I haven't exactly been confused on how to maintain, but when it comes to certain things, like counting calories, and how many times I can eat a slice of pizza a month, or at a restaurant, i'm kind of at a loss. I want to lead a healthy life style, but not be the party pooper eating a PB and banana sandwich in the bathroom while everyone is having pizza... sooo;
What are your stats? Age?-
How active are you currently?-
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?-
Do you count calories?-
Do you intuitively eat?-
How long have you been maintaining your weight?-
Would you say you've been successful?-
How many times a week do you exercise?-
How intense are your exercise sessions?-
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?-
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?-
How many times a month do you go out to eat?-
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?-
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?-
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?-
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?-
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?-
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?-
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?-
Thanks in advance! I'm currently losing (i think... i might be maintaining) on 2200-2400-ish, exercising 5-6 (currently 6) days a week, running around 30 miles weekly, bootcamp class once a week, and do weights 2x/week in addition.
How active are you currently?- 3 days a week I lift weights for 30 mins and run for 20. The other 3 days I do 30-90 mins of cardio or HIIT. I am a violinist so that bumps my activity level up a lot.
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- 2300. I could probably eat more if I wanted though.
Do you count calories?- Kinda. Not really, just have a rough meal plan and keep a vague mental tally through the day.
Do you intuitively eat?- Yes. But I also make sure I eat a minimum amount which is why I have a meal plan, because sometimes I don't get hungry and I only realise I need food when my heart starts to not work right.
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- Over 5 months
Would you say you've been successful?- Evidently! I eat what I want when I want, my body fat has gone down, and my fitness and sports performance has improved.
How many times a week do you exercise?- 6 days.
How intense are your exercise sessions?- Moderate, in general.
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- I have a weekly schedule.
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- Both. I run competitively and hope to move into triathlon and duathlon.
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- About once per week.
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- I get what I want but usually I will have a good guess at the calories, to make sure I eat enough the rest of the day.
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- I eat whatever I want. I have chocolate 2-3 times every day! Same with PB, and dessert. I'll eat out a limited amount though. I just prefer my own healthy food because it tastes better and I can't afford to eat out much. I also don't have a sweet tooth for regular desserts so that puts me off a lot of things, which is why I prepare my own sweet foods.
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- Nah. I eat more when I'm hungry bc my body needs it.
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- Sometimes. I'm GF so if I ever see a GF dessert I pretty much have to give it a go! But usually I find it too sweet.
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- I don't like that kind of thing and my food allergies prevent me from being able to eat it. But like I said, chocolate and PB make multiple appearances each day in my food!
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- I don't eat regular type sweets. My idea of a sweet treat would be yoghurt with PBJ or PB banana and some chocolate cereal or granola. I eat that 2-3 times per day.
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- You don't have to be perfect at this right away. It gets easier. Honest.
What are your stats? Age?- 6', 65, male
How active are you currently?- moderately to very
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- 2800-3000
Do you count calories?- generally daily, although not the last few weeks
Do you intuitively eat?- once in awhile, but not usually
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- 3+ years
Would you say you've been successful?- yes
How many times a week do you exercise?- 6 days a week, a few times a day
How intense are your exercise sessions?- average to moderate
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- the same exercises but not the same pattern of when
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- primarily for health
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- 2-3
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- screw it!
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- not really, if I decide to go past my calories, I go past them.
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- yes, if I have one
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- just depends -- at buffets, yes
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- 1-3 times a week
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- 2-4
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- for me, counting calories is a must -- every time I take a break for a month or so from counting, I gain weight.
What are your stats? Age?- 25, 5’9, 142lbs
How active are you currently?- Run 4 times/week
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- 2400+exercise
Do you count calories?- Not really.
Do you intuitively eat?- Yes, but I count the calories in the meals. I try to keep meals to around 500-600 calories or snacks to about 2-300. If I’m hungry I’ll have a meal or snack and then wait. I don’t keep track how many times I eat during the day.
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- ~6 months
Would you say you've been successful?- Too early to tell.
How many times a week do you exercise?- 4-5
How intense are your exercise sessions?- Depends on the day. Does a slow long run count as intense?
