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Old 06-27-2008, 08:32 AM   #1  
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Default How do you stop the dreaded "Creep"?

Hello, maintainers! Question for all of you who have seen a couple of pounds sneak back on. I've read that you "get back on track" and lose them again before they stay for good. I'd love to shed the two subborn pounds that have found me this month- do you drop 500-1000 calories a day and increase exercise again (for 1-2 pounds per week loss), or adjust more slowly? But, as I've not strayed from 1400-1500 cal/day (1500 when I exercise 1 hour or more), that would put me at about 500-1000 cal/day. That sounds like starvation. So, I'm wondering how much to cut back without going crazy. Would increasing the intensity of exercise really burn enough more calories to make a difference? I know two pounds does not seem like a lot, but I'd like to prevent further gain. Maybe it's just that I'm getting older- Ha (I'm 36 today)!
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Old 06-27-2008, 09:12 AM   #2  
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Happy birthday, Circebee! Old?? You can't even see old from where you are!!

Bravo for dealing with the two pounds now before they invite friends to the party! But clearly you can't cut your calories by 1000 or even 500 at the level you're at. Most experts will tell you that 1200 is the lowest we should go, in order to get adequate protein, fiber and nutrients. I've taken my calories to 1000 and lived to tell the tale, but it's hard to sustain that level for long. And triggering a binge wipes out days and weeks of hard work, so super-low calories can backfire.

Strategies you might try: changing what your eating (I'm not sure how you eat now, but you could try fewer carbs, more protein, and whole foods if you don't now), increased exercise duration, increased exercise intensity, weight training (to build muscle and increase metabolism) and/or a slight calorie cutback.

Don't be discouraged if the two pounds come off slowly! We're a long way away from the good old days of two pounds a week. It seems like I can put four or five pounds on in a weekend away and then it takes me three months to lose them. Be patient and they'll come off.
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Old 06-27-2008, 09:21 AM   #3  
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Happy birthday!!!

For me, so far at least, maintenance is about gaining and losing the same few pounds over and over and over. Many of us here have a "red line" -- a weight where, when we hit it, we go back to losing mode until we're back at goal. I don't think those few pounds ever will go away permanently. It's more about constant vigilence (I hope the Harry Potter fans are chuckling)!
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Old 06-27-2008, 10:19 AM   #4  
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Thanks, Meg and PaperClippy!
Sigh, I think it was seeing the number on the scale and the date on the calendar together that pushed me into scared, freaky-girl mode. You know all of those people who just know that there is a skinny chick waiting to get out? Well, I'm always wary of that chubby chick just luring around the corner, waiting to come back. Sorry, kiddo, but no way, no how! I spent a fast paced half hour on the elliptical, and feel much better! Age brings wisdom, right?
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Old 06-27-2008, 10:44 AM   #5  
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Happy Birthday!!

I think that maintenance is kind of like pregnancy.

(bear with me here)

When I give my ladies a due date, they get all excited. Invariably, the due date is Uncle Bob's birthday, or a holiday, or an anniversary.

I remind them that a due date is a ball park projection, and very few babies are actually born on the due date. Some before, most (believe it or not) after.

There used to be some talk in birth circles to change the due date from one day to a range that reflects reality. That presents problems from a clinical perspective, however, so I doubt we will ever really see that change.

I wonder if goal weights are not just a little like a due date, though. Ballpark-ish.

This last week my weight has bounced around from 163.5 to 159. I know my body, though, and if I toe the line with my plan I will see 158 or even 157.5 tomorrow morning. THat is just the way my body works. If I eat off plan, I will likely see 162. That doesn't mean that any of the fluctuation is necessarily fat (although you know mentally I love to see a new low, and totally take credit for "fat loss").

So I wonder if you are looking for a particular weight on the scale and how you weigh yourself? Are you consistently seeing 117 and you want to see 115? (I totally understand if that is the case!) Paying attention is key to stopping the creep of the scale, but I wonder if you might not be more comfortable with a goal "range" rather than a specific exact number? Of course I could be conjecturing and you already have that theory covered.

My understanding of the concept of the "red line" is that it allows for some variation in weight. For me, my red line is now 165. That takes into account that I may have fluctuations, retain water, be *ahem* regular (or not)....weight is certainly not static. Are you weighing daily? Daily snapshots will give you different information that maybe weekly or monthly.

All that being aside, eat as clean as you can, packing as much nutrition into each calorie as possible and maybe try increasing your cardio intervals.

