Maintainers - how do you keep your head in the game?

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Replies

  • AudreyJDuke
    AudreyJDuke Posts: 1,092 Member
    Great thread!
  • AudreyJDuke
    AudreyJDuke Posts: 1,092 Member
    Great thread!
  • jrwms714
    jrwms714 Posts: 421 Member
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    I'm just wondering if you do anything that helps keep your focus towards maintenance, and preventing gains. Are there any traditions, things you do, preventative methods etc that you do which help you stay at your current weight. I'd love to know of any.

    Just portion control, I watch what I eat and I exercise. We are all different, for some people loosing and maintaining are harder for others not so much; there is not a magic or exclusive way to do things.

    In my opinion it will depend in your relationship with food, motivation and self control. If you live to eat instead of eating to live, you may have a problem. If you had a lot of weight to lose, can't stay away for some foods, and are a volume eater, it may be also harder. Some people need to weigh, measure and log their foods forever, others not so much. How to focus in your maintenance depends on you and sometimes is trial an error.

    I have been in maintenance for 7 years. I log when I am home but not when on vacation or eating out (I don't have what I consider bad eating habits}, so that helps. I need a break from MFP so I don't became OCD, and I have a good idea of the portions, nutrition, and I read calories in the menus (when available); if I overdo it one day, I scale back the next one. I weight myself almost daily when I am home, but on vacation (and I take lots of it), I leave all the scales at home.

    If you are or were successful at losing your weight, keep the same routine while maintaining; just increase your calories a little bit at the time until you find your happy medium.

    Totally agree with all of this ... that's my strategy to a T after 4.5 years of maintenance.
  • prettygirlstorm1
    prettygirlstorm1 Posts: 722 Member
    Being on WW and doing MFP has forced me to stay within two pounds of my goal weight. I have only been in maintenance since June 2018. I love 45 pounds. I went on a massive shopping spree when I hit my goal and it felt so good. Those clothes (some of which still have tags on them) are my motivation for keeping this weight off. I have to get weighed once a month with WW as a lifetime member. It keeps me accountable because if I am more than 2 pounds over I have to pay a small fee. So if I don't want to pay the fee I make sure I remain at or under my goal weight. This accountability works for me!!!