The Maintenance Club

There aren't many people who're active on the maintenance forum, but i'm convinced that maintenance is the affirmation that the project of weight loss/gain that we have gone through is not just a phase, but a commitment to a lifestyle.

some dietary habits of people who have lost weight and stayed slim:

1. Drink water before/during meals
2. Don't skip meals
3. Keep a food diary
   
4. Eat lots of vegetables and whole grain food
5. Exercise moderately and regularly
6. Weigh themselves consistently
   

we might not practice all of them... but we do at least have some things that keep us on the ball/on track! I'm hoping that this thread will help to keep those of us on this forum accountable and motivated. We could post our profile, and edit our post every week on friday to update one another as to how we've been doing, and to get motivated if we've been slipping off the wagon!

I'll start the ball rolling!

Name: doedoebird

Age: 21

Height: 5'6"

Starting Weight: 130lbs

Current Weight: 112lbs

Maintenance Range: 112~115lbs

*Now vs. Then: I'm definitely less sluggish, less easily fatigued, fitter (i can jog 6 miles at a shot!). Oh! and I've got better skin (and hair) too. :3
*i thought that this will help us remain motivated to stay on track subsequently whenever we feel tempted to slide off!

Aims: Regular and moderate exercise (3-5x a week of 30~60min moderate exercise), relatively clean and balanced (vegetarian) eating. Listening to my body (get better at eating when hungry and stopping when full).

Weaknesses: Boredom/emotional eating, a propensity to laziness and procrastination, a bottomless pit when it comes to certain foods (chocolates, cookies , ice cream and pastries....)

Strengths: I try to be self-aware. I am (or at least i try to be) kind to my body (in terms of both diet and exercise). I actually do like exercise (its after-effects especially). I'm a fidgety person. :3

**How I did this week, goals for next week: Last week was great, but a sleepover during which i didn't get any sleep has been leaving me dead tired for the past couple of days, exacerbated by the fact that i'm having my ToTM now (been feeling extremely weak and achy), and i'm also pretty stressed because i'll be going away from home for exchange in about a week. This week I'm just hoping to be able to hold on, stay calm, eat more (i've been having a terrible appetite) and do very light and relaxing exercises!

**I'm thinking that we should check in and update once a week, and the next week, we'll check in and when we do, clear away what we wrote down for the previous week. For me, this is symbolic. It's a pledge to move on, and refuse to be bogged down (or caught up) by what we did wrong in the past.

anyone with me?

You are exactly right, balance; with food, emotions and life.  I am feeling all zen today, had a great run, followed up by a yummy breakfast, things are going my way.  Hope you all are having a good one, too!

Have fun on your vacation, Linny!  Can't wait to hear about it!  

wow! your vacation sounds like it's going to be pretty great! (: and yup, you start retaining water about 24~36 hours after you do strength training if i'm not wrong, cause you're repairing and building new muscle. :3

ah running! i should get off my lazy ass and go running soon. (i love the high i get a few hours after running, but i'm always hem-my and haw-y about it early in the day when i still feel like lazing in my too-comfortable bed and room. :3

i have to confess though, i have been filling a good part (about 400~600cals a day) of my maintenance calories with not so great food (a chocolate bar+nutella, or a muffin/cake... trans-fatty stuff.) eeps! i should make it more of a 'treat' than a 'routine' though, so i'll be working on that this and next week! ^^||||

Just want to say hello. I think I'll be going on either a run or something tonight too since the weather is so nice. Perhaps maybe I'll go lift instead though. I have been slacking on weight traning because the weather is so nice that it's hard to make myself go indoors and do squats to bad music when I could be out jogging in a forest.

Doedoebird- having some dessert evey day is good for you, if it's done in moderation. Maybe just first focus on not having transfat stuff, and having stuff like dark chocolate that has a lot of antioxidents and other good-for you things that are also sweet?

Just an idea.

Phox50 - in answer to your question about weight training, I have to admit I;m not on a strict weight training program right now.  I joined an exercise gym in Jan. 2007 and for about a year did weight training and/or treadmill 3xweek for about a year.  But in the spring thru fall I want to garden, and that is strenuous work!  However, I recognize I need to do a regimen of weight training to prevent bone loss.

I see you like yoga; I do too.  The stretching and building of inner core strength are so good.

