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NovusDies
Posts: 8,940 Member
Sunday started my 4 month maintenance/recomp period. This is part of my overall plan to be over-prepared for full-time maintenance... assuming that is possible.
For several months now I have been working on habits, NEAT improvement, and trying to consider my strategy. It helped me to stop thinking of this as preparing for maintenance and start thinking of it as self-improvement and not just with regards to weight management and fitness. I have been building other good habits because I believe good habits breed the same. If I am going to fit more exercise into my day I need a stronger habit base to improve time management. If I am going to maintain my accountability and make mindful decisions I need to understand how to establish better habits and environment to reduce temptation.
I have increased both my NEAT and my exercise calories. I have overshot my goal there but I suspect that will scale back down some over time.
As it stands my plan is to do 4 months of maint/recomp, return to a deficit for a couple of months, and then do another 4 months. After that I am sure I will be ready to finish my weight loss phase.
I know it won't feel exactly the same because I will always know this is ending and real maintenance is forever but I want to simulate it as much as possible. I want to feel like I will have a good handle on this because going back to my morbid obese life just can't be an option.
Right now I think I will continue with my practice of banking some calories for the weekend. That seems ridiculous at this calorie level but I really have no need for so many during the work week. I don't want to start drinking weekly or even monthly but I never intended to push alcohol so far out of my system so banking gives me an opportunity there too.
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
For several months now I have been working on habits, NEAT improvement, and trying to consider my strategy. It helped me to stop thinking of this as preparing for maintenance and start thinking of it as self-improvement and not just with regards to weight management and fitness. I have been building other good habits because I believe good habits breed the same. If I am going to fit more exercise into my day I need a stronger habit base to improve time management. If I am going to maintain my accountability and make mindful decisions I need to understand how to establish better habits and environment to reduce temptation.
I have increased both my NEAT and my exercise calories. I have overshot my goal there but I suspect that will scale back down some over time.
As it stands my plan is to do 4 months of maint/recomp, return to a deficit for a couple of months, and then do another 4 months. After that I am sure I will be ready to finish my weight loss phase.
I know it won't feel exactly the same because I will always know this is ending and real maintenance is forever but I want to simulate it as much as possible. I want to feel like I will have a good handle on this because going back to my morbid obese life just can't be an option.
Right now I think I will continue with my practice of banking some calories for the weekend. That seems ridiculous at this calorie level but I really have no need for so many during the work week. I don't want to start drinking weekly or even monthly but I never intended to push alcohol so far out of my system so banking gives me an opportunity there too.
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
18
Replies
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Sunday started my 4 month maintenance/recomp period. This is part of my overall plan to be over-prepared for full-time maintenance... assuming that is possible.
For several months now I have been working on habits, NEAT improvement, and trying to consider my strategy. It helped me to stop thinking of this as preparing for maintenance and start thinking of it as self-improvement and not just with regards to weight management and fitness. I have been building other good habits because I believe good habits breed the same. If I am going to fit more exercise into my day I need a stronger habit base to improve time management. If I am going to maintain my accountability and make mindful decisions I need to understand how to establish better habits and environment to reduce temptation.
I have increased both my NEAT and my exercise calories. I have overshot my goal there but I suspect that will scale back down some over time.
As it stands my plan is to do 4 months of maint/recomp, return to a deficit for a couple of months, and then do another 4 months. After that I am sure I will be ready to finish my weight loss phase.
I know it won't feel exactly the same because I will always know this is ending and real maintenance is forever but I want to simulate it as much as possible. I want to feel like I will have a good handle on this because going back to my morbid obese life just can't be an option.
Right now I think I will continue with my practice of banking some calories for the weekend. That seems ridiculous at this calorie level but I really have no need for so many during the work week. I don't want to start drinking weekly or even monthly but I never intended to push alcohol so far out of my system so banking gives me an opportunity there too.
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
Bro, why in the *kitten* do you think you will have problems on maintenance? You seem to be smart and fairly resilient. You got this.10 -
@NovusDies - I have been reading your posts in other parts of MFP, and, to quote Click and Clack, you are well-reasoned and insightful. I have no doubt you can succeed in your goals here if you want. I am tickled you're going to try some maintenance even if for just a third of a year to test the waters. It seems like you are preparing for a very soft landing into the forever world of not gaining it back.
