Maintain or main 'taint?

Jthanmyfitnesspal · June 2023

Hello, fellow maintainers!

I'm at that old goal weight once again.

It brings such a mix of feelings: Wanting to stop worrying about my weight all the time and but also wanting to lose just a little bit more.

Always an interesting moment. (I've been here many times!)

SummerSkier · June 2023

Congrats at reaching that goal again. My maintaining since 2017 has looked like gaining 5 pounds losing 5 time and time again. I don't really stop logging or keeping an eye on things but I might not weigh daily and I might not use a food scale for everything AND if I am working out a lot I might increase my cals a little higher than the system likes. But mostly the reason I gain is not the level of cals I have for set or my exercise but when I go nutz and bingy for a day and that is where it adds up. So depending on your mentality you could go several months without worrying about your weight and then tighten up for a few weeks every year.

Sadly for me this is a rest of my life thing. But not everyone is the same of course.

Jthanmyfitnesspal · June 2023

@summerskier : First, thanks for the response!

I am totally in the same situation since forever. What's a party without beer and nachos?

2022 was a particularly hard year for me and I gained more like 20 pounds which are finally off since January. I usually do well until about October when it gets cold and dark. It's depressing, and I put on a few pounds. If it's <5lbs, I can usually drop it in January. This year it took from January to May!

Best of luck to you and all the other maintainers out there!

Jthanmyfitnesspal · September 2023

The answer is: Main t'aint. (I spelled it wrong in the original post!)

I've gained 10lbs in the past two months! 😱 (Lots of reasons. Details posted elsewhere.)

SummerSkier · September 2023

But the good news is you haven't just walked away from the whole process and you know the damage and how to fix it!

Jthanmyfitnesspal · May 14

This is the worst thread I ever created! I totally whiffed it and gained all the weight back and more! 🤬

In June 2023 I had cut down to a level that is about 6lbs less than where I am now. I've been cutting again since 1/1 and it's been hard to get where I am. I wish I could drop for 6 more pounds, but I think that 6 months of cutting is enough and I should go back on maintenance on June 1, whatever my weight on that day. I'm planning to do strict maintenance and keep logging for as long as I can.

So, the question again will be: Maintain or main-t'aint? (I think this catchy phrase is going to catch on, amiright?)

AnnPT77 · May 14

Maintain.

I'm saying that with the context of your other recent thread in mind, too.

If you decide you want to lose another 6, you can do that later.

Diet breaks are good, physically and psychologically. Maintenance practice is good logistically and practically. Multi-win!

Maintain . . . if we're voting here. 😉

PAV8888 · May 14

the "t'aint" is NOT an option. (Conversely it should be your goal to NOT allow t'aint as a valid option)

You already know it: I'm sincerely advocating that YOU ain't done. There is NO done!

Most of us here are repeat "offenders". We don't get to "goal" and then magically stay at goal.

The game is long term management.

TURN IT INTO A DESIRABLE GAME YOU LOVE TO PLAY ALL (or at least MOST of) THE TIME instead of viewing it as a time limited chore and sacrifice!

You brush your teeth daily. You wash up, if not daily, hopefully very frequently… you manage your weight by managing your food intake, if not daily, hopefully more often than not….

:)

Jthanmyfitnesspal · May 15

@AnnPT77 and @PAV888 : I appreciate the positive words. I send good vibes back at you. Best of luck in your personal health efforts!

And, I'm in my thin pants today, so life is good! Knowing I'm stopping in 15 days is motivating me to see how well I can do by the 31st!

Jthanmyfitnesspal · May 28

I'm below my goal weight today (175lbs)!

That's 6 months of losing -1lb per week on average. I'm continuing my cut to end of month (4 more days).

I created this thread two years ago when I had cut down to 170lbs, but I gained it all back and more (main-t'aint!). As posted in my other whiny thread about being stuck in March, I think this is because I over-relied on daily exercise to balance my calories. I got injured (more than once), which made it much harder to maintain. I'm switching to doing vigorous exercise every other day, which will be a challenge as I like so many exercise activities and I don't like to go so long without getting to them!

Thanks to everyone who has replied in this thread. You are very generous and I hope to return the favor!

Interbeing · May 28

@Jthanmyfitnesspal Good to hear! My cross-country coach in college used to say that, "You can't outrun a bad diet". It is always difficult to tweak caloric intake when limited in activity. I am going through the same thing right now, dealing with a shoulder rotator cuff. I am in Physical Therapy, and limited with my workouts. I adjusted my diet, but have over compensated and ended up losing about 5 lbs over the last few weeks.

Jthanmyfitnesspal · May 30

I just ordered a Garmin smart scale. My reasoning is that I get lax on recording my weight once I go into maintenance. Also, I don't want yet another app monitoring my bodyweight, so I'm willing to pay the premium to get the Garmin, which connects to the Garmin app I already have.

