Gina - I think I may go back to MFP when I start maintenance and have to track the calories until I get the hang of this. I like your plan with coming up with a calorie based meal plan. My biggest fears are too much freedom and always being hungry. I probably won't do it forever, just until I know my good habits are sticking.
Patzi - Thanks! I actually went back to the first page for some tips starting my week 1 stabilizaton. It's nice to have that here because evenutally, they could get lost in our monthly threads. Hopefully as time goes on, more ladies will be hitting their goals and joing us.
It's been rather stressful the past couple of days, with going back and forth to the hospital to see my brother, his wife, and the new baby. 60 miles round trip. We're all pulling together though. Unfortunately, I ran out of the house this morning without my breakfast. Luckily, I had to stop by the gas station and found a 2 oz. cheddar cheese stick. Already have fruit here at work, so no harm done. Lunch is in my fridge, so it appears I'm all set.
Jen-that's what I'm hoping. that coming up with my go to meals and eventually I won't have to track every calorie...but I will probably always have to write it down. It also helps me see that when I'm hungry...hey, I haven't eaten enough calories or maybe it's because I've burned too many calories or maybe if my calories are right I will realize it's just craving. My good way to tell...when I think I'm hungry I ask myself if I would eat a chicken breast. If I would, I'm truly hungry. If not, I'm most likely just craving.
I printed out my before and after pictures and posted them on my fridge to remind myself of why I need to keep making good choices. If i would post pictures of fitness models I know I'll never get there and dont' really want to...but seeing my before and after reminds me of where I never want to go back to and why I keep doing what I keep doing.
Last edited by nwcgina; 04-04-2012 at 11:42 AM.
Reason: another thought
Hello ladies!! I love that there are a few of us now in Maintenance!! Yeah for us!! Lord knows it was quite the ride getting here...and now that I am here, I am really liking it. At first I felt so overwhelmed, but I am now going on my 4th week in a row with a consistent WI number on the scale!! I think I have hit my plateau!! Lol
I am not counting calories. I sort of have an idea when it comes to my meals whether or not I am in a safe calorie range or If I need to buckle down due to a higher calorie meal on any given day. I guess it is safe to say I am having success with winging it...while being conscious of all I have learned OP. If the scale goes up, I look back at my journal...and I weight every morning...which may seem excessive e to some, but keeps me focused
I am so glad I have u all to check in with..keep up the great work ladies!!
Trying to plan my Sunday meal already...I think it just just going to be DH and the kids. This is my first holiday on maintenance. I'm thinking ham, spinach salad, a roll, maybe corn...and then I'm going to make a healthier jello cake. A white cake mix with a can of diet soda baked. Then poked and dump sugar free jello over it and use cool whip free all over the top. If cut into 12 pieces (that's a really big piece) it's about 200 calories. Thinking it will be something the family will like and if balanced out the rest of the day should be an okay meal.
I know ham is bad...but we got a 1/2 a pig right before I started MRC so I have a few hams in my freezer. I'm hoping since it went straight from the pasture (it was pastured pork) to the local food locker straight to our freezer that it won't have quite all the salt additives. And I'll just drink lots of water The leftovers will be for DH's lunches
Here's the recipe...super simple. 1 box cake mix. Pour in 12 oz can of diet soda (if you use a white or light cake mix, use sprite, 7 up, etc...or you can do strawberry with diet cherry 7up, etc...chocolate cake mixes, use dark diet soda...for this recipe I'll use a white or funfetti cake mix with diet sierra mist).
Bake in 9 x13 pan coated with pam or similar, usually same temp and time as the box calls for.
Poke cake with fork. Prepare sugar free jellos as per package directions (do not let set). Pour over cake. Top with 8 oz carton of cool whip free (that's a lot of cool whip) when cake is cooled.
Store in fridge. Super yummy. (well, I've made the cake that way before with cool whip and I've made jello cake with regular cake, I haven't combined the two...that will be my experiment).
Ham really isn't evil or anything. Any gains from eating it is just water weight, so easy enough to take back off (drink lots of water over the next few days).