Welcome!
How can we help?9 -
I echo the slightly crazy, like a fox, bro up-thread. As long as you keep keeping that head in the game the way you have been you will be in as good a shape as anyone can be!4
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psychod787 wrote: »Sunday started my 4 month maintenance/recomp period. This is part of my overall plan to be over-prepared for full-time maintenance... assuming that is possible.
For several months now I have been working on habits, NEAT improvement, and trying to consider my strategy. It helped me to stop thinking of this as preparing for maintenance and start thinking of it as self-improvement and not just with regards to weight management and fitness. I have been building other good habits because I believe good habits breed the same. If I am going to fit more exercise into my day I need a stronger habit base to improve time management. If I am going to maintain my accountability and make mindful decisions I need to understand how to establish better habits and environment to reduce temptation.
I have increased both my NEAT and my exercise calories. I have overshot my goal there but I suspect that will scale back down some over time.
As it stands my plan is to do 4 months of maint/recomp, return to a deficit for a couple of months, and then do another 4 months. After that I am sure I will be ready to finish my weight loss phase.
I know it won't feel exactly the same because I will always know this is ending and real maintenance is forever but I want to simulate it as much as possible. I want to feel like I will have a good handle on this because going back to my morbid obese life just can't be an option.
Right now I think I will continue with my practice of banking some calories for the weekend. That seems ridiculous at this calorie level but I really have no need for so many during the work week. I don't want to start drinking weekly or even monthly but I never intended to push alcohol so far out of my system so banking gives me an opportunity there too.
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
Bro, why in the *kitten* do you think you will have problems on maintenance? You seem to be smart and fairly resilient. You got this.
I was in a prison of my own fat. It created disabilities from which I am now free. I am allowed to be afraid of regaining. More importantly this is not a new thought. When I thought I might do this months ago it immediately felt right. I may not listen to my body that much but I do trust my instincts.
I am also very aware that for the foreseeable future the thought of bulking will not sit well with me. I also know that if I lost all my weight right this minute I still won't be happy with my aesthetics because my fitness level is still too low. I have spare fat so I might as well try to convert some of it to muscle.
I have roughly 25 pounds left to lose. I am in a good place and in no hurry. Unless I get news from a doctor that puts a priority back on losing weight I see no harm in this approach.15 -
@NovusDies - I have been reading your posts in other parts of MFP, and, to quote Click and Clack, you are well-reasoned and insightful. I have no doubt you can succeed in your goals here if you want. I am tickled you're going to try some maintenance even if for just a third of a year to test the waters. It seems like you are preparing for a very soft landing into the forever world of not gaining it back.
Welcome!
How can we help?
I will ramble on about what I am thinking/doing from time to time and if you see any yellow flags feel free to hit me upside the back of the head.
7 -
I echo the slightly crazy, like a fox, bro up-thread. As long as you keep keeping that head in the game the way you have been you will be in as good a shape as anyone can be!
Depending on what statistic you believe only like 10 percent of anyone who gets to a goal successfully maintains it. My logic in this regard is pretty simple. If I want to be among the 10 percent I can't behave like the 90 percent. I don't see many people being this crazy so I will take you at your word that I might actually be in good shape.6 -
psychod787 wrote: »Sunday started my 4 month maintenance/recomp period. This is part of my overall plan to be over-prepared for full-time maintenance... assuming that is possible.
For several months now I have been working on habits, NEAT improvement, and trying to consider my strategy. It helped me to stop thinking of this as preparing for maintenance and start thinking of it as self-improvement and not just with regards to weight management and fitness. I have been building other good habits because I believe good habits breed the same. If I am going to fit more exercise into my day I need a stronger habit base to improve time management. If I am going to maintain my accountability and make mindful decisions I need to understand how to establish better habits and environment to reduce temptation.
I have increased both my NEAT and my exercise calories. I have overshot my goal there but I suspect that will scale back down some over time.
As it stands my plan is to do 4 months of maint/recomp, return to a deficit for a couple of months, and then do another 4 months. After that I am sure I will be ready to finish my weight loss phase.
I know it won't feel exactly the same because I will always know this is ending and real maintenance is forever but I want to simulate it as much as possible. I want to feel like I will have a good handle on this because going back to my morbid obese life just can't be an option.
