Switching to Maintenance. My Struggles. Any advice?

IronAndrew
IronAndrew Posts: 16 Member
edited April 2023 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
As I mentioned in my other post in losing 143 pounds down from 331 pounds back in May 17 of 2022 ( down from above my second heaviest 360 pounds back in September of 2021 and my all time heaviest almost 370 back in May of 2017) down to below 188 pounds I anticipated issues with maintenance and I've encountered them.

I started at 331 pounds and I made it first to my original stopping point of 198 (I'm 6'1 and have a larger frame) before going past 192 pounds (the official acceptable BMI) to 188 and stopping there. Or so I thought.

The first week I was 188 pounds coincided with the end of easter candy sales in my area. As I overindulged in a bit too many cadbury eggs over the next two days I overcorrected by both continuing my daily strength training and my cardio/walking regiment to prevent gain and instead of maintaining ended up at a little under 187 at 186.8. Well I figured the next week I'll just eat what I was eating during my loss without any of garbage food and see what happens. I work in healthcare providing activities and enrichment to seniors with dementia so either food before my loss or exercise itself is my way of reducing my stress and anxiety after work. This translated to 2-3 hour walks plus another hour of cardio on top of my 15-30 minutes of strength training in the morning. I also hike usually once a week for about 1-2 hours. Sometimes twice. Sometimes longer like 2-4 hours.

Well the next week with the dual hiking and exercise I messed up again as I went to go get apples at an orchard that happened to have a bakery. I got this wonderful chocolate cake that had chocolate frosting, chocolate (of course!), chocolate pudding and chocolate crunchies all for an estimated 500-800 calories a SLICE. I kept active though and actually gave away or let half the cake go bad before I'd eat more (a waste I know) rather than consume the rest. I still did eat about 3 and a half slices of it over 2 days though. The rest of the week I went back to my "loss" eating habits. Instead of me maintaining at 188 pounds or even 187 I somehow ended up under 185 (a little under at 184.8 as of this writing).

Now I almost feel like I need to gain weight to get back up to 188 pounds but I feel like I'm getting caught up in a vicious cycle of sorts. I should be sticking to eating sensibly and doing my weekly tuesday group hikes for an hour to 1 hour fifteen minutes with my occasional solo or second group hike which runs 1-4 hours or so depending. the other two out of the four days I should only be walking 30-45 minutes instead of the 3-4 hours I find myself doing to "correct" on either the day I mess up or to make up for the other days. I haven't gained weight back I'm actually at a net loss (which is kinda good but a failure as I should be maintaining not losing anymore). I have to stop overcorrecting and burning extra calories to lose weight by not eating in the first place.

I haven't gained any weight I've actually lost it as I've said but I need to start maintaining and stop. Some people have been saying I need to stop and my face is becoming too narrow although I don't see it. The fact is that I haven't transistioned to maintenance well. I overindulged then react by overcorrecting lose the weight and then some and overindulge again. Just this morning I had chocolate chip pancakes for example. I've noticed my energy levels sometimes dropping off in the afternoon at work or if I run a lot of errands on my days off. Usually this happens if I eat a larger breakfast and then a not as large lunch but sometimes even with the reverse it happens. In both instances I usually have an apple for both to keep me full but maybe it's spiking my blood sugar?

Maybe part of this was due to me being so strict with myself for about a year and I need to be more careful as I loosen restrictions. I feel like I've only managed not to gain the weight back because I overcorrect but I'm definitely getting caught up in an overindulging/overcorrection cycle. That's not what I want.

Anyone else have experience with this and any tips on how to break out of it? I've got things coming up on the horizon career wise and need my focus to be on that. Plus I'm worried I might be developing "something" by doing this overcorrecting,

Maybe deep down I want to lose more weight and I'm not truly ready for maintenance for that reason? I had thought about pushing to under 180 to 170 pounds as a joke to myself but I'm not sure how I'd look like that at 6'1 with my frame. Even if I did that I think I'd still have this issue.

I definitely don't think I want to be under 180 though and I think I should stop it now that I'm 184.8/185 pounds.