Re the question about daily caloric intake:  I seem to consume between 1700-2000 calories a day.  And I weigh in daily, first thing in the morning, and keep logs.  These things seem to really help with maintaining.

Hey all!  Just checking in to see how everyones week was.  I met my goal of weight training at least 3X this week!  Yeah me!  Hows 'bouts yous guys?

Have a great weekend!

i gained about 1~2lbs, and i was ok with it, cause i figured that it's probably water weight... then i got my "period" and now i'm NOT ok... cause my cycle is usually 35~40 days, and i'm currently only 15 days from the start of my last period...?! I've been searching online, and all i can figure out is that this is probably Metrorrhagia. It could be caused by a huge handful of different things though, so i really have no idea what's wrong.

Guh. I'm guessing that it's either stress or hypothyroidism. =_=

Hey everyone. I just got back from the beach and I just wanted to update and check and see how you all are doing with maintaining.

I actually had a wonderful (food filled) weekend, eating breakfasts at the hotel, lunch at the beach/little shops, and dinner at big seafood places, on Saturday I even had 3 girly drinks on top of tuna steak! So I got home and seemed to be maintaining yesterday, but then jumped up a pound again today. I guess this could be the fact that my period is in a week, who knows? But as long as I am in the 5 pound range that I am maintaining on then I am okay.

Mentally I know that I would love to be at the lower end of that range, but I do love embracing my body now, and I even felt fantastic in a bikini (check out the pics!)

Hope all of you are doing well.....gotta go get ready for the gym now (its been umm....ha... 4 days off!)

A week has gone by with no logging, no gym, and little exercise besides running after an 18-month old. Guess what? No gain! I also didn't lose the pesky 4 lbs I gained June/July but I am maintaining. I discovered that a small dark chocolate covered ice cream bar is 190 calories and I can eat just one! They are delicious, a wonderful, once in a while treat and I don't feel compelled to finish the box, like a pint of ice cream. I went back to the gym for the first time in a week (half and hour weights, hour pilates) and am feeling sore.

Enjoy.

That is great phox!! I have been adding in exercise here and there while continuing to eat between 1500-1800 per day. More if I exercise. I have been the same too for a week, although 2 pounds up from last week (although I am on my period!)

Anyway, I have been stabalizing and realizing that going out to eat with friends and family is so great because you can really adjust your calories to manage a great time while not becoming obsessed and ordering a salad ya know?

Okay so how is everyone else doing? Haven't been many posts here lately!!

Has anyone tried turbo jam?? I just got mine yesterday, and considering I have a new job, I might need to use this versus heading to the gym everyday. How has it benefited you??

Hope everyone has a great day!

Hey all!

I will check in, it has been a while.  Went on a little vaca with the husband and had a great time.  Zero exercise while there, besides walking around a little bit, so I put on a few lbs.  I will get back to eating normally, take a break on alchol consumptution and throw in some extra exercise for the next week and hopefully things will get back to normal.

I couldnt agree more with you linny!  I had pizza and beer on my trip and it was so fun not to care!  Hooray for maintenance!

Have a good one!

Hi all!  I would like to join, too, because as of yesterday, I met my weightloss goal.  I am baffled about maintenance, so it will be really nice to have a group to help me out :)

Age: I will be (*gasp*) 25 on Thursday (Aug 21)!

Height: 5'7.5"

Starting Weight: 162lbs

Current Weight: 124.5lbs

Maintenance Range: Somewhere between 120 and 130lbs...we'll see what my body likes

*Now vs. Then: I actually love my body and respect it.  That's pretty cool.  I like feeling myself getting stronger and my endurance getting better.  And I love being happy when I look in the mirror.

Aims: I still want to lose the extra flab on my lower half and tone up my legs and bum some more.  I also want to work on my cardiovascular health - I just started jogging for the first time EVER.  I want to listen to my body and make it happy because then it will make me happy.

Weaknesses: Alcohol.  Getting obsessed with something and going overboard.  I love salty junk food, so I see a future problem when I try to introduce this kind of stuff back into my life in moderation.

Strengths: I love working out.  I am super dedicated.  When I say I am going to do something, I do it.

**How I did this week, goals for next week: This week has been awesome.  Even though I have been sick with a headcold, I ran all three days that I was scheduled to run.  And this was the week I met my goal, so it was pretty much the best week ever.  Next week I will probably do the same things I am doing this week.  My B-day is next week, which was my goal date, so I am going to be going strong until then.  Then of course it's party time, so I'll probably go a little overboard.  I guess my goal is not to go *too* overboard.