Right now I think I will continue with my practice of banking some calories for the weekend. That seems ridiculous at this calorie level but I really have no need for so many during the work week. I don't want to start drinking weekly or even monthly but I never intended to push alcohol so far out of my system so banking gives me an opportunity there too.
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
Bro, why in the *kitten* do you think you will have problems on maintenance? You seem to be smart and fairly resilient. You got this.
I was in a prison of my own fat. It created disabilities from which I am now free. I am allowed to be afraid of regaining. More importantly this is not a new thought. When I thought I might do this months ago it immediately felt right. I may not listen to my body that much but I do trust my instincts.
I am also very aware that for the foreseeable future the thought of bulking will not sit well with me. I also know that if I lost all my weight right this minute I still won't be happy with my aesthetics because my fitness level is still too low. I have spare fat so I might as well try to convert some of it to muscle.
I have roughly 25 pounds left to lose. I am in a good place and in no hurry. Unless I get news from a doctor that puts a priority back on losing weight I see no harm in this approach.
I am someone who lost about 50 pounds 8 or 9 years ago. I started weight training 3 years ago. I didn’t want to bulk and cut because of fear of regaining, not being able to control myself and also not liking dieting. So I’ve been recomping at plus or minus 5 pounds for 3 years. Totally manageable for me. I was trying to eliminate any areas of stress around eating and get into good habits around training. Both of which I think I have been successful at.
Only now after a decade of being at a healthy bmi am I bulking.
My long term goal is to be as muscular as possible and I will keep at it forever as I really enjoy lifting.
Have I done things the most optimal way in terms of aesthetics? Probably not. But I don’t care, cos my happiness is worth more to me than the few pounds of muscle I may have missed out on through not doing a few cut and bulk cycles.9 -
I understand your concerns and we all have to be diligent in keeping our heads in the game. I think your idea has merit. I learned the hard way when arriving at maintenance that I had some misconceptions about how to deal with it. In the back of my mind I was going to be able to eat lots more now that I had "arrived". One of the most shocking things was that I never lost that last 10 pounds because I was at maintenance level in my calories without knowing it. And I thought I was dieting! That was a rude awakening. The last year has been a journey too as I gained back 15 pounds. I am slowly taking it back off but I realize now just how hard I will have to work to maintain. It's worth it as you well know. I no longer feel crippled by my fat. I am finally "normal". Hang in there @NovusDies you are an inspiration to many of us.9
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cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »Sunday started my 4 month maintenance/recomp period. This is part of my overall plan to be over-prepared for full-time maintenance... assuming that is possible.
For several months now I have been working on habits, NEAT improvement, and trying to consider my strategy. It helped me to stop thinking of this as preparing for maintenance and start thinking of it as self-improvement and not just with regards to weight management and fitness. I have been building other good habits because I believe good habits breed the same. If I am going to fit more exercise into my day I need a stronger habit base to improve time management. If I am going to maintain my accountability and make mindful decisions I need to understand how to establish better habits and environment to reduce temptation.
I have increased both my NEAT and my exercise calories. I have overshot my goal there but I suspect that will scale back down some over time.
As it stands my plan is to do 4 months of maint/recomp, return to a deficit for a couple of months, and then do another 4 months. After that I am sure I will be ready to finish my weight loss phase.
I know it won't feel exactly the same because I will always know this is ending and real maintenance is forever but I want to simulate it as much as possible. I want to feel like I will have a good handle on this because going back to my morbid obese life just can't be an option.
Right now I think I will continue with my practice of banking some calories for the weekend. That seems ridiculous at this calorie level but I really have no need for so many during the work week. I don't want to start drinking weekly or even monthly but I never intended to push alcohol so far out of my system so banking gives me an opportunity there too.
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
Bro, why in the *kitten* do you think you will have problems on maintenance? You seem to be smart and fairly resilient. You got this.
I was in a prison of my own fat. It created disabilities from which I am now free. I am allowed to be afraid of regaining. More importantly this is not a new thought. When I thought I might do this months ago it immediately felt right. I may not listen to my body that much but I do trust my instincts.
I am also very aware that for the foreseeable future the thought of bulking will not sit well with me. I also know that if I lost all my weight right this minute I still won't be happy with my aesthetics because my fitness level is still too low. I have spare fat so I might as well try to convert some of it to muscle.
