Tips to maintain without daily tracking for the rest of my life, please?
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cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
I have lost 40...but at other times in my younger life.. I often lost any weight I wanted never weighing myself or counting calories. When I joined MFP about 8 years ago is when I tried to count calories to control my weight. It has never worked for me.. I was overweight the entire time until this year when I went back to my old ways of just eating healthy..using food rules and exercise.
I just don't think I'm wired for logging.. but I do recognize it works very well for many of you.
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cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
Very insightful question, and it covers the reason I haven't replied in this thread, and other maintaining threads.
I have been maintaining easily for 9+ years without counting, but I only had 30 lbs to lose- from the top to the bottom of my 'normal' BMI range.
I gained weight when I bought a car and my NEAT dropped.
It took a year to lose the weight on 1200 a day plus exercise cals. My maintenance is also 1200 (yes the little old sedentary woman syndrome)
Once I had started exercising, an hour a day average to replace those NEAT calories that used to get spent walking and biking everywhere, and increasing my NEAT, my food intake ended up the same as it was pre car.
I estimate somewhere between 1500-1800 a day for 5'1, 102lbs, 65yo.
Because of the above I often find it hard to give any constructive advice in this kind of thread.
Though I think because I have been maintaining so long, I should have some nugget of wisdom, most times I don't.
.
Any one wondering why I hang around? It is because I am a sloth.
Although my hour a day is habit now, it doesn't come naturally and being around others with health and fitness goals keeps me focused.
I also learn a hellofalot from this forum.
Cheers, h.24 -
cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
@cheryldumais
Only 30lbs lost for me.
But really I've always considered maintenance (not always at the right weight unfortunately but in a fairly stable weight range) something I have to think about consciously but I'm able to achieve.
My weight gain was sudden following a major injury which not only made me inactive for months but also weakened my resolve through depression. Once I was back on my feet I maintained but roughly 30lbs overweight for two decades.
I have concerns that when/if I can't continue my active lifestyle and high exercise levels I will have to adapt my eating but I've done it in the past to accommodate life changes so should be able to adapt again in the future. Logging was useful for dieting as that's the thing I find hard - the data made me accountable and stripped away excuses, if I need that tool again in the future I would use it.
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IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »I weigh daily and keep a casual eye on developing trends. Haven't logged food in ages but still log my exercise as it gives me a guide to my overall requirements (it's a very significant contributor for me and varies a lot from season to season - probably not necessary for most people).
I also have an upper weight limit that is my intervention point. More rigorous about that in the cycling months but happy to drift up a bit in winter and lose a few pounds again in Spring. I don't see maintenance as necessarily a flat line.
Typically my intervention is just making lower calorie choices or nibbling a few hundred calories off my calorie balance here or there. Might be food substitutions, skipping breakfast (easy for me), not fuelling some of my bike rides (easy way for me to trim off 1000 cals on odd days). I never go into "diet mode" though, pretty relaxed on getting back in range slowly. For me it's the trend that matters. Notice I'm using the word easy - meaning easy for me, knowing yourself (strengths and weaknesses) is very important.
@kommodevaran
I'm perhaps a bit of an anomaly in that I eat more at maintenance compared to when I was a chubster as now I'm semi retired I'm more active and have more time to enjoy my exercise. Long term maintenance has to take change into account.
"....but also that it is for life, so it better be good." - Agreed, I really enjoy maintenance and I think that's important to long term success, I enjoy my food, my exercise and living in a healthy body.
Why would someone flag this post? I found it informative and helpful...
Fat fingers on a phone, etc? Just keep in mind they are just subjective no verbal remarks and carry no objective scientific meaning but perhaps cuts down on stress causing remarks that can close threads which cost moderators time out of their busy lives.4 -
I have been in maintenance for over a year and still weigh and log. Partly because there is fear of what would happen if I didn't but mainly because it is simply part of my daily routine that I don't find bothersome. Some find logging and weighing a hassle and restrictive and while I can understand that I find it to be the opposite. It means I am without rules on what I can eat. It gives me the freedom to eat foods I enjoy as long as they fit into my calorie allowance. It means I don't have the anxiety of wondering how far off my estimations on portion size are. I have no problems with this for the occasional meal out or vacation but I do like the certainty most of the time. It is such a minor inconvenience if it means I can maintain my 80-poundish weight loss for life.8
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Not possible for me. I've lost and gained 100lb at least three times I'll be tracking my entire life.7
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I lost 89lbs total and am coming up on nine years in maintenance. But, it was the only time I was ever obese in my life. I’ve been overweight over the years but would usually snap myself to. A lot of reasons came into play creating the perfect storm to eat my way up to 235+ pounds and stuck around for a couple of years. Once those started to resolve I set my mind to losing the weight and just have never looked back. So my answer to your question is, I really don’t know.cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
I go through stages of logging diligently with few exceptions (birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Vacation) and stages where I just keep an eye on things. Right now I’m weighing my food but not logging. What I have been consistent with is being aware of how much I put in my mouth and stepping on the scales regularly. If I see a rising trend I get my crap together. Getting as heavy as I did spooked me enough to never want to go there again so I do what I feel I need to do based on what’s happening. Sometimes that’s logging for long periods of time. It’s pretty much second nature at this point.
