Heading toward my 3rd Year Maintenance Anniversary...is it all worth it? Yes!
I'm posting this a little early as I don't officially reach my 3rd year of maintenance until a few months from now in October. However, I've been going through a lot lately & I'll be turning 40 next week & I felt the need to write things down to help keep me on track & stay focused. I also wanted to share with all of you some tips that have worked for me that I hope you may find useful:
* The scale does not lie: I still weigh myself every single day first thing in the morning & input my weight using Google15. I can only fool myself with excuses - "It's muscle weight" or "I ate too much sodium last nite" because the scale will show (albeit slowly) the truth.
* A daily food diary is essential: I used to keep track of everything using Fitday for the 1st year. The 2nd year I decided not to use anything & my weight started creeping up. Now in my 3rd year I developted a daily spreadsheet that I log the foods I've eaten that day along with my workout schedule.
* I spend a small fortune on sandwich bags & tupperware containers: whether I portion out a 1/4 c. of nuts or fruit or pack my lunch the next day - I know approximately how many calories I'm getting. Every Sunday I decide what I'll be bringing for home lunch during the week & every weeknite I cut up and/or portion my snacks, fruit & veggies & pack my home lunch for the next day.
* Eating clean works the best for me: the less processed foods I eat the less likely I am to crave them. I don't do sugar-free or fat free (although I do choose low-fat). I go to the store at least once a week & I make sure I visit the farmer's market or health food store regularly. I eat a lot of fruits, veggies, nuts, oatmeal, ezkiel bread, oatcakes, greek yogurt, tofu, soybeans, fish (salmon, tuna), eggs, turkey, chicken, drink a lot of water, almond or soy milk, dark chocolate, peanut butter.
* A good support system is a must: my cats are my alarm clock so I can workout early (they are meowing by 4:30 am every morning). If they don't get me up my DH nudges me & whispers in my ear: "You'll feel better once you get up & workout." I have a small core group of friends (we're all in our 40's) & we constantly exchange ideas about exercise & nutrition. When I feel like my motivation for exercise starts waning I call my trainer for a meeting & she develops a whole new routine for me.
* A body in motion stays in motion: I exercise at home first thing in the morning on most days of the week for at least 20-30 minutes. This might mean a strength-training circuit or elliptical in the morning before work (I'm usually working out by 5:00 am). I have a desk job but I'm always trying to find ways to move more (i.e. I walk to the copier to make just 1 copy, I fidget & stand a lot). I usually go for a 20-30 minute walk during my lunch & eat at my desk. I replaced my chair with a stability ball (I also got a few of my co-workers to use them too). If I don't get up early enough to workout, I'll try to fit exercise in the afternoon. However, life happens & if I miss my workouts it's no big deal - I just plan to make it up the next day. I used to feel so guilty about skipping a workout but I've realized consistency is key.
* Sabateurs. I've learned to feel sorry for them & they've stopped making negative comments because I believe they've gotten used to "new" me . My 1st year of maintenance I wanted to "save" everyone...only to discover a lot of these people wanted results but did not want to put in the time. I used to get easily irritated when passive-agressive comments were made ("you should really treat yourself once in a while"). Then I realized these people were probably jealous, unhappy with their lives & just tried to take it out on me. Like Lori Bell mentioned how the locals in her neighboorhood have a bet going to see when she puts the weight back on, I have a feeling my cousins have the same bet going (they're in their 40's & overweight but used to look hot in their 20's & resent the fact I'm not gaining weight like they have - especially since I'm turning 40 soon). Needless to say, I just LOVE attending the yearly family reunion parties because it's just one more year they see I haven't gained the weight back yet & I'm determined to make them wait FOREVER. Lol.
* Restaurants & parties are my kryptonite: I can usually say "no" when offered the box of donuts at the office. I can easily pass the container of cheaply made chocolate candies at a co-worker's desk or at the store. However, social eating is another matter. Fortunately, most restaurants have on-line nutritional value menus which I carefully scan so I know exactly what I'll be ordering (usually a big salad w/ chicken breast & dressing on the side). Parties are another matter but I can be sure there won't be a lot of healthy choices available. If it's a potluck I'll bring something healthy. Otherwise, I make sure I do not go there hungry & eat something healthy before I get there. I try to stay away from the food table & focus on the people & conversations.
* Planning is key: People tell me how "lucky" I am to stay slim. Or that I have such "willpower". Luck has nothing to do with it. Willpower is overrated. For me, planning ahead is very very important because it breeds consistency & then it becomes habit. This gives me peace of mind & confidence.