I have roughly 25 pounds left to lose. I am in a good place and in no hurry. Unless I get news from a doctor that puts a priority back on losing weight I see no harm in this approach.
I am someone who lost about 50 pounds 8 or 9 years ago. I started weight training 3 years ago. I didn’t want to bulk and cut because of fear of regaining, not being able to control myself and also not liking dieting. So I’ve been recomping at plus or minus 5 pounds for 3 years. Totally manageable for me. I was trying to eliminate any areas of stress around eating and get into good habits around training. Both of which I think I have been successful at.
Only now after a decade of being at a healthy bmi am I bulking.
My long term goal is to be as muscular as possible and I will keep at it forever as I really enjoy lifting.
Have I done things the most optimal way in terms of aesthetics? Probably not. But I don’t care, cos my happiness is worth more to me than the few pounds of muscle I may have missed out on through not doing a few cut and bulk cycles.
I think I will also get to a place of comfort with bulk/cuts but I do not feel that will be for quite some time. I am perfectly fine with this less optimal approach. I do not have any specific goals in mind other than just to improve. When I get into it further small goals will present themselves and I will choose rather or not to pursue them.
The thing about my broader approach that I am really digging is that by working on all of me instead of just the physical I can get a lot more "wins" in a day or have at least a few on bad days. I never really thought myself complacent but there are areas where that has definitely been true. I am developing new skills/hobbies. Revisiting old ones. Listening to lectures to learn new things or refresh old knowledge. I can make some progress towards something each day. I kind of love it. Carrying all that weight taught me to settle in more ways than I realized. Instead of just being a better weight and better fit I am working on being a better me.11 -
cheryldumais wrote: »I understand your concerns and we all have to be diligent in keeping our heads in the game. I think your idea has merit. I learned the hard way when arriving at maintenance that I had some misconceptions about how to deal with it. In the back of my mind I was going to be able to eat lots more now that I had "arrived". One of the most shocking things was that I never lost that last 10 pounds because I was at maintenance level in my calories without knowing it. And I thought I was dieting! That was a rude awakening. The last year has been a journey too as I gained back 15 pounds. I am slowly taking it back off but I realize now just how hard I will have to work to maintain. It's worth it as you well know. I no longer feel crippled by my fat. I am finally "normal". Hang in there @NovusDies you are an inspiration to many of us.
You inspire me. Things have not gone perfectly for you but you regroup and push forward again. The person that seems to do everything perfectly is not my role model. The person who falls down and gets back up is the person I respect.12 -
Make it so, ND.
I think for me it's like going to work every day - it just has to be a priority.
I believe you'll be a welcome addition to this forum. Er, Welcome! :flowerforyou:3 -
cmriverside wrote: »Make it so, ND.
I think for me it's like going to work every day - it just has to be a priority.
I believe you'll be a welcome addition to this forum. Er, Welcome! :flowerforyou:
Agree. Losing weight for me had to be my side-hustle. It is like a job.
Similarly, maintenance is exactly the same, a part-time job, but the process can be a little different, like getting a new position, but just moving laterally within the department. Same goal, different protocol.
Some other thoughts, ND.- The scale is a moron. It will slow down sometimes; it will backtrack on you due to: water retention, change in exercise routine, solar flares... Keeping measurements (of inches/cm or with pics or with a clothing item) can be helpful still even in the big M.
- Maintenance will test your patience a lot sometimes.
Especially if you are me and have a difficult time finding your protocol sweet-spot, or you get temporarily lazy, or if you go on vacation and go a tad nuts. Not everyone yo-yos, but it's not uncommon. - Just work the side-hustle like a Boss, and it will work for you.
- And just like with weight loss, if Life happens to you, then just get back on the trail. We are human. So screw ups happen. No guilt but no excuses.
LIke @cheryldumais said, we need to keep our head in the game and that requires diligence.
I completely understand the need to keep on top of it. I've been negotiating maintenance since Dec 2015. I've regained a bit and relost that bit over and over. It was hard b/c I was originally 100lb overweight and was TERRIFIED of going back there. My upswings get smaller and smaller each time I do this, and I think I'm finally figuring things out, even all the small things. I have to log. I take weekends off for fun and sanity, but that means I have to bank calories and be a Calorie Sentinel during the week. But since I kept my head in the game always, I never regained more than 15-20lb. Part of me will always feel fat. Another will always be paranoid that even despite knowing I'm on track, I'm getting fat again. The small part left has to keep it's head. Poor thing.