FWIW, when I indulge in ham, I usually don't have that be my only protein source. At christmas I had 1/2 serving of turkey and 1/2 serving of ham. This sunday I"ll probably do 1 boiled egg (in the form of 2 deviled eggs--made "light" by not using mayo) and 1/2 serving of ham.
Nwcgina--I have recently come to the realization that I've become slightly OCD about my fitness/eating/calorie intake. I'm paranoid about gaining, so most days I eat just slightly under my maintenance calories (I was initially set at 1600/day by MRC when I started maintenance, I"ve been eating 1300-1500/day--eating more on the days I run). About once a week I have a "high" calorie day, where I let myself eat anywhere between 1500 and 2000 calories. So far, so good.
Also, I got totally overwhelmed with the choices when I started stabilization/maintenance. So, most days I pretty much stick to how I ate on the green menu, plus a sprinkling of some of the foods I got added back in during stabilization (yogurt, soft cheeses, more breads, pasta, rice, carrots, etc.).
Still south of my goal at WI today, but given I've eaten grilled chicken salad take-out every night since Monday since I've had some late nights at the hospital to see my nephew, I went up a pound. He's worth it. I've got my dinner ready for tonight...AT HOME...and I'm going to get groceries in the morning. Enough is enough.
I decided to make things easier on myself and came up with a menu plan during this stabilization period so I don't have to think to much about what new additions I'm allowed to eat when. I'm going to print it out and take it home with me (it's on my work computer). Can't wait to see what Week 3 has in store.
It's fun realizing how my brain has been reprogrammed and I don't even know it. Yesterday I had a panini for the first time, then just altered my eating and exercise the rest of the day (have to do the same thing today and tomorrow due to family holiday meals). I didn't feel deprived or angry having a spinach salad for supper, it was worth the panini at lunch. But earlier in the day I had been at work one gal who is always complaining about wanting to have money and losing weight was talking about how she's doing the latte diet. 3x a week she goes to an expensive coffee shop and gets a latte for breakfast...don't think that will help her with the weight or the money (and I always hear her at her desk getting in bags of candy...she says she doesnt' eat junk, but there are like 5 bags of candy in her cupboard). ANYHOW...she was telling about how she had been doing good until the day before when she ate something she "shouldn't" so she went ahead and had a big brownie too since she already blew it (yeah, been there with that thinking, not anymore). Now I don't see food as "shouldn't have" or that one bad choices justisfies more. I see the balance...I know foods that are higher in calories/low in nutrition. I can enjoy them on occasion, but then I have to be ready to alter the rest of my day (or couple days). And it doesn't bother me to. And salad is just a part of what I love eating now...you don't even realize how big that is. I used to tell people I was allergic to lettuce because I hated it so much and it made me gag. I still don't like iceburg, though I will eat it, through MRC I tried lots of veggies and learned what ones I liked.
My good way to tell...when I think I'm hungry I ask myself if I would eat a chicken breast. If I would, I'm truly hungry. If not, I'm most likely just craving.
THat's kind of what I do, but I like how you put it better. I'm going to use this "self-talk" question when I think I'm hungry from now on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nwcgina
It's fun realizing how my brain has been reprogrammed and I don't even know it.
I know exactly what you mean! And this gives me confidence that this will be a life-long change, rather than "just another diet" that I got through before going back to old habits.
I went over to a friend's house and had a subway salad for lunch, and then had some Irish Black Ginger Cake with some whipped cream. I only had a small slice of cake and a tiny bit of the Reddi-Wip, but I automatically adjusted by not eating my starch and fruit that I usually have with lunch (or saved as an afternoon snack). Then, for dinner, I just had plain chicken and veggies. Just like you said, I don't feel angry or deprived. The cake was toootally worth it. And, in addition to the yoga I did this morning, I'm going to go for an extra walk either tonight or tomorrow. No biggie. I (literally) got to have my cake and eat it, too. (get it? get it? haha, I'm a nerd.)
