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I do think they are all important, especially "tracking", which leads me to my addition- honesty and accepting reality without complacency. I think regains- however slight -are inevitable, but a maintainer will acknlowledge it and act, which also ties in to the "no excuses" rule as well I went a few months where I honestly didn't think of myself as a maintainer anymore because of where my head was at. While I have about 15 pounds to lose, I'm back in "maintainer mode" and am on my way down.

I also strongly agree with the first one re: exercise. I slip very fast when I'm not exercising (at a cardio level) regularly. When I'm merrily going along with my workouts I have very little trouble maintaining.

Ooooh! Maintenance stuff!

I need to read the article but regarding the 5 points:

1) Yes, I lift weights 3 hrs a week and run 3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes. I know there are maintainers who do more than that, but that is working for me at this time.

2) Yes, but I wonder if this is a chicken/egg type thing. I am more active and I do spend less time lounging around, BUT I also feel really good, have a ton of energy, etc. When I do eat off plan, I feel icky and just want to lay around and veg....so did I veg a lot before cause I was eating bad? Or did I eat bad cause I was veging out? So I think I am more active just cause I am eating better.

3) Weight training....heck yea!

4) Daily weighing, baby! And I have figured out what meals/portions/macronutrients work well for me.

5) No excuses! Well, of course! That, but also getting right back on track after a misstep. There are times I make a conscious decision and I tell myself "I am in charge of my next food choice" and sometimes I have to repeat it, but it really helps me remember that maintainence is a choice. Ok, a million choices! But I really do have the control here. It may not be an exact science and the scale can and does fluctuate, but but every food and movement choice I make is another chance to stay on the maintenance path.

Ok, off to read the article!

#4 is particularly interesting to me. I still do all of these things and I have no intention of stopping, but I feel a lot of pressure to not do them. I read articles (in magazines devoted to weight loss and health) that suggest that these behaviors are "disordered" and friends and family think I'm insane.

I have been seeing a therapist and she also is bothered by this behavior. She's asked a couple of times what would happen if I just ate "normally." (I'm not seeing her for eating-related issues, but my weight loss is such an central part of my life that it's come up.) I may print out that article and bring it to my next session.

#2 isn't true for me; hopefully it won't be a problem.

#1) is definitely true. As time goes on, the amount that I exercise continues to creep upward. I'll have a good workout and think "I could do five minutes more." Then pretty soon, that five minutes becomes part of my standard workout. Then the same thing happens in another couple months. Pretty soon I've added 15 minutes to my workout. The gym is like a black hole where time passes at a different speed. When I'm there, it doesn't seem like I've been working out that long, but then when I leave I'm often shocked by how late it's gotten. Sometimes I'll estimate out how long I need to work out before I go in and then afterward find out I underestimated by as much as 30 min!

Ha, I have the opposite reaction in the gym. I'll be on the treadmill and convinced that so much time has passed and I'll look at the clock and it will be less than 5 minutes.

I'm the exception to the maintainer rules - I've never done strength training and I exercise so rarely (less than 1 time a week right now). I still hate every part of exercise, so it's really hard for me to do it. I wish I could experience endorphins or whatever, I hate breathing hard, I hate sweating and it physically hurts to work out. I'm a whiner! For the first time in my nearly 4 year maintenance I'm having troubles getting back below 130 so I'm going to have to consider exercise seriously again.

Hey Barbara - I totally identify with what you're saying about 4. I don't think I can eat "normally" if I don't count or weigh or journal, I eat too much!

Glory--I felt exactly the same way about exercise in the beginning. I hated it and referred to it as my "torture" sessions. It was miserable. But I promise, if you stick with it, it will get better. You will experience endorphins (or whatever). It took a long time but one day when I was swimming laps, I suddenly realized I didn't hate it anymore; that the sun was shining, the water was clear, I was alone with my thoughts, and I felt really good about myself. I can't say I feel all charged up to go to the gym every day; there are still plenty of days where I have to drag myself there and even some where I drag the whole way through my workout, but it's definitely a lot easier than it was in the beginning.

I totally need the exercise but have become so adept in putting it off that I haven't been to the gym in over a week. I do hate the thought of it, however, once I'm there I'll put in a good workout. I just have such great excuses NOT to go that I convince myself not to go.

It used to be that I'd get up early and go for a jog at 4:30 AM (I know my dog loved it) but frankly, it is SCARY and DARK and I've convinced myself that I don't want to do that anymore.

If I could get up and get to the gym that early, I'd go for that, but they don't open until 5 and then I'd be late for the day (I have so much to do in the morning it's ridiculous).

What really gets me is that my husband FINALLY has gotten on the exercise bandwagon (after months of my trying). He got the wake-up call a few weeks ago when he found out his cholesterol is dangerously high. He's on statins and niacin and his doctor told him to get a heart monitor and exercise daily for 20 minutes. No excuses. So he listens to him, but not his wife.

Anyway, I'm going to print these out and keep them by my computer here at work and perhaps I'll think twice before I convince myself not to go to the gym.

1. My daily living activities have increased, but I don't exercise per se. I try to walk versus driving when ever I can, but that's to save gas. Of course, the only exercise I did while losing was walking a few days a week, so I guess my exercise level is about the same.

2. We got rid of our TV for other reasons, so this one is true inadvertently.

3. Never have and probably never will. It just doesn't work for me. I'm not the kind of person who can justify paying for a gym membership and then getting in a car to get there. I have no problem with other people doing this, but it's not for me.

