Maintenance

Hi,

I have recently reached my goal weight.  Losing it is a bit more straight forward than maintaining. At least it is for me.  I was wondering what maintenance looks like for our age group.  I was losing at 1200 calories and seem to be maintaining, with some small gains, at 1300. 

It might be a good forum idea.

I'd love to hear about your experiences maintaining.

~k

I am still 10 pounds over goal weight but I have a lot of experience maintaining.  For me, maintenance is the state of still trying to lose but cheating a little too often.  It takes pretty much the same concentration as losing does.  It is all a mind game.  I personally see no relief in sight from every day being all about what I can't eat.  Eventually I hope that retirement will allow some freedom from all of this, because I will no longer be trapped at a desk for most of the day.

Sorry if I sound a little negative, but I don't think it ever gets easy.

Hello Moonduster,

I have a feeling maintenance for me will also be, "still trying to lose but cheating a little too often."  There is not much wiggle room between my weight loss 1200 - 1300 calories and my maintenance calories of  1500 - 1600.  I am surprised I lost the weight I wanted to.  I guess there is just no way a big mac meal is ever going to be ok. *Sigh*

Katonick, I forgot to say CONGRATULATIONS on reaching goal!!   The thought of some day seeing that number on the scale keeps me going.  Good luck with maintenance and let us know how it's going.

Well it seems that 1300 isn't enough. I lost a bit more. I am aiming for 1400 a day now and 1500 on Fridays.  I have been doing this for a couple of weeks and seem to be sticking at my my lowest. 

I have been very sedentary lately, the weather is miserable and I have been kinda low due to losing my job.  Everyday I have been telling myself I am going to get active for at least an hour but not doing it. When I do, I will try to maintain 1500 a day.

I weighed myself once a month when losing, now I am at my goal I am weighing myself daily trying to figure out how to maintain.  I really want to get back to not weighing myself so often.  I feel so vain.

Hey, no need to think you are vain!  If I ever get below 140, you can believe I will step on that scale every day to make sure it is REAL and say Woo Hoo! You deserve some self-congratulations.  You have earned it!

Sorry about your job loss and good luck finding another one.  A positive attitude is key so that you stand out from the crowd.

Thanks moonduster,

It's tough gathering the energy at my age to, once again, reinvent myself. But gather my energy I must to get out there to compete in the job market. A little sunshine would go a long way right now to raise my optimism levels. But spring has sprung and there are brighter days ahead. 

You'll get to your goal as long as you keep at it.  Slow but sure is the best way to do it for many reasons.  It took me a long time to reach my goal but I didn't care how long it took as long as the scale kept going in the right direction, I knew I would get there.

Happy Spring

Have been maintaining mostly.  Have slipped below the lowest range of my goal weight a couple of times this past month.  I am at the low end of my healthy weight BMI.  Time to bump up the calories again. 

I am not too good at this intuitive eating thing it seems.  I guess I should go back to planning, weighing and counting daily till I get the hang of it. I have been putting off counting till the end of the day to see how I do and end of having to top off my day with peanut butter toast and milk.  Not so bad in itself, but I would like to feel that I can manage to eat a healthy diet without all the bookkeeping. 

I'll find the groove eventually I suppose.  I will consider myself successful when I can maintain while weighing myself once a week.   Want to get this sorted before the good weather starts and I start hiking again.