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cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
I fall in this boat, I log just for fun because it helps me with meal planning and I like hearing how all my friends on here are doing so i'm on anyways. I didn't have much weight to lose, and I was always in a normal BMI range. I have never in my life used a food scale, even when I was losing weight. How I eyeballed my portions was I fell back on my childhood, I remembered what a serving my mom would give me looked like. I gave myself servings based off of what my parents taught me a normal serving should look like, and I used other tips and tricks I picked up along the way...I remember in kindergarten I had a gym teacher who told me when it comes to pasta one serving for you should look like the palm of your hand. I've also always had a good grip on hunger cues, and I love veggies, fruits, and lean meats. Sweets have always been my weakness though I know how much is too much.1 -
I tried logging in maintenance, but I found it very mind consuming (not time consuming), I was still frequently thinking about calories and how many calories I had already eaten and how many I was "allowed", basically I developed an unhealthy relationship with food for maintenance. I started eating to hunger, but like a PP keeping it to 3 meals and defined snack times. Eating serving size portions when I do eat something. I'm keeping an eye on my weight, I participate in two weekly log in threads and use a trending app (Libra) and weigh daily. If I start seeing a trend to the upper end of my goal range (which is 3lbs +/-, 7lb range) I'll reevaluate, but so far I'm holding steady in my range and keeping my trend dead where I want it.
I lead a very active lifestyle and lift weights at least twice a week. I'm 5'0" and when I was logging and trying maintenance, I was still losing at 2100+ calories. I estimate based on my results at 2100 that I need to eat closer to 2300-2500. That seems like a lot, but I'm also breastfeeding my 1 year old still. And I know I was actively losing at 2100 calories (I lose 5lbs in my first month of maintenance {logging 2100}).3 -
cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
I lost about 35lbs. From barely into the "obese" BMI range to the "healthy" BMI range, so the full range of "overweight" BMI.
I was happily maintaining my 156lb weight before I decided to lose it, I wasn't gaining and that was a weight I'd been at for years, sprinkle a few pregnancies in there. I had horrible eating habits, but I wasn't gaining. I did have the benefit of breastfeeding burning additional calories.
I'm also scared to regain. Using Libra and keeping an eye on my trend line helps. I was getting unhealthily obsessed with calories when I was first in maintenance, but still losing.2 -
cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
40 Lbs...my eating habits were never particularly bad, though I didn't get enough veg and fruit (I do now). I've never really been an emotional or stress eater or binge type of person...always have been pretty much a three squares a day kinda guy with maybe a couple snacks thrown in the afternoon.
My issue was namely that I went from being very active to taking a desk job and working 10-12 hour days when I was 30...before that, I never had any weight issues...competitive track and field sprinter most of my young life...Marine Corps and then college where I didn't own a vehicle for much of that time and walked and biked everywhere and hobbies included hiking, Ultimate Frisbee, and Disc Gold...
My weight crept up slowly over the course of about 8 years sitting at a desk...about 45-50 Lbs over 8 years.3 -
It's been really fun to read other people's responses. This is all good food for thought.
I haven't figured it out by any means, but the most success I've experienced is in experimentation and in failing. These usually teach me the best lessons. I thought if I cut out all carbs, I'd figure it out. But I didn't. I thought if I cut out all alcohol I'd figure it out, and I did for a short time. Then I didn't. I've tried all manner of dietary practices, more exercise, less exercise and all calorie counting, restricting certain items, having cheat days, never having cheat days, etc.
I say keep trying and see what works for you. For me, at least in the recent past, I've had to adopt what I refer to as a supermodel attitude. By that, I mean I try to eat as little as possible and understand that, for this to work (for me), I'm going to have to be at least a little hungry most of the time. I'm a goddamn glutton. Whether I've had unrealistically low, or realistically calculated, calorie limits for the day, I ALWAYS OVEREAT.
It feels unhealthy and I shouldn't recommend something like that. My point is more like you need to feel things out and figure out what works best for you.