So, I have a question for those of you that are runners.  Like I said, I *just* started jogging (couch to 5K), and prior to this I could never even run for a full minute.  I am up to 90 second intervals, but I find that my knees are hurting.  What am I doing wrong?  Is there a common pitfall that newb runners encounter that hurts their knees?

And to Positivelinny:  I am a big fan of turbojam generally.  In fact, Turbojam and Jillian Michaels DVDs are basically the ONLY exercises that I have done for the entire time I have been calorie counting.  I am a total believer.  I don't think the turbo sculpt DVD would ever get you looking like a body builder, but it has toned up my legs a lot!  I also love the ab jam and can thank it for my awesome 4-pack (still working on those bottom 2...).

I am happy to be a part of this group.  I would love to hear any tips on maintaining because this is the first time I have done this and I want to make sure I do it right!

Hi pumpkin and welcome!

We have about the same stats.  I will be 29 on the 27th (sucking the air out of the room *gasp*).  I am 5'8" and I am maintaining 125.  I am a runner.  I try to run between 15-20 miles a week.  I started with the c25k program when I started my weight loss adventure.  I have always noticed when I have knee or ankle problems, either I didnt warm up enough or I need a new pair a shoes (which is usually the problem).  I highly reccomend going to a professional running store and getting measured.  They can suggest the right type of shoe for your foot shape and size.  Its a little pricey, but I feel worth getting done at least once.  Once you find the shoe you like, you can go buy it anywhere.  I get a lot of shoes online for really good prices.

Best of luck to you, maintenance is do-able!

Happy birthday!

Kelly

Welcome pumpkin!!

I am 5'7 and around 118-120ish. My nutritionist wants me at 130ish, but I guess anywhere around there is healthy so wherever my body wants to be is fine with me. I am taking it one day at a time.

Thanks for responding about the turbojam. I really have been using the 20 min workout and sculpt everyday for the past week since I just got it in the mail. I use to go to the gym everyday, but now I like my turbojam mornings! The one thing is that I gained weight this week and I think it has to do with the sculpting dvd, maybe muscle? Not sure, but I am hoping that once any muscle water retention is gone then I will be back to my maintanence zone. Out of curiosity, how many calories do you maintain on? And congrats on the 4 pack!!! I know what you mean about the impact on your knees due to running. Lately I have been doing the elliptical because of the pain. But it seems to disappear if I take a day off or so.

Kellygoff- happy early bday! And thanks for the info about the shoes or whatever...I def need to do that too!

Me- I am still up and down and up and down with the scale and fluctuations, but I am just going to call that maintanence and adjust from there. It is weird though, I totally didn't meet my maintanence cals yesterday (not on purpose) and I gained a pound overnight....ughhh...guess this means I must meet them no matter what!

Anyway, I am getting use to my midnight bowl of cereal....and maintanence is do-able, just complicated at times!!

Hi all,

I have not communicated for a while; been travelling to visit/babysit grandkids and attend a 3rd year birthday = lots of fun but a little tiring for a 64-year-old.

First to pumpkin314 about running:  I used to run, and injured both knees and had to have orthoscopic surgery, so be careful.  If your knees are hurting, they are telling you that you are overdoing it.  Please get some coaching; by all means don't give up, but don't injure your knees!

I started losing weight end of "04 when I made a lifetime dream trip to Europe - can't really explain why, but i just didn't want to eat so much any more, or rather, I wanted to get thinner.  I had never been too heavy: 5'2" and hover around 128, dressed.  I am now 102, naked in the morning, and love being thin and able to share cute clothes with my daughters.

I've maintained this weight for about about 6-8 months now, I guess.  I used to keep logs religiously until July, but am finding that I can maintain without them.  I went to an exercise gym for about a year, but when spring came I get into gardening heavily - I LOVE vegetables, growing them and eating them.  Funny thing is, when I lost the weight, I love food more, constantly think about it and love to look up super good recipes and cook.  But I don't have cravings for sweets any more - just want to eat healthy!

Best to all,

shansen1070

Hi again all,

Thanks for the words of welcome and thanks SO much for the running tips.  My current shoes were actually fitted for me to be running shoes, but I got them about a year ago and they have been my gym shoes ever since, so maybe it's just time for a new pair.  Maybe I've worn them out weird.  I'll also try to warm up better, but if I am sore after my Monday run, maybe it's time to consult an expert.  I definitely don't want to hurt myself!!

