Part of me is amused - I'm not so darned special after all! Except for exercise, which I'm still a slacker, I do all these things!
1. Work on the type of structure you need. Do you do best with Points, calories, portion control, or simply with diet changes based on daily weighing? Yep, plenty of structure.
2. Identify your trigger foods. These are the foods which you really must avoid. Most people find that there are certain things they simply can’t eat moderately and that they feel a sense of peace once they are eliminated. Yep, got my trigger foods - cold cereal, baked goods, crackers, chips, pretzels
3. Tread carefully around your food addictions. Foods that you have eaten for pleasure can be addictive, but they are not always triggers. You may be a chocoholic but actually be able to control chocolate consumption. On the other hand, bread may cause you to fall off your diet. Yep.
4. Observe your reaction to salt. Salt acts like carbohydrate does in causing water retention. It can cause unintended weight gain that is hard to get rid of. The most common source of salt is restaurant food (have you ever really tasted the soup in most restaurants??) If you note that you are gaining after eating out, be careful of foods that may be hiding salt. Okay, no big salt issues except I notice a scale bounce after sushi or Chipotle.
5. Pre-plan your reversal strategy (and refine that strategy if it doesn’t work). Every maintainer needs a way to quickly reverse small regains. What will that be for you?
6. Observe the effect of exercise. No one knows exactly how much will help to keep you stable. So keep a log that includes your activity, frequency of exercise and weight response. If walking is doing the trick, you don’t necessarily have to escalate to running. It is probably also possible (although not recommended) to maintain without exercise. Still an area for improvement - but I agree with this.
7. Set up some personal dietary rules. Maintainers often bristle at the idea of rules preferring to say that they will never rule out any particular food. OK. That principle can be part of your rule package, but what’s the rest of it? No one says you have to follow your own rules – after all, you created them – but having rules gives you a plan to shoot for. Follow, then observe the result. If the plan isn’t working, it’s time for an overhaul. Yep, I have rules, I call them my "nevers" No fast food, no sugary soda, no cream based sauces, limit booze, fried foods, baked goods
8. Observe the situations and environments that cause trouble for your diet. One of the most powerful tricks a maintainer can employ is keeping physically away from food. You may observe that being at home is toughest because food is always as close as your kitchen. Work on physically removing yourself from food by asking that food be kept away from you at work and bringing nothing into the house which triggers you. I am moderately successful at this, I know my weak areas - free food at work, unplanned temptations and social situations. For me, home is the easiest!
9. Keep a number of basic, “safe” meals in your rotation. Feel free to eat these frequently and to experiment only when you feel quite anchored in maintenance. Oh yes, I rotate among the same 10 dinners (although I do like to experiment with new things). I eat the same 3 breakfasts and the same lunch, almost every single day.
10. Most importantly from my point of view, do all that you can to keep insulin stimulators low. Insulin stimulators are the starch and sugar foods including whole grains, pasta, cereal, bread, potatoes, rice and sweets. Insulin is the fat storage hormone. As long as it is not deployed, you can’t store fat. When it IS deployed, you can’t break down fat. So keep the carbs (except for fruits and veggies) LOW. I didn't really look at it as insulin stimulators, I kind of lump these foods into my trigger foods, but I do limit them and carefully measure all kinds of carbs (rice, pasta, etc). I am lucky that most whole food versions don't inspire the frantic eat eat eat mechanism I get from cold cereal or Wheat Thins.
1. Work on the type of structure you need. Do you do best with Points, calories, portion control, or simply with diet changes based on daily weighing?
Yes. Totally agree. People are structure specific and I don't think we focus on this part of it enough.
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2. Identify your trigger foods. These are the foods which you really must avoid. Most people find that there are certain things they simply can’t eat moderately and that they feel a sense of peace once they are eliminated.
Yup. I've identified them and avoid them (mostly). Most of all, I think I've actually embraced it.
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7. Set up some personal dietary rules. Maintainers often bristle at the idea of rules preferring to say that they will never rule out any particular food. OK. That principle can be part of your rule package, but what’s the rest of it? No one says you have to follow your own rules – after all, you created them – but having rules gives you a plan to shoot for. Follow, then observe the result. If the plan isn’t working, it’s time for an overhaul.
Agree!
