[Keika]

Hey everybody! So, here's the thing. I'm a brand-new maintainer. I am, in fact, on day two of maintenance. So far so good!

I've been trying to find tips of how to shift from "weight loss mode" to "maintenance mode" on the internet, and have had very little luck. Seems like most information out there is on losing weight, not actually keeping it off once you get there.

So, the point of this is, do you lovely ladies have any tips and tricks for brand-new maintainers such as I? Is there anything you've learned from your experiences that you think would be useful for someone who's just getting started? Please teach me your ways!

[JayEll]

The way you eat in maintenance should not be that much different from how you've been eating to lose weight--but now you can have a bit more food.

Don't think that your lowest weight is going to be the weight you can maintain forever. Often people keep dropping after they have reached "goal," but they may rebound a few pounds before they settle. So if your original goal was 150, that might work for maintenance better than 145.

Don't start suddenly eating all the foods you've been missing while losing weight! Those foods are likely how you gained weight.

Instead, be gradual about adding foods back in, or increasing amounts of food. Follow the same good principles of eating that you did while losing (assuming you followed a healthy plan).

If you have been exercising a lot, you might now consider cutting back on exercise--either length of time, or number of days. But you'll still want to exercise regularly, several times a week. Again, this is just a healthy principle. As with food, be gradual about changes!

I'm not the best person to advise you. The tips I've given you worked for me for a couple of years, but life came along and I got really tired of thinking about food all the time. Now I have regained. Most people who lose weight do regain at least some of it, so don't think you're failing if this happens.

The main thing is to follow healthy habits in eating and exercise. Don't let the number on the scale rule your life. The point is to be healthy and have a good relationship with nourishing food.

Congratulations! And good luck!

[paperclippy]

Welcome Keika!! I second what was said about. If you say, "I'm at my goal so I can go back to eating normally," you will fail at maintenance.
Eating for maintenance looks like eating for weight loss, but with a few more calories. You should expect to have some fluctuation in your weight, which is why a lot of maintainers have what they call a "red line" weight. This basically means that any weight reading within a specific range (~5lbs typically) is fine, but if your weight goes over that line you revert back to weight loss eating until it gets back under.

A lot of maintainers have shifted focus from weight loss to fitness improvements after hitting goal. If you find yourself lacking the positive feedback of seeing the number on the scale drop, you can instead switch that over to the positive impact of seeing yourself beat a personal record in a fitness activity!

[timmothysmith01]

1. Take part in regular exercise. Each week, more than half of the members of the NWCR burn more than 2,000 kcal
2. Do not watch too much television
3. Consume a diet low in fat and calories
4. Eat a regular diet and refrain from overspending
5. Eat breakfast
6. Exercise strict dietary control and mindfulness
7. Consciousness