The Maintenance Appreciation Thread
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My first time I have ever been on Maintenance. I have lost weight but never kept it off until this time,
My most recent weight loss began 2013 @376 at age 65.
2018 I made Goal with WW and Lifetime in May 2018.
Finding Maintenance is learning that how my weight goes up/down has been “interesting”.
As the old adage says:
Being overweight is hard.
Losing weight is hard.
Maintaining your Goal Weight is hard.
PICK the one you want to deal with for the rest of your life!
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Love this thread. I’m in maintenance at the moment and it truly is like losing—just with more calories. I plan to hopefully maintain for a while and then maybe try for the last 5 pounds I’d ideally like to drop.
I feel like maintenance is underrated (not on here, but in general) but I’ve never been in this position before and felt any sort of control, so what do I know! lol.2 -
I also vote that MFP should let you clear out your food diary and start over once you’ve maintained for a year. It still pops up stuff like chocolate cake when I add broccoli, or peanut butter when I add bread. Would love to clear the cache of all the crap food and have a fresh and shiny diary.8
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I love this, thank you for posting. I maintained from last November to last month when I gained back 4 solid lbs. doesn't sound like much. my clothes fit but are a bit snug. Grand kids moved in temporarily & it was so chaotic I didn't weigh/log rest of day after brunch. I'm back to it now. It really has been an effort all this time since I've been a little hungrier since maintaining. I watched a new show on Netflix called "Ask the Doctor" each episode is about a different health aspect. There was one on losing/maintaining weight & the research they did said after a person loses weight, their hormones make them have more of an appetite & that's why most ppl gain it back. Hope to be a true maintainer again soon7
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I started my weight loss journey in 2011 with another online calorie count program until the site was terminated. My weight loss journey began in February 2011... and by November 2011 I was 35 pounds down and at goal weight. The previous site attempted to transition everyone to a new site which I didn't care for, so I stopped logging for about a year and regained 10 pounds. Came over to MFP in August 2017 but didn't get serious until October 2017. I, subsequently, lost the 10 pounds and was back in maintenance in January 2018. Technically, I've been at this for 7 years. I agree with all of you that maintaining is every bit as difficult as losing; and tracking or logging food is essential for continued success. I do participate monthly in the MFP Ultimate Accountability Challenge which you can search for under Community>Groups>Ultimate Accountability Challenge. It is a supportive group regardless of whether you are attempting to lose weight, maintain weight or gain weight. There are several maintainers in the group, including myself, with the same objective of leading a healthy lifestyle. The rules are simple and concise, no one dictates what you can or can't eat, and you decide for yourself what your daily exercise will be based on your own limitations. You might check it out here. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/129035-ultimate-accountability-challenge-november-2018 I invite any of you who are interested to join us. Kind regards.2
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Yes! I had pointed out in my thread yesterday that I LITERALLY do not know one single person in real life that is going through this. I don’t have one friend, family member or co-worker that has lost 100#. My entire network of people are thin, normal, or slightly chubby - not one is obese. They all watched me lose the weight back in 2012 and gain it all back, so I think they’re even afraid to even engage.
Y’all are my life line. My only source of experienced losers (I mean that with love). The wise ones.Yes! I had pointed out in my thread yesterday that I LITERALLY do not know one single person in real life that is going through this. I don’t have one friend, family member or co-worker that has lost 100#. My entire network of people are thin, normal, or slightly chubby - not one is obese. They all watched me lose the weight back in 2012 and gain it all back, so I think they’re even afraid to even engage.
Y’all are my life line. My only source of experienced losers (I mean that with love). The wise ones.Yes! I had pointed out in my thread yesterday that I LITERALLY do not know one single person in real life that is going through this. I don’t have one friend, family member or co-worker that has lost 100#. My entire network of people are thin, normal, or slightly chubby - not one is obese. They all watched me lose the weight back in 2012 and gain it all back, so I think they’re even afraid to even engage.
Y’all are my life line. My only source of experienced losers (I mean that with love). The wise ones.
You can do it! Keep up the good work!1 -
For everyone who is maintaining during the holidays... YOU ARE AMAZING!!! It’s certainly not easy with all the family gatherings and good food to eat! And even if we do gain a few pounds, we know what it takes to get back to maintenance range weight!
Keep fighting the good fight! 
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monkeefan1974 wrote: »For everyone who is maintaining during the holidays... YOU ARE AMAZING!!! It’s certainly not easy with all the family gatherings and good food to eat! And even if we do gain a few pounds, we know what it takes to get back to maintenance range weight! Keep fighting the good fight!
Ditto!1 -
The holidays don't have to be impossible if you get a routine going, IMO.
My weekends are regularly scheduled to be debauchery. I eat the rest of the week sparsely so I can swing that.
I have a holiday party Wednesday. This is outside my routine, so I'm going to skip breakfast and my usual bedtime snack and do an extra workout to support the calorie bomb-age that may occur. Problem averted. And I can even enjoy myself within reason.
