some protein powder myself. It's just too hard to reach my protein goals without it some days.Fat i can do easily, but protein, nope.
That's why I asked because to go low carb before a run didn't make any sense. I'm trying to be more consistent with my running as I'm doing a Race For Life 5k again this year in July and I want to take 3 minutes off my time (1 for every mile) but mostly it's just a time issue as I'm doing my normal martial arts training as well as trying to incorporate more resistance training on top and then runs on top of that. Busy busy beaver.
I was dead against it when I was trying all different kinds of whey protein because it gave me such tummy ache. Moving to casein, which historically gives people tummy ache and whey doesn't, has been so much better for me. The Bulk Powders (UK brand) chocolate casein is my favourite. I just wish they did more flavours in it like they do the whey protein. Apple crumble sounds awesome. 0 -
i don't want to spend too much money on the protein powder so my only options are vanilla and strawberry.the vanilla one is awesome though and i've been mixing it with my oatmeal lately.also used it for a low.cal.protein cheesecake which was also great.dessert and reaching your protein goals at once.i would love me a coffee flavoured one,or banana (i'm a simple gal ) 0
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I find I need some kind of structure, or things slip.
Now, that's macros and aiming to see my abs, so a bit more body fat to lose to make that happen.
Also, I want to up my bench press, so I have that to work towards too.
I found it really hard having no goal at all, so if you're someone who likes a goal to feel motivated then maybe just switch to a different metric once you've hit goal weight. There are plenty out there! 0 -
I'm in maintenance now -- though to be honest, I wouldn't mind losing another 3-5 lbs. to have that "cushion" -- I'm at 120 (SW was 152) and my husband is at 172 (SW was 199) so we have both been ecstatic with having lost the pounds (and stomachs!) and we weigh ourselves every day. I don't see that changing. We center our meals (especially dinner) around huge (HUGE) salads, we've given up salad dressing (add in sauteed mushrooms/veggies and guacamole and/or salsa -- stuff like that instead) and add protein. I don't see that changing. We've done lifestyle changes -- and we're sticking to them. The weighing in daily(every morning), for us, is the key. It keeps us "honest" -- and supportive of each other. I am starting to feel that I'm glad the "losing" part is mostly over. It's great to be where we are now -- and I am never going back. And it's a relief to have done it. I'm 59, he's 62, and all things are possible. No meds for us!-- we're healthy now, and I think that's what's going to guide us in this next phase. I do yoga (power yoga), he's a runner (again) and we both bike all summer long. It's all easier at this weight so I think (and I hope I'm right) that maintenance is just going to be easier. It's how we live now.3
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I think the biggest challenge for maintaining my weight for me is losing that "I hit my goal!" motivation. I ended up losing about 15-20 pounds more than my goal weight, so now I just fluctuate between 140-150 (my goal weight was 160).
I'll put on a few pounds, and then I'll take it back off again. On the bright side, now I take the opportunity to splurge at special occasions like birthdays and holidays because I have the confidence that I'll be able to get the weight back off again.
But, yeah, maintenance is definitely not as rewarding as weight loss. Results are a huge motivator.3 -
jennypapage wrote: »i don't want to spend too much money on the protein powder so my only options are vanilla and strawberry.the vanilla one is awesome though and i've been mixing it with my oatmeal lately.also used it for a low.cal.protein cheesecake which was also great.dessert and reaching your protein goals at once.i would love me a coffee flavoured one,or banana (i'm a simple gal )
Apparently some people add their protein powder to their coffee. My brother does it on occasion with unflavoured protein if he's in a hurry. I'm going to try and expand into protein powder cooking, just not cheesecake as I don't like it. Not a huge fan of pancakes either, so I think cookies will probably be the way to go.
TBH, I'm struggling to find that sweet spot of maintenance as I got on the scale the other day at 147.4, steadily down from 149 in the space of a week despite being on a reverse diet regime. I'm 5'10 so I really don't want to be less than 145 so I will just have to up my calories by 100 again this week and probably next. Who'd have thought that when I started my weight loss my biggest problem would be making it stop. 2 -
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glassofroses wrote: »jennypapage wrote: »i don't want to spend too much money on the protein powder so my only options are vanilla and strawberry.the vanilla one is awesome though and i've been mixing it with my oatmeal lately.also used it for a low.cal.protein cheesecake which was also great.dessert and reaching your protein goals at once.i would love me a coffee flavoured one,or banana (i'm a simple gal )
Apparently some people add their protein powder to their coffee. My brother does it on occasion with unflavoured protein if he's in a hurry. I'm going to try and expand into protein powder cooking, just not cheesecake as I don't like it. Not a huge fan of pancakes either, so I think cookies will probably be the way to go.
TBH, I'm struggling to find that sweet spot of maintenance as I got on the scale the other day at 147.4, steadily down from 149 in the space of a week despite being on a reverse diet regime. I'm 5'10 so I really don't want to be less than 145 so I will just have to up my calories by 100 again this week and probably next. Who'd have thought that when I started my weight loss my biggest problem would be making it stop.
i don't drink coffee,so haven't tried that, but when i eat greek yoghurt, i add protein powder in it together with some fruit (or no fruit).It makes the yoghurt sweet, so it doesn't need any honey or anything like that to make it yummy.
I'm always looking for ways to incorporate protein powder in my meals and i have some interesting ideas for the future. Cookies seem like a good idea.
Yes, finding the right cals for maintenance is challenging, i think i found mine. As long as i stay within a range i'm happy. It's still hard seeing the scale go up though, i'm not gonna lie.1
This discussion has been closed.
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