[impossible princess]

Have any guys here been at their goal weight and managed to maintain for years? If so how have you done it, have you stuck to your plan or adapted it or what?
I lost alot of weight but its started to creep back on. You start by thinking oh its just a couple of lbs don't be obsessed by your weight but now I'm so pissed off that I've undone my good work. I've lost alot of my confidence even though my friends say I look good and I dont need to diet.
I just want to be able to keep it off without being obsessed. Any tips?

[Meg]

to Maintainers! We're so glad you joined us here! Congrats on getting to goal and you'll certainly get back there again. Tell us some more about what you did to lose the weight and what's changed.

To answer your question, I've been in a ten pound range around goal for 3 1/2 years, so I'm not really a long-timer yet (though I sure plan to be!) One thing I've discovered is that maintenance isn't a static number for a lot of us - rather, it seems to be more like a range. You go on vacation, you gain five pounds, then you come home and buckle down and lose it ... etc. I rarely weigh the same two days in a row - but I weigh every day to keep things from getting out of hand! The key is to stay in a pre-defined five or ten pound range (check out our Thin For Life discussion Key #5: Nip It In The Bud: Break The Relapse Cycle about lapses and relapses).

What's my maintenance strategy? It's really simple -- I still do the same things today that I did to lose the weight. I eat the same foods and 90% of the time in the same calorie range. I do the same amount of exercise. I journal my food and weigh and measure my portions. As a matter of fact, a day in my life today doesn't look any different than a day four years ago when I was still losing. They're not kidding when they say this has to be a lifestyle because it IS for the rest of your life!

As for the whole 'obsession' issue -- that's come up a few times here at Maintainers. You might want to check out this recent thread: Choices, Obsession, And Dedication . I think of maintenance as a priority in my life - something that's worth me devoting time and energy to - but categorically reject the accusation that I'm 'obsessed' . My observation is that the 'O word' gets flung at us by people who are simply jealous of our success (and yes, you touched on a raw spot! ).

Anyway, what I do now to maintain is so ingrained in my life that I don't even give it a second thought. It's simply part of the background of my life, the things I do without thinking. I don't consider myself obsessed with dental hygiene, for example, but I brush my teeth three times a day without even stopping to analyze the reason why. Likewise, I go to the gym every day and plan my meals every day because it's just what I do. And I never, ever compare myself to how 'normal' people live their lives because it's just not relevant to me.

I'm looking forward to reading more responses!

[impossible princess]

I did a diet plan the weight dropped off but I was quite obsessed with it I calorie counted everything, weighed myself twice a week etc. then I couldn't stop losing weight people were telling me I looked too thin so I decided to put a bit back on. Then all the bad habits came back and I went from gaining a couple of lbs to gaining a couple of stone etc.
It needs to stop but I don't want to be one of those people that only thinks about their weight etc. I'm back on the diet plan ish but am finding it harder and I'm not losing as much weight probably because i don't have so much to lose but its a bit disheartening I guess.

A friend of mine dieted with me the first time and both lost alot she lost far more than me and was her ideal weight shes since had a baby which as i tell her is a good reason for gaining but has gained loads of weight and hates it that its so hard to lose again. I want to get that healthy feeling back but I exercise alot and eat decent food so it just annoys me that I'm not naturally slim I suppose.

I know I should just eat sensibly but its easier said than done.

[Glory87]

If you read Meg's awesome response, she did not do a diet plan she started and then stopped. She never stopped her healthy lifestyle of calorie counting, journaling, food planning and working out.

I am not a long timer, I am working on 11 months of maintenance. Like Meg, I do exactly what I did to lose weight everyday. I did not start something and then stop when I reached my goal weight.

In the past, I had twice before lost significant amounts of weight only to gain it all back (and more). This time - the goal was not to get to a goal weight and then go back to my normal life. This time, the goal was to be healthy and slim forever. I planned how I would maintain from the day I decided to make this change.

The very first thing I decided to do was to change how I eat to be healthier, but to make changes that I could do forever.

I don't think I'm obsessed either, but I realize that I can't eat like a "normal" person ever again.

Good luck, I hope that I will be able to give the same response next year and the year after that and the year after that. Long term maintenance is what I want.

[MrsJim]

Amen to what everyone has said here...

I think I can say after all these years - it's a matter of RETRAINING your thought processes (aka lifestyle changes) and getting out of the Diet Mindset (where the thought is "I'll eat like this for X amount of weeks or months, then stop when i get to goal").

