Keeping weight off once you hit your goal/people who yoyo wi

hels_bells
hels_bells Posts: 14
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
..with their weight?!

So I am quite new to MFP and I have found it absolutely brilliant now I have really started to think about making the tools work properly and also taking part in forum aspect of MFP too has helped loads and I've had a really good week this week.

My history is that I have always yo-yo'd with my weight. I get to a place where I'm really happy with my weight and the world is a much better place then I gradually pile it back on again over an extended period of about 1 year. My weight only really yo-yo's within a about a 20lb radius but it makes the difference between me being mega happy and mega depressed with myself. I also have a problem in that my lowest weight ever was about 120-122lbs (I'm between 5'7-5'8 in height) which is definitely underweight but I was SO SO SO happy in that place and I can't seem to get over it as what I should always be aiming for. I looked good in things, I felt glamourous, my life was happy and sunny and I met my gorgeous husband (who bless him, still loves me as much despite the fact I'm well over a stone heavier now). I know that that weight wasn't necessarily healthy and I also smoked back then (i have since quit smoking for good) but I was so happy there and always feel down if my weight gets to over about 130lbs).

I find that once I hit my goal weight I start to get really complacent. I think that my metabolism is "fixed" and I can eat loads and get away with it (just like my skinny sister can all the time!! ;@) ). Particularly in winter I feel the cold a lot (we hit -26 here last year and our heating system in our house isn't the best) I also have three horses so I have to be out in the temperatures a lot and here in the UK we really don't seem to manage super cold temperatures like folks in Canada etc do! So I do really feel it and start to eat hot comforting food, hibernate under piles of blankets etc and generally pile the weight on (despite about 2.5 hours per day of heavy labour with the 3 horses!).

So basically, when you hit your goal how do you maintain it??!!! I want to be able to stop yo-yoing forever. I want to find a healthy weight where I feel good and stay with it!! Will I have to record everything I eat every day for the rest of my life?? Do I have to be on a diet forever!!?? Who out there has maintained their goal weight and for how long and how did you do it??! I want to make sure I have the right lifestyle in place to maintain a healthy goal weight when I reach it so I never have to be depressed about how I look again!!!

Replies

  • JeanWalker109
    JeanWalker109 Posts: 220
    This is just my opinion...

    I think that it's easy to get wrapped up in the idea of reaching a goal & THEN believing that you don't have to keep up with the same way of eating & exercising. I feel that's a myth. The thing is, there is no finish line. It honestly is a life change. You have to decide to change your habits for life. The way you exercise may change, but you can never stop exercising. The way you eat, or your favorite dishes may change, but you can't "go back" to eating junk. There's no end to healthy living. You have to make up your mind to do it for life.

    Now, I do think it's great to set goals. I think that once you reach one goal, you should set another to keep you focused and feeling alive. For instance, if your main goal is to lose weight, what happens after you reach your "goal" weight? If you don't have something else, healthy, to focus on...you'll feel like there's not much left for you. So, maybe you reach your favorite weight, then you decide to start a running program. Or, you determine you'd like to work on your muscle endurance, etc.

    You have to get excited about having a healthy life and realize that there's no going back. It never ends. There's no finish.

    Again, that's just me.

    I hope you're able to find peace in this and know that you can and will achieve whatever you set your mind to do. Here's to healthy living. *cheers*

    Jean
  • kissmekates101
    kissmekates101 Posts: 17
    i completely understand how you feel! im so glad im not the only one, i loose weight and am ecstatic with my body and life and vow to never let myself go back to where i was (over 130 as well) and then i always end up back and depressed :( someone help
  • hels_bells
    hels_bells Posts: 14
    Thanks for the sound advice Joan, I will really consider what goals I can set for myself "WHEN" I reach my goal, that's a really helpful response! :)

    Kate... I too am so glad to find someone in a similar boat to me!!
  • potluck965
    potluck965 Posts: 529 Member
    Although I have relaxed on my food journaling a bit, I still am working hard at the maintenance game. I still watch my weight on a daily basis and do not allow it to creep back up.

    I am sure that if I stop being diligent it will be completely easy for me to regain weight and I am so happy being thinner, I don't want to lose that.
  • kissmekates101
    kissmekates101 Posts: 17
    ive been doing a bit of reading lately about all this because im sick of obsessing about food and my weight, i realize that before my dieting/binging phase i never thought twice about my food choices or exercise for that matter but i was always thin. anyways i came across a book online i thought to share with you because you seem to be struggling like me and i found it interesting and helpful and im gonna give it a shot since i feel as though i failed every other option... but best of luck to you, heres the link in case you would like to try it!

    http://www.naturally-thin.com/images/books/downloads/naturally-thin.pdf
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