Hiya Maintainers ,

Now that I'm about 7 lbs from goal weight, I've been shifting mental gears into "maintainer mode." I plan to just continue on doing exactly what I've been doing all along, which is a habit now anyway so I'm thinking it should be (hopefully) fairlyeasy-ish. But I remember reading in several Maintainers' threads that many of you say it is harder to maintain than it is to lose...

So here's my silly question: If I've been losing weight doing what I'm doing, and if I don't change anything when I decide to maintain, wouldn't it be logical that I would continue to lose even if I don't want/plan to? So I guess I'm wondering WHY it will be harder to maintain than to lose if I plan to just keep on keepin' on with the same strategy? I feel like I'm missing something really important here...when you say it's harder to maintain, do you mean it's physiologically harder to maintain (for some obscure scientific reason that alludes me) or do you mean it's psychologically harder to maintain because it's a lifelong thing? Or is it both?

I guess I'm just a little confused . As usual .

Thanks!

Hi Kate:
Congratulations on your success.
My answer to your question is maintence is harder because it is life long. Life is a long journey. 13 years into saying no to triggers and yes to exericse works but sometime, a sundae and slacking on the couch win. Also you are going to have to modifiy your exercise and eating to achieve maintence. You need to modifiy to stop the weight loss. For me weight reduction has become physically harder. The tricks that took 5 pounds off in a week now work in about five weeks.

Take care,

I'm not an "official" maintainer but here is my perspective for what it is worth.

IMO, it is a little from column A and a little from column B. After the "new" of our goal weights wear off I suspect it is at least a little more difficult to stay focused. I don't plan on changing anything once I reach goal either but I can imagine that when I'm not worried about the scale going down it will be much easier to allow myself a treat or a day off from exercise. I consider healthy eating and exercise part of my life now but I also realize that right now I'm getting something out of it, so to speak. Once maintainance time rolls around I'll have to do these things because they are the right thing to do not because I can see a smaller pair of pants at the end of the tunnel. It isn't that I think this part will be hard exactly but will require a good bit of my attention so as not to gain any significant amount of weight back.

Also, like Gina mentioned, this is a lifelong process and I fully expect to recycle the same five or so pounds from maintainance on out. I anticipate those few pounds to be more challanging and frustrating as time goes by. Right now I have youth on my side. Still, shedding pounds and keeping them off is still harder at 36 than it was at 26. I am sure that 46, 56, and 66....get progressively more difficult as well.

Finally, while my eating and exercise routines must remain constant to maintain my weight, every other facet of my lifestyle is sure to change as the years sneak by. I am sure some stages (like once my children are a little more independant) will be easier because I'll have more time to focus on myself. I am just as certain that other stages will be more difficult and require much more effort on my part to balance healthy habits and the rest of my life.

Hi,

For me maintenance is tough because it is endless learning process with guinea pig which is you yourself ! When you are loosing weight, you have time frame (for most of the time, as you can not loose forever), but on maintenance you are going to try and keep what you lost. So here comes- if when you are loosing you exercise and do 15 pounds dumbell curls, when you are maintaining, you have to diversify your exercise in order to challenge your metabolism, make it guess what comes next . If you will continue with 15 pounds curls, in 3 month you will not see the results, plus your body will adopt to the weight and wonder of wonders you will start gaining fat or something like that !
So here comes - you have to experiment on how your body reacts to different changes. You might have picked exercises/foods which are OK for your maintenance, however, you might find that some of the exercises/foods after some times just ... bluntly stop working. So you go back to basics... After about 2 years I found out that basics which worked with me last time ... stopped working either - why - probably because I lift heavier and need more/less calories, probably I am older, my hormones changed, etc. So here it is - I am guinea pig and I have to figure out WHAT WILL MAKE THE DIFFFERENCE THIS TIME. Note I am not talking about 20 pounds, I am talking about 4 pounds which I have to loose now, but guess what - it is much harder today than it was to loose 20 two years ago - because I ALREADY exercise, I ALREADY eat somewhat clean or mostly clean, so what is the culprit? It is for individual to figure out!

I hope I described it clear enough, good luck, and congratulations on almost goal!

Sandy.

I'm a relapsed maintainer, and it is soooo much harder this time - both physiologically and psychologically to lose the weight. However, to answer Kate's question, in my opinion it's the psychological part that's harder in maintenance. After a while at goal, people stop exclaiming over you and being impressed at your losses - they're used to the new you. Plus you start meeting people who never knew you heavier - so they never make a fuss over your weight loss. And like jawsmom said, you don't have that smaller clothing out there as a goal. Your goals in maintenance are so much smaller than those while you're losing. And it's for life (unless you're like me and gain a lot back ). . . But you're right, you'll keep on doing what you're doing, and tweaking it to keep within your maintenance range. It just has to be like showering and brushing your teeth - something you do without rationalizing why you're doing it all the time.

Not a silly question at all! Quite legitimate, in fact. All the answers are right on here, because there are so many factors that go into lasting maintenance. Unless your body levels out on it's own, you will need to adjust your diet to ensure that you don't continue to lose too much. I know, crazy to think us fat chicks could ever lose too much, right?! But it happens, by sticking with the exact same regimen, I allowed myself to get a bit too bony and now I'm struggling with the idea that I may actually need to put a few lbs. back on. Also, in maintenance, you now have to deal with the prospect of complacency (the maintenance killer!). As others have said, your weight loss just isn't as big of a deal anymore (especially to others, as they get used to the new you), the goals are less dramatic and less defined, and the motivation can start to waver when you realize that you've made it to goal, so now what?? I know I went through a time just after I reached my initial goal that I didn't know what to do with myself. I had been so wrapped up in reaching this magic number, that I didn't have anything to work for once I got there. Plus, just the realization that this is it, day in and day out for the rest of your life, this is your new lifestyle. The monotony of it all can get a bit oppressive. So, really, just be ready for a lot more "head stuff" now that physical stuff is just about conquered. But keep in mind, the physical stuff is never truly conquered, you will continuously have to modify and tweak your eating and exercise to keep up with your ever-changing body.

Anyway, congratulations on all of your progress, and make sure you stick around, since maintenance really is a whole new ball game!

Beverly

Thanks for your thoughts everyone !!

Pat, I really like how you put this:
I feel about 90% "there" already as far as everything fitness/exercise related being a totally ingrained habit. It has all become such an integral part of my daily life that I barely remember how I used to live, eat, (not) exercise, etc. But I do live in deep fear of the dreaded complacency (like Beverly said) because that's what undid all the hard work I put into weight loss in the mid 1990s -- which is the only other time I really got serious about weight loss. I did that silly thing where I thought "Hey, great weight loss. Excellent. I'm done!" and ended up packing the pounds back on. And that leads to Beverly's other very good point:
I KNOW that is going to be a major problem for me. LOL...I'm very project-oriented and tend to get really wrapped up in one thing until it's "done." Scary thing is, this particular project will never be done. I guess I have to just keep reminding myself of that, huh?

I'm so glad I found you ladies...I think I'm really going to be needing you in the next few months (years? LOL) as I adapt to my new plan. And it's nice to be able to hear your thoughts and use your wisdom to prepare myself mentally for the next step.

Thanks again!