@littlemiss i think you are doing wonderfully! the healthy habits you have formed at this stage of your life will serve you well far into your future...

Hey all.
I got my weight back into maintenance range a few weeks ago, but am still eating at a 200 calories deficit to what I was previously maintaining on. Instead of my weight dropping, even very gradually, it's just fluctuating at the top of my maintenance range. Ideally I wanted to get it into the low end of my range because I'm going home over Christmas, and exercise isn't really possible there, apart from my Mum trying to feed me up!

I was wondering, do you think it's because my body has become used to my exercise regime? I run three times a week - am training for a half marathon, so my long runs on a Sunday have been increasing gradually (21km for the 1st time this weekend, yay!), but the runs during the week have stayed about the same distance. I swim one day, and I do a circuits class one (sometimes two) times a week where I've been upping the weights a little recently.

Hiya Hun,
I think your exercise schedule looks perfect! Are you using a heart rate monitor to log your exercise calories? I have realised that mfp's calorie counts always overestimate what I actually burn. I wouldn't worry too much about a lack of weight loss at the moment. Even when I am at a 0.5 lb loss per week I usually stay the same for a few weeks and then drop a few pounds in one week. My body definitely doesn't adhere to a set loss each week. X

Hey everyone,

So practically one month into maintenance right now. I "lost" another pound and am now at 109lbs and staying within my target range. I am still weighing myself every single day.

I have a huge company christmas party coming up with loads of food and indulgence next thursday. I am very much looking forward to it - especially as I got myself a stunning evening dress from Karen Millen.


Cheers,
Lysandra

Hi all! I just hit my goal weight (actually beat it by a lb) on Saturday so I'm officially entering this maintenance group! I'm 5' 5 1/2" tall, 28 years old, and currently weigh 134 lbs (last time I weighed this was high school). I switched my mfp cal goal to .5 lb loss/week because I'm kind of afraid of upping my cals too much, and I don't honestly mind if I lose a little more. I'm still working on toning, shaping, and leaning out. I figure I'll see how my new net cal goal (1560 cals) goes for a few weeks and then adjust as needed.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi!

PERCEPTION....is it not funny how you see yourself and how others see you. I have maintained wt for about 5 yrs then bombed last year. These 10 pounds like a tick on a mangy dog! I will not give up though I keep plugging away.
So, one of my co-workers says wow you still look good. I am like what?????!!!! I feel like I look like a sow with legs...then another said 'yes you have done such a great job keeping off the wt' another said, 'you look dam* good!'
Ok...I was FLOORED because I don't see myself that way at all...not even. I then had to talk with self and remind maintainence no matter how long you been in it is a journey too. As your life changes so does everything else in your life maybe wt, spiritual growth, knowledge... So, I will take thier compliments and run with it. Oh don't get me wrong I will still aim to get some of the 10 off and eat health exercise (once my knee heals) but I will not discount the blessing I have NOW which is I didn't gain it all back!!!!!! I kept 90% off! Thank you God! Woooooooooooooooo Hoooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

a little bit irrelevant to the above posts BUT i noticed a lot of people who are still losing weight have decided to maintain over the xmas period

fine =]

but what do the maintainers do?? haha

any ideas?

I'm maintaining! I just weighed in at 129.8lbs for the past 4 week period, which included my thanksgiving cruise :-)

Well if it helps, I ate my exercise calories from the start and lost consistently. When I was at maintenance calories (according to MFP) AND eating all my exercise calories I was still losing, so I've upped the intake even further as I don't want to lose any more.

Hi All... Just checking in (again)...

All is well - my weight has been fluctuating between 161 and 164: which is my maintenance target

The running has been excellent - I did a half marathon last weekend and I have another one on Sunday. I don't like running in the cold/wet/dark so I've started going to the gym again in the evenings which makes a nice change for me anyway. Its nice to do some weight training again along with the CV work.

Gracibelle & Clean Eater: Congratulations & welcome to the group. You're about to go through a change which is as important as the one which got you to your target weights in the first place. You already have all the advice you need here - basically, experiment with your intake and see what works for you. Remember that its OK to loose/gain a few lb every time you log in, as long as you stay within your target range.

With respect to exercise calories, I think its better to try and eat calories to match the work you do, but feel free to spread this across a period of time. If like me you do endurance exercise once a week, expect to gain a little during the build up and loose it again after the exercise. Its really hard to have a one day a week where you eat 4000 Calories (this was the highest - not an average though I frequently hit 3500) and then the next day eat 2000.

In other words - don't start panicking when your weight changes - set a range and act only if you fall out side of it.

And keep logging. I only missed one week - when I was on holiday - and I really found it hard to get going again when I got back. I wont do that again!

Anyone got a strategy for Christmas?