12 -
I doubt I will see a weight I can use as information for about a month. I always upswing 7ish pounds initially anyway when eating maintenance and adding more exercise or higher intensity exercise will throw more mud into the water.
3 -
I doubt I will see a weight I can use as information for about a month. I always upswing 7ish pounds initially anyway when eating maintenance and adding more exercise or higher intensity exercise will throw more mud into the water.
That's true. I just personally find it helpful to constantly remind myself that the scale will jerk me around. And that knowledge is enough to keep my paranoid and pessimistic two-thirds talked far enough back from the edge, y'know. But that's my own hang-up. 1 -
cheryldumais wrote: »I understand your concerns and we all have to be diligent in keeping our heads in the game. I think your idea has merit. I learned the hard way when arriving at maintenance that I had some misconceptions about how to deal with it. In the back of my mind I was going to be able to eat lots more now that I had "arrived". One of the most shocking things was that I never lost that last 10 pounds because I was at maintenance level in my calories without knowing it. And I thought I was dieting! That was a rude awakening. The last year has been a journey too as I gained back 15 pounds. I am slowly taking it back off but I realize now just how hard I will have to work to maintain. It's worth it as you well know. I no longer feel crippled by my fat. I am finally "normal". Hang in there @NovusDies you are an inspiration to many of us.
The person that seems to do everything perfectly is not my role model.
Well then I will be of no help to you at all.
Hell, I only had to lose 20ish lbs and I managed to gain 10 of them back in the blink of an eye because I decided I didn't feel like paying attention anymore. I mean, I managed to not really pay attention while still logging daily, geesh.
I'm not for a second saying we all go through the same thing regardless of where we started from, and I'm sure you and I will have to deploy very different strategies and deal with different struggles to have any kind of long term maintenance success. But I think the commitment to keeping our head in the game and the understanding that it's up to us to make maintenance happen is the key. And being patient through the ups and downs, and perhaps the occasional slight backslide.
Not sure if anyone told you yet, but newbies have to swab the deck.
I feel weird because I don't need to direct you to a stickie post.
9 -
What was hard for me: transitioning to feeling "success" without seeing the scale move down. I learned to let maintaining be its own reward, but it was a big mental adjustment.
Giving yourself time to adjust to maintaining is a great idea. I wish I'd been as intentional with it, but it all worked out.4 -
cheryldumais wrote: »I understand your concerns and we all have to be diligent in keeping our heads in the game. I think your idea has merit. I learned the hard way when arriving at maintenance that I had some misconceptions about how to deal with it. In the back of my mind I was going to be able to eat lots more now that I had "arrived". One of the most shocking things was that I never lost that last 10 pounds because I was at maintenance level in my calories without knowing it. And I thought I was dieting! That was a rude awakening. The last year has been a journey too as I gained back 15 pounds. I am slowly taking it back off but I realize now just how hard I will have to work to maintain. It's worth it as you well know. I no longer feel crippled by my fat. I am finally "normal". Hang in there @NovusDies you are an inspiration to many of us.
The person that seems to do everything perfectly is not my role model.
Well then I will be of no help to you at all.
Hell, I only had to lose 20ish lbs and I managed to gain 10 of them back in the blink of an eye because I decided I didn't feel like paying attention anymore. I mean, I managed to not really pay attention while still logging daily, geesh.
I'm not for a second saying we all go through the same thing regardless of where we started from, and I'm sure you and I will have to deploy very different strategies and deal with different struggles to have any kind of long term maintenance success. But I think the commitment to keeping our head in the game and the understanding that it's up to us to make maintenance happen is the key. And being patient through the ups and downs, and perhaps the occasional slight backslide.
Not sure if anyone told you yet, but newbies have to swab the deck.
I feel weird because I don't need to direct you to a stickie post.
