As in temporary maintenance. I'm not sticking here for long!! I've been holding steady at 253-255 for about a month. I'll be honest, I've been very lax about tracking calories and haven't been vigilant about my exercise goals.
I got excited with my success and a little frustrated with the slow down in how fast the pounds were dropping. I allowed myself to coast for a bit. In the past, I would now go back to my regular eating and gain the 20 lbs back plus some and get mad at myself. THIS time, I've made big lifestyle changes that will be super easy to transition from "maintenance" back into weight loss with little effort.
My main issue has been the carby treat right before bedtime. Be it Cheerios and milk or toast with butter an honey, I've had several nights a week for the last month or so. I've also really relaxed on tracking every bite. Starting tonight, I'm going back to the Chamomile Tea with honey as my bedtime treat.
I've approached this go-round of weight loss as a lifestyle change without freaking out about slips or whole months of coasting.
Changes I have made that are lasting:
1. I loathe fastfood unless it's an emergency salad or grilled chicken sandwich.
2. I pack a huge salad lunch for work every day.
3. I have made one stick of real butter last months as I use it for flavoring or spread it really thin on my toast.
4. I buy two BIG bags of Spinach, two 1 lb bags of baby carrots, 2 boxes of sliced mushrooms, two BIG bags of salad mix, 4 lbs of apples, 1 lb bananas, 2 lbs of frozen chicken breast EVERY week at the store. Gone are the days of TV diet dinners, chips & cookies (for the kids of course), fatty pasta sauces, fried foods.
5. I drink 8 oz of water first thing in the am, with each meal and right before bed. I dislike water but if I drink it like that, it's done without thinking too much about it.
6. I've bought nice walking shoes and put them to use 3 times a week.
7. I'm in this for life, not looking for a quick fix.
I'm kicking this back into weight loss mode as of 5 am this morning. I woke up and walked the dog instead of just putting him out to potty. Thanks for the opportunity to vent here and share my little success and little set backs!