Things that I know I can't mitigate, I set limits to or avoid.
I've gone multiple years without gaining over the holidays like this.
HTH someone somewhere.
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I hit my GW in March of 2017 so this will be my second holiday season maintaining. I got through Thanksgiving, and a party brunch that turned into a day last weekend. Got some other things coming up but I keep my eye on them and make sure it's not more than once or twice a week going moderately over. If I keep my eye on my fruit and veg intake and make sure to get those taken care of, there's less room for the rest anyway. Now I'm hitting up Universal Studios this weekend and intend to eat all three meals at the Three Broomsticks and sample whatever snacks I feel like. I do wonder if they'll let me take in a couple apples though?
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I’ve been maintaining for about six weeks. I go out of town for Christmas week to be with my in-laws. Lots of challenges there: grief for my deceased mother in law, lack of routine, lots of restaurant eating, me wanting to cook my mother in law’s recipes for the family.
My plan of attack: order salads in restaurants, eat my own breakfast, stick to small portions with homemade treats, and give myself permission to go jogging and walking just for ME.5 -
I have been on maintenance for over three years. You can do this! We have all survived losing the (damned) weight, and are all on track to keep it off. So, a little extra calories here and there...take another walk or run, or whatever your favorite exercise it. Veggies! Eat them. Protein is good, too. Watch the fats and sugars. Everything in moderation. Good luck, all!8
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I have been maintaining for over a year now. I hit my goal July 2017, but due to holidays etc decided that my official start of maintenance is 1 november 2017, just before starting a new job and chaining my daily routine to accommodate that. Not only that my new job requires quite a bit more lunches and business trips have increased.
It has not been an easy year. I had to get used to the fluctuations and change in exercise Having said that my 12 month average is 100g under my goal So I am doing allright.
What i have chosen to do is to up my intake during the weekend and keep the same food routine as I had when loosing the last few Kg's That seems to work for me.5 -
January will be a year and a half of maintaining around 178...my goal weight! Lost about 50 pounds! Continuing to fight to keep it off!10
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Congratulations to all the maintainers!!! It’s been a crazy year, but now it’s over. Time to start anew! Looking forward to what the new year will bring! Wishing you all a happy, healthy, wonderful 2019!!! 7
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I've managed to make to New Year's Day only up 2.4 pounds over my goal weight, and 5.6 pounds over my lowest weight. Now to get back on track with my maintenance, back to the gym, back to eating better!4
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Fairly new to maintenance and have struggled to find my right balence for the past few months but have stayed in my range of 125-130lbs.
Christmas was spent away visiting family where there was no scale, no say on food being served, huge meals, baked goods, treats and I didn’t gain a pound! This is a huge victory for my second holiday in maintenance (thanksgiving was hard). I was active most days and conscious of my portions whithout feeling I was missing out on anything.
I’m finally feeling like I’m getting a grasp on this and that I can stay in maintenance with out stuggling or feelingcits a hardship!
Happy New Years everyone!!!11 -
Stayed within my maintenance range in December. That was six holiday parties, one holiday potluck lunch, ten days out of town, and three batches of Christmas cookies I made for my family! Also work is highly stressful in December for a school teacher but did not eat my stress. I enjoyed small indulgences, but didn’t spin out of control as I usually do this time of year.5 -
I set my goal aggressively low during the holidays. It's just a mind game but it works for me. I see the overage in red and put the brakes on even though in reality I am just getting up to maintenance. I also tend to go a little too conservative on estimating burn. I seem to have lost about a pound over the holidays even though I went "over" a number of times.8
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Have been through three holiday seasons on maintenance. I fluctuate between the same 3 pounds and have for those three years. Maintenance can be a real pain, but once you get used to it, it is easy. Want to eat more today? Exercise more today. Have a cold or the flu? Eat a bit less. As a friend once told me...One salad won't make you skinny and one cheeseburger won't make you fat. Best wishes and Happy New Year!8
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I'd be down for an auto generated "Hannah maintained her +/- goal weight for x number of days" post on my MFP feed! I'm really proud of myself for being able to maintain my weight for the last year and some change, especially since the likelihood of gaining all of your weight back after losing is so high. It IS hard because without having a goal to work towards (the number on the scale) it's so easy to just let all your good habits slip.
@hesn92 So true!! Well said.
I just used an online calculator:
Orphia lost 80 lbs and has maintained her goal weight for 1,008 days
Bugger, I missed celebrating the pretty round number!
Have been through three holiday seasons on maintenance. I fluctuate between the same 3 pounds and have for those three years. Maintenance can be a real pain, but once you get used to it, it is easy. Want to eat more today? Exercise more today. Have a cold or the flu? Eat a bit less. As a friend once told me...One salad won't make you skinny and one cheeseburger won't make you fat. Best wishes and Happy New Year!
