Hi ladies, I'm not officially at a maintenance weight, but I need some advice. I have really been struggling for the last couple of months. Not struggling with my food, or really even with the exercise (although time change has got me off schedule), but struggling with the emotions of NOT seeing the scale change. I'm nowhere near where I want to be, weight wise, but I am just tired of fighting to see the scale change.

I am contemplating going into maintenance. When did you all decide it was time to do that? I suspect most people's answer is when they saw a certain number of the scale, or when a piece of clothing fit. But I honestly don't think I can wait any longer. I had hoped to hit "one-derland" or at least leave "obesity" (1 lb away from ticker weight!!) before I made this change, but I don't think I can make it that long even. I have been extremely discouraged and down the last few weeks and I just feel like it would be a relief to tell myself that I just need to eat 1600 calories a day and exercise 5 days and week, and that I don't have to worry about what the scale says. It sounds so simple when I read it, and I know that I probably should have been doing this all along. But somewhere I have gotten off track with that notion and have gotten TOO focused on the number on the scale. It has gotten to the point where I've felt twinges of jealousy when I hear from some of the fantastic women on this board who lose every week. That's crazy, I know. I even kicked my scale twice this week in anger over what I saw. SO not rational, and SO not me.

My biggest fear of doing this is that I will not start back trying to lose again. I will stay here at this weight and never make it to my goal. Has anyone done this and then successfully started losing again after a maintenance break? I'm sure some have, but it would sure help me feel better about this decision if I actually "knew" someone that it worked for.

Tammy, that's how MrsJim (former moderator here) lost her weight. I think it took her ten years to lose 115 pounds. She was a big believer in baby steps - lose, maintain that loss for a while, lose some more, concentrate on maintaining that loss etc. I'll see if I can dig up one of her old posts where she talks about her time line and how she did it (when I get home from the vet's!)

I think you taking a maintenance break now is an outstanding idea. You've lost a HUGE amount of weight and I think you'd really benefit - both physically and psychologically - by backing off and letting yourself relax a bit. Maybe your head and body just need a little time to catch up to your weight loss?

I have no doubt that you'll be ready to tackle the rest of the weight some day in the future. You'll find that maintenance and weight loss really aren't very different so your skills and strategies won't get rusty. But for now, by all means give yourself a little breathing room and time to kick back to savor your wonderful acheivements.

And please keep posting here with us - we promise we'll keep you on track.

This sounds like a really healthy idea.

It's a healthy way to live. It's a live-able way to live. And if you don't keep losing slowly, maybe you'll feel more motivated in a few months.

Tammy, there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a break and maintaining for a while. You have done awesome and it is so difficult to keep watching that scale week after week and hoping to see a drop.

I personallly didn't get to take a break due to my health problems and having my Dr. pushing me full-steam ahead. I actually would have liked to stop and maintain at 175 for a while. When I was feeling fairly comfortable with my new size and was stressed from constantly trying to lose more.

Maybe putting the scale away for a while, eating 1600 calories a day and exercising could help you out. Giving you some adjustment time and decreasing the stress of this battle. Good luck and do what feels right to you. This certainly isn't a race.

Tammy, you've lost so much weight and you've changed your life to a healthier way and those are BOTH huge accomplisments. You shouldn't be feeling bad at all..yes far easier said than done of course..but that's just my take from the outside looking in. Eating less and eating healthier than you did before you started this long process is what's important, not necessarily the number on the scale.

I'm gathering from your post that you find 1600 a doable calorie level and that you're actually eating less than that to lose pounds. Is it possible that you've hit a plateau and that perhaps adding some more calories may actually help step up the weight loss?

Remember Cheryl's post (I think that's her name), she was plateauing for 9 months or so and then started eating a bit more and that weight started coming off. Maybe I'm misremembering the story, but I thought that's what happeneded, so perhaps that would work for you too.

Wyllen is doing this maintenance break thing as well, so perhaps she can give us her opinion on how its working for her.

Life's too short to feel badly about your efforts when you know you're being reasonably "good" with the eating and working out. The scale results are somewhat out of our hands though, so we can only keep on doing healthy things and hope that the body and scale will eventually catch up. And I'm confident that the scale will catch up with you again as well.