4. This has been my key for maintaining. I've been right around my current weight for over a year now with only a few blips in the scale. Since I keep track of my weight I've been able to control gains and get back down to my maintenance weight. I still use fitday most days.

5. I agree to a point. Some people might find my thoughts on gyms as an excuse, but I don't. It just doesn't work for me. However, I do think it's important to stay positive and to nip any gains in the bud as quickly as possible.

Zenor, the other day I was at the gym pulling a sled that was laden with lots of weight. I appreciated the irony of the fact that I, a modern American woman who has every convenience at my disposal, pay money to drag around heavy things.

300 years ago I would have been dragging around heavy things to farm, plow, move large dead animals, and survive.

midwife (making a note to actually bike or run to the gym on a more regular basis)

I think the only thing missing is a support network. I think our success has to be partly attributed to the support we receive - here, from our family, whatever. I know we all have people who question our food journals or wonder why in the world we need to know how many calories are in something before we eat it or wonder why we can't just skip the gym this one time for some other event, but I think behind every successful maintainer is support of some kind. This place helps me every week.

I haven't reduced my sedentary time, except in what is necessary for me to do my planned exercise. I exercise 60-120 minutes a day, but other than that? A lot of seated time. Part of it is my job, and part of it is that, darn it, I like TV and watch it at night. Giving up TV couldn't have been a permament lifestyle change for me, at least at this point in my life.

Although I've always been kind of up-and-down while watching TV...pick up the house, do the dishes, etc. But that isn't different.

All the others, though, yes.

Um, hi (sheepish) I'm still a good 2 or 3 months away from getting to maintenance, but am sucking up as much information about how to be successful at it as I can possibly lay my grubby little hands on, so this really grabbed my attention. Hope you don't mind a comment or two from a novice (more sheepishness)

See, these kind of comments from (so called) "experts" really bother me. Almost seems like they are out to sabotage people who've lost successfully into gaining some or all of it back. What is "normal" and "disordered" anyway? OK, so binging/purging or only allowing yourself to eat one lettuce leaf per day is disordered, but if someone can maintain a *healthy* weight on a dozen donuts, a whole pizza, and a 6 pack of Pepsi every day does that make it "normal" so we should all eat that way? Why does it seem to be so difficult for some people to understand that NOT logging our food to monitor portions, or weighing daily, is what put us in a pickle in the first place? Does going to the dentist every 6 months make me OC about my teeth? If I have a mammogram every year does that mean I have a "disordered" attitude toward breast cancer? Is my diabetic MIL "disordered" because she monitors her blood sugar several times a day? They tell recovering drug addicts and alcoholics that they will have to change their entire lifestyle, will have to be ever vigilant to avoid falling back into old habits, and will have to think before they act for the rest of their lives - so why should a "recovering" obese person be expected to just suddenly forget about paying attention to how much they weigh or what they put in their mouth?

Ooh, thousand pardons for this turning into something of a rant

As for me, I had already gradually added all 5 of those points to my losing plan and, so far, my maintenance plan is shaping up to look pretty much exactly like the losing plan If that's OC well, I guess I'll be the extremely healthy and fit, "disordered" person weighing myself every morning and hauling my carefully measured days worth of food to work with me

Zenor - not criticizing here at all, but weight training can be done at home, and is very good for women especially in preventing osteoporosis and muscle/bone loss, as well as maintaining weight loss.

Allison, I'm another who can put off going to the gym very easily. ONce I'm there, it's usually fine, and once I get myself exercising for several times a week for several weeks, I go on with the routine. It's the break in routine that gets me every time. I KNOW this, but sometimes I just don't get back into it easily.

On the whole, I agree with 4 of the 5 points, but like Amanda, I have a sendentary job, and darn it I like TV and computer time. Plus unlike Mel, I've never learned to knit while I exercise.

You make some really great points, yoyo. I get tired of weighing my food and logging it, but if that's what I have to do, then I guess I will keep it up.

In the past I have been really good at burying my head in the sand and slipping back into bad eating habits, while staying far away from the scale. Not this time.

1. Increased exercise of at least 30 minutes a day, along with increased activities of daily living


I am definitely more active now than I was at my highest weight. I've had periods of time where I didn't exercise as regularly but now I'm pretty much exercising every day. I've actually learned to enjoy exercise so it doesn't seem like a chore.

2. Reduced sedentary activities, such as TV, the computer, and video games

Well I work with computers so I do have a very sedentary job. I used to play video games once in a while but its very rare and on the weekends if it happens. These days I usually only watch TV (DVDs) if I'm exercising.

3. Adding weight training into an exercise routine, and he says this is even more important during the weight maintenance phase
I love weight training. It makes me feel strong and I love how it is helping define parts of my body. I haven't stepped inside a gym for nearly 3 years so all weight training is done at home.


4. Tracking and self-monitoring: food journals, counting calories, weighing and measuring portions, regular monitoring of weight etc.
I totally agree with regular monitoring of weight. I am horrible about keeping track of my food but I'm becoming better. I do use my food scale every day though.


5. No excuses! (I loved this one ) Avoiding excuses and maintaining positive beliefs and affirmations

I have to talk myself into things sometimes and I agree there shouldn't be any excuses. This is probably the biggest reason I'm not at my goal weight. I allow myself excuses to eat certain things when I shouldn't.