Lovely, that sums it up so well, @mk2fit !This is a great post. I could never have imagined how difficult maintenance would be when I lost weight. Or that losing weight would change my relationship with food forever.
It’s so important to recognise the positives when there isn’t the tangible success of seeing the numbers on the scale drop any more. For me it’s seeing how much fitter I am and how exercise is integral to my life now. And recognising how nice it is to wake up and think “what do I want to wear today?” Rather than “what can I wear that will fit ok/ hide the fat”!
@Faebert How beautiful to appreciate this! Yes!
In 2016 when I'd hit maintenance, I donated all my fat clothes to the op shop, decluttered the house, went shopping in my stored skinny clothes, and bought a few new things that looked nice on me, and I had a perfect capsule wardrobe left.
Now, I don't need to upsize anything, and I don't want to overcrowd my wardrobe which I love and which is full of pieces I chose carefully.
This summer (I'm Australian) has been so inexpensive for me.
I've bought one gorgeous black cotton frilled tank top for $10 that shows off my arms and a pair of running shorts I finally found with great pockets from Nike, and that's it.6 -
Hey @orphia - from running challenge!
In all the years I've known you on Strava and the running challenge, I don't think I ever realized you lost 80 pounds! Well, maybe I knew it, but if I did I forgot!
I lost about 50 and will be at 4 years maintaining next month. I've actually gone up a 4 pounds from what I consider my goal weight to be, but I think part of it is all the weight lifting I do. Everything still fits.
I gave away my fat clothes a little slower than you, but they are all gone and have been replaced with things I love to wear. I teach at a school and there are a lot of teachers who started in the last 4 years who have only known me at this weight. One day a teacher said to me (in ear shot of one of the newer teachers) "How do you keep your weight off?" My standard answer to that question is always "it's a part time job". Because I do spend a lot of time exercising and I do watch what I eat and always will. Anyway, one of the newer teachers said "what?! I thought you were always thin!"
Made my day.
I go on a cruise for a week on Saturday and I'm not even worried about it. I know I will get a lot of exercise (running on either treadmill or around the ship), lifting and that I won't go crazy eating. And I will come back a couple pounds up perhaps, but I will get right back on track the next week and it will be gone.
But, again, it is not easy. Maintaining is much harder than losing. I've lost weight many times. But I've only maintained the loss this time.
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Apparently I Just realized it’s 2019! I met my goal in February 2014 so I am going to be at five years of maintenance next month. Time flies!11
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@ddmom0811 Hahaha, I didn't know you'd lost 50 lb and been maintaining 5 years. Yay you!!!
Yes, I have a part-time job too!
Plus I'm going on holiday soon where I won't be able to weigh myself or food and will be eating out every night, and can't wait. I think last year doing the same thing I had an amazing time and even lost weight!
Maintenance is hard, but working hard at it means getting to know how to do it.6 -
Just put on my old skinny pants, the ones that I couldn’t wear unless I was on the thinner side. They were very loose! Almost too loose to wear!12
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Deciding to pop into this thread. Not sure I'm "officially" maintaining but I'm pretty much there. My ideal weight range is 130-135. I've been hovering at 135-137 for November and December....I'm now down to 134.8 so I'm within my maintenance range, but ideally I'd like to get the scale down to 133. I just want to always be in the lower 130s on the scale. The next three months are my hell months at work (7 days a week, 12 hours a day), so my goal is to take those two months and drop another 2 pounds....so still in my maintenance range, but still losing a bit. Would love some new friends to share this all with....5
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I am grateful this morning for my food hangover. I overate a bunch of sweets last night for the first time in months and my body has revolted. I had a bad stomach ache last night and this morning I feel bloated and uncomfortable. My body just can’t tolerate this anymore and I WILL learn this lesson from my body!7
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@JaniceVACPA 133 was my goal weight too and I have been losing 1-2 pounds a month for last two and a half months. I sent you a friend invite.2
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I was never overly over weight but I did have the Dad-Bod that was for sure. My weight had always seemed to bounce back and forth. I would lose the weight like everyone at the start of a year then by the middle it would start to creep back up and then by the end I was right back where I started. 2018 I had said to myself that I would lose the weight and keep it off and it took work but I dropped the 16 pounds and am maintaining. I would like to lose another 5lbs but I can't seem to shed it so I'm thinking this is the weight and size that my body wants me to be at. Keep up the good work "Maintainers" and I look forward to hearing more success stories!6
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Nice job maintainers! It is a great accomplishment and hard work to keep on it.
Hi to my running thread buddies @ddmom0811 and @Orphia and congrats on your losses and maintaining them so well. I'm coming up on 2 years maintaining about a 60 lb loss also.
I agree with the part time job comments - between running, strength training, yoga, and walking - well I wish I got paid for all those hours! But this is what is working for me right now to be strong and fit, and to be able to eat enough where I'm not miserable.4
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