Maintenance (+/-20#)

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  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    icemom011 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    I'm in year 5, it got easier for me after year 2, as long as I keep an eye on snacking I maintain just fine. In my second year at maintenance I was trying the reverse diet approach, ended up gaining around 5lbs so that didn't work. Finding my true average TDEE was probably the best approach for me, knowing that I need to average no more than 1900 calories and stick to that means I maintain pretty effortlessly.

    I have a range like so many, mostly prefer +/-3lbs because I'm only 5ft 2, but recent hormone fluctuations as I approach menopause/peri menopause mean my fluctuations are wilder so now give myself up to 5lbs leeway.

    I don't log my food any more, I eat the same kinds of things or should I say I average the same calories for each meal. As I said, its the snacking that is the only thing that could cause gain, so I need to stop myself from having that extra packet of Tayto Cheese n Onion crisps or that Frys Chocolate Cream!

    I'm the same way. I don't really have a problem over-eating at meal times but I will just grab stuff from the pantry and fridge all day long if I could. So If I just limit my number of snacks per day I have no problem with maintaining my weight without logging my food. Thank god because I hate logging my food.

    Same here. I'm just about two years into maintenance, and snacking is my biggest problem. I don't log, but step on the scale every morning. That's how i know whether it's a fluctuation or a steady gain. I haven't found cure for snacking. I eat way too much nuts, and then to add to it, i feel that i have to have all other things too, chocolate, honey, dried fruit, frozen fruit, ice cream or gelato, hummus and chips, there's just too much around. And i don't think i can or want to eliminate all of it from my house, so i try to moderate. More often than not i fail to do so, but i offset the extra calories from rich snacks by riding. My average bike ride burns 840 or so to 1500-1600 depends how many miles i go. And even commute to work, when i can, easily earns me 350-400 calories. And that's according to fitbit, so heart rate is at play. Because the numbers from my riding app are at least double that. So the big question is, how does one limits number and quantity of snacks, what's the secret formula?

    If you’re maintaining your weight is it really a problem? I prefer eating bigger meals for lunch and dinner so I limit myself to one afternoon snack and I try to keep it around 200 calories or so. I also let my hunger be my guide. Some days I don’t eat my snack if I’m not hungry, or some days if I’m really hungry I might have 2 snacks, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. It’s Been working for me.

    If I didn’t eat when I wasn’t hungry, I never would have hit 220.

    I love this answer, it's so true!
  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
    edited October 2018
    I have a couple of little tricks that help me. I find that chewing gum distracts me enough so i don't look for snacks or extra food. It'sespecially effective if I'm not particularly hungry, or not hungry at all, or shouldn't be hungry because i have eaten, but want to keep eating anyway. And also having a nice cup of tea, whether it's caffeinated or herbal, or coffee if it's early enough, is helping with the same problem.
  • hikinggal11
    hikinggal11 Posts: 59 Member
    For those of you who have been in maintenance for a while, do you ever stop obsessing with your weight? I am paranoid that I will regain all of my weight that I lost. I know the statistics of this is high in the general population so I make myself sick with worry if I am up a pound or two. I logically know that 1-2 lbs fluctuation is not a big deal, but I am terrified that the fat fairy is going to find me and wack me with her wand even though I dillagenly weigh and track my food and eat my recommend calories.
  • sheltrk
    sheltrk Posts: 111 Member
    hikinggal11 wrote: »
    For those of you who have been in maintenance for a while, do you ever stop obsessing with your weight? I am paranoid that I will regain all of my weight that I lost. I know the statistics of this is high in the general population so I make myself sick with worry if I am up a pound or two. I logically know that 1-2 lbs fluctuation is not a big deal, but I am terrified that the fat fairy is going to find me and wack me with her wand even though I dillagenly weigh and track my food and eat my recommend calories.

    I'd say 'obsessing' is a bit strong. I think the key is diligence. I've been in maintenance for 5 years and I still log my calories rigorously (on weekdays--I practice weekly calorie cycling). I weigh myself everyday, but I don't worry about fluctuations--I do it to track trends. When you decide to lose weight, it's a lifestyle change. You have to change habits, and that takes time, and diligent practice. Once you decide to maintain at a weight, you just up your net calories a bit. Everything else is the same. You will be successful in maintenance as long as you continue to practice the new habits you taught yourself during weight loss. Practice makes permanent!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    It "gets easier" in that we are always learning from our own experience and mistakes.