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9. Keep a number of basic, “safe” meals in your rotation. Feel free to eat these frequently and to experiment only when you feel quite anchored in maintenance.
I am so guilty of this. I eat the same thing at work many days and get flack for it from our kitchen manager. "I don't know how you can eat the same thing 3-4 days a week." Well, it tastes good, is very nutrtious, gives me energy to get through a hectic day.... what's not to like?
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10. Most importantly from my point of view, do all that you can to keep insulin stimulators low. Insulin stimulators are the starch and sugar foods including whole grains, pasta, cereal, bread, potatoes, rice and sweets. Insulin is the fat storage hormone. As long as it is not deployed, you can’t store fat. When it IS deployed, you can’t break down fat. So keep the carbs (except for fruits and veggies) LOW.
Well this is some food for thought and does apply to me.
For the most part, I totally agree with the stuff on this list, and it describes what I do pretty well. However, I just have to take issue with the last point.
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Originally Posted by Glory87
10. Most importantly from my point of view, do all that you can to keep insulin stimulators low. Insulin stimulators are the starch and sugar foods including whole grains, pasta, cereal, bread, potatoes, rice and sweets. Insulin is the fat storage hormone. As long as it is not deployed, you can’t store fat. When it IS deployed, you can’t break down fat. So keep the carbs (except for fruits and veggies) LOW.
You guys all know I do not follow a low-carb diet, and I never have. I hate that in this list of very generic things that apply to all types of diets, all of a sudden she throws in a very diet-specific item. It would be one thing if she said to avoid "the white stuff" and refined sugars, which even a carb-lover like me can see the wisdom of (although I usually eat white rice and regular pasta), or if she said to make sure to eat lots of fruits and veggies, which is of course good advice for anyone. But no whole grains? Since when are whole grains off limits?
Moreover, since when can I NOT lose weight if I eat starchy carbs? ("When it IS deployed, you can't break down fat.") Given that I lost 55lbs while eating white rice or pasta at nearly every meal and cereal for breakfast every day, this is total BS. It is 100% possible to lose weight and maintain that loss while still eating whole grains, non-whole grains, rice, pasta, cereal, bread, and potatoes. Of course if you are diabetic there are other issues involved in eating carbs, but carbs are not intrinsically evil.
And since I'm already ranting, rice does not make you fat. If rice made you fat then China, Korea, Japan, and the rest of Asia would have an obesity epidemic, which is obviously not the case. Japan has some of the slimmest and most long-lived people on the planet, and the traditional Japanese diet involves eating white rice at just about every meal.
In any case, from the diversity of plans that maintainers on this board follow, we know that different things work for different people. When giving advice for maintenance or loss in general, IMO people should really steer away from recommending specific diets.
Oh - if you read throughout her blog, she's very much into reducing all carbs. In fact, when she was here talking about her excellent book Refuse to Regain, it was a point of debate. Let me see if I can find that link!
I figure I agree with so much, it's too much to expect to agree with everything. I also consider myself fortunate not to be so carb sensitive, I can incorporate healthy complex carbs into my daily meal plan with no ill effect. I can see it's a matter of degree though, Saltines make me binge. Whole wheat pasta does not. I could see where someone could be as sensitive to whole wheat pasta as I am to Saltines. Just another area (like my love of spinach!) that I am a lucky person.
Part of me is amused - I'm not so darned special after all! Except for exercise, which I'm still a slacker, I do all these things! Great link! I liked the part about looking at the first couple of yearsas practice or an experiment.....This is long term, baby!
1. Work on the type of structure you need. Do you do best with Points, calories, portion control, or simply with diet changes based on daily weighing? Yep, structure works for me. Snacks. Not being hungry. Eating the right types of foods. Being thoughtful about serving size.
2. Identify your trigger foods. These are the foods which you really must avoid. Most people find that there are certain things they simply can’t eat moderately and that they feel a sense of peace once they are eliminated. Oh, boy, howdy, do I have trigger foods. I'm moving more toward the concept that some foods are just going to be "never" foods too.
3. Tread carefully around your food addictions. Foods that you have eaten for pleasure can be addictive, but they are not always triggers. You may be a chocoholic but actually be able to control chocolate consumption. On the other hand, bread may cause you to fall off your diet. There are some foods that one is too many and a box is not enough. Other foods, like ice cream, I can have an appropriate serving and be okay once it's done without craving more and more and more.