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- Mileage differs, same framework of long run on the weekend and medium/short runs Tuesday to Thursday.
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- Recently finished a half-marathon program, in week one of marathon program.
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- ~3
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want? - Within reason. For example, I’ll focus on the fish dishes rather than the pastas.
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- I guess going to a restaurant would qualify as a cheat.
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- Sometimes.
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- I’ve stopped liking sweet desserts ever since I cut out simple sugars from my diet so it depends if its someone’s birthday.
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- 2-3
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- I get my sugars from fruits so the answer is either never or every day.
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- Practice healthy habits. Anyone can do something they don’t like for a short period of time so find habits that you do like for sustainable results.
What are your stats? Age?- 22, 5'8, 130lbs
How active are you currently?- I jog 5 days a week
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- 2000 i suppose, not really sure, I munch a lot during the day lol
Do you count calories?- in a casual, guesstimate kind of way
Do you intuitively eat?- i try to
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- about a year and a half
Would you say you've been successful?- yep, only a couple of pounds up and down
How many times a week do you exercise?- 5 days, but on the other two days I do low intensity stuff like walking or dancing
How intense are your exercise sessions?- the 5 day sessions are pretty intense I suppose, I'm super sweaty and out of breath lol
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- pretty much the same, probably time for a change
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- for health and FUN!
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- maybe 3 and those are typically forced. There aren't a lot of vegetarian friendly restaurants where I live so I'm usually stuck with eating a plain baked potato and a salad.
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- see above. usually it's boring, unless they have a veggie burger in the back
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- not really, I love healthy foods and so I feel like I'm always cheating but it's good for me lol
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- no cheat days
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- nope, I'm not big on sweets, I prefer salty
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- slim to none, I enjoy some popcorn every now and then, but I don't really consider it junk
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- slim to none. not a big fan
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- Make the scale an everyday ritual, but not an obsessive thing to worry over. Relax and breathe, the number on the scale WILL change almost daily, but give yourself a five to seven pound swing on either side of your desired weight and don't worry until you are outside of your range and then, take action, cut back slightly or exercise a bit more.
What are your stats? Age?- 21, 5'1, 100lbs
How active are you currently?- Very active
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- 2500 calories
Do you count calories?- Unfortunately
Do you intuitively eat?- I haven't ate intuitively in years
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- 4 months
Would you say you've been successful?- Surprisingly!
How many times a week do you exercise?- 6-7 days a week
How intense are your exercise sessions?- Depends on what i'm doing
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- It varies. I run 10km+ 5 days a week with some body attack and body step classes as well
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- I do it for health and sanity
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- Every Thursday!
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- I always get the lowest calorie option which is usually a chicken salad with no dressing. I wish I could get what I want.
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- No I always eat the amount I need or less
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- I don't have cheat days
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- Not unless we go for frozen yogurt after
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- Generally 0
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- I'll usually have something sweet every day
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- As much as it sucks, calorie counting is very helpful. And running!
What are your stats? Age?- 19 year old female
How active are you currently?- lightly active due to my busy schedule, in term time i am more active because i work out in the gym.
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- Ughh i don't know right now, at the begining of summer i was maintaining on 1800-2200, but recently i have gained 2 pounds eating the same! so i think maybe 1900-2000
Do you count calories?- yeah :( hate it
Do you intuitively eat?- sometimes, not completely though
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- i've been this weight (or hereabouts give or take 5 pounds either way..) about 18months!
Would you say you've been successful?- I suppose
How many times a week do you exercise?- atm not much at all :S when i work out i like to do it 5 times a week
How intense are your exercise sessions?- pretty intense, i'd sweat! and work out for an hour ish and burn about 500kcal
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- pretty much the same, but with puregym it's great because there are so many classes you can really vary it up!
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- for health
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- 4ish times a month
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- i keep health in mind usually, but if i feel like i deserve pudding and feel up to it i do allow myself to order it, but only if i really want to.
