OK - maintainers, I need your wisdom:

Once you have reached your goal, or around what you want to weigh, do you concentrate more on your diet/food intake or your exercising?

I'm just back from a 3 week vacation where, even though we went bike riding for a couple hours almost everyday, I gained about 5 pounds So now I'm trying to lose again and I'm finding it hard. I was drinking and snacking more than I would at home, but nothing over-the-top and absolutely no binging or anything like that. But, then again, I do put on weight very easily!

I, personally, LOVE my working out and I'm 100% with it. But, my eating is more like 80% (I probably eat more carbs than I should and yesterday I shared a choc bar with hubby - not horribly off plan, but not totally on plan, if you see what I mean) The trouble is, the more I exercise, the hungrier I am (an obvious problem, I know), but I do gain weight very easily, so when I eat 100% on plan, I find I'm lacking the energy to do the workouts I want to do. BTW, I'm not a work out fanatic - I do circuit training up to 3x per week, I also ride horses several times a week and my two jobs are physical (no desks for me) AND I live on a farm - I am very active, but not in the gym twice a day kind of way.

So, I know I can lose the pounds if I eat less, but then I don't enjoy my circuit training as I don't have the energy. Do I eat less to get back to goal and just work out less in the meantime, or keep up the workouts and hope to get back to goal, just maybe get there slower?

Thanks for any advice!

I'd say you did pretty darn good only gaining 5 pounds on a 3 week vacation! Last month we went on a little mini vacation and I gained 5 pounds in 4 days! I was also pretty good with food and walking miles and miles while we were gone, but one meal a day I ate at some of my favorite Kansas City restaurants...so the pounds came on.

What I did, was the minute I got on the scale and saw what kind of damage was done I went back to "day 1" mentality. Not really starting all over...just picking up from were I left off. It took just a few days at 1200 lower carb calories and I was back to normal. What I'm trying to say, is just do what you did to lose the weight to begin with. It will come off quickly...especially if you do it NOW while there are only 5 pounds to lose vs. the whole kit and kaboodle!

Can you tell us more about your eating plan -- how many calories and what kind of foods? Maybe a sample day's menu?

You shouldn't have to trade off your exercise program for weight loss. The two should work hand-in-hand, not against each other. So perhaps the kinds of foods you're eating aren't supporting your exercise and you could tweak your food choices? Or maybe your calories are unrealistically low and you aren't properly fueling your body for exercise?

To answer your question, I focus equally on diet and exercise to keep the weight off. One alone won't do the trick for me! But what I eat is geared toward supporting my exercise, so I try to make wise food choices within my calorie range. Protein is essential for sustaining and building muscle mass, so I shoot for at least 100 grams a day. I stay as far away from simple carbs as possible because they aren't satisfying and set up cravings. I work on including good fats. So by the time I've meet all my nutritional requirements, there aren't any calories left over for poor choices. In that sense, eating to fuel my body for exercise really keeps me on track with my eating plan.

Give us a glimpse into what you're typically eating and I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions!

I'm far less experienced than Meg or Lori; for me, I have focused exactly as Meg mentions. As I've been moving along in my weight maintenance phase, I have learned that it isn't just the calories for me, it is the make-up of the food. I can eat 1900-2000 calories a day at my current exercise level & not gain (even lose a little) as long as I that is mostly comprised of lean protein, non-starchy veggies, and healthy fats. I keep the starchy carbs to a minimum & always make sure it is whole grain (1-2 servings a day), and my sugars are restricted - I cut back to 1 fruit a day and watch my dairy intake. Absolutely no refined sugar and really pump up my water (plain old water - maybe some lemon).

If I do this, back-to-basics, I am not hungry AND those pesky extra pounds will come off.

I hope some of this helps. This probably feels like common knowledge on this board, but it has been an absolute revelation to me that I do not need to starve myself everytime I find an extra 3-5 pounds. It happens, I catch it right away, and I just readjust the quality of my diet.

I agree with Lori, by the way, you did AWESOME to only gain 5 lbs on a 3 week vacation!!

Welcome back.

Food-intake is the key to weight-loss and Maintaining my weight-loss.

Food-Intake = weight-loss or weight-maintenance
Exercise = fitness
Nutrition = health

Exercise and proper Nutrition will make me fit and healthy,
but to maintain in a normal weight-range, I have to focus on the amount of my food-intake.

Bright Angel, that's exactly right IMO!

Jay

Honestly both. When I eat crap I feel like crap no matter how much I exercise. I'm also switching gears and I'm now training so food is fuel and it needs to be quality. Eating well keeps me healthy, working out keeps me fit and sexy

Thank you so much for all your replies!
Bright Angel: what you wrote really makes sense - thanks! I didn't think of things that way before.

So this is a typical day of food intake for me - I would love imput on where I'm going wrong.

Breakfast: I'm not a morning person and have never eaten breakfast - I just have no appitite, even though I know it's wrong. Forcing myself to eat in the morning just ends up making me feel sick.

Mid-morning: 1-2 cups of coffee with low-fat milk

Lunch: home-made salad with lots of veggies, with a little home-made dressing (simple oil & vinegar combo), sometimes with a bit of chopped up ham or a boiled egg.

Snack: one apple or orange

Dinner: meat or fish and two veg

That's it really. Sometimes I'll have pasta for lunch if I've got a really busy day, but I never add salt or butter, only a little grated cheese. I get really hungry late at night, so once in a while I'll have a small bowl of cereal (normally Alpin) with a chopped up banana for a treat. I really try and make sure I have my five-a-day no matter what.

Any suggestions would be great - thanks again everyone!

OK, now I see why you have no energy for workouts. (A) Not enough food overall, and (B) not enough protein. I'll let others comment more...

Jay