Struggling....go on mainenance for a while?

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fififox
fififox Posts: 394 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have lost 24lbs since mid September. I have found it o.k generally, but have had a few spells of feeling like I am struggling a bit - maybe being good all week, losing my resolve at weekends and spending the following week trying to regain territory I had lost. I seem to feel in the last few weeks that I am doing a lot of work to compensate for break outs rather than moving forward. Is there any logic to going on maintenance for a while to give myself a bit of a break, rather than feeling that I am failing to move forward all the time? It might just give me the rest that I need. I have about 14lbs or so to go to reach my goal weight so it is not too great a task - I just think I am suffering a bit from diet fatigue and might benefit from easing up a bit to regenerate my enthusiasm. Having said all of this if there is a danger that easing up would mean the slippery slope backwards, I do NOT want to risk that. Has anyone got any thoughts on the wisdom of doing this or has anyone done this and found that they did manage to move forward again after a break? Thanks if you can advise. I just feel I am struggling to stay where I am , never mind move forward.

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  • 2fit4fat
    2fit4fat Posts: 559 Member
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    what "diet" are you doing? i would try to change your lifestyle like right now im having a bit of cookie dough.. not as much as i used to but its unrealistic for me to say i never will so im doing it in moderation (if i dont i have a horrible binge period lol)
  • smashleymcgee
    smashleymcgee Posts: 135 Member
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    Give yourself some slack. No one can eat limited calories ALL the time (or at least no sane person). If you seem to be slipping, I would switch to a higher calorie daily total. Say your normally set your settings to lose 1 lb. per week, set it to .5 for a few weeks. Don't go all the way to maintenance. I tried it and just went nuts and gained 2 lbs. in a week, and my friends that have done it haven't been seen on MFP since :(. I used to permanently have my settings to 1400 calories, but now I eat between 1600-1700 calories per day. It is much easier to stick with and I am still losing weight.
  • lauehorn
    lauehorn Posts: 183
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    It may be that your goal is too aggressive. Are you set at 2lbs per week? If so, change to .5 or 1 lb per week. You'll see steady losses and still be able to relax and enjoy meals. Once you get to your last 20-30 lbs, 2lbs per week is no longer realistic for most people and you end up feeling deprived (which is why you overdo it).
  • mikonei
    mikonei Posts: 291 Member
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    After my first 20 pounds I started having trouble staying at a deficit and was binging every few days. I switched to maintenance for a couple of months. Now that I am back at a deficit I've lost another five pounds and am having no trouble eating everything in moderation. But it's another situation where everyone is different.
  • fififox
    fififox Posts: 394 Member
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    Hi. Thanks fto everyone for the thoughts. My mfp friends have made some similar suggestions...like dropping my weekly weight loss targets. I have been set at 1lb per week since I began and that gives me 1200 calories a day. I just tested to drop it to 0.5lb a week and it is giving 1350 calories a day for that goal. Smashleymcgee, as you have said, I am afraid that if I go on maintenance it might end up with me quitting altogether - I think I need to feel I have a loss goal. Also, I gain weight incredibly fast (which is why I am so freaked by the prospects of weigh in tomorrow as I have had 2 bad weekends in a row and spent all of last week trying to sort out a gain and am now starting well behind again this week. It's awful to feel in this position as I feel I have achieved so much and for the mostpart been finding it o.k. Maybe I do need to cut myself some slack. 2fit4fat, when I said 'diet' I meant calorie reduction diet and controlling my eating - to do that I have cut out so much of the rubbish I was eating (cakes, sweets, etc) and made my diet so much healthier particularly by increasing veg and fruit and at the moment I am trying to consciously increase fibre. Tbh, I am good with cooking food so I have been doing all of this whilst eating a very varied and tasty range of meals, so in a way it has not felt like big deprivation most of the time. I think that I need to have a few good weeks without any break outs to give me back my confidence with this. I will consider re setting to 0.5lb per week loss I think but will think on it for a few days. It would feel like goingbackwards, but maybe it is what I need right now. Thank you all again for the feedback. :smile:
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
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    Something else to try is to incorporate a spike day or meal. Basically, set a day (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) where you allow yourself a little extra. It gives you something to look forward to, so that on your regular days you know you have a reward coming up. My wife and I do this every Saturday. We try to be sensible about it and not go crazy. Our goal it to make sure we end the week in a deficit.
  • pupcamper
    pupcamper Posts: 415 Member
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    Have you thought about giving yourself a mini-vacation? Drop the 'diet' and exercise for a week or two at the most and then get back on the horse - your body needs/deserves a break every once in a while to regroup! I'm not talking about eating everything in sight and piling on loads of weight just it is alot of pressure to put on yourself, sometimes a break can bring back your motivation to go on and finish the job! Good luck on your journey!
  • MrsHallum07
    MrsHallum07 Posts: 60 Member
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    Thank you for this post, I have been in the same situation for a couple of months. I noticed I have started to gain weight, & I wanted to lose. But I lowered my calorie intake & set my weight loss at 2 lbs. a week. I am going to switch back to a little higher. Maybe that will help me start back to losing again. Thank you all for the wonderful advice.
  • fififox
    fififox Posts: 394 Member
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    Thanks again everyone :smile: Today I ate conservatively - the scales has definitely taken a jump and I am hoping it will move back down a little over the next few days so I can see my real position (I gain very rapidly, but some will come off quickly again I hope). It is definitely time to change a little - just not sure what that change will be. Allowing myself a scheduled treat day might help to limit breakouts. It has also been suggested that I try zig-zagging calories. Another thing I could try now that I think about it is to change my food a little....I eat well and varied, but at the same time, maybe after 5 mths my food range feels monotonous. I have set up food choices that have worked, but introducing new variety might help things. x
  • zephyrionitis
    zephyrionitis Posts: 30
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    Something else to try is to incorporate a spike day or meal. Basically, set a day (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) where you allow yourself a little extra. It gives you something to look forward to, so that on your regular days you know you have a reward coming up. My wife and I do this every Saturday. We try to be sensible about it and not go crazy. Our goal it to make sure we end the week in a deficit.
    This. I've been cutting, and hit a plateau recently. So I started eating at maintenance on Sundays. Keeps me going!

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