I've yo-yo dieted several times during my adult life. After 5-6 years of giving up, I decided to give it one more go this past June, and by October, I had reached my goal weight. I'm still trying to figure out my maintenance calories, but in the meantime, I would like to learn from the "experts." So, long-term maintainers: What have been some of your biggest challenges maintaining & how have you overcome them?

Looking forward to reading the responses!

Realizing that just because you had one day where you "fell off the wagon" doesn't mean that the whole week is blown. It's just one moment, move on and make better choices next time. Don't let it snowball, take it in stride. There's always tomorrow, that's my motto.

Two things:
1) You have to stop regains before they get too big.
2) Over the years, your body changes, and the techniques you used to use to lose weight will stop working. You have to adapt to this and be willing to try new techniques.

I maintained for about 2 years, then began to slowly regain. I found that I could no longer stick to the old method by which I lost weight. I had to try something different, and I was successful with that for awhile. Right now I'm in a holding pattern.

I'm proofreading a book on weight loss right now in which the author, a registered dietitian, states that stress is responsible for weight re-gain, all other things being equal. The reason is due to the hormones released by stress, which includes lack of sleep. The author believes that unless steps are taken to reduce stress, the battle will go on. Also, that exercise is not always a stress reliever but can be a source of added physiological stress.

The author also says that reducing some food groups too much while trying to lose weight also triggers hormone release--notably ghrelin--that increases appetite. And, willpower is not a very good opponent against the drive of hormones.

So, take it for what it's worth. Good luck!
Jay

I'm still trying to get my mind around the "this is forever" part of maintenance. If anyone else has successfully done this please do chime right in!

Dagmar

Thank you all for the advice!



Jay, how long were you maintaining, and what sort of plan were you following? What are you doing now? Just curious . . . .

Jay thank you for posting this, I had almost 4 years at maintaining and moved 100 mile away where I knew no one, talk about stress and more recently I have learned my son has made a decision that I fear will ruin his life. More stress and lack of sleep.
I have gotten back in the losing game and am posting in The New Year New Challenge Thread on meeting this challenge. About my son, I am praying a lot.

lin43, I don't want to go into the whole long story--but to give you the highlights--I lost 50 pounds by tracking food intake, that is, my calories and macronutrients, using FitDay. I exercised at the gym 5 times a week becaue that's what I was told to do by a trainer.

After I reached the weight that I called "done," I tried to change my intake to a maintenance level, and also reduce my gym time. Over time, I began to gain weight again. I began the cycle that I called yo-yoing on a short string. For me, this approach was not sustainable.

I got to a point where I could no longer make myself do the tracking for more than a couple of weeks. My pattern became, gain 2 pounds, work for a couple weeks to lose 2 pounds, gain 3 pounds, work for a couple weeks to lose 2 pounds... so I was gaining slowly over time.

Also, I developed physical problems from overexercising--and I had to cut back. I now believe that exercise is not nearly so important for weight loss as it's touted to be. I think it is important for maintenance, but not at the levels a lot of folks seem to think.

Anyway, over the next couple of years, I regained a lot of pounds. Then I met someone who was using Medifast, and they were getting really good results. So I tried that approach. No tracking, no stress, and exercise does not have to be a part of it. However, I had an intolerance reaction to the soy protein isolate in the foods, and couldn't use them. I made up my own substitutes, based on nutrition profile, and that worked pretty well. But Medifast is a low calorie approach--under 1200 cals a day--and it's not supposed to be continued past 4 months without supervision.

So I stopped following the Medifast-like plan I was on after 4 months. My weight is up a little now, but that's to be expected, I think, after how much I was restricting on that plan. Meanwhile, the person I knew who got such great results from Medifast had gotten to his goal (lost 60 pounds)--and skipped the transition and maintenance part--he just went back to eating all those things he'd been deprived of--and every week I have watched him gain weight. He's probably up 20 pounds now, in about 3 months.

I'm not following any formal plan right now. The fact is, I know how I should be eating. A portion is a portion, and I have been doing this so long I know what a portion looks like for just about every food. I also know what foods I need to restrict because I tend to go overboard with them.