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- Nope, but i like to keep my main meals healthy so i can have yummy snacks
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?-
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- sometimes.. depends! but no not often
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- i eat something junky everyday.. usualy choccie
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- never eat sweets as in candy, i just love chocolate and biscuits and ice cream! i have something like that daily.. that's probably why i've gained 2 pounds.. oh no!
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- nope, only that im not quite getting it either!
What are your stats? Age?- 17, 5'8ish, and now roughly 135 after maintaining a 40 lb loss for about a year and a half now.
How active are you currently?- I work out at least 5x a week, for 1 1/2-2 hrs daily.
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- 2300-2500?
Do you count calories?- Estimate. Trying to kick the counting habit one step at a time - used to track, don't anymore, now I just estimate.
Do you intuitively eat?- Sort of. I eat more on a schedule though.
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- 1 1/2 yrs
Would you say you've been successful?- yes very.
How many times a week do you exercise?- 5-6
How intense are your exercise sessions?- Pretty intense I'd say, but it depends on the day. whenever I do cardio I make sure that I'm doing it at a level in which I'm breathing hard. with weights I make sure that I'm being challanged consistently.
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- not really. I go to the gym and do cardio & weights, and I horseback ride once a week right now.
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- both. I ride for my college's equestrian team so I make sure to keep strong. but for the most part I'd say I'm doing it for my health & sanity. :)
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- once a week, sometimes twice. but during the school year, maybe once every 2 weeks.
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- calories in mind, always. even if it's a cheat meal.
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- cheat meal, never a cheat day. but its never a meal - its a dessert once a week that I really want and can look forward to eating. I plan ahead.
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- no. i dont have cheat days.
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- if I've been good and havent had my cheat in awhile, yes. otherwise I'll try to split something if I have to order it.
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- it fluctuates, as I hang out with my friends/family/etc on different days. maybe 3x a week. but I build it into my calories/day as a whole so I dont go overboard.
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- in moderation, 3x maybe. full blown cheat dessert, once every 2 weeks or so.
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- it takes time to find a balance. it took me nearly a year, and heck, I'm still trying to tweak it a bit. but just have some patience, and be flexible. enjoy life, but at the same time, make sure to take care of yourself. :) good luck to you.
What are your stats? Age?- 5'4" 109-111, 21 years old
How active are you currently?- I don't own a car, so I walk everywhere but I don't go to the gym or anything.
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- 1600-1800 depending on what I'm doing that day.
Do you count calories?- Yes
Do you intuitively eat?- Try to
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- 2-3 years
Would you say you've been successful?- yes
How many times a week do you exercise?- 0-3 depending on how I'm feeling
How intense are your exercise sessions?- moderate
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- varies
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- health
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- several
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- I stay mindful
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- no. I also don't have "bad" foods. I just eat what I want and factor it in to my calories.
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- I don't have cheat days.
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- Not really.
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- it can vary from not at all to every day. If it's just a little bit of junk, like a bar of dark chocolate or a slice of pizza there is no reason I can't factor a treat into my daily eats.
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- however much I want.
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- Count your calories, and relax.
Original Post by mochacafe9874:
I haven't exactly been confused on how to maintain, but when it comes to certain things, like counting calories, and how many times I can eat a slice of pizza a month, or at a restaurant, i'm kind of at a loss. I want to lead a healthy life style, but not be the party pooper eating a PB and banana sandwich in the bathroom while everyone is having pizza... sooo;
What are your stats? Age?- 20 years old, 5' 3.5", 108-9ish pounds
How active are you currently?- moderately active
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- About 1800-2400 calories (can vary quite a bit but probably usually falls in the middle of this range at about 2100). Although I just started waitressing and have found myself getting hungry on this amount and probably need more
Do you count calories?- No
Do you intuitively eat?- No
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- Over 8 months, for the most part (when I exercise, it goes up a few pounds, when I don't, I lose that weight, probably due to muscle gain/loss and water retention)
Would you say you've been successful?- Yes
How many times a week do you exercise?- Zero at the moment due to an injury
How intense are your exercise sessions?- n/a
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- n/a
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- When I do exercise its usually for health and running for fun
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- No set amount of times, basically whenever I feel like it or someone invites me out
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- I follow a meal plan so I get certain exchanges in, but that's all really flexible and I get what I want within that
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- I don't even consider things "cheating". I eat what I feel like. If that means a burger and fries then that's fine. If I want pizza the next day that's okay too. No set allowed "cheats" per day or week. It's all just food.