4. Observe your reaction to salt. Salt acts like carbohydrate does in causing water retention. It can cause unintended weight gain that is hard to get rid of. The most common source of salt is restaurant food (have you ever really tasted the soup in most restaurants??) If you note that you are gaining after eating out, be careful of foods that may be hiding salt. I ordered fish two weeks ago and it was so salty I had to scrape all the seasonings off before I could even tolerate it. I don't add salt to many things when I cook---the rare exception being roasted veggies and then I'm sure it is far less than most other cooks would add. I can always feel the next day's water retention after eating salty carbs for sure (ie chips, crackers). Funny that I never noticed that retention pre-weight loss. Maybe I was constantly retaining water. I can tell by my feet. What I am NOT retaining water, my veins and bones and quite prominent and when I'm retaining water they are not so prominent. No worries for the health care minded though---it's not even what I would call edema. I can just tell the difference.
5. Pre-plan your reversal strategy (and refine that strategy if it doesn’t work). Every maintainer needs a way to quickly reverse small regains. What will that be for you? I guess currently that would be my efforts on Operation Take 5 (or 10). QUICKLY would be the key word here. Fast on, fast off, before it sticks! That was my error, ummmm, 4 months ago!
6. Observe the effect of exercise. No one knows exactly how much will help to keep you stable. So keep a log that includes your activity, frequency of exercise and weight response. If walking is doing the trick, you don’t necessarily have to escalate to running. It is probably also possible (although not recommended) to maintain without exercise. But why wouldn't someone want to run? That's weird.....]
7. Set up some personal dietary rules. Maintainers often bristle at the idea of rules preferring to say that they will never rule out any particular food. OK. That principle can be part of your rule package, but what’s the rest of it? No one says you have to follow your own rules – after all, you created them – but having rules gives you a plan to shoot for. Follow, then observe the result. If the plan isn’t working, it’s time for an overhaul. Pretty close to adopting some of your "never" rules, Glory. How many times do I need to relearn the fact that goldfish crackers have ZERO redeeming qualities?
8. Observe the situations and environments that cause trouble for your diet. One of the most powerful tricks a maintainer can employ is keeping physically away from food. You may observe that being at home is toughest because food is always as close as your kitchen. Work on physically removing yourself from food by asking that food be kept away from you at work and bringing nothing into the house which triggers you. Man, that was written for me last night at the hospital. I was stressed and a little hungry and I knew there were donuts downstairs in the lounge and the little devil on my shoulder kept whispering about the donuts and I thought about what Mel posted on the Chat thread last week about cutting off behaviors early before they start to occur and I knew if I walked down there to "just take a look" (yeah, right!) and "see if they have, oh, maybe a salad" (yeah RIGHT!!!!) I would have been toast. So I made myself a cup of tea and the angel on my shoulder told the devil on my shoulder to go to Hades.....hmmm....maybe I should see a professional about all this?
9. Keep a number of basic, “safe” meals in your rotation. Feel free to eat these frequently and to experiment only when you feel quite anchored in maintenance. Abso-darn-lutely. I know what keeps me satisfied.
10. Most importantly from my point of view, do all that you can to keep insulin stimulators low. Insulin stimulators are the starch and sugar foods including whole grains, pasta, cereal, bread, potatoes, rice and sweets. Insulin is the fat storage hormone. As long as it is not deployed, you can’t store fat. When it IS deployed, you can’t break down fat. So keep the carbs (except for fruits and veggies) LOW. Should I tell her that they are not insulin stimulators or receptors, but actually little jawas working looking for treasure on a conveyor belt and you'd better keep them satisfied with healthy food or they'll howl for more and more and more?
Jessica, I agree with you and my tired eyes zoomed over the whole grains, potato inclusion. I'll even have the occasional white flour tortilla and be fine with it, but I need to pair it with other foods or I'll stay hungry. I could not be a runner without some sort of bread, cereal, potato, beans, etc. I choose them thoughtfully and measure them out though.
