Question about how to maintain weight once I reach goal weight

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JAT74
JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone

I've been a long-time user of MFP and more recently was using it to try and eat a bit more healthily, so I was tracking calories and my macros etc. but that's all. This worked well for a few months, along with increasing my activity level by walking more, doing some weight training etc. but I hit a plateau which lasted for a few months between July and September. I was maintaining my weight loss but I didn't lose any more. By that point I'd lost around 17lbs which was great, but I wanted to lose around the same again so I hired a coach to help me for 6 weeks.

I'm now 3 weeks into my plan with my coach (which includes following a set eating plan each day and doing specific exercise which consist of cardio, Yoga and anything else I feel I want to do on top of that). So far it's going great, I feel amazing and I've lost another 6lbs so far. I'm still around 12lbs off my goal weight though, so from this week, I've increased the amount of cardio I'm doing and the weight is starting to come off a little faster.

My questions is, it's likely that I'll reach the end of the program with my coach and won't quite be at my goal weight. I won't be able to afford to hire her for any longer after that, but she's going to give me a plan which will help me get to my goal, and then maintain my weight afterwards which is great. So far, the first 3 weeks have meant adjusting my way of eating and cutting out anything sugary (including fruit in the 2nd phase of the plan), fatty (only lean meat/fish are allowed and no added oil or fat) or artificial, and I'm eating lots of salad and green vegetables, so its very healthy and simple.

She swears by 'clean' eating but also believes in having a 'day off' once a week where you can eat what you want so you don't feel deprived. I get this completely, and have several friends who do this in their everyday life naturally and maintain their weight that way. I can totally see the benefits of doing this, and can see that it might be easier to stick to in the long-run as it means you can avoid temptation most of the time. So far I've had two 'days off' and have found that I haven't been tempted to overeat, or to eat anything which isn't relatively healthy, so my tastes are obviously changing.

My lifestyle tends to resolve around food and eating out however, so it can be tricky to avoid certain types of restaurants in order to follow a clean eating plan. I go to Chinese, Thai and India restaurants regularly, and plain steamed chicken, fish and vegetables isn't usually an option! One idea would be to eat 'clean' when I'm at home and eat differently if I'm out, but being a 'foody' at heart, it's also a shame to think that I'll never be able eat some of the meals I cook at home for my partner. I often cook Italian, Mexican and Thai food for example.

Friends have told me that I shouldn't have to eat 'clean' forever, and instead I should give myself n no more than 2-3 days a week where I eat 'clean' and on the other days eat what I want, but I really don't know if this is the right approach, or if it's asking for trouble and will mean that I'll slip back into old habits etc.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience of using either method to maintain a lower weight and what you'd recommend? Any other ideas are more than welcome too. I'm quite small framed/boned and not that tall (1 metre 63), and my goal weight is 118lbs approximately, ideally a little less. I'm currently 131lbs (starting weight was 154lbs) and I find that my body is happy at around 140lbs generally if I eat 'what I want' every day within reason, and at around 1300 calories per day with little or no cardio other than walking. I am quite sedentary and work from home at a desk.

I realise that to maintain a lower weight long-term, which I haven't been able to do for long for the last 15 years, I'll need to make long-term changes to my habits. This is of course something I'm am prepared to do as I feel a lot healthier and happier when I'm smaller. If this means regularly increasing cardio, eating clean, doing the 5:2 diet etc. I will do it but I'm really not sure!

My coach has 'hinted' that to get to my goal and then maintain my weight I'll need to follow her 3 phase plan pretty much forever and just cycle it depending on my weight and how my body is looking etc. I haven't been introduced to phase 3 yet (that starts next week), but she's told me it will be a mini 'cut' and so far, phase 1 and 2 have also been pretty strict. If that's going to be the best way I'll do it, but it would be nice to have some other tips and suggestions too.

Inevitably I'll have to make a decision about how to proceed when I do get to my goal, and I'm determined to get there and keep it off this time, but want to be armed with a few ideas about how to go about maintaining first.

TIA

Replies

  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    edited October 2020
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    To be honest, I don't make it that complicated. I just count calories, accurately and honestly. Meaning I use a food scale as often as possible, use accurate diary entries, and eat at a level of calories that will give me a slight deficit for losing weight. AND I understand (due to prior efforts) that I'll need to do pretty much the same in maintenance - except that my calorie goal will be higher.

    For me: losing weight means eating at 1400-1700, doing 1 hour of cardio daily + 4-5 days weekly of body strength work. I am now 5'5", 135ish pounds, female, 46. That has me burning about 1900-2000 daily calories. My days outside of intentional efforts are fairly sedentary. If I did not make any effort, I'd probably get in a total of 2,000-3,000 steps daily and burn approximately 1500. Exercise is good for my overall health and allows me to have a higher calorie burn.

