Maintainers questions

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  • hrush1889
    hrush1889 Posts: 56 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Total weight loss: 25lb

    How long did it take you to lose the weight? 6 months or so

    What method did you use to lose the weight? eating consistently in a deficit, increased activity: gym, walking, running etc

    How long are you in maintenance? Around 4 months

    How do you deal with social situations and vacations? Its a little tough dealing with family/friends judgements. I just try to enjoy myself - sometimes take a day off logging and just be mindful

    What is the biggest challenge for you since you are in maintenance and how do you deal with it? Trying to not worry about my weight, I keep feeling like I am gaining weight/look bad when I don't

    What does a day of eating look like for you now, compared to when you were losing weight? Did it
    change? How did it change? Things are similar, I eat a couple hundred more cals now which equates to an extra snack or less limited meal

    What your exercise is like now, compared to during weight loss? Still about the same, but more so now because i want to not just to get extra cals to eat back lol. I am focused more on gaining muscle than the amount of calories I burn

    What strategies you use to get back on track after splurge, vacation or holiday - generally I don't weigh myself often maybe monthly. So that I wont freak out about a bad week or two. Things happen I'll admit to taking a break from working out, but just remember your progress and get back to it

    Have you dealt with setback or injury preventing you to be active? My best advice is listen to your body, if you are hurt or tired theres nothing wrong with taking a couple days break.

    What is your biggest tip you would like to give to someone looking to either lose, or maintain weigh: Think about what motivates you, whether a specific goal or event. Every time you exercise remind yourself why you are doing it. Even when you reach the goal, make new goals and do what makes you happy
  • caramel827
    caramel827 Posts: 163 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Total weight loss
    110 pounds

    How long did it take you to lose the weight?
    1 year 2 months

    What method did you use to lose the weight?
    MFP- ate what I wanted within my calorie limits and about 6 months in started moving more with a Fitbit goal of 10,000 steps a day most days of the week

    How long are you in maintenance?
    6 months, 2 days

    How do you deal with social situations and vacations?
    These are no different than their days. I would say I just eat less calories for breakfast and lunch in preparation for parties etc.

    What is the biggest challenge for you since you are in maintenance and how do you deal with it?

    Making myself eat the additional calories. I am terrified I will gain so I am still very meticulous. I also don't like to lose the high of getting on the scale each week and seeing a loss. Don't get me wrong I like seeing I maintained but six months in I still ponder each week what will the scale show despite knowing I stayed within the calories. I am actually ten pounds under my goal right now because I am still trying to get it just right.

    I just deal with it by still weighing in weekly and taking it Day by day.


    What does a day of eating look like for you now, compared to when you were losing weight? Did it change? How did it change?
    It looks the same pretty much except for trying to add a snack to maintain.

    What your exercise is like now, compared to during weight loss?
    The same. I really focused on making sure what I did to lose would be something I could maintain for life. I don't have time nor want to be in the gym five days a week like when I was in my 20's. I read diet was 80%diet and 20% exercise and boy was that freeing for me. All I do is move more with the use of my fitbit. I park farther away take several trips up the grocery aisle etc. I will say that I tried to find a new focus as in goal to achieve since I'm no longer trying to lose- I am dong Couch to 5 K. If you had of told me that last year I would have laughed at you!

    What strategies you use to get back on track after splurge, vacation or holiday

    Hmmm these days are like all days. I just preplan how I will down my calories.

    Have you dealt with setback or injury preventing you to be active? How did you deal with it?
    No injuries but during Couch to 5 k I got the flu for a week and was worried I would not be able to pick up where I left off but I just took it slow.

    What is your biggest tip you would like to give to someone looking to either lose, or maintain weight

    Slow and steady really does win the race. Treat your calories like a bank account and you can't lose- don't overdraw, save when needed and it really will all add up! Also weigh weekly not daily because that messes with your mind! I have a tips post if you want it - just inbox me!
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    I just reached what I think will be my goal weight yesterday and I've lost 90 pounds. This has been a great thread to read. Thank you to those that responded :)
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Total weight loss: 75ish pounds

    How long did it take you to lose the weight? 8 months

    What method did you use to lose the weight? flexible dieting with an emphasis on getting enough protein and fiber.