I'm seeking moderation at the moment in all aspects of my life. And I'll see where that leads. I don't want my "headstone" to read "Went to the gym no matter what" or "Kept calories under X at all times" or "Stayed within a normal BMI."

Jay

bargoo, I'm sorry that your son's situation is causing you so much stress. You don't say what it is--and I don't need to know. But please remember that if he's an adult, it's his life to screw up--and it's not your problem unless he wants to move home or have you support him...

Jay

Thanks, Jay. I hear ya on the moderation. That's what I've tried to focus on this time around when losing (and currently, starting maintenance). I've found, though, that I have been really enjoying exercising, much more so than in the past. I don't feel the dread that I used to. Maybe it's because I've given myself permission NOT to go to the gym if I don't want to. My only fitness goal is to do some sort of vigorous activity for at least an hour a day (always resting on Sunday). That seems to be working for now. I've found that exercising seems to be a big stress reducer for me, so I feel really great when I've sweated out some so of my worries . I, too, always believed that exercise was over-rated as a weight-loss tool, but it seems as if I've lost weight faster at 43 than I lost in my 30's, and one of the main differences I've identified is that I get more daily activity (not necessarily gym workouts, but just more moving in general).

Thanks, again!

Success - I have a pretty good system. I've been maintaining within 10 lbs for 7 years, so I consider myself wildly successful.

Challenge - it just doesn't stop. After all this time, I never go off the rails - I don't eat pastries, I don't eat fast food, I don't eat chips. I don't eat ice cream*, I don't binge. What gets me is slow, gradual slip-ups. I start indulging in a glass of wine at night. I get a biscotti with my fat-free latte. Portions are a little bigger, I dip into the bread basket at a restaurant, I eat more treat meals.

When I go off plan, I gain weight. Every time. And it seems harder and harder to reign it in tightly enough to lose weight. My day-to-day eating would seem shockingly virtuous and abstemious to the average American. To actually LOSE weight requires super human dedication (perfectly on plan 1400 calorie days, exercise, no treats at all).

I'm TIRED of having to work so hard, I can barely bring myself to do it.

* The occasional single scoop at a parlour, never buy for the house.

Glory, you are such an inspiration! According to what I've read (i.e., statistics), you are in the 5% or so of people who have kept off the weight for more than five years. Reading those horrible statistics about regain has me so scared! I keep telling myself that keeping the weight off really is up to me, so it is good to read about your success. I do wish I that it was easier, though!

We have a great bunch of people at the New Year New Challenge Thread we have had many of the experiences talked about here. Come on over it is great to share .
Glory, I hear you loud and clear.

Hi Lin,

I'm not a "long-term" maintainer yet, I'm just at 2 and 1/2 years. I will have to say that I am in agreement with Jay and Glory when it comes down to how much harder it gets as time goes by. For me, it's very difficult to maintain, and to be honest, the only thing that keeps me going sometimes is facing other people. Seriously, I feel like if I gain weight, I'll terribly disappoint some of my major real-life supporter...(Oh, and the fact that I know it just gets under the skin of those nay-supports who never thought I could do it...<evil grin>.)

I just keep trucking every day. I still count calories, and I still weigh and measure things like meat, nuts and salad dressings. Over Christmas I kind of had a few sugar binders and struggles with cravings and that "wanting it so bad that I'm miserable" thing...so I'm trying my hand at low carbing plus calorie counting to help me get over the sugar cravings. (BTW, it has helped tremendously by the grace of God!!)

One thing that really kind of bummed me out was when I went to put on some winter clothes from the last couple years. Oh it was wonderful that they still fit nicely and all but that super "high" I had when I first got them, that awesome feeling that I LOOKED HOT in them, is gone. I wish I had the giddy feeling still, the "Hey look at me I'm a size 6" floating on air feeling. But that is long gone. It's just another job now. ugh. I hope to h*ll I can keep this up for life, but oh my gosh, it is super hard for me now that the newness has worn off.

ETA: I also agree with Fitmom...one blow out does not mean I've blown it. When I've gone astray, (so far) I have reeled it in quickly and forced myself into better choices ASAP...If I don't, I'll be back to 333 in no time.

Okay - you definitely need a NEW hot outfit, something you wouldn't normally wear (strapless, backless, super short, fitted). Shock yourself with your amazing hotness all over again.