* Press the "RESET" button & move on: even my best laid plans don't always follow the course. I can overeat A LOT (usually during TOM days & at parties). Again the scale will usually show show +2 lbs the next morning. So I mentally push this imaginary button, put on my workout clothes, & exercise. After my workout I'll have my power breakfast (oatmeal + almond milk + blueberries + banana) & I'll feel so much better about myself & the rest of the day. This is a big change to what I did in the past: skip my workout, starve myself until lunch then grab a fast food meal at McDonalds or a high fat treat like a 1/2 a custard pie.
* An injury is an inconvenience, not an excuse: this was my greatest challenge of all. My 1st year of maintenance I rediscovered my passion for running & ran about 4x/week for 30-50 minutes. I also did high intenstiy strength-training for 2-3 days. However, in the back of my mind I was secretly terrified of one day not being able to run again...what would I do if I couldn't run? Would I gain all of my weight back? Then it finally happened - I developed runner's knee in my right knee 2 years ago. For 7 long months I couldn't run....so what did I do? I used the elliptical. My doctor gave me some useless exercises so I reached out & found 2 sports therapists who showed me modified lower body workouts (no squats or lunges) so I could heal my knee & keep my fitness level up. I had to really watch my food choices & learned that eating really "clean" helped me to maintain my weight (I used to rely exclusively on running to burn those "extra" calories so my food choices weren't necessarily the healthiest choices).
2nd injury (earlier this year) - I twisted my left ankle stepping on a pothole. It sucked but no problem...back on the elliptical & modified lower body workouts for 4 months. Finally started running again then 2 months later....wouldn't you know it my right knee started throbbing after a 30 min run (end of May). This time even the elliptical hurt my knee so I started walking almost everyday & swimming when I could. I decided to see my trainer & she put my on a challenging upper body & core strength-training program to get my mind off not being able to run & focus on other fitness goals. When I first started weight training 3 years ago I used a pair of 5-lb dumbbells. I'm up to 15 lbs each. Back to the doctor who diagnosed it a chrondromalacia of the knee. I'm getting an MRI done in 2 weeks to confirm so we can move on with the proper treatment.
I have come to the realization it's my reaction to the situation. I could've easily stopped working out altogether & ate chocolate to try & make the pain go away. But I knew this was not the solution so I just refocused. Believe me, it hasn't been easy. I've cried more than a few times about the possibility of never being able to run again. Part of what keeps me on track is I feel I'm addicted to being healthy & I'm determined to find a way to keep my fitness level up with or without running.
* Be realistic. I believe I've been able to maintain my weight for the past 3 years because I've been realistic about my weight maintenance range. I'm 5'3 1/2" & my weight maintenace range is 134-137. I reached my lowest "vanity" weight of 128 lbs but I was workng out almost everyday for an hour (which led to my 1st injury). I agonized over gaining the additional weight & I couldn't help feeling like I "failed" because I couldn't stay around 130 lbs. However, I realized I have a little more muscle which I believe makes me look like I weight a little less than I do. In addition, I have the classic pear shaped body & I'm fortunate to have my DH who loves my curves ("Honey, don't ever lose your hips" lol). I did get up to 139 lbs this year & it took a long long time but I was finally able to get back down to 136 lbs. I could've used the excuse that I was injured so I couldn't do the high intensity cardio so a few lbs was "okay"...but it didn't feel okay & I decided 137 lbs was my upper limit. On most days, I'm happy to say I really like what I see in the mirror. I don't have a six-pack. I can't really see the muscles in my upper body unless I flex my arms. Sure I could workout a little more & eat a little less so I can have a more toned body...but at what price? (This led me to my next realization below)
* I want to be a good role model for my daughter: this is part of the reason I finally made peace with adjusting my weight maintenance range a little upward. I wanted to show her (she's 6 now) that I could indulge in a piece of cake at a party or skip a workout (especially if she was sick) without feeling guilty about it. I make it a point never ever to talk about my weight in front of her or refer to people as "skinny" or "fat". I tell her how beautiful women can be in all their different shapes and sizes (i.e. we loved watching the tv show "The Voice" because I was able to point out to her how beautiful & talented the women were & they weren't all model-thin types). I never refer to food as either "good" or "bad". I'm teaching her how protein will help her muscles grow & how yummy fruits & veggies can be. Treats are okay once in a while after she finishes her "real" food. Once my daughter was munching on a small snack bag of cheetos (she had already eaten dinner & this was her "treat") & my evil MIL told her "You shouldn't eat that - that's unhealthy" laughed & walked away. My daughter looked at me confused & then at the rest of the bag of cheetos unsure of what to do. I whispered to her, "It's okay, there's no such thing as good or bad food - your grandma just doesn't like cheetos. Also, can you please give mommy a cheetoh? I love cheetos" (no joke - this is one of the few chips I do love) so she happily gave me one & ate the rest of her bag. Seriously....who says that to a 6 year old!? It's no wonder my MIL's 20 year old daughter & 45 year old son are 90 lbs & 20 lbs overweight, respectively. It's an uphill battle dealing with all of the media & psycho relatives but I hope to educate my daughter so she can make her own healthy choices.
