As I'm getting very close to my maintenance level, I am getting frightened. For nearly 30 years I have been on and off dieting, never reaching my goal, and now that it's close I don't know if I will be able to stop. It seems that any day I give in and have a few more calories, that is, not enough to gain but more than alloted, I gain weight. Now I know it's water and it will come back off, but the 3 -5 pound change on the scale sends me into panic. I'm not sure how to up my calories to a maintenance level without yo-yoing up and down. I want to get to a point that I can just live daily without being so conscious of the weight. I just wondered if this fear is a natural occurence. Funny, at a time in my life where I should be estatic, I am nervous....
I think you are totally normal. It IS something I think I'll be nervous about when I get there too. From what I've read on the maintenance forum, many of the folks there start by adding just one thing- one extra serving of carbs or whatever and see what happens. If everything is fine, they add one more serving of something else.
While we're losing we think of the goal as the finish line but it's really just the transition to the next phase. I think you WILL yo-yo just a little because you'll be figuring out what it takes to keep things at the level needed and the only way to know that for YOUR body is through trial and error.
The good news is that if it happens and you gain a couple pounds, you're an expert at what it will take to get that weight off your body.
Terrified! There were so many "what ifs" involved....what if I regain weight? What if this...what if that. The only real trouble I've run into is being beyond tired of my workout, and kind of sliding a little on my calorie counting and snacking too much. Started maintaining before Thanksgiving, and I'm holding steady now.
I think it's natural to be afraid...just don't let the fear slow you down!!!
Yes, I think it's normal to feel a bit scared of maintenance. I know I did.
But please, don't let a bounce of 2 or 3 pounds on a single day put you into panic. I think too many maintainers live in constant fear of the scale like this, and it's not necessary. If someone were trying to lose, we'd tell them the scale varies by 2 to 3 pounds without any reason at all... And the same is true in maintenance.
I also have seen a lot of folks overshoot their goal. That's fine, as long as you remember that there was a reason you chose the first goal. And also, some goals may be too low to maintain without having a really difficult food life. I would rather carry a few more pounds, but stay within normal range, than try to keep my weight so low that life is a constant struggle. I'm still working this out.
I know where you are coming from. I would like to lose five pounds and stay there. I am having a **** of a time doing it though. I do weigh every single day and without fail--even if it's after having a bad day or eating out tons of sodium or whatever. I would rather know two pounds in than at five or ten pounds in.
I remind myself that my health (physical and mental) is the very most important thing and however I can achieve that is what will be optimal for me. I also tell myself each day that this is a nice walk that I enjoy being on--I am not looking for the FINISH line.
I was absolutely scared to death of reaching goal, and scared of maintaining. I'm still scared sometimes, but I'm doing a lot better now. Initially, I was scared to increase my calories to a maintenance level and continued to lose for a while. I'm still working to find the right balance, actually. I have set a maintenance range of 6 pounds, so I don't freak out until I get close to or over the high limit for a decent amount of time and stay there. I've found that I can jump up 3-5 pounds from one salty meal or a little too much sugar. I find I'm impacted a lot more by those things now than in the past. I do weigh every day, because I'm trying to learn my patterns.
Your nerves will settle as you get used to maintenance. Don't be scared! Like the other posts above have said, this is a lifelong thing. You won't weigh exactly the same thing every day, and you will learn what calorie range works for you and settle into something you can live with.
Good luck with the last few pounds! We have all been where you are, and are here for you!
Oh yeah. I'm a weight loss expert -- I've lost weight a dozen times! It's maintenance that I've failed at repeatedly in the past. I was afraid that one slip up and *poof!* the weight would come right back on - overnight!!
But, I've maintained this time for going on 18 months and learned to relax a bit about it. I've learned not to freak out over a couple of pounds up and down, that's normal. I've learned through my food and exercise logs where the calorie in/out balance is. If I exceed my calorie budget, I gain, and have to go back to "diet mode" to adjust. As long as I continue to self-monitor, and keep the good habits, then I really can maintain. And you will be able to maintain too!
Jay gave good advice! I had a hard time upping my calories enough to maintain my goal weight. It was HARD to eat more food. I'm finally at a place where my weight has stabilized for about 8 months and it is much easier and I am more relaxed now.
Terrified! I found this place at the EXACT right time in my journey. I don't think I would have been SO successful at maintenance without the support/encouragement I found on 3 Fat Chicks.
Terrified! I found this place at the EXACT right time in my journey. I don't think I would have been SO successful at maintenance without the support/encouragement I found on 3 Fat Chicks.
By the time I hit maintenance, these healthy eating and exercising habits, this lifestyle, were so firmly ingrained in my brain, that I really wasn't *all* that scared. Scared enough to know that I would have to be vigilant, but quite honestly, not scared enough to think that I couldn't do it. Not for a second. I loved my new life and there was no way I was going back to being morbidly obese, obese or even overweight again. No way. I did know right from the beginning of my journey, even before I started it, that I would have to continue on with this lifestyle. I knew it and had accepted it long ago. I knew there would be no going back to my "old ways". Like I said, I knew it before I ventured on this little journey and having found 3FC right at the beginning - it was confirmed here.
Losing the weight was the most exciting year of my life. I knew the excitement of not seeing the scale go down would vanish, but I was more then okay with that. Having the scale stay the same, or at least within a reasonable range is pretty darn exciting too.
The only thing that disappointed me though, was how little calories extra I could add in order to maintain. I though I'd get a few more. Oh well. I've accepted that as well and it doesn't change my resolve to keep this weight off. My weight may be stubborn - but so am I, so am I .
Last edited by rockinrobin; 05-13-2009 at 06:21 AM.
I want to get to a point that I can just live daily without being so conscious of the weight....
Okay. I just went back and read your post a bit further. Previously, I had just read the title.
The sentence that I highlighted, I wanted to comment on that. For me, it's the opposite, I NEVER want to get to the point where I won't be conscious of my weight. I'm not talking about the few lbs of fluctuations (which if you are I apologize for delving into this), which I think are normal, but I always want to be "on top of" what I weigh so, that I can act, eat and exercise accordingly. Not nervous and panicky all the time, but aware. It's that awareness that forces me to make the choices that I do, which help me to maintain my weight.
It's definitely a tad nerve wracking at first, which is perfectly normal and to be expected, but like anything else, we get good and comfortable at what we do, the longer we do it. You'll find your way, I've no doubt and gain more and more confidence.
All the previous posters, as usual, gave excellent insight into the world of maintenance. And having these wise ladies on our side, to converse with and compare notes, is an added little (HUGE) bonus.
Thanks everyone, it's good to know that we and not just I feel this way. I just never, and I mean never, have reached a goal that I set. I get close, then I relax. And the thought of going back up again terrifies me because that's all I know. It's funny how you tell yourself after you reach a new number that you will never go back to the higher ones, and then one day you get on that scale and you're back to where you started. I am so good at self-sabotage and I want to break that habit for good.
You hit the nail on the head. You said that you "relax". And therein lies the "problem". If we don't "relax", then we won't regain. We will always, always have to be aware and mindful of what we're eating. This journey is not over once we hit goal.
I understand being scared of maintenance. I'm a little nervous about it myself. I like what Robin said about not relaxing. Knowing what I have to do to maintain is huge. Just keep doing what I've been doing, pretty much. There is a feeling of security in that.
Was anyone scared to reach maintenance?