    How long are you in maintenance?     3.5 years / weight has remained within 8lbs and gains are always controlled. Body composition has been the priority

    How do you deal with social situations and vacations? I do what I want.

    What is the biggest challenge for you since you are in maintenance and how do you deal with it? can't think of one off the top of my head.

    What does a day of eating look like for you now, compared to when you were losing weight? Did it
    change? How did it change?     about the same, just more free calories to play with.

    What your exercise is like now, compared to during weight loss? well, I'm better at all of it. I ride faster, I ride longer, I lift more weight with more volume.

    What strategies you use to get back on track after splurge, vacation or holiday? I dont worry. I adjust and revert back to what I learned in the beginning.

    Have you dealt with setback or injury preventing you to be active? How did you deal with it?     bulging disc between L4 and L5 and Super Ventricular Tachycardia. I just have to be careful with my back and take it easy if I tweak it. As for the SVT, I am following my medical teams plan.

    What is your biggest tip you would like to give to someone looking to either lose, or maintain weight? Lose weight the way you want to live your life forever and maintenance will be a piece of cake.

  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    Total weight loss

    120lbs

    How long did it take you to lose the weight?
    about 1 year

    What method did you use to lose the weight?

    Just stuck it out with MFP, ignored the exercise calories mostly, logged, often times weighed my food, walked for exercise mostly

    How long are you in maintenance?

    about a year

    How do you deal with social situations and vacations?

    I have a hard time with it. I try to just stay active, and watch what I eat. I'm slowly able to adjust to the idea of splurging a bit on these occasions and making up for it later as needed.


    What is the biggest challenge for you since you are in maintenance and how do you deal with it?

    I don't want to log forever, so I need to figure out how to survive without logging. The app keeps me accountable, but I need to keep me accountable.

    What does a day of eating look like for you now, compared to when you were losing weight? Did it
    change? How did it change?

    The same foods, just more free calories for snacks or beer or whatever. Im actually cutting a bit of the winter weight right now.

    What your exercise is like now, compared to during weight loss?

    More intense, I can workout through the sweat and work my muscles hard. I have ran several half marathons, done 1 bulk and cut, and now just focusing on being athletic and healthy.

    What strategies you use to get back on track after splurge, vacation or holiday?

    I haven't gained any weight during those events. I try to run, walk, and just be active during vacations so it normally isn't a problem.

    Have you dealt with setback or injury preventing you to be active? How did you deal with it?

    Knock on wood, but that hasn't been an issue yet.

    What is your biggest tip you would like to give to someone looking to either lose, or maintain weight?

    In the loss phase you need to log every bite, every lick of the peanut butter knife, everything. When you hit maintenance keep logging for awhile. Stay active throughout the day walk, take the stairs, it all helps. Most of your calories are burned throughout the day in your regular movements, rarely is an exercise session going to be your prime calorie burner.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Total weight loss
    Initial goal was 45 lbs, but I'm currently 69 lbs down from my highest to get to my running race weight.

    How long did it take you to lose the weight?
    Initial weight loss took 9 months.

    What method did you use to lose the weight?
    Tracked my food and exercise, ate a deficit.

    How long are you in maintenance?
    6-1/2 years. That timeline has included bulks and cuts, plus getting down further to my running race weight, but they've all been planned and controlled weight changes.

    How do you deal with social situations and vacations?
    I plan for them and enjoy them.

    What is the biggest challenge for you since you are in maintenance and how do you deal with it?
    After the first year, it felt kind of difficult to keep it up with no goal other than to maintain weight. Having fitness goals changed that and gave me a reason to pay more attention to my macros/micros.

    What does a day of eating look like for you now, compared to when you were losing weight? Did it
    change? How did it change?
    I eat smaller portions, and higher protein items like Greek yogurt. Also, I lost weight paying attention to only calories. Right now maintaining my weight, I tend to eat more vegetables and fruit than I did when I initially lost weight, but that has more to do with paying more attention to nutrition as I got further along and learned more.

    What your exercise is like now, compared to during weight loss?
    I'm much more active these days since I took up long distance running. But that was because I started looking to fitness goals once I reached my weight goal.

