Does it ever end?

smartin1450
smartin1450 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I successfully lost about 30 lbs two years ago and have managed to keep it somewhat in check. I seem to have trouble eating at maintanence and gain a few lbs back here and there, then I count again and lose them. Are there people who learn to eat and don’t track that can maintain their weight? I feel like when I’m counting calories, especially when at a deficit, I think about food and eating way too much. I don’t know, it feels like and endless cycle.

Replies

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited February 2020
    I'm maintaining, and no it doesn't end. I still track calories in maintenance every day, and I still think about food, but I feel this is better than not thinking about food because I will overeat consistently if I don't. People have this dream of dieting down and then just living a happy life eating normally without thinking about it. That's very rare, unfortunately, and that's one of the main reasons people regain.

    Whether you keep tracking or find a way to eat at maintenance without tracking, you will always need to think about food and what your weight is doing. You need to make peace with that. Being aware and conscious is a new state you need to accept. Being oblivious and hyper relaxed is a state that works for maintaining a weight 30+ lbs higher than you want, so no going back to that. It does get easier once you accept your new reality, though. Not as easy as it used to be before dieting, but easier than it is now because fighting it is exhausting. These are some new mental challenges unique to maintenance.

    Personally, maintenance for me looks more like a mini yoyo of a few lbs. It's more of a range than a single weight and I fluidly fluctuate based on my hunger and circumstances. This means I overeat sometimes. I'm okay with that as long as I'm not overeating consistently and things aren't getting out of hand.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    edited February 2020
    I'm in maintenance and no it doesn't end. I stopped tracking and gained 5 lbs within just a few months, so I'm logging, weighing and eating at a deficit again to lose them. I would dearly love to eat anything I wanted whenever I wanted and not have to think about it; which is what I was able to do (and maintain a slim figure) until I turned about 40. Those days are over for me, and they ain't comin' back.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,228 Member
    If I am reading OP correctly - sure, maitenance doesnt end but what you want to end is this yo yo dieting thing re gaining, having to lose back to goal again and again.

    Can you clarify this OP - as I think the answers to ending maitanance vs ending yo you dieting are bit different.
  • smartin1450
    smartin1450 Posts: 6 Member
    For me, it is just the yo-yo portion of this. I have never gained back a significant amount. It has been 5-6 lbs at most and I’ve always been able to get back on track and lose it. I find when I’m counting, especially at maintanence, I have more calories and I start filling them with bad things, then bad habits start again and I stop counting all together. I think I’m just having a bad day and frustrated with the process. I know what I need to do and I’ll get back to doing it.
  • fdlewenstein
    fdlewenstein Posts: 231 Member
    smartin1450 wrote: »
    For me, it is just the yo-yo portion of this. I have never gained back a significant amount. It has been 5-6 lbs at most and I’ve always been able to get back on track and lose it. I find when I’m counting, especially at maintanence, I have more calories and I start filling them with bad things, then bad habits start again and I stop counting all together. I think I’m just having a bad day and frustrated with the process. I know what I need to do and I’ll get back to doing it.

    We all get frustrated and have bad days! Sometimes we just need to vent a little (or a lot). You have the right attitude. Know what you have to do and get back to doing it. Chalk this up to a learning experience.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,133 Member
    smartin1450 wrote: »
    For me, it is just the yo-yo portion of this. I have never gained back a significant amount. It has been 5-6 lbs at most and I’ve always been able to get back on track and lose it......then bad habits start again and I stop counting all together. ..... I know what I need to do and I’ll get back to doing it.

    Maybe it is not the right time to bring this up because you're obviously working through frustration while doing the right thing and fighting!

    So, at a later point of time, when you're feeling up to it, consider the following in any which random order and see if any of it is worth considering and applying to your own unique situation!

    --weight does go up and down naturally, and there exists hormonal water retention and bloat. This part is normal. Is some of your yo-yo related to that? While the previous is normal, feeling that you're on a yo-yo is not. Mainly because yo-yo seems to imply larger up and downs than you would be comfortable with, which means that you should consider intervening sooner than you have been. May I take the opportunity, once again, to suggest a weight trend application if you're not using one already?

    --If thinking of food as good and bad makes you stop trying when you fall into "bad habits", then this division is not serving you well! Whether the Calories come from carrots or fried Mars bars, they are still Calories and you can, and should, choose to manage them if you're taking in to many! Especially when some food choices mean that a couple of bites can amount to several hundred Cals!

    --you know what you need to do and get back to doing it. ok, I hear you when you say that you do, but I also fear that by not making things easy on yourself you're increasing the chance of frustration, postponement, and ultimately failure. Are you making it as easy as possible to be eating in the right DIRECTION to eventually get to your goals? Easy to apply small deficit? Regulating (portioning/reducing the consumption of) certain foods as opposed to blanket swearing off of them forever?

  • cherys
    cherys Posts: 387 Member
    I think what might end is the 'will this ever end?' mindset. When I was slim, which I was until my mid-forties, I never consciously dieted or watched my weight but I would instinctively choose the most healthy food in a restaurant. I'd ask for green salad instead of a starter and fruit salad at dessert. It never occurred to me that I was dieting. I just loved healthy food and didn't like stuffing my face or that over-fed feeling. I often skipped meals because I was preoccupied with work. I'd eat very lightly before a big social occasion. After Christmas Day I'd be out of the house on long hikes not sitting in front of TV with the chocolates on my lap. In those days none of that felt like any effort or deprivation. These days, having got into bad habits of comfort eating and laziness, it does. But I hope after a while it becomes second nature again.
  • bearly63
    bearly63 Posts: 734 Member
    @kimny72
    Very well said. I agee with this. It so easy to go "through the motions" of everyday life without thinking about why, what and how. That is one thing MFP and the process is helping me with is really thinking about what I am eating, why I am eating it and making choices to reach goals. I am not in maintenance yet suspect that I will not be changing my daily routine....it will just be with more calories to work with. I need to work on this in other areas of my life....
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    My maintenance calorie requirements have gone down a lot, and I need to be constantly mindful of eating less than I might be naturally inclined to.

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