I have just read, that the longer you can mantain weight loss, the more permanent it becomes... but also I read that people that have lost more than 30% of their weight, are more likely to gain it back. I'm not there yet, but I'm thinking about my weight goal (which is about 30% less of my original weight)..currently I have lost about 17%, but I was wondering if maybe it would be advisable to stop the weight loss around 20% loss, and do some mantaining for a couple of months... to give my body a small break from weight losing, start practicing maintenance techniques... and perhaps have a better shot at mantaining weight loss in the long run.. I have a lot of momentum at the moment... and I can't wait to be slim, and fit in smaller clothes.. However, I'm worried that stopping in the way.. might make it harder to go back onto to weightloss... plus... I'm becoming afraid of not being able to keep up in maintenance, because it seems like it will require tons of excercise to keep it, currently I'm being good with that... but I'm always afraid I could easily fall off and go back to lazy self again..

Has any body done this in their journey? Any advice? Thanks..

Hi and welcome to Maintainers! It's great that you're thinking about maintenance now!

Let me share with you the unofficial motto of the Maintainers Forum: Maintenance looks just like losing, with a few extra calories added in. In other words, whatever works for you for weight loss will be how you keep the weight off for the rest of your life. So I don't think you need to take a "maintenance break" in order to practice maintenance skills because you're practicing them every day already! Whatever skills, tools, and strategies you use to lose the weight are going to be your toolbox for keeping the weight off. You're building and refining it every day that you're on plan. Think of it this way -- you're maintaining what you've already lost now!

The same is true for exercise.Whatever exercise you're doing for weight loss is going to end up being your maintenance exercise. If you feel like it's at a level you can't sustain forever, then perhaps it's best to ease off to a livable workout plan now.

That being said, we have several successful maintainers who have taken a slightly longer path of weight loss and successfully maintained their losses before moving on to another phase of active weight loss. The ones I'm thinking of were 100+ pound losers, but it's certainly an option for you!

Personally, I had so much to lose that I absolutely needed the momentum to get to goal. Had I stopped short of goal, I may not have been able to restart. We'll never know! But if I personally was going to do it all over again, I'd do it the same way because of knowing myself and my motivation.

So it's really about what's going to work for YOU as a unique individual. Think about yourself and what works for you, then decide what will make you a successful maintainer in the long run.

Thanks Meg.. that was some great advice. I needed the feedback. I think I'm going to keep what I'm doing (to move towards my goal), maybe relax a bit the work outs here and there, even if it slows the weightloss.

I have found maintenance a lot harder than losing, just because there really is no momentum, no real goal in sight. I am eight pounds heavier than what my current weight says and I am working on getting back to my "current weight." It's not as if you don't know you are falling off the wagon when you are; you just have to round yourself up and regain some control. As someone who began to gain back a little last winter and then went beyond that and lost to my dream goal, I hope I can offer something useful. I don't consider myself a yo-yo dieter, because I think it is normal to waiver in a range. I know that every winter I gain a little extra because I am just not near as active.

Some of the things I do to get back on track:

limit my eating at restaurants
food journaling
treat myself to something special every day (iced coffee w/cream)
save half my caloric allotment for evening
hit the gym at least four times a week
I read a lot of fitness mags and just try to stay involved so that I remain interested

I don't think there's a problem with taking a break and maintaining if you need it physically or mentally. But I wouldn't do it "just because" it seems like you "should."

If you're going along great, keep going!

I think the way to deal with the maintenance issues is to start building sustainable food habits and mental attitudes now.

I think maintaining is harder than actually losing the weight. I'm only maintaining for 4 mo. now, and still can't figure out what amount of calories I need to maintain. Lately, I keep losing weight, but when I up my calories by 200 or so, i gain weight. I can't seem to stay the same. If what you are doing is working, than stay with it. When you get to the time to maintain, you have to experiment to maintain and learn how your body reacts to different foods and exercise. You'll then figure it all out!

Maintaining is harder--it is sort of like life after having a baby. At first, it is so exciting and every one is rallying around you and you have all the attention a new baby brings. Then, the people go away. The reality sets in. The house gets messy, the baby is fussy, you are tired and that's where it starts becoming difficult on a different level than before.

Continue to employ the strategies that have gotten you this far. I think of maintenance as something like keeping a job, or being a mom or maintaining an intimate relationship. These are things I must work at if I wish to keep them. They are not "givens" in life. If one strategy is not working I know I must find another if I want to keep what I value. No excuses matter--bottom line--just failure or success. And failure--well, it's just not an option!

I took a couple of breaks during my weight loss--nothing too long to maybe even call maintenance but at I took a couple of breaks of about 1 month each. It was too draining for me to keep focused on eating at a lowered caloric limit and I would naturally slip back to eating a bit more. I would use this as a chance to see where my new "maintenance calories" would be. I thought it was very helpful to see that I can maintain and it gave me confidence that I can keep it up when I finally reached my goal.

I agree with others--maintenance is difficult but I have come to approach it much like I did my weight loss. I still count calories and not let myself go above a certain max number. If I reach that number, all it takes is a week or two of focus and I am back under. It's still a struggle though and I have to constantly remind myself how much I've come so that I won't slip back.

I have also taken "unofficial maintainance breaks" from time to time. In fact I'm just coming off one and trying to make that last push to goal weight. During this last break I experimented with exercise and how much and what kind I could fit in my schedule. I have now started watchig intake carefully again while maintaing that level of activity. I think it helps me when I concentrate on one thing at a time.

One of the ways I avoid slipping is to get fat clothes out of the house quickly---I can't go 'round naked!

Great advice as always.

This a journey that has many aspects. An important skill I use is flexiblity with my plans realitive to my situation at the present time. Sometime,I need a drop more flexiblity to keep from breaking. Othertime I can withstand strong challenges without needed to bend. So bend and strech as your situation allows, our needs vary and change with time and we need to adapt along the way.

I did this too! There is no looking back, right? It really does put the pressure on to keep the weight down.

So, so true. The trick is knowing which is needed!