I feel cheated without a link.2 -
cheryldumais wrote: »I understand your concerns and we all have to be diligent in keeping our heads in the game. I think your idea has merit. I learned the hard way when arriving at maintenance that I had some misconceptions about how to deal with it. In the back of my mind I was going to be able to eat lots more now that I had "arrived". One of the most shocking things was that I never lost that last 10 pounds because I was at maintenance level in my calories without knowing it. And I thought I was dieting! That was a rude awakening. The last year has been a journey too as I gained back 15 pounds. I am slowly taking it back off but I realize now just how hard I will have to work to maintain. It's worth it as you well know. I no longer feel crippled by my fat. I am finally "normal". Hang in there @NovusDies you are an inspiration to many of us.
The person that seems to do everything perfectly is not my role model.
Well then I will be of no help to you at all.
Hell, I only had to lose 20ish lbs and I managed to gain 10 of them back in the blink of an eye because I decided I didn't feel like paying attention anymore. I mean, I managed to not really pay attention while still logging daily, geesh.
I'm not for a second saying we all go through the same thing regardless of where we started from, and I'm sure you and I will have to deploy very different strategies and deal with different struggles to have any kind of long term maintenance success. But I think the commitment to keeping our head in the game and the understanding that it's up to us to make maintenance happen is the key. And being patient through the ups and downs, and perhaps the occasional slight backslide.
Not sure if anyone told you yet, but newbies have to swab the deck.
I feel weird because I don't need to direct you to a stickie post.
I feel cheated without a link.
Oh crap, ok hold on a second...
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1159755/looking-for-a-detox-cleanse/p1
No, wait, maybe this one:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1
Hmmm, that one isn't right. Would you settle for some sexypants?
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
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@NovusDies, it looks like you have weighed your chances and willing to take the dive. The only way to learn and be successful is by taking risks and learn from the outcome. Good luck my friend!2
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psychod787 wrote: »Sunday started my 4 month maintenance/recomp period. This is part of my overall plan to be over-prepared for full-time maintenance... assuming that is possible.
For several months now I have been working on habits, NEAT improvement, and trying to consider my strategy. It helped me to stop thinking of this as preparing for maintenance and start thinking of it as self-improvement and not just with regards to weight management and fitness. I have been building other good habits because I believe good habits breed the same. If I am going to fit more exercise into my day I need a stronger habit base to improve time management. If I am going to maintain my accountability and make mindful decisions I need to understand how to establish better habits and environment to reduce temptation.
I have increased both my NEAT and my exercise calories. I have overshot my goal there but I suspect that will scale back down some over time.
As it stands my plan is to do 4 months of maint/recomp, return to a deficit for a couple of months, and then do another 4 months. After that I am sure I will be ready to finish my weight loss phase.
I know it won't feel exactly the same because I will always know this is ending and real maintenance is forever but I want to simulate it as much as possible. I want to feel like I will have a good handle on this because going back to my morbid obese life just can't be an option.
Right now I think I will continue with my practice of banking some calories for the weekend. That seems ridiculous at this calorie level but I really have no need for so many during the work week. I don't want to start drinking weekly or even monthly but I never intended to push alcohol so far out of my system so banking gives me an opportunity there too.
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
Bro, why in the *kitten* do you think you will have problems on maintenance? You seem to be smart and fairly resilient. You got this.
I was in a prison of my own fat. It created disabilities from which I am now free. I am allowed to be afraid of regaining. More importantly this is not a new thought. When I thought I might do this months ago it immediately felt right. I may not listen to my body that much but I do trust my instincts.
I am also very aware that for the foreseeable future the thought of bulking will not sit well with me. I also know that if I lost all my weight right this minute I still won't be happy with my aesthetics because my fitness level is still too low. I have spare fat so I might as well try to convert some of it to muscle.
I have roughly 25 pounds left to lose. I am in a good place and in no hurry. Unless I get news from a doctor that puts a priority back on losing weight I see no harm in this approach.
We are more alike than we are different. I have been through all of that and am continuing to fight my fears slowly. Anytime you need to chat, send me a message. Us "big" boys who have lost insane amounts of weight need to stick together.4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »What was hard for me: transitioning to feeling "success" without seeing the scale move down. I learned to let maintaining be its own reward, but it was a big mental adjustment.
Giving yourself time to adjust to maintaining is a great idea. I wish I'd been as intentional with it, but it all worked out.
I have seen several people make similar comments about adjusting to a new meaning of success. That is one of the reasons I wanted to give myself new and easy ways to "win" each day and let calorie management be on the same level as brushing my teeth. I have no idea if it will work.