    I guess you now see that the point "oh, must be eating too much" came a little too late so now you can move that point closer to your desired weight range. I call it my intervention point - a number on my scales that triggers conscious thought and action.

    It took me a while to realise that allowing my weight to track my seasonal activity and exercise levels made me more happy and less stressed. I typically gain about 7lbs over the winter and lose it again slowly as my cycling and activity picks up in the Spring. It's not a grind though, just a series of decisions over my calorie balance.

    I also know that I can be lazy and too complacent about losing the 7lbs winter padding unless I have a dedicated goal in mind to keep me focused. Instead of making those eating decisions I defer them. In my case a long distance cycling event means I want to be at peak fitness and the right weight by a certain date, a SMART goal not a vague wish.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited October 2018
    hikinggal11 wrote: »
    For those of you who have been in maintenance for a while, do you ever stop obsessing with your weight? I am paranoid that I will regain all of my weight that I lost. I know the statistics of this is high in the general population so I make myself sick with worry if I am up a pound or two. I logically know that 1-2 lbs fluctuation is not a big deal, but I am terrified that the fat fairy is going to find me and wack me with her wand even though I dillagenly weigh and track my food and eat my recommend calories.


    I don't obsess with my weight, but keeping an eye on it ensures I stay in my range. If it veered up for more than 4 weeks I would take action.

    In the early days I did fret that I would be another statistic and regain, but I prefer being slim far too much to slip into old eating habits.

    It takes quite a bit of time to feel confident that we are doing this 'right'. Hopefully you will get to that place soon.
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,268 MFP Moderator
    Thank you for this thread @nowine4me - I've been in maintenance for something like 4 years now (I think?). The past year, I've slowly been creeping up from 130 (my maintenance weight) to about 143 (starting to lose again, though... 140.4 this morning), and I've been kicking my own *kitten* over it. Its nice to know I'm not a special snowflake. #MaintenanceIsHard

    What's been working for me is the same thing that @cmriverside was doing - logging and stepping on the scale. I'm a bit less focused on nutrition that him, I think... but continuing to track honestly has helped me get back on the 'weight management' horse. :)
  • AEC50
    AEC50 Posts: 124 Member
    sheltrk wrote: »
    I've been in maintenance mode for about 5 years. I've managed to keep my weight right around 150 lb (+/- 5 lbs) during that time. What works for me: I eat at a ~500 calorie/day deficit Monday-Thursday, and sometimes Fridays. I log my food intake and exercise calories *rigorously on weekdays*. I usually get a workout in on weeknights, and with my low-calorie breakfasts and lunches (and very little or no snacking), I usually have enough to "pay" for a small dessert or a beer after dinner, while maintaining that deficit goal. I use the deficit calories that I build up during the week to splurge on the weekends. Over the past couple of years, I've stopped rigorously logging on Saturday or Sunday, because I've found I just don't *want* to eat enough food to splurge into a surplus for the week. Typically, my weight will head downwards very slowly over weeks or months. To compensate for the downward drift, I don't worry about calorie-counting over our annual summer vacation (1-2 weeks) or winter break (~2 weeks). My weight tends to jump up a few pounds during those breaks, which offsets my losses from the previous ~6 months. Travel for work, holidays, (or trips to the fair) act as minor blips on the radar, which I have learned to adjust for. By letting myself splurge on the weekends, I don't really feel like I'm "missing out" by rigorously controlling my food intake on weekdays. The diet breaks I take twice a year seem to reset my metabolism a bit, which helps. Anyway, it's been working really well for me for a while now.

    TLDR; Weekly Calorie Cycling and Semi-Annual Breaks For The Win In Maintenance!

    This is my goal balance. I've been maintaining for about a year, but have not found the right calorie deficit during the week yet.
  • sheltrk
    sheltrk Posts: 111 Member
    AEC50 wrote: »
    This is my goal balance. I've been maintaining for about a year, but have not found the right calorie deficit during the week yet.