Interesting link, and interesting responses! If nothing else, I feel a lot more comfortable with tippytoeing toward maintenance because I could confidently answer with my own solutions - I feel like I know what's working now, and I'm happy to live within those restraints. I'm just reminded of how very personal a way of eating is and how many variations there are.
Glory, thanks for the link to that other thread! It definitely sheds some light on the issue. I know I'm overly sensitive about carb-related advice -- probably because I feel like I'm being told, "What you did to lose and what you are doing to maintain is wrong, and if you continue to eat rice/pasta/bread/etc. you will just get fat again."
One interesting thing on there was that Barbara repeatedly mentioned in her posts "adding back" carbs/grains/etc or having them "make a re-appearance." I thought that was pretty interesting. I can certainly see how if I had cut out carbs completely, I would be likely to binge on them if I added them back. Having never cut them out, I don't have that problem. It's the same as with other foods I might crave -- I need to eat a reasonable portion if I'm craving it. If I avoid eating it, it is likely to trigger a binge. Better to have one scoop of ice cream today than a half gallon of it tomorrow.
So in any case to counteract my defensive ranting, here are my thoughts about the other points.
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1. Work on the type of structure you need. Do you do best with Points, calories, portion control, or simply with diet changes based on daily weighing?
I absolutely need structure. This is true for me in general as I am sort of on the borderline of OCD. My structure is more in terms of meal sizes and timings, and how I must weigh at exactly the same time every day under the exact same circumstances. And how I must check in at 3FC, because if I don't, I will regain.
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2. Identify your trigger foods. These are the foods which you really must avoid. Most people find that there are certain things they simply can’t eat moderately and that they feel a sense of peace once they are eliminated.
I definitely have some of these foods, but I find that if I can get them in a single-serving, it's not a problem. I can't bake a dozen muffins -- I will eat all of them. But I can buy a single muffin at a store and be satisfied with it.
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3. Tread carefully around your food addictions. Foods that you have eaten for pleasure can be addictive, but they are not always triggers. You may be a chocoholic but actually be able to control chocolate consumption. On the other hand, bread may cause you to fall off your diet.
I don't think I've found any particular food that causes me to fall off my plan. I do avoid having baked goods, desserts, and junk food in the house because I will tend to munch until it's all gone.
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4. Observe your reaction to salt. Salt acts like carbohydrate does in causing water retention. It can cause unintended weight gain that is hard to get rid of. The most common source of salt is restaurant food (have you ever really tasted the soup in most restaurants??) If you note that you are gaining after eating out, be careful of foods that may be hiding salt.
I gain about 1-2lbs of water weight every weekend due to eating out and not drinking as much water. Luckily I am familiar with this pattern now so I know that they will disappear by Wednesday.
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5. Pre-plan your reversal strategy (and refine that strategy if it doesn’t work). Every maintainer needs a way to quickly reverse small regains. What will that be for you?
Well, my strategy is to go back to being POP, but obviously given my current weight that doesn't always work. Actually that's not quite true, the primary reason I gained as much as I did was because of hypothyroidism, where even though I had gone back to being POP I continued to gain. Not particularly relevant to the discussion though.
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6. Observe the effect of exercise. No one knows exactly how much will help to keep you stable. So keep a log that includes your activity, frequency of exercise and weight response. If walking is doing the trick, you don’t necessarily have to escalate to running. It is probably also possible (although not recommended) to maintain without exercise.
Exercise is essential to maintenance for me. If I don't work out, I feel lazy and eat poorly. If I work out, I feel strong and want to treat my body well with healthy food.
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7. Set up some personal dietary rules. Maintainers often bristle at the idea of rules preferring to say that they will never rule out any particular food. OK. That principle can be part of your rule package, but what’s the rest of it? No one says you have to follow your own rules – after all, you created them – but having rules gives you a plan to shoot for. Follow, then observe the result. If the plan isn’t working, it’s time for an overhaul.
My primary rule is the "only one meal at a restaurant per week" rule. I do have a lot of various guidelines and when I'm trying to lose I have more rules.
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8. Observe the situations and environments that cause trouble for your diet. One of the most powerful tricks a maintainer can employ is keeping physically away from food. You may observe that being at home is toughest because food is always as close as your kitchen. Work on physically removing yourself from food by asking that food be kept away from you at work and bringing nothing into the house which triggers you.
