I was just thinking last night about my years and years of weight struggles. I've realized that I live in a vicious cycle of gaining and losing, but I don't think I ever really 'maintained' regardless of what weight I am.
I'm either on a diet and losing, or I'm consciously off a diet and almost expect myself to gain. It's one or the other. I know that when I'm not actively dieting I do not get shocked that I will eventually gain and also know that in the eventual future I'll back on yet another diet. I don't even bother to try and maintain the weight I've already lost. The only reason I'm ahead of the game sometimes is because I catch myself to go back on a diet before I gain back all I've lost previously. That's nuts!
OK that's my epiphany for the year
Am I the only one or do some of you go through this too?
That was pretty much the story of my "weight life." I would diet, lose weight, stop the diet, gain weight. It didn't occur to me that the idea was to change my habits with food! Even though I kept hearing that, I guess I wasn't really hearing it--you know? I even lost 30+ pounds on WW once, but I skipped the maintenance part of that program. (Dumb thing to do!)
It isn't a "diet" that leads to success. It's that change in habits. The change includes several things, such as: (a) Learning to plan ahead; (b) Knowing what you're eating and how much; (c) Not just mindlessly pushing food into your mouth; (d) Paying attention; (e) Tracking your foods; (f) Having an activity program (i.e., exercise, physical activity); (g) Watching what happens on the scale. And many other things I haven't mentioned.
This is maintenance and how it's done! It doesn't mean feeling restricted all the time. It doesn't mean there are forbidden foods (although you may choose to forbid some in your house). And, it doesn't mean never having fun, never enjoying good meals, or having to live on lettuce alone forever.
It does mean being mindful and keeping yourself accountable. I think of it as being an adult about food...
I did that all my life. But this time, I decided on a lifestyle change rather than a "diet". I eat healthier and made exercise a priority in my life. I've been maintaining for awhile. I never quite reached my goal before I got pregnant...5 pounds from it. And I've been 10 pounds from it now for about a year, but staying steady there. I realized that it's not something I can go on to lose then off when I feel comfortable. It's something I will HAVE to do for life.
Ok, just got back from a birthday party. Realizing you CAN have your cake and eat it too. I had a few chips and about 1/3rd a piece of cake...and figured it into my calories. I don't stop eating things, I just eat them less often and in moderation, and fill up more on what's better for me. THAT is something I can live with for life. The diets I'd previously done, eating rabbit food constantly and never straying...I couldn't live like that. And it's why I always gained all my weight back plus some.
I've been doing that since I was 18 and I am almost 34 now.
Normally losing/gaining the same 40/50lbs (maye 4 or 5 times) I did manage to keep off 20lbs from 220-270 stayed at 250 for about 3 years... but then I started working from home and my 50 pound range just ended up a few notches higher.
I can't tell you exactly why this time is different, maybe it just took all that trial and error to find what really works for me. I do feel really confident about where I am headed now and quite determined though.
It doesn't have to be yoyo for life... JayEl had some awesome suggestions, and really the main thing is to not stop. So what if you screw up just keep going... you'll eventually have to succeed.
I maintain rather easily; however, always 10 pounds heavier than I would like to be. My body weight is fairly easy to maintain at 130. When I bump my calories from what I am losing weight at by even 200 calories, my weight slides right back up to 130 and then maintains there. I'm starting to think I'll be on a diet permanently...
Nicole, maybe you should maintain at 130. It seems that your body is comfortable with that size and you are at a healthy BMI.
I'm maintaining. After hitting a plateau a few pounds above my target weight, I decided to not worry about losing more and just focus on whether I could maintain that weight. I wound up slowly losing the weight, and I'm now right in my target zone (I'm 144-146).
I've lost 90 lbs. before and gained all but 3 lbs. of it back. So, I maintained 3 lbs. of wt. loss for 13 yrs. LOL.
This time I am maintaining my 89 lb. wt. loss with quite the struggle. I can average anywhere from 141 lbs. to 149 lbs. I met my goal 13 months ago of 145 lbs. I still don't feel comfortable yet with maintainence. Seems I'm constantly on the gain 4 lbs. / lose 4 lbs. roller coaster. The only thing I'm doing differently this time is still weighing myself and kicking back into wt. loss mode if I see a gain. Plus continuing to use Fitday, count my calories and carbs and exercise.
When I lost the 90 lbs. before I didn't step on a scale for about a yr. after reaching goal. That was a huge mistake. Plus went back to my old eating habits and quit exercising.
That was the big epiphany for me in July 2004. I was GREAT at losing weight, I had done it over and over again for 20 years. I could NEVER keep the weight off. It was a huge huge huge mental switch for me, I had wanted to diet for a short time and then eat "normal." It took 20 years to figure out my "normal" was what made me fat and any return to "normal" eating would inevitably cause weight gain. I changed normal.
It's a pretty long story, feel free to PM me or click the link in my signature for my big "weight loss story."
My story currently has a happy ending - 2 years 6 months maintenance. I don't eat how I used to eat, but I love the new foods I eat. I am slim and happy and love my new normal.
I had maintained a loss of about 8 kgs for a few years, but that wasn't within a diet--forced lifestyle changes naturally brought it, and I didn't even have to think about it. Things went down the drain when I adopted another kind of lifestyle, I gained weight without even noticing it. And now it's the contrary again, so I hope--I want to be confident--that maintaining won't be a terrible drag, as long as I have an active enough life. I think I've found one of the keys I need, at least.
Glory87 -- I changed "normal" as well, it's been working like a charm. Whole grains, lean proteins, plenty of vegetables, tasty fruits are normal. Cheeseburgers and pizzas are abnormal.
I can definitely relate to the never maintaining.. My problem is I start off really strong on a diet; the first 20 lbs is gone and I get excited, and that's usually where I slip off. Problem is I always gain back the 20 lbs plus a few extra ;/ It's been this way for quite a while now, but as of the past year I've managed to keep off 20lbs from my all-time high weight of 250. I'm really hoping this time around I can keep going, keep losing, and for once, start maintaining
Four years ago I lost 50lb which was only about half of that I wanted to. At that point I hit a plateau and gave up on the diet (WW). However I did maintain that for around 2 years before old habits crept in and two years later I've found that I'm back where I started. At least now I do have some hope that I can maintain when I get to goal.
DIET is why you don't maintain. When you go on a diet, you have an idea it is something that begins and ends. So when it ends, you slowly resume you old eating habits and the weight comes back. You need to make permanent LIFESTYLE changes. There is no end to these. I had several yo-yo attempts at weight loss until I figured this out. Now I've maintained for 30 years.
Have you never 'maintained'?
