Ok guys, I need some help with my mindset. In the last 8 months I have gone from 293 lbs. to 175. The problem is now that I am at a good weight (proly a little to low--want to be around 180) I still find myself only eating what I like to call "diet food". I feel like if I put anything bad into my body that I will gain everything back. I know its stupid but that is how my mind works now. I can't get out of diet mode and I won't touch anything bad for me. I'm male, 19 yrs. old, 6 ft. 1 and I need some advice. I don't want to lose anymore weight but I know I will if I keep eating like I am right now. I don't really do cardio exercise anymore but instead I weight train 4 days a week. How much should I start eating (cals, fat, carbs, protein) and what should I start eating now that I am at this point. I really need some help breaking some of these habits.
Thanks!!!

Hi hollaback
Welcome to Maintainers! Congratulations on your success . You need to start experimenting with a few new foods or quantities. How do you eat? If you are enjoying your current foods, try upping the quatity until you find the right amount for maintaining your weight and muscle mass. If you are doing serious weight training 4 times a week, eating 5-6 times a day would be a good idea, if you aren't already doing that. Add another meal to up your calories. You don't need to add junk foods back into your diet if you've learned to live happily without them. Or you could maintain by keeping your nutrition pretty much the same as it is now throughout the week, and allowing yourself a more relaxed approach on the week-ends. At 6'1", 180 lbs is a little low, especially if you are lifting, so you've got some room for experimenting. You need fuel (food!) to develop and keep muscle mass on that long frame of yours.

Are you a student? Do you live at home with access to food of your choice or are you constrained by dorm food?

Tell us a little more about what you eat/ate to lose the weight and maybe we can come up with more specific recommendations.

And congratulations, again

Mel

Thanks for responding Mel. I currently go to school so I usually can't really eat 5 or 6 small meals so instead I try to eat 4. As far as what I eat, I eat pretty healthy and now I am just increasing the amounts of healthy things I eat in order to maintain my weight and maybe gain a little. To give you an example I'll list my meals today so you can maybe give me some advice.

Breakfast:
1 Protein Bar
1 Yogurt
1 Grapefruit

Lunch:
1 Pita
4 Egg Whites
Turkey
1/2 cup oatmeal

Snack:
Protein Drink
Apple
Fruit Bar

Dinner:
2 Pieces Whole Wheat
Veggie Patty
2 cups Brocolli

Dessert:
Low Fat Ice Cream Sandwich

Total Calories: 1840
Total Fat: 37
Total Carbs: 247
Total Protein: 130

Some suggestions:

Try replacing the protein drinks and bars with actual food, perhaps replace the grapefruit in the morning with some eggs and whole wheat toast...things a little more filling and still healthy. Replace the veggie patty with actual meat...fish, turkey, chicken. And it might not hurt to add in a little more dairy...some milk and cheese.

Hi Hoolaboack,
Are you a vegetarian? I see you eat eggs and dairy... that's good. Oops, I see some turkey, so not completely. Try adding more lean protein. I think you need probably 600-1000 more calories to maintain, based on your currrent size and age. This is an estimate!

I'd add at least 2 more egg whites to lunch, up the oatmeal to 3/4 of a cup, add a yogurt or some eggs or cottage cheese to breakfast, and add some more protein to dinner. That should do it!

Mel

hi there!

Just my opinion, but you might want to add some healthy fat to your diet. My husband eats basically what I eat (lean protein, lots of veggies and fruits, oatmeal), but we keep his weight up with bigger servings and added monosaturated fats. Try adding almonds or walnuts to your oatmeal. Add some avocado to your turkey sandwich or smear a little guacamole on your veggie burger. Leftover avocado or guac freeze just fine. You can also drizzle your veggies with some tasty extra virgin olive oil or spread some almond butter on your apple wedges. This will increase your calories and make your meals more enjoyable.

Congratulations on your success.

Good luck in school and have fun maintaining!

I hit my Weight Watchers goal in mid-October and felt pretty disoriented by the thought of eating MORE. I continued to lose a little weight over the following 2 months, slowly, both because my body was still in losing mode and because I wasn't quite ready to eat more for fear of gaining. And really, what is maintenance but hovering around a weight, gaining and losing a little bit every day, every week, but staying close to where you want to be?

For me, I'm shifting my focus from a number on the scale to building muscles. Like you I'm dropping the cardio a bit (It's more for burning fat) and upping the lifting. I'm adding in more protein, and more fat (olive and flaxseed oils).

The mental shift takes a while, and I'm still working on my fear of gaining the weight back. I'm coming to terms with the thought that I WILL gain some. But I can lose it if I want to, and I'll weigh myself regularly so I nip it in the bud before I gain too much. You're more likely than me to gain muscle (ooh I envy your testosterone!) so keep that in mind as you weigh yourself. You might want to get your bodyfat percentage measured and use that as a more reliable gauge of fitness than the scale alone.

What I'm saying is, "been there, done that, it'll all be OK!"

Don't worry about eating more. Be mindful, but relax a bit.

As for eating "diet food" vs. "real food" - all things in moderation!

Best Wishes on your coursework and continued maintenance!

-Amy

p.s. I'm sure you've seen the book discussion here in the maintainers forum, but I HIGHLY recommend reading Thin For Life. I can't remember which chapter, but at one point the phases of weight loss maintenance are discussed, mental phases, and I definitely related to them. Man, I wish I had the book handy & I'd quote it to you.