Taking a break???

  • So I've heard of people who take a break during their journey, maintain a certain weight for a while then move on. How does this work exactly and what would be the benifits of it? I'm a little tired of trying to lose and want to stop thinking about losing and what I'm eating 24/7. If I were to take a break I think I'd up my cals a little, but not change what I'm eating and I'd continue to journal/count every calorie. I'd also continue my exercise routine. But since I'm not really changing anything by my calorie level I don't really know what this would do for me. My other idea would be to start eating the maintenance calories for 135lbs and however long it takes to lose the rest of the weight then so be it. And wherever my weight lose stops then so be that. If I'm eating maintenance of 135 and I weight 162 then "theoretically" I should continue to lose weight. I guess I'm just hitting a rough patch...I'm just so ready to be at my goal! I'm getting close 14-24 lbs and I just want to be done! 14lbs would probably take me another 2-3 months at the pace I'm at and 24lbs would probably take 4-5 months and that just sounds like forever right now. Which is so stupid considering how long it's taken to lose what I've lost so far. I'm also getting tired of buying clothes only to have them be too big a few weeks later. I know I know horrible problem...I'm sorry, it's TOM and I'm just extra moody...I know I should just shut up and stay the course, it's working so just get it over with!
  • My ultimate plan is to practice maintaining when I get down to "overweight" for at least a month, if not 6 weeks, and then again when I get down to a "normal" BMI. I don't really think of it as a break, because my mindset on a break includes not being vigilant, and I just can't do that. But if that would be a break for you, then do it. Then, when you decide to start losing again, your body might be ready again for a whoosh or two. Who knows?
  • I took a break during my weight loss journey but I did it because I had to have two separate bunion surgeries on my feet last year. One in August and the second in late September. These surgeries required me to be on crutches for 3-4 weeks each time followed by more weeks with limited walking. I decided to not try to lose weight during those months but I did commit to not gaining it back ... and I was very successful at keeping the same 19 pounds off. I have maintained now for about 6 months but have recently resumed exercise and my weight loss eating plan. I want to drop another 10-20 pounds.

    I will say that this break made it harder to get back on track. I love sweets and had gotten used to having more of them in my diet. I am finding it hard to cut back on them but am determined to do so. With me, the more sweets I eat the more I want.

    I understand what you are saying about no longer fitting into your clothes. While it is thrilling to drop a size, I have taken closets full of size 12s and 14s to Goodwill and to consignment shops. Right now, I often buy clothes from the same places. We have a great Goodwill store near my home that carries like new clothes at bargain prices. I'm totally hooked on shopping there because of the great clothes I find!

    The good thing about this break I took is that I gained the confidence that I could maintain my loss. I also have confidence that I will reach my final goal.
    I learn something new about weight loss almost every day... a lot of it from
    you on 3FC!

    You could always try a break but my guess is that you will ultimately decide to go all the way to your goal. Most of us know in our hearts where we want to be!
  • Although you aren't quite at maintenance yet, it seems like for a lot of people, it can be a process to figure out maintenance calories. Maybe you could take some time to experiment with that - don't go up too quickly, but you might still drop another few lbs as you figure out the right calorie/activity mix for maintenance without it having to be officially still in weight loss mode.
  • I think you should wait and see how you feel after TOM leaves. You may have a whole different opinion!
  • I took a year long break when I hit 150 pounds, but there was some ups and downs during that time. Then I started smoking again for a few months and then quit. When I quit smoking, I decided the weight loss program again. I think the break did me a lot of good actually, but I didn't do the break on purpose. I just stopped trying to lose weight.
  • "Break" made me gain back all but 10 pounds back. So just be cautious. It does get tedious and frustrating at times. I think maybe maintaining is a good idea if you really feel you can't handle anymore. But like PP have said, it makes it a lot harder to get back on track, if you drastically change your eating/exercise habits. It took me 4 years to get back on track. :P
    But I don't think there is anything wrong with relaxing a little bit.
  • Quote: I think you should wait and see how you feel after TOM leaves. You may have a whole different opinion!
    Oh YES, I totally agree!
    If you continue to plan, journal, excercise, count calories, etc...it's not really a break... It's what you are already doing, and what you will need to continue to do for the rest of you life. The only real issue I see here is the clothing issue. Can you afford to buy a new wardrobe now and when you reach your goal? If you can, then go for it!
  • I've heard in numerous places, including on here, that upping your calories and maintaining for a while can help speed up your weight loss when you go back to losing. I'm not sure how true this is since I've never tried it, (opinions?). Anyway, maintaining for a while may make it easier to lose those last lbs So I say go for it :P
  • I think I'll hang in there until I reach 148lbs (I will no longer be overweight at that point and probably a solid size 10) then up my cals to maintenance for 135lbs and see how that goes. I know that if I need to I can lower my cals to lose additional weight...I'm still not positive I want to weigh in the 130s anyway...right now it's just staying motivated to lose the 14lbs to get to 148. Thanks for all the feedback!
  • It is really a long journey for many of us who have more than 100 pounds to lose. I think you are just feeling the stress of the constant vigilance. How about trying a new approach for the remaining pounds? Try a diet you never tried before, see if the novel approach re-inspires you. Try searching the net for "diet reviews" and there is a site that reviews all the popular diets and gives a synopsis. Since it is less than 20 pounds you want to lose, it's should affect you too much to try something completely different....may shake things up a bit! Sending you positive thoughts for getting to goal!