Have a lovely birthday!
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Old 06-27-2008, 11:18 AM   #6  
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Happy Birthday and "older" my foot! Well , I guess technically we are ALL getting older day by day, but trust me, honey, some of us are way over the older side! I would give up a body part to be 36 again! (Actually I'd give up my hips for any reason but that's another post!!!)

However, I too have fought against a creep (and I guess we aren't talking about ex boyfriends right?) I kept off the entire weight for 30 years and then, YES it creeped. I commend you addressing it at 2 pounds-I waited...until it was almost 10 pounds and I knew I was in trouble.

For me, it WAS age, partly (at 53) - our metabolism DOES slow as we get "older"...even as wonderfully young as you are, that might be a bit of the issue! I just upped my work outs - I started running again - I think, for me, the classes weren't enough intense cardio.

I really can't tweak my diet much either, like you I am steady on my calories and they are already low enough.

However, Midwife has a valid point - even my weight has fluctuated a pound or two here and there - going up a couple and even down a couple over these 30 years (not counting pregnancies where of course it went up).
We can't be so obsessive over what might be normal body changes and not really FAT gain either, even as we work hard to maintain what we worked SO HARD for in the first place...
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Old 06-27-2008, 01:54 PM   #7  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Circebee View Post
Well, I'm always wary of that chubby chick just luring around the corner, waiting to come back. Sorry, kiddo, but no way, no how!
I completely understand - I definitely have "fat Megan" inside of me. She wants to come out! And she is a HUNGRY girl! Luckily fit Megan is in decent shape, she can beat fat Megan up! I don't really have conversations with myself, but there is definitely an internal struggle sometimes to keep myself fit and healthy.

Since your cals are already pretty low, I would suggest (as others already have) switching up your exercise a bit. Not necessarily do more, time-wise, since you mentioned you work out quite a bit already. But try upping the intensity, or throw in high-intensity bursts, or try to switch out a few days with a totally new exercise. As Meg mentioned, I'm also a big fan of weight/strength training if you're not already doing it.

Food-wise it sounds like you're pretty vigilant already, but I'd just suggest making sure you're eating the best quality, nutrient-wise foods (e.g. fresh fruit instead of equivalent calories in potato chips), or "clean" if you will.

Happy birthday and good luck!
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Old 06-27-2008, 04:12 PM   #8  
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Hi! Another NE gal here! And Happy Birthday.

Another question is how long have you been maintaining. I see that you're 5'5" and at 115. I wonder if that's a maintainable weight for you in the long run. I'm 5'4" and it's way too low for me. Since I can't see you, I have no idea of your build, but it's just a thought. I know that Barbara hangs out about that weight too.

Anyway, lots of good advice here, and good for you for staying on top of it.
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Old 06-27-2008, 08:57 PM   #9  
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My first thought on reading your post and your profile info was that 115 is an awfully low weight for you to be trying to maintain. As WaterRat says, I do hang out in the 115 range (or at least I try to) but I'm shorter than you (there's some question as to how tall I actually am--according to my annual check-ups for the past three years, I'm somewhere between 5 ft 2 and 1/2" and 5 ft 3 and 3/4"--I always go with 5' 4" because I can weigh the most at that height according to my BMI ). I've been able to maintain at this weight at up to 1900 calories per day. The fact that you have to eat less than 1500 calories per day to maintain your weight makes me wonder if maybe you are being too hard on yourself.

Are you strength training? If so, are you sure those 2 lbs aren't muscle? 'Cause if they're muscle, you really don't want to lose them. Do your clothes still fit the same or are they tighter? How about your measurements, have they changed?

When was the last time you had your body fat measured? Maybe, instead of focusing on the 2 lbs, it would be beneficial for you to focus on your body fat percentage and, if you aren't already, add some strength training to your workout to work on toning and building lean muscle. Muscle would also increase your metabolism, which would help you reduce your body fat % (and possibly lose weight).

I know how scary it is to decide that a goal is too ambitious. I originally had set my sights on 110 and just couldn't get there. It took me a long time--almost a year--to admit that 110 just wasn't realistic for me. I decided this year to set my red line at 118. It was a difficult decision; I thought about it for weeks. It felt like I might be starting the slippery slope to gaining all the weight back. But I really think it's turned out to be the right decision for me.

Paperclippy, I love Harry Potter and "Constant Vigilance" is my motto! It's even in my profile!
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Old 06-28-2008, 08:23 AM   #10  
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Hey, Water Rat and Blue,
Yeah, it's been hard- I held between 115-120 for 18 months, then dropped to 113-115 for the last 6 months. Now, I've inched back up to 115-117 again. I do strenth train a little- my exercise routine involves hand weights, hula hoop, elliptical cycle, and brisk walking in combinations for about an hour a day. My percent body fat is about 18-19 percent, according to my Tonita scale. I know that this weight is do-able for me, and I feel like "myself" here. So, I know that two pounds of (maybe, hopefully, -probably not) muscle won't kill me, it is the IDEA of gaining again that pushes my buttons.