Ease up on yourself and take pride in the wonderful accomplishments you have attained thus far. Sticking to 1600 is hard and its a lot less than most people eat (even thin people eat more than that), so I wouldn't exactly think of that as a maintenance plan and that you're giving up on weight loss by eating that amount. If you can stick with 1600, I say be PROUD!

Tammy~I took a break myself last summer. I maintained all summer long without gaining. I felt very proud of myself for maintaining all those months. When I felt I had had enough "rest" I dove back in and started to lose again.

If you feel that you need a break, why not try it? If you're feeling stressed it would probably be the best idea for you. Why not set a date in a few months where you'll re-dedicate yourself to losing again and take a little break and see how maintenance works. It might be just what you need.

Good luck!

Hi Tammy,

I agree with everyone else. You should be proud of what you've accomplished. I lost my first 20 pounds and maintained for 10 years before tackling the rest. I 've now lost an additional 50+ and have maintained that since Thanksgiving. I'm doing just what you're thinking of doing. I'm on a break and maintaining right now as I got tired of the weightloss portion of my plan and am happy maintaining right now. I can feel myself gearing up for losing again but not until the weather here is better and I can get outside to bike. I just love spring and always feel energitic and active when the snow is gone.

Take a break. Relish what you've accomplished knowing when the time is right you can continue your plan if you want to. Sometimes I think we get so focused on the goal we forget to enjoy the journey. You've done a great job and are an inspiration to so many of us.

Beth

Tammy I am no pro here, certainly nowhere my own goal. But I gotta tell you I think you have done an amazing, amazing job. I think I just may know many of the improvements you have made to your life. I've seen your photos and man oh man - YOU LOOK INCREDIBLE. I am sure you feel even more incredible then you look. You have sooo much to be proud of. Just sit back for a while and ENJOY your accomplishments. The losing aspect IS hard. And it seems to go on forever. Not that it should matter to you, but you mentioned you're still in the overweight catergory. Well just for your info, my GOAL weight still leaves me in the overweight category. I actually RAISED my goal weight a month or so ago, for the same reasons why you feel like maintaining for a while. Just how many weeks can we keep hoping for a loss for? You have changed your life soooo drastically, maintain for a while, try to lose again eventually - OR NOT. If you never, ever lose another pound you are still an attractive, fit and HEALTHY woman. AND an incredible, incredible inspiration to each and every one of us here at 3FC.

Whew! Just reading this post has brought tears to my eyes. That's how stressed I have felt over it lately. I have to tell you all that I feel so much better just knowing that you guys, people whose opinion I respect, think this is a viable option. I'm actually excited and relieved at the thought of not focusing on losing for a while.

Meg, I've read some of the stickies from MrsJim, but had no idea that's how she did it. That's good news. I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be posting. I just feel a sense of relief knowing that if I don't lose anything for awhile, it's okay.

Maria, I hope the break will help me feel like finishing it up afterwards.

Lily, It *is* somewhat of a stress to try to lose weight, isn't it. It certainly has felt that way the last few weeks.

Mami, I have wondered if adding calories would help, but then I think I'm being overly optimistic. I'm hypothyroid so I'm suspect that wouldn't be the case for me. But I looked at my fitday, and I'm still losing a little less than a lb a week at closer to 1700 calories, so I should be able to maintain at more than 1600. Now that I think about that, that's encouraging. I think I'll definitely start trying to maintain closer to 1800. That is something to look forward to.

Allison, Thank you for suggesting a date to start back again. That makes me feel a little more in control. I am going to do that. I think a few months break will make a big difference in my attitude lately.

Beth, I don't know why I have felt like I had to do it all at once. But your post sounds so sensible and I have to learn how to maintain. So why not practice it now?

Robin, Thank you so much. I appreciate every word or it, and I definitely want to continue to lose. I just need a break for now.

So, I'm really not planning to change much. Maybe a few more calories (100 - 150 a day) until I see how that works. Still exercising, still counting calories, still staying away from trigger foods. But no pressure if the scale doesn't move. (Self-created pressure, but pressure nonetheless) That's what I need for a few weeks. I'm not sure how long. I think I'll go for a couple of days before I decide when I should choose a date to start back. Thanks everyone!

You WILL stay here with 3FC, right? Keep us posted in the maintenance area!!! We always need tips!