I also used to just so rarely have salads--didn't hate them, just wasn't a fan. Now I actually crave them sometimes. And there's so many more veggies I'm willing to eat now. I didn't love broccoli before, but I'm getting there. And I used to avoid cauliflower like the plague, but just this week I've tried it 3 different ways and have decided I kind of like it (especially as a pizza crust, yum!).
No matter what I do, though, I still hate brussel sprouts. I want to like them--my husband loves them--but even covered in melted cheese, they're just too acrid or bitter for me. Blech.
@teacherlady-I'm with you...brussel sprouts, blech! Is the pizza crust cauliflower recipe on your blog...sounds interesting.
How did people fare this weekend? I had 3 days of special events and think I did okay (I always think it takes a day or two after for the scale to really show). Friday was date with the hubby. Saturday was Easter/birthday/family reunion. I enjoyed lunch including a huge roll, but then didn't have the cake (and my mother in law makes THE BEST buttercream icing) or cookies or ice cream sundaes, or hot dogs at the campfire. And I didn't feel deprived. I knew my roll with strawberry jam was my big starch for the day and adjusted accordingly. Today was our small family celebration with the jello cake (didn't make any rolls since I had one yesterday). It turned out good. And as I did the past 2 days, adjusted my other meals accordingly. So my weight Tuesday will really let me know.
Coming up with a new workout routine for myself...a mix of my favorite strength moves done in a circuit for cardio with yoga poses and pilates moves mixed in (which I need to do more of for my knees). My knees & hip are struggling with the strength routines I've been doing...and I've had to tone down my running. Losing weight has helped my arthritis symptoms, but like my doc told me, it doesn't make the arthritis go away. Trying to remember to be kind to my body while also kicking my own butt
Well, Tami hasn't been doing that great I think the holiday got the best of me because I am PMS'ing and craving everything chocolate...not to mention the increased appetite. I have had trouble making myself STOP when clearly I need to...
Today is a new day...never too late to get back on track. I do get so frustrated with myself tho..Why is it some days I feel so strong and others I act like I don't care? Such a mental battle that has a tendency to continue for me sometimes...fortunately not all the time!
When I discussed losing more weight to get further under my goal, my counselor discouraged it with me....said that being so close to goal will keep me more focused each day to stay on track. Truthfully, whether I am under or at my goal makes little difference, because even if I was under, I would want to remain under so would be having to make adjustments to keep myself there...just like if I am at my goal...need to keep myself there, too.
Well, here is to Monday, a new day, a new week, and another chance
Tami-I'm with you that PMS causes me insane appetite. I thought I was losing my mind last time as I had just started adding in some starches and thought it was them...but even a lot of protein wasn't helping. Once TTOM started my appetite was restored to normal. Battle on.
WI yesterday and I was able to maintain since last Thursday, but that's not the whole story. It's the weirdest thing, but I guess it makes sense. Now that I'm not stressing over my weight, it's just falling off. Sunday morning I woke up to 136.4 on my scales. I made a plan for Easter Sunday to allow myself a little leeway and see where it goes. I ate OP for breakfast & lunch. Then, I had a little extra at dinner. In addition to the turkey, broccoli, & 2 oz. baked potato that were OP, I had half an ear of corn on the cob and a dinner roll. Then I had a slice of cake for desert. Turns out the roll and desert were a huge mistake. Those are definitely my triggers. I gave up bread for lent and I'm going back to giving it up. I just have no self-control. I would rather have that than chocolate. One roll turned into too many. Same with the cake. One slice became several small slices. When all was said and done, I was at least the same weight as last week so that was good. However, between Sunday and Monday, the scales said I was up by 2 pounds, but as of today, I'm back down a pound. We'll see what Thursday's WI says. I'm not going to beat myself up over this. I count this as a learning experience of what not to do.
On a positive note, I got my Week 3 menu yesterday. I'm going to see if I can find some fat-free, sugar-free frozen yogurt today. If not, I'm going for the milk. Beyond excited!
For what it is worth
I've got my dinner ready for tonight...AT HOME...and I'm going to get groceries in the morning. Enough is enough. 