As far as calories go, I am not sure what my maintenance level should be.  On here, it says my daily burn is about 1900 with no exercise, so that is what I am roughly aiming for, but I haven't been able to force myself to eat that much yet - except for today, which was a day out on the town with my husband and we ate out twice, so I went over my goal by almost 500 cals.  Oops.  I guess that makes up for the previous days when I couldn't make myself eat ever 1600, right?

Clearly, I am still getting the hang of the whole maintenance thing.  I guess it's a good sign that I'm not exercising like a maniac right now trying to burn off my extra 500 cals of fajitas, right?  That's what maintenance is all about, isn't it?  Finding a real life balance where it's okay to go over or under some days without acting like it's the end of the world?

Well, thanks again for your advice and support :)  Keep it comin'!

And Kellygoff - Happy almost birthday!!

 

Checking in. It seems I'm doing a great job maintaining at 152. My goal is 148 but I haven't seen that since May. But finally, the green trend line is finally moving down. I'd like to get down to my goal weight  before winter and holidays begin. There was a discussion on the maintenance forum about counting calories carefully 5 days a week and relaxing 2 days a week. That doesn't work for me, I can gain 5 lb. in 2 days and then spend 5 days getting it off. I suppose you could call that maintenance. Does that system work for any of you?

I need to be careful weekends as well, perhaps I'll try writing down what I eat those days. The exercise is going well. I've increased weights and don't dread the 2x a week I do machines in the gym. Still looking for that magic  balance of eating and activity.

Phox- I definitely agree, I never really have the weekend splurge days, but I always allow myself little treats throughout the week. Like dark chocolate here and there, and frozen yogurt with friends, or even a dinner out with wine and not so healthy foods, but this is balance, this is maintanence. I am not sure that eating 5 good days and 2 not so good days works for everyone. Like you, I probably couldn't do this, but that is okay, do whatever works for you. Remember though, maintanence is a level in which counting calories subsides after a while and we learn to listen to your bodies, while maintaining the same range of weight. I wouldn't focus on writing everything down all the time, because this obsessive behavior isn't always the best. Plus, you are only 4 pounds from where you want to be, and quite honestly, 4 pounds isn't even noticeable. Focus on doing what you are doing now, and maybe try not to be so hard on yourself. I think if you just live and be healthy, then in the long run you might even get to 148. Stress and pressure sometimes changes hormones which lead to plateaus. Maintaining is what you seem to be doing, and that is a great thing!

Me- I am still on the high side of my healthy range for the week. I went up around 2-3 pounds last week, which I thought was period weight, but now that it is over and the budge hasen't gone down, I am guess muscle from the strength training. Oh well, not going to let it bother me. Going to grab my snack now...

Hey folks, what a great post, I have just - 2 weeks ago, moved into maintenance. I started on CC two years ago, I have gone from 71kg to 57kg so I am super happy, I am 5ft7 and maintain on around 1600 per day, I love to excersise so add that in, and eat extra calories to make up the difference.

I totally hear what you have all been saying about energy levels too. I find that when counting calories, that I have no food guit at all, which previously was a problem for me.

Everyone here seems very supportive, glad that we have all made it this far - here's to getting it right in maintenance.

HB

Welcome holiday mouse!! Congrats on reaching maintanence!

I love this thread!!! People you have to update more haaa!!

Anyway, I am doing great lately. I am really pushing to meet my intake daily and I am noticing fluctuations again (like today I was down a pound), but I am happy overall and I love my body and I love food now and I am using this whole maintanence thing to explore new options and new recipes.

Last night I had shrimp cocktail and wine with mom for her bday...it was fantastic, and not once did I think about calories, but just enjoying my moms company!

Heres to health, life, and love!!

Hello all!  Linny is right, we do need to update more.  I love reading how everyone is doing! 

I am doing alright.  I have been maintaining (give or take a few lbs), though I have not been meeting my weight training goals all week.  I do well for a few weeks and then I slack off.  I just find lifting soooooo boring!!!  I could run day in and day out, but lifting...just have a hard time making myself do it.  Anyone have any ideas of how to make it more interesting??

Hope to hear from the rest of you soon!