Has anyone else gone through something like this after they lose the weight? I really just want to move on with things so I can setup my new eating/exercise routine and let it do its thing without too much thought.
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Replies

  • keash123
    keash123 Posts: 1 Member
    I enjoyed reading your story. I have fluctuated my weight my whole life. At 5'4" my heaviest was a little over 150. I am now 127. But 3 years ago I started getting back in shape again. Started keto again, joined the gym, started working out 3 days a week. I used mfp for calories and macros counting. I got down to 117, then my goal weight was 119 so I would eat what I wanted or binge on sweets. I have since gained 8 pounds in a little over a year. In the past 3 months I have gained most of it. Not huge, but huge to me. I was able to maintain and even splurge for so long that now I am losing ground. I got back on mfp, and ate 41/2 cookies on Sunday at 150 calories each. So yesterday I only ate barely 800 calories. I am planning to weigh every morning, continue working out 3 days a week, and eating mindfully. Meditation may help you, and writing about your journey with your weight. I know I haven't lost as much as you, but my struggle is real. Good luck to you!!
  • IronAndrew
    IronAndrew Posts: 16 Member
    edited April 2023
    Thanks to everyone for your responses thus far!

    To give a little more insight into my line of thinking and anxiety with this phase I'll share this bit of background information. Many years ago I used to drink soda. I noticed I was drinking 2-3 cans of soda a day and then it was 4 and sometimes more. When it got to that point I gave it up for a year in hopes I could reset things. After making it a year and cautiously trying it again I ended up drinking 1-2 at most for the first three months before I was averaging 4-6 a day. Prior to that I had given it up again for half a year with similar results. At that point I was starting my first very serious weight loss attempt. I gave up soda first as I came to the conclusion I couldn't drink it in moderation. I believed and still do that I have a problem with it and the only solution was complete abstinence from it. These days I drink flavored seltzer water or regular water. Apart from the occasional apple cider/juice/milk/cocoa and of course plain coffee (I put NOTHING in mine [it's not for everyone but once I got used to drinking it that way I didn't go back]). My weight and teeth thanked me for it.

    Similarly with the weight I remember when I first started in late May of 2017 and lost around 90 pounds only to see most of it come back after I went back to college in February of 2019 steadily gaining more and more of it back until I noticed I gained it all back minus maybe 10 pounds in September of 2021. I then adopted a stricter regimen of calorie control and exercise to push it down from around 370 pounds to 331 until after my final exams ended the following semester I decided to go all out and push to the very end from 331 all the way to 188. The issue was I ended up at 183.8 pounds averaging to about 184-185 as of this writing today as I overcorrected with the exercise to overcompensate for those pieces of cadbury eggs or pieces of chocolate cake.

    Just like with the soda example I wonder if there are certain things I will have to abstain from for like. While I'm not really a candy person usually I loved (and still sort of do) love chocolate and can't see myself banning that from my diet forever. Same with pizza, pasta and most carbs.

    My hope is after two weeks with minimal fluctuations of a pound to three pounds at most my body will "adjust" to my new weight or rather weight range and I can set and forget my exercise/calorie routine and just exercise and restrict if I start to overindulge during the holidays or something similar. I've already made my peace with being in a weight range rather than around an exact number. Anywhere from 183 to 190 pounds will be fine I think. The question is that realistic or should I expect more fluctuations than that?

    I've used and continue to use exercise now instead of food for the stress and anxiety component in my life (I work in a nursing home providing enrichment and general activities for elderly residents with dementia, as you can imagine some days are tougher than others although I get plenty of exercise and steps there before I even get home) as there was a time I'd consume a whole pizza/pint of ice cream/pasta dish if it got out of control. Especially when I had classes on top of work and it before a major project or during studying/right before final exams. I don't do that anymore. I had the cadbury eggs purely because I was curious what they tasted like (I always got the regular ones this was the first time I tried the caramel and chocolate ones: verdict it caramel was the best, reese's and oreo ones were pretty good too) as they are usually only around during Easter time and because the chocolate cake was a limited time thing as well. I think there's still a mental component to this though. I'll have to deal with that but for now I want to deal with the physical component of it or at least know what to expect about it. How much weight fluctuations is normal for example.

