I reached my goal… now what?

I have tried to loose weight for so long that I don’t know how to maintain. I obviously know how to gain and now loose, but not how to maintain. Should I loose a few more pounds until I get the hang of this whole maintain thing. I am afraid I will be in a vicious cycle of yo-yoing around my current weight.

 

Stats: 5-10 & 132 pounds

Great work !

Okay, were you counting and logging calories to lose weight ?  How many calories were you taking in to lose weight ?  Did you/do you have physical activity (exercise at leat 30 min/day most days of the week) ?

I hate to keep on pushing this, I feel like a broken record.  Google or look at my profile page for the food pyramid.  Ifyou eat by those guidelines, you should not "yo-yo".

 1). You have lost all the weight you want - STOP counting and logging calories.  Wean yourself from counting. Keep a scrap paper for a week or so to make sure you are at least taking in maintenance calories.

2).  Maintain physical activity 30 min./day most days

It is difficult to maintain weight and be healthy without physical activity.  Eating right (and logging calories) alone will not maintain a healthy mind and body.

So, I would say find your maintenance calories, get to them.  Then stop counting.  Just look at the food pyramid to guide you to eating right.  Keep up physical actvity.

again,  well done.

edit:  do not get obsessed with dieting.  you have lost all the weight and are in good shape. 5'-10" @ 132 pounds puts you at 18.9 BMI which is at the low end of the BMI scale.

I no longer log calories every day, but I still find it helpful to log them a couple of days a week. It keeps me focused on eating well.

Figure out the number of calories you need to maintain, then increase your caloric intake a little at a time until you get there. I added 100 calories per day for a few weeks, and that worked well in preventing weight gain.

I needed a new goal to keep me focused, a goal that wasn't weight loss, so now I'm working on increasing my overall fitness.

Thanks for the info. I am also very goal oriented so I need to keep one in mind. I was even thinking of a "reward" system for maintaining. You know each month I am within 2 or 3 pounds of my goal weight doing something special for myself. I do try to exercise at least 30 min a day, but have been off that with the hectic schedule. I'll be able to resume on the 1st... can't wait. I want to look rockin' for the wedding!

Thanks again... have a happy day!

Congratulations! Now what? ...I say go buy a new outfit!

I haven't reached my goal yet, but my mom lost about 60lbs and has maintained it for 5 years now. She still counts her calories everyday to keep her on track. I would suggest continuing to work out and count at least a few days a week, that way you can accurately gauge how much you need to eat to maintain and catch it quickly if you start to gain or continue to lose.

Again--Congratulations!