Why isn't there a maintenance magazine?
 

We've all seen the weight loss magazines, and the generic women's magazines that are always full of weight loss articles. Are there ANY magazines directed at maintainers?

OK, so marketing-wise, we're not a big market share, so I understand that magazine companies wouldn't get much money out of it. But still, any info in a maintainers magazine could be valuable to losers as well. I am just SO SICK of reading constantly about weight *loss* with no mention of maintenance. I was flipping through an issue of Health magazine today, and it was chock full of weight loss advice. I was just thinking, how about showing us the recipes and exercises WITHOUT talking about how it will help you lose weight?

Cooking Light is about as close as I've seen. It has health sections, including exercise and healthy travel tips, plus light recipes (always with full nutritional info), all without talking about weight loss. But it doesn't really address a lot of other concerns of maintainers, and it has a lot of irrelevant filler (why would I buy a magazine with cooking in the title if I wanted to learn about gardening or skin care??).

So I'm curious, what would you all like to see in a maintenance magazine?

Here's what I'd like:
A food section, including:
* recipes that taste good and have less than 400 cals per serving
* sections for quick and easy weeknight recipes and recipes for entertaining
* information about which foods are seasonal
* information about which foods will fill you up with a smaller portion
* highlighting new healthy products, like light ice creams or whole grain breads
* pictures of portion sizes for each recipe on some sort of standardized dish, so you can eyeball them without measuring
* recent nutritional research
* answers to reader questions

An exercise section, including:
* tips for beginners
* exercising without injuring yourself
* exercising when recovering from an injury
* exercises that are adapted for people who can't use legs or can't use arms (for when Meg is recovering from her knee replacement, or her rotator cuff surgery, or whatever injury she gets next! ;) ), or for people with arthritis, etc.
* photos showing correct form for weight training
* exercise PLANS that including gradually improving over the course of weeks or months
* maybe a monthly highlight of a particular sport or activity (running, yoga, basketball, belly dancing, etc.)
* answers to reader questions

A lifestyle section, including:
* how to maintain when traveling
* featured travel destinations and descriptions of where to eat and how to exercise there (suppose you're going to Italy - what foods should you order, and where can you go hiking or walking safely?)
* how to choose which size clothing actually fits you
* maybe clothing style recommendations for different body types, with all the models being real size and not airbrushed
* how to feed healthy food to your entire family without anyone feeling like they're on a diet

Ask the experts:
* star maintainers answer your questions
* food and exercise expersts and doctors answer your questions

A psychological section, including:
* maintaining weight through a major event in your life
* how to trick yourself into eating right and exercising when you don't want to
* discussions of common pitfalls in maintenance
* how to raise kids with a healthy body image

Plus reviews of maintenance and health-related books, tv shows, etc., columns from people with their thoughts on various issues, etc.

Basically I want the maintainer's forums in magazine form! All the maintenance goodness, none of the "how to lose 30 lbs FAST" crap. Seriously, every time I see Women's Day or Women's World on the stand at the grocery store, it has a headline about losing weight and a huge photo of a cake. :rolleyes:

That sound awesome, I'd buy it!!

Ain't that the truth!

Awesome idea even though I'm not a big magazine fan.

Here are some additional ideas

Techniques for making food preparation easier (freezing, knife skills, etc.)
Highlight of a natural food, especially vegetables
Cooking formulas (not sure what to call them but not just recipes) roasting, making salads based on whole grains, using cooked vegetables in salads, low calorie but tasty stir fry seasonings, grilling, grilling vegetables, microwave cooking, "George Foreman" cooking, etc.
Shopping tips
Meal planning tips
Lunch ideas, lunch box ideas, things to keep maintaining interesting.

Similarities of so many plans when you get to maintenance. This could also enable a "week of meal plans" or "Month of meal plans"

Should be some interesting articles possible from the National Weight Control Registry.

Also comparison articles on the various calorie tracking tools (including the online sites) by someone who has tried using all of them.

Desk exercises

Good choices for food when eating out, taking out

Wow, maybe I would read it after all.

Where do I sign up? I'd take a 5 year subscription.

It's not a magazine, but a new book coming out on maintaining weight loss

Refuse to Regain

And the blog that goes with it here

Lori! Thank you for the book tip! I'd never heard anything about it before, but am definitely preordering it. It looks like it should come out in September? Besides Thin For Life, I think that's the only book I'm aware of about maintenance. It might make for an interesting book discussion. :) Oh boy, I can't wait to read the blog. You made my day!!

Jessica, your magazine idea is brilliant! :cp: I would totally buy a lifetime subscription too.

I don't think it's going to happen though, just because (sadly) there aren't the millions of us necessary to make a magazine profitable. So we'll just have to do it all here -- and those are all great suggestions! :carrot:

Meg - maybe 3FC could do a maintenance E-zine? With the maintenance all-stars writing columns and answering questions? (What am I saying, you guys answer our questions every day on the forums!) It's true though, we basically have all that information here. Too bad there aren't enough maintainers or people interested in maintenance to make a profitable magazine. I mean, technically it would really just be a health magazine, but without the focus on weight loss.

Interesting idea, but another barrier might be the lack of potential advertising revenue. Who would advertise?

Kitty

Laughing Cow Cheese would have the corner on that market, as far as I can see :lol:

GREAT idea though, really. There should be maintainer magazines!

Hmmm? Good question. For starters:

-General Mills (Fiber One)-
-The Dairy companies (think low fat cottage cheese, yogurt, milk and the such
-soy product companies
-and lots of different foods companies that we all eat from
-fitness centers
-fitness equipment and paraphenelia
-

The list could go on and on.............

Really though, the biggest barrier would be the lack of the market. We are a miniscule portion of the population . :(

Since it is health related, perhaps one of the current magazines could devote a section to maintenance each and every month.

I bet Kashi would advertise big time too. :D

have any of you seen CLEAN EATING? it's pretty close to what you are talking about I think.

"Really though, the biggest barrier would be the lack of the market. We are a miniscule portion of the population ."

I think a lot of people would buy it....all those who are still trying to get to goal.

I think a lot of people should buy it. If done right, the information would be priceless.

Nessa - thank you SO much for pointing that out! I had never seen that magazine before. I just went to their website and it does look like it has a lot of the kind of stuff I was looking for. I've never seen it on a magazine stand in any of the stores I shop at, but maybe that's because it is quarterly. I may have to subscribe to this one!