Here's me repeating that I'm still struggling with this and don't have it figured out.6 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »cheryldumais wrote: »I would be very curious to know from those of you that don't log any more how much weight you lost. I'm curious if you lost smaller amounts and therefore already had better eating habits than those of us who lost large amounts. Personally I still log and have been in maintenance about a year. I'm scared to death to regain. Am I just paranoid or am I more likely to regain?
40 Lbs...my eating habits were never particularly bad, though I didn't get enough veg and fruit (I do now). I've never really been an emotional or stress eater or binge type of person...always have been pretty much a three squares a day kinda guy with maybe a couple snacks thrown in the afternoon.
My issue was namely that I went from being very active to taking a desk job and working 10-12 hour days when I was 30...before that, I never had any weight issues...competitive track and field sprinter most of my young life...Marine Corps and then college where I didn't own a vehicle for much of that time and walked and biked everywhere and hobbies included hiking, Ultimate Frisbee, and Disc Gold...
My weight crept up slowly over the course of about 8 years sitting at a desk...about 45-50 Lbs over 8 years.
This sounds like me (I wasn't military but very active to a desk job where I gained 50 lbs). Then, I blew out a knee, got a bit depressed, though I'm really not an emotional eater, and gained 20/30 more.
I ate relatively healthy with one huge exception -- two to three PB&Js a night! Not kidding either. Nothing like 1500 or so calories every night to pack on some weight!
To answer the OPs question, I've maintained now six years (lost around 80 total, 70 maintained -- I picked up around 10 lbs muscle over 4 or 5 years). Haven't logged in 3 years.
Have that "red line", be always mindful that there's a fat version of you just around the corner, lurking. Someone said meal planning above and got some woo's. Meal planning and exercise are huge for me. I work from home. Having leftovers that are healthy starts with healthier meals. I workout an hour a day and plan at least three to four healthy meals a week. I also know my calorie bomb triggers -- ice cream (though I'm non dairy, there are some great tasting ND ones now), PB&Js (I don't have white bread or jelly around the house anytime), cakes/cookies and bakery sweets like donuts in general -- never have those around. I'm OK with things like chips around occasionally but most of our snacks are yogurt, berries, nuts, fruit popsicles and things like that. Things that I know I won't binge on. I'll plan snacks on occasion but I don't keep them around as a rule.
I weigh daily and all my fat clothes are gone now. I also am still active (obviously) on weight loss forums. I need constant reminders I was once obese.
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I have read all the post so I can be ready for the future when I am at my goal. The only thing I would change is my window of lbs gained before I would get back on track. I would she 3lbs as a marker. I look at that as 2 lbs is water and 3lbs is a lb of fat gained. Letting it get to even 5 lbs weight gain is really hard to take off.4
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What got me in trouble the last time was not weighing myself on a regular basis until it was so bad that my clothes didn't fit anymore. That's what I plan to do when I get to goal weight the next time is weigh myself at least once a week.6
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It may not work for some, but I used to do intermittent fasting. There are many 'programs' out there, and all revolves around one thing. Calorie intake.
I would do it the '5:2' way. So 5 days of the week I eat 'normally' (still kinda watching what I eat, but if I eat a couple of chocolate bars not the end of the world), and then the other two you eat 500 calories, or 600 for men. On the deficit days you can choose how you want those calories- do you want to eat salad all day long, do one owant one nice dinner, you get the jist.
This worked for me as I only had to really think about being healthy for 2 days of the week2 -
IMO, the only way to maintain your weight w/o logging everything you eat/drink and weighing yourself daily is to eat/drink, exercise and do exactly the same thing each and everyday.
Since that impossible, daily weigh-ins and logging is the only choice for INSURING that you will maintain your weight over the long term.
Many people here claim they have been able to maintain for years w/o doing this but there is no way to verify this. They say that they know how much to eat just based on past experience and their knowledge of their bodies.
If you think you are blessed in this way, try it and if it works for you great. If not, daily weigh ins and logging is the only way to do it for certain.13 -
Being able to easily copy and paste a recipe into MFP and track it was life-changing. I love to cook, so I can see logging forever, since it means I can cook and eat whatever I or my family want to eat.2
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IMO, the only way to maintain your weight w/o logging everything you eat/drink and weighing yourself daily is to eat/drink, exercise and do exactly the same thing each and everyday.
Since that impossible, daily weigh-ins and logging is the only choice for INSURING that you will maintain your weight over the long term.
Many people here claim they have been able to maintain for years w/o doing this but there is no way to verify this. They say that they know how much to eat just based on past experience and their knowledge of their bodies.
If you think you are blessed in this way, try it and if it works for you great. If not, daily weigh ins and logging is the only way to do it for certain.