I was at 174 this morning. A bit below goal, so that's good! Going into maintenance, planning to keep logging my food as much as possible!

Jthanmyfitnesspal · June 2

I'm now officially in maintenance.🎉😊

I celebrated by not logging all weekend! And, we had a lovely dinner party Saturday night where I allowed myself to have some beer 🍻(I've had very little for 6 months, of course).

I also was very active working on the house on Saturday plus taking a run with the dog 🏃‍♂️🐕. I took a fantastic bike ride on Sunday 🚵‍♂️. My performance has been improving on both the bike and in running, which is motivating. So, lots of calories eaten, lots of calories burned. Overall, no harm done!

I'll restart logging today. I also have the Garmin scale up and running so I can weigh daily without any fuss ⚖️. My plan is to keep logging ✍️, keep the carbs under control (I passed on the layer cake offered this weekend— X🍰X— even though I hadn't eaten yet that day), keep the beer to special occasions (X🍺X there are really good AF beers these days), and have fun exercising outdoors all summer😎!

Interbeing · June 2

I skipped my weekend 36hr fast this weekend as I am having challenges maintaining my weight. I was able to maintained a balanced diet, and kept somewhat active with the limitations of my shoulder. My physical therapy is coming along well and hopefully I will be back on the bike this week. I am still running a little under my goal weight, but I didn't lose any weight over the past week, and I am still within a healthy range. Have a great week everyone!

Goal Weight: 185

Average weight for this week, May 27- Jun 2: 179.0 BMI: 23.0

Average weight for past month, May 6- Jun 2: 181.4 BMI: 23.3

Average weight for past year, Jun 4, 2024- Jun 2, 2025: 193.4 BMI: 24.8

SummerSkier · June 2

I think the one thing we have to figure out in maintenance is how to have the things we really love (like i guess beer for Jimmy) without losing sight of the calorie balance. For me I had to learn how to have my favorite 300 cal donuts without tearing into a binge. If we have to restrict ourselves forever from those things life would not be enjoyable.

Interbeing · June 2

@SummerSkier Yes, moderation is the key. another option is substitution, I'm fortunately not so much a sweet tooth person, but I do like salty food, and loved potato chips. I started with moderation, putting a single serving (about 15 chips) into a bowl, and eating them individually, as slowly as I could, savoring each chip. Without the whole bag in front of me, I was less inclined to consume the whole bag. I then switched to more healthy options (I.e. Organic Veggie Chips), then eventually reduced my eating of chips to occasional use during special events and family get togethers, and I don't normally keep them in the house to further avoid temptation. Today it's really not an issue, and if I do eat potato chips at some point, I don't beat myself up about it, enjoy them for what they are, and move on. For me, it is all about mindset, and if I remind myself how hard it was to get to where I am with my nutrition and health goals, it is easier to look beyond the temporary moment, and look at the big picture. And yes, because of my efforts, I am able to enjoy things in life that I could never could some 40 lbs ago, and at 66, I especially appreciate the good health and fitness that I enjoy today.

Jthanmyfitnesspal · July 1

Hello people! It's been an exciting month of maintenance. I've logged most days, but not over the past weekend with friends on vacation. I did lots of exercise (including two fantastic 1.25mi ocean swims!), ate lots of food, and drank a bit of beer. I came home up a couple of pounds. Yikes!

But, it evaporated overnight (poof, 3.4lbs gone since yesterday), leaving me below my goal weight at the 1 month mark! 🎉(I'll take it, but I'll try not to get too cocky!)

I've found I always bump up in weight if I have a couple of beers a night for a few days, as on vacation. Alcohol also makes my sleep worse, which I can track on my Garmin watch. Vacation ends, I stop drinking beer (or sometimes drink NA beer ), my weight drops a couple of pounds, and I get a good night's sleep. Amazing!

AnnPT77 · July 1

I don't know about you, @Jthanmyfitnesspal , but I find I usually get a scale jump from water retention after a vacation-ish interlude, and for me that for sure drops off quickly. In a situation like that, I eat differently quite apart from calorie level (as you mention, beer could be in that picture 😉), and there's often car or plane travel of some distance before and after, and while I don't necessarily do my normal workouts, I may do more walking to sight-see or whatever. Any of that can bump up water retention, especially long car rides or air travel. Back to the normal routine, and that sorts itself out in a few days.

SafariGalNYC · July 1

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48636930#Comment_48636930

@Jthanmyfitnesspal inspiring!! When I got to maintenance - I started more muscle building to burn more cals!
I hear ya about going back and forth with weight! Pandemic crap put some weight back on me too. It’s a process.

Keep on monitoring!

You are a success story!

Maintain or main 'taint?

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