    When I first hit on the "weekly calorie cycling" thing, I was still logging rigorously every day, including weekends. That way, I would know both how many calories I had "banked" for the weekend, and how many calories I *actually* splurged on the weekend. That was how I ended up finding a weekday deficit that worked for me. I would absolutely recommend logging every day--even on your surplus days--at least until you figure out the right deficit that works for you (and probably for a while after that).

    It took me a couple of years of maintenance (in weekly calorie cycling mode) before I discovered that I didn't *need* to continue logging on my surplus days. I noticed that if I eat to satiety on surplus days, I tend to not exceed 2800 net calories. These days, I always put a number down for my *non-logging* surplus days--3000. But I know that number is an over-estimate, based on past experience, and continuous monitoring. (I keep a spreadsheet of my calories in, calories out, weight, estimated metabolic rate, and body fat %, among other things. I'm data-driven.) I do adapt when I can't work out, or if I'm on a work trip, holiday, etc. I also "check" myself periodically by logging on surplus days. It's a dynamic balance, but it works for me!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    hikinggal11 wrote: »
    For those of you who have been in maintenance for a while, do you ever stop obsessing with your weight? I am paranoid that I will regain all of my weight that I lost. I know the statistics of this is high in the general population so I make myself sick with worry if I am up a pound or two. I logically know that 1-2 lbs fluctuation is not a big deal, but I am terrified that the fat fairy is going to find me and wack me with her wand even though I dillagenly weigh and track my food and eat my recommend calories.

    I most definitely don't obsess about my weight. I developed a lot of healthy habits when I was losing and I maintain those habits in maintenance...I eat well for the most part and exercise regularly and I find it pretty easy. My weight typically creeps up a little in the winter when I'm less active overall...I don't worry about it a ton because it always comes off in the spring when the cycling season gets underway and nicer weather makes it convenient to just be more active in general.
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,133 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    This is how it rolls for me. Starting weight 220#, goal weight 135#. Just finished second full year of “maintenance “...if you can call it that.

    So far this year.....
    Jan-Mar: stayed at 135 (GW)
    April - hit UGW 125
    June - 130, must be retaining water
    July - 135, must be food stuck up in there
    August- 140, must be putting on muscle
    Today - 144. Oh, must be eating too much

    Now, back to the grind. Please tell me this get easier in year 3, because year 3 was certainly NOT a walk in the park.

    I think it's important for us to see posts like this and support each other in our efforts. I don't think maintaining is easy and I am only just past the 1 year mark. 20 pounds is a lot to gain in 4 months but you were 10 under your goal so think of it as only 9 to lose now. Much better to get back on track for a few weeks and lose the 9 than continue along. As a veteran yo yo er for almost 45 years I know all to well all the mind games we play with ourselves to ignore the regain. "it's water weight. I could drop it in a week" "maybe my goal is to low and my body needs the extra" "I should give myself a few more pounds because I am older"... Thanks for starting this thread and best of luck getting yourself back in the groove.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    ...and don't forget about the brakes.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Parking brake, emergency brake.....parachute perhaps!
  • mk2fit
    mk2fit Posts: 730 Member
    @nowine4me I am in year 4 of MFP; year 3 of maintenance. I am 60 years old, have lost 70ish pounds. I have found that maintenance is a good thing - BUT it took me a year or so to regulate my weight. At some point, we all learn how to eat and maintain. If you are still having trouble, maybe it is time to re-evaluate what it is you are doing.
    I, too, am 5'7". I weigh in at 115# and have kept my weight between 114-117 for a couple of years.
    We have this!
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    This is such great insight. The bottom line, if I take my foot of the gas for even a few contiguous days it shows.

    I think what I’m having the most trouble with is focus. After I hit goal, I want to concentrate more on strength, but then for whatever reason my weight pops up (and it ain’t muscle).

    Thanks for chiming in. It’s nice to know I’m not alone and that y’all have my back.

    You are definitely not alone. I'm in your exact shoes only it has taken me a little over a year to slowly creep up 20 pounds. My low was 128, now at 147+/-. Luckily, I got rid of all my "fat" clothes so if I gain any more I have nothing to wear. I'd like to blame it on all the crap going on in my life but that's just excuses, the same ones that vaulted me to my high of 190 over many years.

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