There are people all over the place who maintain a healthy weight without calorie counting. As long as I am exercising regularly, it's pretty easy and I don't remotely eat the same things everyday. I don't know a single person in my circle of friends who has ever counted calories, and they are all at a healthy weight and maintain that weight. People all over the world do this.7 -
lbryans929 wrote: »
another +10 -
@sgt1372, I am sorry you think so many of us, including me, are dishonest because there is no way to verify that we can maintain our weight without logging out food and weighing ourselves at regular intervals.
You shouldn't have, but have, upset me more than a stranger, though I thought I was familiar with you, on the net should.
I have sat for more than half an hour thinking of a rebuttal, and wondering if pictures would satisfy you, but in the end, I decided there is no need for me to justify myself.
Believe me a liar if you wish. I'm not.
Cheers, h.
(Sorry for the minor rant folks, not used to my word being called into question)20 -
Even on weekends I don't log very accurately and I "think" I'm eating less, but my weight always goes up a pound or two by Monday. Not logging doesn't work for me.1
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walktalkdog wrote: »Even on weekends I don't log very accurately and I "think" I'm eating less, but my weight always goes up a pound or two by Monday. Not logging doesn't work for me.
I'm more loosey goosey on the weekend..my weight usually goes up a couple pounds on Monday...it's water weight, it isn't fat. Body weight fluctuates and people regularly mistake normal weight fluctuations or fluctuations caused by more sodium, etc to be actual weight gain (or loss) and it isn't.4 -
a PORTION is roughly the size of the palm of your hand .0
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middlehaitch wrote: »@sgt1372, I am sorry you think so many of us, including me, are dishonest because there is no way to verify that we can maintain our weight without logging out food and weighing ourselves at regular intervals.
You shouldn't have, but have, upset me more than a stranger, though I thought I was familiar with you, on the net should.
I have sat for more than half an hour thinking of a rebuttal, and wondering if pictures would satisfy you, but in the end, I decided there is no need for me to justify myself.
Believe me a liar if you wish. I'm not.
Cheers, h.
(Sorry for the minor rant folks, not used to my word being called into question)
I didn't take it that way. I failed one or two times after stopping logging but that red line brought me back to logging again. I'd try again and if I failed, I'd log again.
I think that's what Sgt meant, is that logging everything and using MFP as your CICO calculator is a lot more practical and exacting than what I do, for instance. And he may have a point. But for me, the freedom of knowing that over 3/4 years of logging, habits became so entrenched, that I don't have to log any longer is liberating.
I still log weight changes, BTW. I just logged one today (up to 192!). My red line is 195, so I'm up a bit. Likely the last two days of Gluten Free Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs. I've eaten a bit like a pig. I'm also bulking up a bit now, so I'll forgive myself.
We all got fat (if we were fat/obese at one point) through habits, in my humble opinion. Change those habits and replace them with healthier habits and the "work" of weight loss becomes life. My habits were changed one at a time and very slowly with a lot of mistakes along the way. All I think Sgt meant is are all those little mistakes worth derailing your weight loss success? For some, they might risk reverting back to old habits. That's where I think having that red line where you absolutely go back to logging is helpful. I fear that red line because I like the freedom I have now and, quite frankly, after six years of hard work, I earned it.
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Good habits. Once you have good habits, logging is superfluous.4
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IMO, the only way to maintain your weight w/o logging everything you eat/drink and weighing yourself daily is to eat/drink, exercise and do exactly the same thing each and everyday.
Since that impossible, daily weigh-ins and logging is the only choice for INSURING that you will maintain your weight over the long term.
Many people here claim they have been able to maintain for years w/o doing this but there is no way to verify this. They say that they know how much to eat just based on past experience and their knowledge of their bodies.
If you think you are blessed in this way, try it and if it works for you great. If not, daily weigh ins and logging is the only way to do it for certain.
There are many people here who have stated that they maintain, successfully and long-term, without logging and weighing daily. Your statement suggests they may be lying ("there is no way to verify this'") and writing "IMO" doesn't change the suggestion that they're lying. If you log every day and it works for you, then by all means continue to do it, but don't assume that everyone must do as you do and that they might be lying if they have a different approach.10 -
I can't help you with that one. I still log over seven years later. Been maintaining that entire time. I'm not super exact, but I'm consistent. It's so simple for me to do, no more difficult than brushing my teeth at this point. I just log. I don't want to play around. I just do what I need to do.6
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What got me in trouble the last time was not weighing myself on a regular basis until it was so bad that my clothes didn't fit anymore. That's what I plan to do when I get to goal weight the next time is weigh myself at least once a week.
yes, me too. I gained 25 lbs over the winter last year, now have lost it and I am weighing every day and logging but especially weighing.1
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