Mine are:
Family meals - Eat everything - but no second helpings of deserts or stodgy carbs (veggies and lean meat are OK)
Drink in moderation
Throw/give away excess chocolate - if I have it in the cupboard I will eat it instead of something healthy.
Do the 14 mile running club Xmas eve run (followed by coffee & mince pies - I doubt very much this will put me net over cals!!!)
Enjoy myself - worst case I can loose a few LB in the new year.

Still learning this maintenance thing. I find that often I am so concerned in the mornings that I will have enough calories by the end of the day that I end up with leftover calories in the evenings. I have to find a way to relax in the morning and eat what I need. But I so enjoy snacking in the evening. I have had a few days where I am way over due to social gatherings but it has not affected my weight which has been pretty stable at 114-115.

hello fellow maintainers! just to echo some observations already stated by others: 1) maintaining seems to be about staying in a range, it's sort of like a jetliner at cruising altitude making trim adjustments to stay on course; 2) the holidays are coming and we are all on our guard but we have the tools to manage through the festivities; 3) the new year provides an opportunity to make any adjustments necessary to quickly get back in our desired weight range if we overindulge in the temptations of the season. best to one and all...

Just stopping by at the end of the year to reflect on what I have achieved since April 15, 2011, when I started this journey. I have lost about 68 pounds (when I started my first goal was to lose only 45 pounds), I have gone from a size 16 to a size 4, and I have become fit and healthy, with my blood pressure problem completely gone without any medication now and dropping over 100 points on my cholesterol. I have officially been "in Maintenance" since late August, but have lost nearly 20 more pounds since then. I feel great, have loads more energy and am told I look younger now (I feel at least 20 years younger really).

It has been maybe about a month or so now that I have set my MFP to "Maintain" and have tried to up my daily calories to avoid any further weight loss. The past month was a success -- my 4 week weight change was only minus one pound. I am now trying to set a weight range that I am happy to stay within. It probably is a bit more than I weigh right now since I ended up going a few pounds below my lowest goal weight number.

I am 5'6", 58 years old and weigh 127 right now. I think my range will be 130-135 for 2012 since I think that's the weight at which I look slim and healthy but not too thin. My daily calorie goal is usually about 1540 and I do not eat back my exercise calories which are usually in excess of 2200 a week (it varies a lot but I do generally work out 5-6 days a week, including quite a bit of strength training). I also want to really work on building core strength and muscle in 2012, which will mean I may eventually weigh a bit more than I did when my muscle mass was smaller.

I could use some more MFP friends who are also in Maintenance Mode, so please send me a Friend invitation if you are interested. I do try to keep up and post encouraging comments and love to get them in return.

Here's wishing you all a very healthy and happy 2012!!!!

Other than that, I'm thinking about new goals for 2012 but haven't set them in stone yet....have you all worked on that too?

Yep - just finalized them yesterday and they're on my profile:
- Run a half-marathon. Don't die.
- Run a 10K in under 1:00:00.
- Do an unassisted pull-up for the first time since 6th grade gym class.
- Do 75 consecutive pushups.
- Squat/deadlift 150lbs.

My current distance record is 9.3 miles, and I'm going to attempt the half in early May. My 10K time is currently about 1:03:00. I'm about halfway through a program to build to 50 consecutive pushups (and then I'll start working towards 75) and my squat/deadlift is 100-105lbs.

Hello everyone!
I haven't been reading the maintenance thread in some time. It's nice to catch up on all of your lives.

The holidays proved to be very good for me in terms of maintaining my weight. For the last three weeks I've weighed in at 153.2lbs. That has never happened ever, and I've been weighing myself once a week since I started maintaining on July 19, 2011. I've been increasing my weekly calorie consumption and it looks like 14000 - 14500 is right for me. I get in at least 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week, but it's usually a bit more.

One goal I plan to do is the Bridge to 10K program. I uploaded it to my iphone and will be started shortly. This week I plan on going to the gym and taking in some step classes. I love step and I haven't had an opportunity to do this in awhile.

Happy New Year! May it bring you all lasting health and happiness!

Yeah - I am in!!! I have tried to join for a while now...Thanks Robin!!!

Well , I took a couple months off of my constant logging diet and exercise program. Iam ready to get back to it.
Seems I still just need to maintain... at the top of my range but that's ok. I just need to make healthie choices. Glad to be back!!!

Well, I made it through a very busy holiday season without gaining! I've had a few family emergencies in the past couple of weeks, and combined with very cold mornings it has hampered my early morning walks. As of this morning, though, I'm still on track and still motivated to keep it up. It felt SO good during the holidays to not really worry about eating. I have such a totally different mindset about food now, partly because I'm at a good weight and partly because for the first time in years I actually feel in control of my own health and fitness. It's a good feeling. Happy New Year, everyone!