Because of how I stopped I have some unrealized weight loss (meaning I never saw it on the scale). On Sat I was already masking about 4 pounds and since then I have upticked some more and I am a full 9ish pounds heavier than I could be on the scale. So even now I still expect to see a new low weight at some point after things regulate again. I guess that will cut into my maintenance experience some.
I think my first 4 month maintenance goals are to:
1) Learn how my weight behaves.
2) See how it feels to not expect losses
3) Adjust to balancing my calories closer to zero
3 will probably be one of the harder things for me to do. My logging habits tend to be high. I also eat a variable amount of daily calories and while losing as long as I didn't create more than an extra 875ish calories worth of deficit in a week I didn't bother with eating them back if I didn't want them.1 -
psychod787 wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »Sunday started my 4 month maintenance/recomp period. This is part of my overall plan to be over-prepared for full-time maintenance... assuming that is possible.
For several months now I have been working on habits, NEAT improvement, and trying to consider my strategy. It helped me to stop thinking of this as preparing for maintenance and start thinking of it as self-improvement and not just with regards to weight management and fitness. I have been building other good habits because I believe good habits breed the same. If I am going to fit more exercise into my day I need a stronger habit base to improve time management. If I am going to maintain my accountability and make mindful decisions I need to understand how to establish better habits and environment to reduce temptation.
I have increased both my NEAT and my exercise calories. I have overshot my goal there but I suspect that will scale back down some over time.
As it stands my plan is to do 4 months of maint/recomp, return to a deficit for a couple of months, and then do another 4 months. After that I am sure I will be ready to finish my weight loss phase.
I know it won't feel exactly the same because I will always know this is ending and real maintenance is forever but I want to simulate it as much as possible. I want to feel like I will have a good handle on this because going back to my morbid obese life just can't be an option.
Right now I think I will continue with my practice of banking some calories for the weekend. That seems ridiculous at this calorie level but I really have no need for so many during the work week. I don't want to start drinking weekly or even monthly but I never intended to push alcohol so far out of my system so banking gives me an opportunity there too.
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
Bro, why in the *kitten* do you think you will have problems on maintenance? You seem to be smart and fairly resilient. You got this.
I was in a prison of my own fat. It created disabilities from which I am now free. I am allowed to be afraid of regaining. More importantly this is not a new thought. When I thought I might do this months ago it immediately felt right. I may not listen to my body that much but I do trust my instincts.
I am also very aware that for the foreseeable future the thought of bulking will not sit well with me. I also know that if I lost all my weight right this minute I still won't be happy with my aesthetics because my fitness level is still too low. I have spare fat so I might as well try to convert some of it to muscle.
I have roughly 25 pounds left to lose. I am in a good place and in no hurry. Unless I get news from a doctor that puts a priority back on losing weight I see no harm in this approach.
We are more alike than we are different. I have been through all of that and am continuing to fight my fears slowly. Anytime you need to chat, send me a message. Us "big" boys who have lost insane amounts of weight need to stick together.
'Preciate that.
I think my fears are appropriate at the moment. I shouldn't feel comfortable. I should channel that into something productive which is part of what this plan is about.
There is nothing insane about this plan except some people would probably be very uncomfortable doing it. I can be extremely patient which is irritating in a way because I was never patient with my weight loss before recently. It is funny (not humorous) how we can have such major blind spots in our lives.5 -
Sounds like a great way to take the long view! Good luck my friend!1
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Getting ahead of it mentally is a good call. Like for many, my transition into maintenance was rocky and I still question many things. I drift in and out of logging like continuing education, I find it helpful and reassuring when all the other markers and numbers could be saying any number of things. Also remembering that the long view is even more important to get a handle on - telling people trying to lose to look out 4-6 weeks is a decent time frame for those in that phase, whereas it's months and longer for maintenance. Course corrections also needn't be dramatic for this reason.
You got this!2 -
MelanieCN77 wrote: »Getting ahead of it mentally is a good call. Like for many, my transition into maintenance was rocky and I still question many things. I drift in and out of logging like continuing education, I find it helpful and reassuring when all the other markers and numbers could be saying any number of things. Also remembering that the long view is even more important to get a handle on - telling people trying to lose to look out 4-6 weeks is a decent time frame for those in that phase, whereas it's months and longer for maintenance. Course corrections also needn't be dramatic for this reason.