Free food at work is one of the worst things ever invented!
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9. Keep a number of basic, “safe” meals in your rotation. Feel free to eat these frequently and to experiment only when you feel quite anchored in maintenance.
I definitely eat the same things over and over, although I do experiment on a regular basis. Of course my biggest "safe" meal is one that this author would completely disagree with -- a big bowl of pasta with tomato sauce.
Glory, thank you so much for that post. I carefully read each of the tips and your responses. Funny, your NEVER foods are identical to mine--those are definitely NEVERS for me. But I can honestly say that not even one time in the last 16 months have I wanted one of those things. I noticed you didn't answer the one about how to quick fix small gains. I was anxious to read your response. I go up and down the same ONE pound. I know I will not get to my goal if I continue this way.
I also have a serious problem with cold cereal. This is WHY I am not getting to goal. We have small children that do enjoy organic cold cereal so it's always here. Plus, my hubby--who doesn't have weight issues--favors my number ONE offender--Kashi GO LEAN. So, I have found a solution. I have a huge library piece that locks. The cereal has been moved there and hubby has hidden the key. It is quite pitiful it has come to this. But, whatever it takes!!!
I also wanted to add that I have found some really wonderful alternatives to my trigger foods. I like Shiratake noodles and eat them often. It took some working with them, but yep, I like them! At 40 calories a bag--and the fact they low on the GI scale, I can "do" them with no problem at all! Also, I have been experimenting with Butternut Squash and have come to adore the stuff as a potato alternative. The same goes for smashed cauliflower. It gives me that heavy "stuffed" feeling when I want it.
Last edited by Thighs Be Gone; 10-19-2009 at 02:58 PM.
Glory, thank you so much for that post. I carefully read each of the tips and your responses. Funny, your NEVER foods are identical to mine--those are definitely NEVERS for me. But I can honestly say that not even one time in the last 16 months have I wanted one of those things. I noticed you didn't answer the one about how to quick fix small gains. I was anxious to read your response. I go up and down the same ONE pound. I know I will not get to my goal if I continue this way.
Oh hee - I posted in a hurry this morning (I had to go pack lunches before work) so I didn't type as much as I normally do.
I really go by my pants and a particular slim black skirt I have. If pants or the skirt get tight, I just cut back on some of my treats until the skirt fits again. Except for a freaky blip up to 137 last August, I've stayed around 130 lbs almost 5 years.
Glory, I think that is the VERY FIRST time I have seen your pic. You are beautiful. With the knowledge of your posts, I always figured you were older than me! Wow. What an utter transformation! Pretty before but WOW now!!!!
Last edited by Thighs Be Gone; 10-19-2009 at 07:36 PM.
That is a neat article, Glory, I especially like the paragraph about how to set up ones own maintenance:
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For this reason, I suggest that new maintainers think about the first couple of years as a basic science experiment. Experiments require staying educated on your subject, close observation, recording of results, and a well-planned way of changing variables. Research also works best when it is dispassionate. By this I mean that your maintenance experiment needs to avoid emotion. If a scientist does an experiment and gets an unintended result, he or she does not indulge in agonies of self-blame. In maintenance, it’s important to look at results with curiosity but not with frustration. If one method isn’t working, draft another strategy and record results.
I do take exception to her statement that water retention from salt is hard to lose; my experience is that it always goes in a day or so.
I just had to post to this thread! Glory introduced me to this site and I'm glad she did!
Most of my weight loss was achieved in 2002 through the WW plan (no meetings) and exercise. I called it "Cut Out the Crap and Get Moving" plan. I've maintained ever since and even managed to drop the last few pounds during that time. Until now, I haven't met anyone who has lost and maintained. It is such a relief to find all of you! Thank you so much, Glory!
My maintenance practice over the years includes so much of what has been stated so far. . .structure, known triggers, safe meals, regular activity and exercise. I've learned the balance and learned how to manage the adjustments. I educate myself and review my plan for possible tweaks regularly. I recommit to myself everyday and balance the number of treats I allow myself. . . and when I do, they better be good
I've come to accept that I will always need to be disciplined about this, perhaps more so than some others.
That's ok, I love how I look and feel!
Great post over at Refuse to Regain
Since when are whole grains off limits?
Maintenance is a Science Experiment