    What strategies you use to get back on track after splurge, vacation or holiday
    There is no getting back on track really. I just accept and plan to have occasional splurges. It's part of eating in a sustainable way for the long term and life.

    Have you dealt with setback or injury preventing you to be active? How did you deal with it?
    Yes, I went from 40-55 MPW running to hardly being able to walk 2 months this summer due to an illness and hospitalizations/surgeries resulting from it. I just ate less. It sucked, but since I was bound to the couch, I also wasn't eating out as much so it wasn't as difficult. Plus my hunger tends to go up with my calorie needs so after getting used to the reduced volume of food and fewer treats, hunger wasn't a big issue.

    What is your biggest tip you would like to give to someone looking to either lose, or maintain weight
    Start off with the basics. Eat at a deficit, buy a cheap food scale, eat reasonable portions, and be honest with yourself. Don't over complicate it. I may take some trial and error to find a new way of eating that you find sustainable. Find an activity you enjoy. Exercise shouldn't be a punishment.
  • HappyGrape
    HappyGrape Posts: 436 Member
    edited May 2017
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    This is probably one of the best topics I ever posted and I love reading all replies! You are all awesome for being so honest about it
  • HappyGrape
    HappyGrape Posts: 436 Member
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    Bumping old discussion, hoping for some new replies
  • LiveOnceBeHappy
    LiveOnceBeHappy Posts: 432 Member
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    As I am approaching maintenance, I find this incredibly helpful!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,102 Member
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    Wow, it's rare to see an old thread that actually has solid content: So many that come back from the olden days are . . . iffy, IMO. So, OK, now I guess I've been maintaining long enough to participate.
    HappyGrape wrote: »
    Total weight loss

    How long did it take you to lose the weight?
    I started out at 5'5", 183 pounds, which is just over the line into class 1 obese BMI. That was in 2015, when I was 59.

    I committed to weight loss on April 17, joined MFP to log on July 25, when my rough-counting approach began to level out a bit.

    I was shooting for 120 pounds (after a couple of goal adjustments) then, and hit that in March, 2016. I now maintain at around 125 pounds, which I'd hit in January 2016.

    I guess that's either 58 pounds in about 9 months, or 63 pounds in about 11 months?
    What method did you use to lose the weight?
    Calorie counting, approximating at first, then logging with MFP.
    How long are you in maintenance?
    6+ years.

    I've been up and down a bit during that time, but entirely within the normal BMI range, and fitting in the same (US size 6) jeans, so I'm calling it all maintenance.
    How do you deal with social situations and vacations?
    It varies. True special occasions I may eat over maintenance calories, perhaps even way over. That could be holiday meals, or a special restaurant meal, or something.

    I "calorie bank" - eat a small amount under maintenance most days, maybe 100-200 calories tops - in order to eat more indulgently sometimes. Sometimes that indulgence is social or vacations, sometimes just because I feel like it.

    My favorite vacation is rowing camp, and one can eat pretty freely while rowing several hours a day! On city vacations, I eat pretty indulgently because that's part of the fun, don't much worry about it. I know how to lose a few pounds if I need to . . . and I don't usually need to.
    What is the biggest challenge for you since you are in maintenance and how do you deal with it?
    Potluck meals. I've given up. I just eat whatever. They aren't that frequent - handful of times a year.
    What does a day of eating look like for you now, compared to when you were losing weight? Did it
    change? How did it change?
    I didn't change the range of foods I ate (already ate fairly nutritiously), just adjusted portion sizes, proportions within a meal, and frequencies of calorie-dense foods, to hit a reasonable calorie goal. I've been vegetarian for 47+ years, thin to fat then obese and back again, but that had nothing to do with body weight .

    I used to eat things just because they were there, kind of mindlessly shoveling food into my mouth. I'm a little more thoughtful about it now, but do make it a priority to eat enjoyably. Life is too short to eat things I dislike. Fortunately, I like lots of things, and love veggies/fruits.

    In fact, I think I enjoy food and eating more, now that I'm more selective.

    As long as I'm logging (which I expect to do indefinitely, most days anyway), I use that as a tool to be pretty on-target with nutrition, too. I have a protein minimum, a fat minimum, strive to eat at least 5+ and ideally 10+ 80g veggie/fruit servings daily. I think about getting MUFAs/PUFAs and managing sat fats, getting reasonable O-3/O-6 balance, but don't have strict goals for those.