Regarding "eating normally" - whether you will never be able to 'eat normally' again and so on. What DOES 'eating normally' MEAN anyway? I think the definition of "normal eating" has really been skewed big time since 1950 or so (after WWII, when convenience foods/fast food restaurants came into being combined with a more sedentary lifestyle as labor-saving devices were invented and introduced, and existing ones improved...not to mention the advent of television and people moving to the suburbs and away from established downtown areas within walking distance, which forced the population to rely on their vehicles to drive to work or to shop...). "Normal Eating" in the US now anyway, seems to mean lots of fast food, relatively few fresh fruits or vegetables, HUGE portions (I have an old cookbook from the late 1940's with a chapter titled "Cooking for Two" meant obviously for the newlywed wife with no children - the portion sizes are MINISCULE and would probably be considered "Cooking for One with No Leftovers" today!).

When I was growing up, McDonald's was considered an occasional treat - when I was 7 or so, a McDonald's meal would consist of a regular hamburger, half an order of fries (there was only ONE size back then...the one in the white paper bag) and half a chocolate shake (also only one size back then) and that was enough for me and my sibs. I don't spend a lot of time at McD's these days, but it seems like every time I pass by one, I see kids around the same age I was - 6 to 9 years old - dining on MUCH larger portions - we're talking a Value Meal with a Big Mac and large fries and a shake is this "normal" nowadays? Where the "Mighty Kids Meal" isn't considered enough food for a first grader??

Personally, I think the way I strive to eat now is NORMAL. Maybe if I was living in 1910, or even 1920, I would probably not even worry about eating too much, because I would be burning megacalories just doing my daily chores (especially if I was one of the majority of Americans living on a farm and/or with little or no electricity or indoor plumbing):

Fetching water from a well or a nearby spring (using a handpump or having to carry bucket after bucket of water back and forth).
Running a coal or wood stove
Blacking the stove
Using a broom and carpet sweeper to clean the floors, and washing them on hands and knees (keep in mind that in the areas where there was a coal or wood stove, the floor and surrounding walls would be extremely grimy and filthy by today's standards...)
Doing laundry BY HAND or using a 'crank' washing machine (there weren't any dryers back then). Remember that most articles of clothing were very HEAVY - if you've ever seen dresses from that time, imagine how heavy they would be to lift them wet out of the wash water...and hang up to dry...then ironing with very heavy irons which had to be heated on the stove...
Baking bread from scratch (including kneading)
Beating eggwhites by hand
and so on...

So to partially make up for not having to do all that stuff, I exercise every day at the gym. I might be a sicko, but I really enjoy it and look forward to my workouts! The essential thing is to start out with something you enjoy and can do, then go from there and challenge yourself. Mix it up a bit, you know?

Anyways...as usual I'm probably rambling here but it really comes down to 'practice makes perfect'. Sure it's tough starting a new eating plan and exercise regimen...but practice practice practice...make it SECOND nature and eventually you'll find you don't even need to think about it. Do I have something 'bad' once in awhile...sure! But it's just a matter of balancing out my eating for the rest of the day to make up for it along with probably one of THE most important elements of weight loss and maintenance - PORTION CONTROL...something that needs to be especially practiced. You're not always going to have a measuring cup or scales on hand (especially if you're in a restaurant or traveling or so on) so it's essential to learn how to eyeball your portions, so you know what a serving of chicken or rice or whatever REALLY looks like.

just my two cents for now!

[impossible princess]

well this time I'm not being as rigid with my food I'm trying to be more sensible but eat stuff that I'll carry on eating forever not just for the duration of a diet because maintaining is a whole different journey for me. I want to get back in my size 8s and stay in them forever. Thats the plan anyway.

Cheers for the inspiration guys!

[Elanajel]

I have accepted that this is a continued journey--not a question of "OK, the weight is off, now time to go back to xxx" (fill in the blank--time to go back to not exercising, heavy late afternoon snacking, those other habits that got me in trouble).

I lost 15 pounds thru Weight Watchers. I don't love every single aspect of the program but it worked for me. I lost the weight I needed to and have continued to go to meetings once a month (part of my commitment to being a Lifetime member). My leader is always supportive, the tips from the group are great (like these boards except I have to get in the car for it--LOL).

Best change: I have gotten so much stronger thru a fun and rigorous strength training program. I am just absolutely amazed at what my body can do! I'm also now taking a karate/boxing class--there's no way my feet and knees would have held up for it 15 pounds ago.

Important to know, I've regained up to 5 pounds and then had to recommit to taking it back off. I continue to journal my food and I only gain when I am not honest with my journal.

Looking forward to seeing what more experienced Maintainers have to share about this.