    I prepare most of my own food, so I am able to accurately account for it based on mass/weight in my dairy/log. When I do eat takeout, I keep to relatively 'safe' options where the amount is somewhat controlled. I know I'm estimating when I do that, because even if Restaurant publishes the meal is 456 calories, they are bound to have some slight variances and sometimes it may be 426 or others 496. It is not a perfect world. I eat what I want, but I account for it. If I want to have more food/higher calories on a particular day, I do so. I can then choose to have a smaller deficit for the day/week, or to exercise more to make up for it. It is about making choices, and being aware of the way the budget works.

    Soon I will be in maintenance as my goal is 128-130. Even now I'm aware that my body is pretty much the way it is going to be, though I'd like to improve muscle tone/strength and still see some fat areas reduce. I have to figure out how much is reasonable. Some things that I'm not fond of: might just be the way my body is naturally shaped? Anyhow, what will change in maintenance? I'll aim to log about 1800-1900 daily which theoretically would be a deficit of 100 per day or 700 per week. At the same time, I intend to keep logging BUT allow myself a little more estimation. Meaning I may not weigh out each individual component of my meal every time I eat. By aiming to have a very slight deficit, I can account for estimation errors. That is my theory at least. And I'll keep an eye on the scale. While in maintenance, if my weight gets back to 134+ I will know that I need to improve my accuracy.
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 980 Member
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    I agree with both of the above comments. I moved in to maintenance in March of this year but am essentially doing what I was doing whilst losing weight - eating the stuff I like / what I ate before, just a little bit less of some things. I have smaller portions of pasta and rice, add fewer potatoes to my dish / plate and add volume with more veg - but I'm still eating the foods that I like, and that includes cooking Italian / Thai / Mexican / Greek dishes and more. That doesn't work for everyone, but completely depriving myself of things would not work for me.

    Like you, I enjoy eating out (although we've gone back in to lockdown such that I can't mix with people from different households, again, which is a blow) - but I'd just factor those meals in to my plan. I look at menus ahead of time, if possible and then plan around what I intend to eat.

    I pre-log, most days, and then tailor breakfast and snacks around how many calories I'll have left once dinner is taken into account. Lunch is a big salad + protein pretty much every day. Some days I go over my calories, but others days I'm under, to compensate for a planned meal out - I use the app and check that my weekly average is roughly in line with my goal.

    As you've paid for this, I'd continue and learn from your coach - then perhaps use the best advice from her, mixed with how you feel you can comfortably live the rest of your life. You can have some lower cal days, perhaps with the plain, steamed foods, to enable higher cals on other days of the week. There's absolutely no reason why not.

    It's all about how many calories you eat. How you make up the number is up to you.
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
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    I would agree with the posters above that for me weight loss would not be sustainable if I ignored all the foods I like to eat (and the drinks I like to drink! - my husband is a wine buff). I have lost 25lbs in the past five months without giving up alcohol, sugar or some fruit (sadly I have become allergic to several types of fruit - apples, cherries, plums, pineapple... - so have to avoid it for that reason). I think my approach in your position would be to try to work out what it was that stopped your weight loss July/September. Or perhaps better, since you probably don't know that, to look at that period July/September where you seemed to be maintaining, and see what you were doing. That might help you to understand what you need to do in maintenance. Speaking as someone who lost to goal weight and beyond, and then put it all back on again, that knowledge would seem very useful. Good luck anyway!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,969 Member
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    ^^what they said. :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,178 Member
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    I agree with the others above (from the perspective of year 5 of maintenance, BTW).

    Personalization to your preferred lifestyle, as much as feasible, is important.

    I'm tempted to suggest that when you leave your coach you *not* follow her eating plan, but stay at a similar calorie level, and start introducing some of the things you really want in your life long term (like sensibly chosen Mexican - Thai - Chinese foods in suitable portions to meet your calorie goal). Consider balanced overall nutrition (averaged out over a few days, not necessarily strict daily), because that's useful to maintain health and energy level. Pay attention to what you find filling, and keep yourself happy in that way (exact methods differ by individual).

    It can be useful to figure out long-term (permanent) sustainable, calorie-appropriate eating patterns during weight loss, when there's that cushion of a calorie deficit in case of any "learning experiences" 😉. Then, when you get to goal weight, you add back a few daily calories to stabilize weight, and keep up the sustainable habits.

    I'd argue the same thing about exercise types & schedule, too, BTW: If you enjoy your current routine, and you can keep going with good life balance (enough time and energy for other important things in your life), that's great. If not, that may require some thought and adjustment, too.

    Weight management isn't really a project with an end date, after which we "return to normal". It's permanent, if we want to maintain that healthy weight, so it needs to suit our needs and contribute to our overall happiness.