    I eat less of what I'd call "filler foods" that aren't all that delightful to me, which tends to be bread I was using as a sandwich container (I just eat the fillings, usually, with increased veggies), wheat pasta (more inclined to use higher-protein legume pastas now, in smaller portions with more veggies), grains.
    What your exercise is like now, compared to during weight loss?
    I didn't much change exercise: I'd been quite active for a dozen years, even while obese.

    I'm a rower, on-water when I can, machine when I must. I started that in my mid-40s, even competed (not always unsuccessfully), while staying obese. I like riding my bike, took spin classes twice a week pre-pandemic, now added a stationary bike to the rowing machine at home. I work out 6 days most weeks year around.

    I'm lackadaisical about strength training, and did try to be a bit more consistent about that while losing weight, but there was no dramatic change of routine.
    What strategies you use to get back on track after splurge, vacation or holiday
    Mostly it's not an issue. When I'd let my weight drift up a bit (maybe 10-12 pounds or so over 4 years), I just cut back on indulgences, kept my tiny calorie bank deficit going, lost that weight again very slowly but painlessly - it took 12-15 months.😆
    Have you dealt with setback or injury preventing you to be active? How did you deal with it?
    Sure. I'm active, and age 66. Stuff happens.

    That's one thing I like about the "MFP Method" of separately accounting for exercise calories. I have a reasonable understanding of how much to eat when I exercise, or when I can't. Since I've been quite active for 20-something years now, I get moody, tense, and feel poorly physically if I there's a long break in exercise. So far, I've only had physical issues that took me entirely out of exercise of all types for a short time. I could normally get back to at least walking (after surgeries) or upper body exercise (when I broke my ankle) even if I couldn't do all my normal stuff.
    What is your biggest tip you would like to give to someone looking to either lose, or maintain weight

    Figure out personalized tactics, don't buy into "one single true universal path to weight loss" as advocated by some of the named diets and diet gurus. If an approach works for you personally, use it. Somewhere during weight loss, figure out your personalized maintenance habits, things that will work nearly on autopilot, and practice them.
  • HappyGrape
    HappyGrape Posts: 436 Member
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    I love all answers. Amazing tips.
  • rwood566
    rwood566 Posts: 987 Member
    edited May 2022
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    HappyGrape wrote: »
    Total weight loss
    344 lbs i started at 566 and today am 222.2

    How long did it take you to lose the weight?
    37 months

    What method did you use to lose the weight?
    nutritionist, behavior therapist, walking, gym after 30 months.

    How long are you in maintenance?
    today is day 1 of maintenance.

    How do you deal with social situations and vacations?
    i try to plan for the events as early in the day as possible so i can modify my early calories to give me extra room for the events.

    What is the biggest challenge for you since you are in maintenance and how do you deal with it?
    learning how to do maintenance eating. i still don't have my "bottom" weight from my dr.

    What does a day of eating look like for you now, compared to when you were losing weight? Did it
    change? How did it change?
    i have been increasing my cal by 200. i am letting my body get used to the new amount and seeing how my weight goes. if it goes up steadily i will cut back some.

    What your exercise is like now, compared to during weight loss?
    same, but it will be dropping for a bit. i am having skin removal surgery may 6th.

    What strategies you use to get back on track after splurge, vacation or holiday
    i go meal by meal, not day by day or week by week. if i have a splurge, i log it and then tell myself to start again at the next meal and not wait for the next day.

    Have you dealt with setback or injury preventing you to be active? How did you deal with it?
    i get the occasional back pain so i can't walk or do much at the gym. i do extra stretching and arm weights at home while i heal.

    What is your biggest tip you would like to give to someone looking to either lose, or maintain weight
    be truthful to the one person that matters in this journey....YOURSELF. if you log, you are only lying to yourself, if you cheat you are only cheating yourself.

  • rwood566
    rwood566 Posts: 987 Member
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    all of these posts are so amazing. i love all of the tips. i could have chosen any of them for my own post as they all are so accurate. congrats to everyone here.

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