    I get the sense I should ease up on what I allow myself to eat and stop monitoring my caloric intake but when I stopped monitoring my caloric intake before was part of why I believe I gained. I have the anxiety piece mitigated by exercise satisfying that but I still think I should monitor my calories for another three weeks before I stop that.

    At the very least I'll ease up for now as what how much I allow myself to eat as I'm still eating at my "burn rate" rather than my "maintenance rate" for caloric intake. That's probably resulting in why I still feel so shaky in the afternoon. And why I keep going down in weight.

    I'm just so nervous about loosening the reigns. I gained it all back before. That also happened to my best friend too.

    Still I'll allow myself just shy of 100 calories within the upper limit of the maintenance caloric range and monitor how that works for the next three weeks. If I don't see any fluctuations over the range I mentioned (183-190) then it's finally time to stop monitoring caloric intake apart from occasionally checking in once or twice monthly otherwise it's time to fully let go.

    Is that a realistic plan?
  • JaysFan82
    JaysFan82 Posts: 851 Member
    I've been going through what you've been experiencing since I hit Maintenance in Feb

    I've lost 15 more pounds since I hit my goal weight of 235. I was 388.6 when I started.

    Really trying not to lose more, but I burn so many calories running. I was also super strict with my diet and was afraid to enjoy some of the foods I cut out during my loss. I've learned that it's OK and that there's nothing to be afraid of. Just don't kill a frozen pizza every night. Just once in a while.
  • lauragarcia70x
    lauragarcia70x Posts: 1 Member
    Hi Andrew- first congrats on the weight loss! I also lost 140 lbs and have been maintaining since last August. It is a difficult transition from loss to maintenance. Be patient with yourself and this is key: look at your weight average over at least a week, better yet a month, instead of focusing on today’s number. Makes a big difference! Sounds like you are in a classic binge-restrict cycle. I struggle with the exact same thing. Feed yourself adequately on what would be your restriction days, and work treats/avoidance foods into your daily meal plan to cut off the inclination to binge. Hang in there!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,668 Member
    Like many here, I have lost and regained many times over the years. About 10 years ago I lost 55 lbs. and have sustained that loss (within 5 lbs.) ever since. The last time was different for a few reasons: 1) I found a level of exercise I enjoyed and could sustain. This allows me to enjoy treats within reason. My calories are aimed at matching my level of exercise, not vice versa. (Beware of using exercise to punish yourself for eating too much. That can lead to hating exercise.) Usually when I can't exercise, because of injury etc., my appetite decreases enough that I have been able to maintain even when not running several days a week. 2.) I continued to log what I eat, though I don't weigh or measure any more. It's enough that I'm honest with how many cookies I eat or the fact that I ate a chocolate bar instead of an apple. Usually the logging acts as a restraint to over-indulgence. (i.e. 2 cookies not 3.) 3) I continue to weigh myself at least once a week. As Ann said, one thing that leads to regain is denying the fact that you are gaining weight. It is easy to do when you don't have any numbers to set you straight. Sometimes clothes sizes aren't enough to let you know what is happening.

    It can take a while to figure out how many calories you actually need to maintain your weight and how to listen to hunger cues that tell you when you need more food. Because you are so active, you may need more calories than the average person your size. Just keep on logging until you figure it out.
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 2,828 Member
    @Ironandrew I enjoyed reading your thread and the responses you have received. I am back pretty much at maintenance.....again. It is where I fail.

    I guess I don't really have advice for you as I am trying to figure it out myself, but I am wishing you success.
  • IronAndrew
    IronAndrew Posts: 16 Member
    In the meantime, I've temporarily restricted my calories for the next week or two and re-established my weight loss regimen. I managed to pull a hamstring a few days ago (long story) so I'm taking it somewhat easy despite this.
  • IronAndrew
    IronAndrew Posts: 16 Member
    As it turns out pulling the hamstring resulted in a higher weight than I actually was. I reweighed the next day with an additional scale and weighed about 6 pounds less. I still backed off the extra calories for about a week as I was starting to see a return to stress eating habits from the past.