    P.S. "Clean eating" means something different to everyone, but I'm not a big believer in it as a concept. I think overall balanced nutrition is important, along with appropriate calorie intake. A lot of my eating is nutrient-dense foods that some would consider "clean", but there are also things like chocolate, pizza, ice cream, craft beer and the like, in reasonable portions, frequency and proportions.

    P.P.S. Chinese, Thai & Mexican food can be relatively higher in sodium and possibly carbs than your "clean" mode. Consequently, you may see some scale jumps from temporary water retention. Don't let it freak you out. If you don't eat 3500 calories (cumulatively) over maintenance, or move that much less, you don't gain a pound of fat. Big scale changes overnight tend to be water weight or digestive contents differences, unless there have been MAJOR calorie level changes. Fat regain is more likely to be creeping, steady background gain that hides behind the daily fluctuations and sneaks up . . . if you let it.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Thanks for the advice everyone. I agree with some of what you're saying, but from past experience I realise that not all calories are equal and eating lower fat/low sugar & high protein (as I am now) seems to be what my body likes the most. In the past I've concentrated on the calorie numbers and calculating everything based on my age, height and activity level etc. rather than what foods I'm eating within those calories, even though I've always tried to keep things fairly balanced. Over the past 3 weeks I've only been logging in MFP occasionally as I haven't needed to, but I can see that I'm way up there with my protein intake at the moment and the body fat is coming off like never before which is a nice feeling.

    I know roughly how many calories I'm eating each day, but even though the number is higher than I could eat when I've done this before and have logged on MFP daily, I'm not having to work it out to the same extent because the plan is so easy and balanced that it really isn't required. In the past I've had to stick to no more thank 850-900 calories to lose weight and reach my goal, as the foods I've been eating have been much higher in fat, carbs and sugar, which my body doesn't respond well to. I also know this is way too little.

    Now I'm eating a lot more frequently (5 meals a day in total), and more volume of food and I'm losing more weight/body fat so her plan seems to be pretty effective. What works for some doesn't always work for others unfortunately, a lesson I've learnt the hard way! I'm 5'4" and 46 years old and my body is comfortable at around 1200 calories maximum when I'm at a lower weight. Anything more than that and I start gaining weight again, and that's with exercise added in most days too.

    I would like to eventually have a bit more interesting foods of course, and some snacks/treats, but in order to keep the weight off I really think I do need to keep this to a minimum, so perhaps I will think about having at least 4-5 'clean' days where I don't use oil/fat and keep carbs lower and try and get more protein in like I'm doing now and on the other days I can allow myself to add in some sauces or things I really like etc. I know it's going to be a case of experimentation but I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to find what works. I'm very small boned/small framed and my mum is exactly the same as me when it comes to her weight. My body fat has been my main issue as I know it's not healthy to be 30-40% which is what I've been for the last few years. This is now down to around 29% and I'm aiming for between 20-25% which I think is a much healthier number.

    Also, re. training, I've always believed that weight training is essential but with the Yoga and fitness classes I'm doing now I realise that it's not and that body weight exercises are great too. I can see the difference in my shape already, and I'm not getting the injuries I usually do when I start training more intensively. Cardio Mon-Fri is doable, but it can get boring so I'll probably look at reducing it to 3 times a week and doing longer walks with friends or with my dog instead.

    I know it's about finding what fits into my lifestyle and something which is sustainable, but this has taught me that you don't need to spend hours logging and calculating anything to get to where you want to be which is refreshing. Once you eliminate fatty foods, sweets/chocolate and the majority of carbs like bread and pasta your appetite decreases too so it becomes easier to stick to the plan.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,978 Member
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    For wt loss and maintenance, what you eat doesn't matter as much as how much you eat.

    For health, what you eat matters a lot but I'm quite healthy w/o ever eating organic or what others consider "clean." If you eat a "balanced" diet nutritionally, what you eat is entirely a matter of personal choice

    As 4 what to do after u lose your coach, just continue to do what s/he taught you to do to win your cal limits
  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,106 Member
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    Well, there's Mexican and there's Mexican. I am still losing, but while I like both carnitas and arroz con pollo, I'm waiting to eat arroz con pollo til I have a few more calories and room in my stomach to play with. (I cut volume, and will have to step that back out in maintenance.) There's things that are higher protein and lower calorie in every cusine, it's just knowing how to choose it. And sometimes it's worthwhile to learn to make it at home, because then you can do things like control the salt and fat content. (I have to control the heat, because I'm a supertaster and can't take anything past gringo heat.) The last time I had a rational portion of Mexican rice when at a restaurant it was nearly inedible due to the saltiness.
  • domeofstars
    domeofstars Posts: 480 Member
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    What really helped me was weighing myself every day. Its not for everyone but it helped me because i was able to stop whatever habit was making me start to gain or change things up to stop the scale creeping upward. The times i've run into trouble have been where i don't weigh myself for long periods of time and fool myself into thinking my weight isn't too bad or i haven't 'gained that much''.

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