How do you guys handle the "Oh no, I'm gaining again! I'm going swell up like Violet the Blueberry in Willy Wonka" fear trap, and sanely move on towards healthier behaviors? Anyone else cry first? And THEN realize that it seems silly to be so concerned with such a minor change? This keeping healthy business really takes up a lot of my mental, emotional and physical effort. I know that it is worth it, but, WOW, it keeps me busy!
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Old 06-28-2008, 07:02 PM   #11  
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I applaud you looking at your weight when it's only two lbs up. That's the way I do it, too. Unfortunately, I've learned that one number (175 for me) is hard to keep, so I like the idea of a range. Ideally, I'd like to be under 180, but I'm finding it really hard to keep my weight that low though I think I could be slimmer than that and not be so floppy I'm almost to the point of saying 180-183 would be ok. I'm not there yet, though. I really really like the below 180 place.
I've only been maintaining for about 7 months, so I'm still figuring out how this goes, but I've found that I gain weight when I eat out--it's all that salt I'm sure. I've also learned that I pretty much can't control my weight during my period. That isn't an excuse to eat what I want. If I'm eating on my plan, I just ignore the scale til my period is over; then I buckle down and lower my calories if I need to. In fact, today is the first of two days of much less eating. I hate hate hate to do it, but I want that number to be back where it was; and I know cutting back dramatically for only two days will do it. After that two days, I have to be careful what I eat for about 4 more days--stay away from potatoes, beef, etc --though I eat on plan (read: more).
I guess what I'd suggest is looking at what you're eating and trying to decide if there's a food (or more) that tends to trigger weight gain for you. It's not that you have to entirely give up that food, it's that you need to know that your weight will go up and then come back down a couple days later (after that food and its effects have worked their way out of your system).
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Old 06-28-2008, 09:21 PM   #12  
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When I reached my GOAL weight of 145 I decided I will be happy maintaining my weight weighing anywhere from 142-148. This bit of flexibility works perfectly for me, because weight fluctuates on a daily basis, and I promised myself I will not obsess over that magically number anymore! And yanno, that truly was the best thing I have ever done, stopping that scale insanity!

I continue with my healthy lifestyle and workout routines and I only weigh in once a month and that has been a huge relief to me. My skinny jeans still fit me perfectly fine whether I am 3 pounds up or 3 pounds below my goal weight, and to be honest I am perfectly happy here in this safe buffer zone and it makes my maintenance something I can stick with forever because it is a more realistic approach to maintaining for the long haul. It is quite easy to sustain having this flexibility.

I couldn't imagine me obsessing over a pound or two on a daily basis for the rest of my life, no way will I do that to myself. Perhaps it is because I only had 25 pounds to lose, maybe if I had a lot of weight to lose, I would probably think quite differently about that.....

So far my way (or shall I say not to weigh) is working beautifully for me and my maintenance has been a breeze..... What works for me, may not work for others, but I am living life and enjoy everyday with plenty of splurges thrown into my mix. I do not obsess with the scale or my food options, I know what my body needs and I fuel it with the right foods the majority of the time, I know what my body likes for exercise, so those exercises are my routine daily.

Last edited by evilwomaniamshe; 06-28-2008 at 09:26 PM. Reason: typo
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Old 06-28-2008, 09:57 PM   #13  
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My red line is 5# above my goal weight. I also can tell with certain clothes before I even get on the scale. I also would up the exercise intensity as others posted. I also increase my protein and decrease my carbs, and it comes right off for me.
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Old 06-28-2008, 10:02 PM   #14  
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I gain or lose 2 pounds often, sometimes I know why and other times I haven't a clue. If I never do any worse than that I will be a happy camper.
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Old 06-29-2008, 08:50 AM   #15  
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Hi! I just got back from a 10-day vacation. I wasn't formally tracking, but I know that I was eating above maintenance level. The result: Up 3.6 pounds. You got to know I didn't eat 1300 calories a day ABOVE maintenance, so some of this was water weight. Sure enough, after two days back, I'm down 1.2 pounds. And no, I didn't eat 2100 cals less than maintenance for two days.

I figure that I'm almost done with water weight. The answer is, I go back to my weight loss level of calorie intake until I'm back down again. (And, hopefully, continue it until I drop further, because I'm not really a maintainer--my chart just looks that way! I'm still trying to lose, but it's slow...)

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