* Never get too "cocky" with maintenance: I have a co-worker who lost 30 pounds using Weight Watchers & she maintained that weight loss for 6 years (her main form of exercise was walking). She (& everybody else) thought she won & conquered her weight issues. Unfortunately, she slowly gained back about 25 lbs due to stress: she lost her father & her mother went into a deep depression as a result. In addition, the church her family attended for years & built a support system came crashing down because they found out the pastor was involved in some (ahem) "extracurricular" activities. Therefore, she is desperately trying to lose the weight but can't seem to although she "knows" exactly what she needs to do. She is a constant reminder to me never to get too overconfident about maintenance. Over the past 3 years I've gone through my fair share of stresses: I've lost my dad to lung cancer & my grandfather to liver disease. A few times this year I've wanted to walk out of a job I've loved for the past 11 years. When I look back I realized I've been able to get through all of this because rather than turning to food for comfort, I've used exercise & healthy foods to "heal" me & my heartache.
* It's ultimately how I feel that matters: When my daughter (she was 4 at that time) asked me "Mommy, why do you exercise?" I thought about it for a second & replied "Because it makes me feel better." I always go back to how I feel rather than how I look when my motivation to keep up with my healthy lifestyle starts to dip. I remember thinking at one point how tiring it was going to the store, spending a lot of $ on produce, cutting all up once I got home, etc. In addition, I found myself wondering: why am I getting up at the crack of dawn to workout? Wouldn't it be nice to just sleep in? So why am I doing all of this & is all this work "really worth it"? Then I thought about it more...what is my alternative? Going back to eating processed & fast food? Gaining all the weight back & feeling tired all the time? How will I feel about myself & my body? Finally it all "clicked" for me. I remember how I feel when I can easily slip on the same pair of 6 shorts (or jeans) the past 3 years. Or how geniune my smile looks when I look at pictures of myself (rather than the "fake" smile I used to see when I was overweight). I remember how much stronger & pleased with myself I'll feel the rest of the day after I finish my workout in the morning.
I look at the following quote daily (I took parts of it from Dr. Phil): Take control of your life & never, ever give your POWER, ENERGY, or CONFIDENCE away. You CHOOSE to grant these gifts to yourself on a DAILY basis. Figure out what NOURISHES your soul & be DISCIPLINED about doing it because that's REAL POWER.
I LOVE everything you said... It's all stuff that I've slowly come to realize works best for me too. I almost wrote that I wish I'd read this a year ago, but let's be real -- it wouldn't have stuck! Some of us have to learn things the hard way! It is gratifying to see my discoveries reflected here... gives me hope that I'm on the right track for permanent weight loss! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for posting this. You have such a perfect and healthy attitude toward your lifestyle! I hope to make the crossover into a nice normal state of existence like yours soon.
Thank you so much for posting this. It is so relieving to hear from maintainers because they say that maintaining is the hardest part. I admire your commitment and perseverance. It is people like yourself who inspire me to keep going.
I am where you were during the "Realistic weight range" portion of your post. Finally deciding that 136-140 is the most realistic for my body--- and trusting myself to be "ok" there. Your words have given me confidence that acceptance is at times 2/3 the victory.
And I have also purchased at least one Ziploc executive's vacation home with the amount I spend in ziploc bags.
Congratulations on all your successes and thank you for sharing this journey with us.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing - many of your thoughts resonate with me! Also being a new maintainer, it's great to read your post and get lots of tips.
Heading toward my 3rd Year Maintenance Anniversary...is it all worth it? Yes!
Congratulations on maintaining and thank you for posting about all your hard work. Your efforts are paying off 
It is gratifying to see my discoveries reflected here... gives me hope that I'm on the right track for permanent weight loss! Thanks for sharing!