    Weight is now back to within maintenance range for me (below 188 pounds).

    I think I'm going to establish my maintenance range from 186 to 191 pounds going forward. (the false positive had me over 194!)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    As it turns out pulling the hamstring resulted in a higher weight than I actually was. I reweighed the next day with an additional scale and weighed about 6 pounds less. I still backed off the extra calories for about a week as I was starting to see a return to stress eating habits from the past.

    Weight is now back to within maintenance range for me (below 188 pounds).

    I think I'm going to establish my maintenance range from 186 to 191 pounds going forward. (the false positive had me over 194!)

    One option you could consider is only to invoke the maintenance range uh-oh reaction if the weight creeps up over the top end, stays over the top end for X days.

    For me, a sudden multi-pound jump is pretty much always water weight, unless I absolutely know I ate something in the realm of 3500 calories over maintenance for every pound of that scale jump. That's true whether I can identify the reason for the water retention or not. Personally, I don't enjoy panic mode, so if the scale jump is sudden, I'll give my body a few days to correct before invoking that reaction.

  • momlongerwalk
    momlongerwalk Posts: 21 Member
    BTW, I wasn't trying to be flip above. You are thoughtful, engaged, and dedicated. You'll figure it out soon.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,905 Member
    BTW, I wasn't trying to be flip above. You are thoughtful, engaged, and dedicated. You'll figure it out soon.

    I have read a lot about lizard brain and prefrontal cortex (I've had compulsion issues all my life) so I thought your post was ingenious but I don't want to highjack this thread too much...apologies to Andrew for a moment... I've never thought of setting up a competition between the two brain regions but it makes perfect sense.

    or wait - maybe I have but just never named it that. We had a long thread many years ago about staying away from sugar, and some people would score-keep, like "Sugar = 0, Me = 9" for days of success.

    LB vs PFC is just something new. :flowerforyou:
  • IronAndrew
    IronAndrew Posts: 16 Member
    It's interesting bringing up LB vs PFB interactions. I had LB or though I had in check for the past few months but lack of sleep weakened my resistance for a bit.

    However I've never gone back to fast food or bad food in general just out of control portions of what I already eat. For example instead of one packet of peanut butter crackers which I eat at once it becomes two or I end up having an additional two or three later in the day.

    When daily average steps increase double from what they usually are it doesn't concern me too much until I realize I've eaten like 5 crackers at night. I've instead loaded up during lunch time when I expect to be more mobile that way that food isn't sitting there overnight.

    Foods on the mind more than usual though. I suspect it's also due to increased stress (I'm anticipating a job change/ new job in the next month or so)

    Rather than trying to prevent the proverbial dam from breaking I might as well manage best I can and put everything back together after the waters subside.

    That said I did almost go to McDonald's today the only reason I didn't as I missed breakfast there by one minute. I consider breakfast at these places to be safer... not by much but somewhat safer than what's served throughout the rest of the day. Missed it so made slightly better choices instead. Thwarted by time for the better in this instance!

    The big things I'm trying to maintain is no fast food and no soda which I've been free of since the end of May 2017. Sugar addiction is a thing and I get enough of that from the occasional chocolate ice cream as it is. Don't want to be drinking it too. Plus I lost my taste for it and do not want to get it back. I was on 6 cans a day at my worst after being at 4 cans a day at my previous worst and giving it up for a year. That's what inspired me to abstain forever.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,514 Member
    @IronAndrew : Awesome job! I join you in the maintenance club, a great place to be! We all have reason to be nervous. The best tool for maintenance is the one we used to lose weight: logging food and exercise and monitoring body weight. Case in point: I went on my spring vacation and my weight jumped up about 4lbs (food and drink!). Over the past two weeks, that weight is gone and I'm back to what I was when I left. Addressing the issue immediately made it easy to correct.

    It really sounds like your life is too stressful. 3 hours of sleep a night for two weeks? I'd be dead! What ever you can do to balance out your life will help. Engage all possible help that you can, change jobs, take up meditation, get off social media, buy a pet. Whatever works, it's worth it!