I just wanted to say Im at where you are now.. not at goal, but needing to take a break. My own reasons are different.. although scale frusteration plays a role in it, my main reason is because I was far more concerned with the number than how I looked, or how much I had accomplished. Im actually considering hiding my scale for a month or two and just using how I feel as a guide (along with exercise and good eating, of course)

I just wanted to say that you've done an amazing job, and you should be proud. There is nothing wrong with maintaining for a while.. if nothing else, it will help you get used to it when you DO reach your not-so-far-off goal!

~Fae

Tammy ~ put away the scale for awhile and concentrate on how well your clothes fit these days.

I've trained myself to only step on the scale once every two weeks while losing because it would take that long to see a pound or two difference. Now that I've hit what I think will be my maintainance weight, I'm going to only weigh myself once a month.

It will be the daily fit of my clothes that will tell me if I'm staying on track.

Hey Jtammy, my experience was slightly different than yours, but I did maintain and then lost more weight later.

In a nutshell, I started in July 2004 at 200 lbs and hit a huge plateau in March 2005 at 140 lbs. My goal was 135 lbs and I really really wanted to see the scale say SOMETHING under 140. I counted calories, recorded every bite that went in my mouth, worked out every day, ate less, and the scale did not budge. I weighed myself constantly and was pretty miserable. I was so focused on my "goal" weight that I really didn't enjoy how much I had accomplished and my new, thinner body. I hated and loathed the scale.

Around May...or so (a little hazy) I realized that although I wasn't LOSING weight I wasn't GAINING weight either - I had actually maintained my weight loss for a couple of months - this was a first for me. I realized my options were limited, personally I was not willing to drastically reduce calories for any more immediate weight loss (I really wanted to get to my goal weight with a hot metabolism).

I decided that my body was "done with losing" and I should start maintaining. I gradually increased my calories to a maintenance level (this was very difficult psychologically although physically I was very very happy to get to eat more). I went from 1400 calories to 1800-2000. I bought a bunch of really really cute clothes and enjoyed that summer immensely. I kept doing EVERYTHING else the same - still food journaled, still counted super foods, still packed lunches, still counted calories. Just ate a tiny bit more.

In July 2005, my body surprisingly dropped 2 lbs to 138. That was neat, I wasn't really trying to lose weight. In October 2005, I had a 4 week work trip to Asia where I tried to make good choices (and I did walk a TON) and I weighed 135 when I got back (still not trying to lose any weight).

I really don't know why (because I wasn't trying to lose weight) but I lost another 5+ lbs by February 2006. I now weigh 127-130 lbs and have been very stable at that weight for a year.

I have a theory about why I lost weight - I think 8 months of 1400-1600 calorie days freaked my body out a little. The body just wants to store food for famine and as far as my body was concerned, I was *IN* the famine. So, my body did just what I would want it to do if I were really not getting enough to eat, it conserved my energy and held on to fat reserves. When I started eating a little more (just a tiny bit under maintenance calories for me), my body said "tons of food coming in, don't need to hold onto these hips anymore." A very small calorie deficit was key for me. Did it take 9 months to lose 15 lbs? Yeah it did, but totally worth it to me!

That is just my theory though I am not a nutritionist or anything like that! I really don't know how to explain it.

That is MY story - I think that maintaining for awhile would be good for you. It is excellent practice for maintenance!! Too often, we get to the finish line and stop racing...in this case, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. Keep running long distance! You can always sprint later.

Glory that was really, really helpful to me. And really interesting. It really gives me something to ponder as I head towards my goal weight. I think you are so right about worrying so much about the scale you forget to enjoy what you've already accomplished.

I certainly can't speak for jtammy, but I think she will find it interesting and helpful as well. And whoever else is lucky enough to read this.

Ah hah! So you ARE losing still. Loosing a little less than 1 pound a week is about what I'm doing (fitday says its .917 over the last 4 months, though happily over the past month its 1.25 per week) and I must say I'm pleased. I know its supposed to be slower when you're closer to goal so I know our situations are different, but given the AMOUNT you have lost, I would think that is an added factor in all this. So yes, a bit of a break sounds like a good idea. Slow and steady wins the race and all that!

I'm really curious to hear what happens when you're eating 1800 calories for a while. Main point is to eat healthy and reasonably and to exercise regularly..if you do all that I wouldn't be surprised if you do keep losing on your maintenance plan (minus the stress of course).