Middle aged shorty transitioning to maintainance

AnneTanne0
AnneTanne0 Posts: 71 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hello you all...
I'd like some advice from seasoned maintainers!
I'm 55 y.o., 155 cm (5'1") short, and approaching my goal weight of 48 kg (106lbs). I've a sedentary job and my activity level is not very high (running 30 minutes three times a week, trying to do some body weight exercises on the other days, aiming at 8000 steps daily, knowing that my Fitbit Alta underestimates my steps with about 20%).
With 1200 kcal a day, I'm still losing at least 0.5 kg a week (but hitting a plateau if for some reason my intake is lower for a few days). (I guess I'm lucky, since many of my equally post menopausal friends have problems losing weight...)
Any suggestions at how to overcome the fear of losing control when I 'up' my daily intake?

Replies

  • elfin168
    elfin168 Posts: 202 Member
    I would keep up my exercise levels. endorphines give you a feeling of natural wellbeing and also naturalise your appetite. since your job is sedentary perhaps go for a walk on your lunch break or join up to a gym? i personally would continue to log my intake. also go gently on yourself. as you are aiming to maintain you are transitioning to a new normal rather than returning to old behaviours
  • CatastrophicPuns
    CatastrophicPuns Posts: 4 Member
    First off, congratulations on how well you have done!! I'm still a long way from my goal weight.

    As you get closer to your goal, you'll find that it is harder to lose weight. I'm not sure of the science behind this, but it's the same for everyone, so don't worry. When you have a lot to lose, those first few pounds seem to fly right off your body, but when you are already a smaller size, you have to work harder to have your body change. elfin168 is totally right, try a few new or additional exercises, and log your intake so that you can see what kinds of changes need to be made.

    Especially if you have the same routine all the time, your body may nestle into a comfort zone. You may need to change your jogging route or try a few different machines at the gym. You can also make simple changes by expanding your normal routine. Increase your jogging time to 45 mins. Increase your walking goal to 12,000 steps. Workout with heavier weights. Challenge yourself! Try to sweat heavily during your workouts.

    If for some reason you're not able to make changes to your workout at this time, remember that plateaus happen to everybody. By continuing with your normal routine, it might take 3+ weeks to break through that plateau. Just don't give up no matter what. You want your story to end with success, don't give up on your effort!

    Hope this helped, feel free to friend me!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    You can maintain control by treating the initial period of maintenance exactly as you are doing now except with a higher calorie limit (about 500 cals/day higher by your rate of loss but some experimentation no doubt required).
    You could start a gentle ramp up of calories now rather than wait until you get to your goal weight (which needs to be a range not a single number). A series of small steps rather than making one giant leap.

    You lose the fear of loss of control by the passage of time and the new you and your new weight becoming normal.
    A bit like starting a new job - the initial feeling of being like a fish out of water goes over time.

    Also just trust the process that got you to this point. You lost weight due to a calorie deficit, you maintain weight by eating the right amount of calories.
    Would say that the trust in the numbers needs to be used when the bathroom scales try to mess with your head by showing results out of line with your calories - that's when you need to ignore a single data point and look for the trend and don't react to what your logical mind is telling you is a fluctuation not a fat gain.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    So, totally agree with sijomial. Well put.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    edited September 2017
    Easy...stay just as in control now as you were during the losing phase.

    Also, it helps to phase the calories back in. 100 calorie snack packs or other single serving options are an easy way to gradually add calories back in a very controlled manner without having to alter your meal plans or foods of choice.

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