I've been maintaining now for just at two weeks, and have been on an emotional roller coaster of water retention and 'weight gain'. I've had several sleepless nights of 'did I gain two pounds for real?' where I spent hours adding and readding all of my calories for the day in my head until I felt okay to up and get on the scale. This has really underlined something about me that I've never really dealt with...
I tend to always think that my situation is different from the rest of the world, and as such I have a hard time taking advice from people. For example, all the people on here who told me not to worry, it was just water weight. I wrapped myself around the axle and didn't sleep for two weeks because I panicked. Yet, at the same time, I said the same things to other people and told them not to worry.
I do this in other areas of my life, too. My mom and DH both tell me I need to relax pretty much daily.
Why is it so hard for me to learn from the wisdom of others without making myself crazy? Rationally, I can tell myself that while I am my own unique individual I'm not unique in my experiences, but I still lie awake at night and obsess...
Anyone else do this? How do you keep from running yourself nuts?
It might help to remember that stress and stress hormones from the worry and lack of sleep contribute to weight gain. Talk about motivation! I think the a-ha moment is important, and then it takes a little time and practice for it to really settle in. Sometimes it helps, when the worries are rattling around in your head, to make a conscious effort to give equal time to the good stuff - like remembering this experience you just had and not letting yourself ignore or negate it.
Losing sleep over a twp-pound weight gain is definitely not good. You should allow your body a fluctuation of probably five pounds. Two pounds doesn't mean you are spiraling out of control; maybe you ate some heavy, dense foods that day or the day before. No worries. You have worked hard to get to your goal and maintaining is just as hard itself. It's hard to relax, I know, when you feel like all you do is think about food all day.
First let me say congrats on the weight loss! I love seeing people who not only reached their goal but surpassed it.
I can't claim to be anywhere near goal, but that doesn't mean I don't have the stress and anxiety of keeping off what little I have lost. I seriously had a nightmare last night about the scale at Curves being messed up. I dreamed the lady that worked there told me that the other woman had done it wrong and the scale was off, so when I thought I had lost 7lbs I was really only down 2lbs. Then I got on the scale(but it wasn't the scale it was the stepper with a digital heart rate readout) and every time I tried to weigh myself it would fluctuate from 10 lbs over to 100 pounds below and I was freaking out.
Now, I know of three reasons for having this dream. I have been worried about the scale because I am too heavy to weigh so they have to add this extra weight to balance it out, and I have been wondering if it's been done correctly. I also just watched The Biggest Loser where the scale always jumps around a lot before the actual weight pops up. Finally, I am a Blue team member in TBL challenge and my weigh in day is on Monday, and I ate a piece of pizza last night (my first really bad food choice in a month). Like Mommaspank said, it is very difficult to relax when all you think about all day is food.
So I know how hard it is while trying to lose all this weight, but I think an even bigger fear would be to lose it all, and then gain it back after all the hard work. So I think your fear is a legitimate one, and maybe not as bad as it may seem. I would be more worried about you if you relaxed to the point of not being diligent about your food an exercise. I think because you are just recently at maintenance that it's just a transitional thing. Going from trying to lose to just maintain must require some downshifting in the gears. So just like changing your lifestyle the first time, this is a change as well and it will take you some time to adapt. But I know you will do it. You can do anything, you have proven that to yourself already, you just need time to let it really sink in. I think in answer to the reason we do this is because it is easier to believe in others than it is ourselves. I love reading the posts of people who have reached goal but like you said, we tend to think of ourselves as different from everyone else so it's hard to see ourselves in the same light as those who succeeded.
I have no idea how to keep from going nuts, I past that stage long ago. I just try to keep the voices in my head to a low hum when they don't have anything good to report.
I know this is sounding like advice and you don't take it very well, but I wanted to do what I could for a fellow treekie and sci-fi fan. Be strong and give yourself time to adjust.
Yet, at the same time, I said the same things to other people and told them not to worry.
Uh huh. I have to say one thing that has helped me a lot from this board is ... when I get into a situation, either a craving, or getting upset, or whatever ... I stop and think "what advice would I give on 3FC if this were someone else".
That actually does help me to rethink sometimes. Like today I had 5 Guys for lunch. I'm already annoyed because I can't seem to bounce out of the low 160s, no matter how hard I try. So there was part of me that wanted to say "to **** with it" and pig out. But I thought about this board and thought - if I were giving advice I'd say to have a small burger and a coke, skip the fries, and enjoy it, and eat light for dinner.
So that's what I did.
Dunno if that would help you at all ... pretend that you're someone else you're giving advice to.
As for the sleeplessness - well, I finally got a prescription for Ambien from my dr to deal with the sleeplessness from various stresses going on in my life. I'm not a big drug taker at all, but I gotta say the Ambien helps. And often I don't have to even take it - but knowing it's there if I need it helps.
Uh huh. I have to say one thing that has helped me a lot from this board is ... when I get into a situation, either a craving, or getting upset, or whatever ... I stop and think "what advice would I give on 3FC if this were someone else".
.
I've actually done that to myself a couple of times recently... It makes me slow down and think about the reality before I go off the crazy end. (On the burger topic, love Five Guys - they were my burger fave, but I went to The Vortex a couple of weeks ago for the first time and all I can say is Wow! I really had to give myself a 'just eat a light dinner, get sweet potato fries as the side to make it feel a little better' talk there!)
I've taken Ambien before several years ago. i bought Simply Sleep recently, to try to help with the new sleeplessness. Hopefully it will settle it down, otherwise I might revisit the Ambien prescription...
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristinaGetsFit
I have no idea how to keep from going nuts, I past that stage long ago. I just try to keep the voices in my head to a low hum when they don't have anything good to report.
I know this is sounding like advice and you don't take it very well, but I wanted to do what I could for a fellow treekie and sci-fi fan. Be strong and give yourself time to adjust.
Thanks Christina! I have to learn to ignore my voices when they are just trying to beat me down! I used to read a lot to do that, have considered picking up the Twilight books (is that even the name of the series?) as a matter of fact... I'm just finishing "The Last Days of Krypton" & "Chapterhouse Dune" (upstairs book and downstairs book) so I'm looking for something to fill the gap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JulieJ08
It might help to remember that stress and stress hormones from the worry and lack of sleep contribute to weight gain.
I know I retain water when I'm stressed, but didn't think about the impact on weight gain until recently. I need to keep that in mind...
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamaspank
You should allow your body a fluctuation of probably five pounds. Two pounds doesn't mean you are spiraling out of control; maybe you ate some heavy, dense foods that day or the day before. No worries. You have worked hard to get to your goal and maintaining is just as hard itself. It's hard to relax, I know, when you feel like all you do is think about food all day.
I have read that weigh can fluctuate five pounds or so. I do hope that as the maintenance goes along I'll be more comfortable with the routine so I don't flip when that happens. And, I do find I think about food a lot. Not because I'm hungry, I just think about what I'm eating next, plan the day and the next day, think about how much sodium I just added in by eating a pack of salmon as a morning snack for protein, etc... It is like that balancing act from the Bugs Bunny cartoons with the plates on the ends of sticks...
Trouble taking my own, and other people's, advice
I love seeing people who not only reached their goal but surpassed it. 
(my first really bad food choice in a month). Like Mommaspank said, it is very difficult to relax when all you think about all day is food. 
(On the burger topic, love Five Guys - they were my burger fave, but I went to The Vortex a couple of weeks ago for the first time and all I can say is Wow! I really had to give myself a 'just eat a light dinner, get sweet potato fries as the side to make it feel a little better' talk there!)