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- I eat pretty much the same amount of food no matter what I eat during the day
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- If something looks good then yes. If not I might have something at home
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- No idea, I don't keep track. It varies a lot. Sometimes I might not have junk food all week, other times I might have it multiple times for a few days in a row.
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- Every day. I have a dessert exchange on my meal plan
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- It says on your profile you've struggled with a restrictive eating disorder and, as someone who's in recovery from one, I definitely think you need to not worry so much about exactly how many times you can allow yourself to have "junk food". It's so much easier and less stressful when no foods are off limits, no matter what you already ate that day or the week before. Also, your young and active so I could see you maintaining on more calories, especially since you said you might be losing.
Thanks in advance! I'm currently losing (i think... i might be maintaining) on 2200-2400-ish, exercising 5-6 (currently 6) days a week, running around 30 miles weekly, bootcamp class once a week, and do weights 2x/week in addition.
Original Post by mochacafe9874:
What are your stats? Age?- 25 years old, 5 ft, 100 pounds
How active are you currently?- lift weights 3 times a week and add in some short bouts of cardio
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- 2200
Do you count calories?- yes
Do you intuitively eat?- nope
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- few years
Would you say you've been successful?- i think so!
How many times a week do you exercise?- 3 times
How intense are your exercise sessions?- for me, they are pretty intense, but that's how i like it :)
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- i try to vary the most i can
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?-just for health and de-stressing
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- not very often
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- i stay pretty healthy
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- cheat meal (once a week), which will be like ben and jerrys, cinnabon, etc.
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- nope, i fit it into my cals
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- only if im going out specifically for dessert
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- although i have a cheat meal, i still eat other "unhealthy" foods, like full fat salad dressing, and bagels, etc....
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- sweet for me if like kashi go lean crunch with pb and yogurt which i have about 3 times a week.
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- you can do it!!! just never deprive yourself-- no food is bad/dirty, unless it's made with dirt ;) just make sure you get a balanced diet. and enjoy your food- you only get to live once :)
What are your stats? Age?- 22, 5'3 1/2, 116 lbs
How active are you currently?- I do about 2 1/2 - 3 hours low-intensity cardio per week, and 1 or 2 stretching classes
How much do you maintain on (or thereabout)?- I average 1800, but have close to 2000.
Do you count calories?- Yes
Do you intuitively eat?- Yes although rarely
How long have you been maintaining your weight?- a few months
Would you say you've been successful?- yes, it has been relatively easy
How many times a week do you exercise?- 3
How intense are your exercise sessions?- low-intensity
Does your exercise routine vary? Or is it the same each week?- doesn't vary much, sometimes i might do 30 mins of resistance training a week.
Are you training for a sport? Or exercising for health?- health, mostly mentally
How many times a month do you go out to eat?- how many times a month?? i eat out almost every day, but I should cut back because I'm spending way too much
When you go out to eat, do you keep health and macros and calories in mind, or do you just say "screw it" and get what you want?- Eat whatever I want, or whatever the restaurant is known for.
Do you have a cheat meal? Cheat day? How does it work for you?- erm i might have a higher day if the previous day(s) i've been eating lower than I should. but i wouldn't call it cheat because I always eat what I want.
Do you eat significantly more on cheat days?- depends on what im having.
Do you get dessert when you go out to eat?- almost always!
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week on average do you eat "junk food" (ex, pizza, mac n cheese, etc)?- 3-4 times a week
If you don't have a cheat day, and take a more moderate approach, How many times a week do you eat sweets on average?- 4-5 times a week?
Any other advice for this struggling maintainer?- stop stressing! I used to maintain a higher weight on so much less and low-calorie food (900-1100 kcal) and i was working out 2 hours (moderate to high intensity) a day... which is insane! the moment i flipped everything around (ate more, exercise less) my weight went down.