You got this!
My plan is for 4 months but that is just a number I chose. I will need to wait for a usable scale result which for me is even more problematic because there have been times while losing that 6 weeks was not enough time to get past the fluctuation noise. Add to that this is also for recomp so that will be a headache on the scale as well.
My scale result is pretty high today. I am also pretty sore so no surprises there. I was starting to slide back down a bit for a couple of days but then jumped 2.4 pounds again between yesterday and today. As I said one of my goals was to try to establish how my weight would normally behave in maintenance. I have a good feel for how it behaves while losing... well as much as anyone can.2 -
I've used a 16-Week reporting cycle for several years in Maintenance. You don't even want to hear about my spreadsheet. I've stopped mentioning it in polite company because even *I* can see that it is over-the-top as far as the thought that goes into maintaining my weight.
HUGE life change.
HUGE issues to overcome, for anyone losing significant weight. I posted in another thread this morning about just some of the factors I had to think about, change, question, etc. Everything from the macros puzzle, nutrition, stress, alcohol, sleep, snacking, meal timing, food choices, exercise, logging, and more. It's a complicated physiological and psychological change. I don't think that ever ends, honestly.
I'm now several years into my 16-Week reporting. I still have one massive Excel sheet, but every 16 weeks I take a look back and see if anything really got better and then I make some goals. Little things these days, like, "I will stop buying chocolate treats." Do I make it through those 16 weeks without buying chocolate treats? No, probably not, but it's on my radar as Important. I credit that 16-Week idea for quitting all kinds of bad habits that take time. Stuff doesn't just magically change, I have to work at it and 16 weeks is a lot less daunting than Forever.8 -
lol. My Larger Losers group is probably sick of hearing about my spreadsheet too. Mine is on version 6 which just started again on Jan 10th to help determine my latest TDEE. I will continue to use it through at least this first recomp/maintenance cycle.
I guess that is another goal. To determine what changes I might need to make to my spreadsheet to guide me into the forever.
I have still managed to create a little over a 1k deficit this first week. That is not too bad and I will erase some of it this weekend. It is hard to turn off the losing switch when I still have some weight that will need to be lost. My recomp is starting pretty slow so a little deficit is not going to hinder much the first couple of weeks. I really do want this to be as close to a net zero period gain/loss though as I can get. I know it will not happen and I will definitely have lost or gained some amount of weight (probably lost) but that should give me info for the next trial.
3 -
Chiming in to wish you all the best on your quest. Anxious to hear how it goes. We all have our demons.1
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(snip)
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
Just in to wish you well, express my confidence that you're more than up to accomplishing this successfully (and will learn from it) . . . and to LOL a little at the implication that us random maintainers might have some additional wisdom that you don't.
cmriverside wrote: »
(snip)
HUGE life change.
HUGE issues to overcome, for anyone losing significant weight. I posted in another thread this morning about just some of the factors I had to think about, change, question, etc. Everything from the macros puzzle, nutrition, stress, alcohol, sleep, snacking, meal timing, food choices, exercise, logging, and more. It's a complicated physiological and psychological change. I don't think that ever ends, honestly.
(snip)
And just to make things more entertaining, some of the relevant external and internal factors change over time, too, so approach that used to work well now needs some tweaking. Fun stuff. 2 -
(snip)
I appreciate any wisdom offered.
Just in to wish you well, express my confidence that you're more than up to accomplishing this successfully (and will learn from it) . . . and to LOL a little at the implication that us random maintainers might have some additional wisdom that you don't.cmriverside wrote: »
(snip)
HUGE life change.
HUGE issues to overcome, for anyone losing significant weight. I posted in another thread this morning about just some of the factors I had to think about, change, question, etc. Everything from the macros puzzle, nutrition, stress, alcohol, sleep, snacking, meal timing, food choices, exercise, logging, and more. It's a complicated physiological and psychological change. I don't think that ever ends, honestly.
(snip)
And just to make things more entertaining, some of the relevant external and internal factors change over time, too, so approach that used to work well now needs some tweaking. Fun stuff.
Wisdom is generally either sought or forced upon us. It is better to seek it than to always require a trial.3
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