Long time maintainers how do you do it

Weight loss: approximately 134 pounds. Time in maintenance: 4 years
After all of these years in maintenance, a couple things I’ve learned. One is that using an application like my fitness pal helped me develop new habits which I have kept. I still weigh and measure 80% of what I eat or drink. My husband and I like to travel now and then, so my treat is that when we travel I eat and drink whatever I want, but the very moment we return home, I am right back to healthy eating, and weighing my food. For me, another huge motivator has been the enjoyment of the clothes I can now wear, and that I feel really good wearing them. I never want to go back to the weight I was when I started this.

After college I was pushing 155lbs and I really didn't like how my clothes were fitting, so I committed to losing 30lbs. It's been 10 years and I've successfully maintained 125-130lbs (I'm 5'7). What's worked for me:

- Habits! Forming healthy habits that became part of daily life really take the brain work out of maintaining. I love a hot water with lemon in the morning, I stretch before I get out of bed, I have a huge water bottle at my desk that I fill up with cold water numerous times a day, I always pack veggies and hummus for an afternoon snack, I keep fresh mint, ginger and oranges in the fridge so I can have a mug of tea before bed . . . these little self care rituals I do daily really help. And they're really robotic at this point.

- Repetition! There are only 5 breakfast recipes I typically make - overnight oats, eggs, oatmeal, fruit and yogurt, smoothie bowls - and while I usually switch up the fruit and flavors pending what's in season, because I eat these things so frequently, I can easily whip together a breakfast that's right for my desired caloric intake that day. I have the same thing every day for lunch (salad with roasted veggies, lean protein, and vinaigrette), and I have a list of about 20 unprocessed, meatless meals that my husband and I make for dinner, pending what we're in the mood for or how much time we want to spend cooking (ranging from cauliflower crust pizza to Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes to falafel and hummus bowls). I'm actually thee opposite to most people here - in my 'normal' day to day I have so much repetition, I don't need to log. However, when I travel or have a weekend meal out, that's when I bust out MFP to make sure I'm not over indulging.

- Planning and Balance! As someone else mentioned, if I know I'm going to have a few glasses of wine with dinner, or maybe get an ice cream, I'll have a black coffee in the afternoon instead of a latte, or I'll have a piece of fruit for breakfast instead of a big bowl of porridge just to balance things out

- Exercise and Move! I plan to exercise every day. For me, having lots of options keeps me on track. I have a few memberships, so I can go to a barre class before or after work, go to a hot yoga session late at night if I get wrapped up in the office, or if I'm crunched for time I can hit the elliptical for 30mins at the gym next to my work. My husband and I like to try new things together often on date nights (rowing, spinning, bouldering) and we sometimes go for a run or bike ride together on the weekend if the weather is nice. I also try to walk between 6-10k steps in my normal day to day.

- Find Healthy Treats! This is a weird one, but instead of saying 'Wow, this week was so stressful, I'm going to order a pizza and eat four slices and watch a movie' (which I do sometimes still do, but now it's two slices and some salad!!) I go to a really nice sushi restaurant for a sashimi platter. Or to my local raw bar for freshly shucked oysters. Or, instead of picking up a pint of ice cream and a bag of chips at the grocery store, I'll splurge on some out of season fruits that are uber expensive but look so amazingly delicious!! Or I get a massage, a manicure, etc. instead of treating myself with food all together. Re-framing pleasures and treats has made it so I never feel deprived

- Weigh regularly! I weigh myself every day. I also take note in regards to how my pants are fitting. If the scale starts to creep up, I usually calorie count more regularly for a week or two until I get back into my normal range. I usually also need to do this after a vacation or longer work trip where I'm more inclined to drink with meals, pick at bread on the table, splurge on a dessert, etc.

AliAppleLover wrote: »

- Repetition! There are only 5 breakfast recipes I typically make - overnight oats, eggs, oatmeal, fruit and yogurt, smoothie bowls - and while I usually switch up the fruit and flavors pending what's in season, because I eat these things so frequently, I can easily whip together a breakfast that's right for my desired caloric intake that day. I have the same thing every day for lunch (salad with roasted veggies, lean protein, and vinaigrette), and I have a list of about 20 unprocessed, meatless meals that my husband and I make for dinner, pending what we're in the mood for or how much time we want to spend cooking (ranging from cauliflower crust pizza to Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes to falafel and hummus bowls). I'm actually thee opposite to most people here - in my 'normal' day to day I have so much repetition, I don't need to log. However, when I travel or have a weekend meal out, that's when I bust out MFP to make sure I'm not over indulging.

I'm glad you wrote this. I'm not in maintenance but am actively trying to get to my maintenance weight. I've yo-yo'd and three times now hit goal and shot right back up. This time I'm losing weight and I have really cut down the variations on what I eat. I have three or four breakfasts to choose among, about two lunches. For me dialing in what is a good combination of palatable/simple/cheap/healthy/easy and then I just stick with it. I think it is now a habit, that i'll be able to mostly stick with after obtaining maintenance weight.