What's your plan for maintenance?

Iris

Full Member
Sorry if this has been asked before, but I'm curious about how you all see yourselves living once you achieve your targets. Never too early to start plotting your campaign to keep the weight off, so how do you plan to eat?

Imagine you've got on the scales, they're showing you your target weight, the room lights up with incandescent happiness, a celestial choir sings Hallelujah, cartoon bluebirds and butterflies flit around your head, and you do the nude victory dance, etc. So, what's next for you?

How do you plan to avoid falling back into old traps, temptations, bad habits? Are you going to eat differently? Will you still come to minimins or would you feel like it'd be a crutch? Do you think you'll always be a foodaholic no matter what you weigh?

My nosy wee brain is curious! ;)
 
I was only thinking about this the other day and I am in two minds.

Part of me would like to perhaps 'roughly' carry on calorie counting as I know what points are in most foods I like. The other half of me would like to be able to trust myself not to revert back to old habbits (mind you, I ate a little too much over the weekend and my stomach gave me agonising pain so I'd like to think it was not possible to do this!) and if I do gain those odd pounds, lose it.

I'm giving myself a 7 pound leeway which I'm hoping is more than adequate!
 
I think I'd still count most days, or if I saw a bit of weight creaping back on then know to exericse a bit more and put down that chocolate haha. I havn't given it much thought tbh, maybe coz I still have a long way to go. But thanks for making me think lol :rolleyes: x
 
Hi Iris! definitely food for thought that one!! (Excuse the pun!) I am really thinking about this seriously now as I'm quite near to goal and to be honest I think I'm raising my calorie intake and testing myself even now. I find it quite scary to think of being at that magic number. It's almost like light at the end of the tunnel as if you've been locked away in a room for whatever amount of time and know you're going to be let free soon. Will you go mad or will you be cautious, unable to let go of your confines as you've got so used to it? Mmmm..... I'd like to think I've re-educated myself and now know the pitfalls, but you never really know do you? i don't really miss the food I used to enjoy before all this but there are times when I've had to stop myself ordering exactly what I want on a menu in a restaurant and gone for the 'healthy option' But that's the thing about maintaining - you Can indulge yourself once in a while and it won't make any difference at all!

What about you Iris? How will you cope?
 
I think i will still watch what i eat like i do now and count the cals but have 1 daya week where i treat myself to maybe a nice chocolate bar as i LOVE it then a meal where i dont have to think about the cals like chinese or a kebab :eek:
 
I was only thinking about this the other day and I am in two minds.

Part of me would like to perhaps 'roughly' carry on calorie counting as I know what points are in most foods I like. The other half of me would like to be able to trust myself not to revert back to old habbits (mind you, I ate a little too much over the weekend and my stomach gave me agonising pain so I'd like to think it was not possible to do this!) and if I do gain those odd pounds, lose it.

I'm giving myself a 7 pound leeway which I'm hoping is more than adequate!

I think (or hope!) that it's possible to comfortably maintain without too much of the anal calorie counting. I think if we just knock one bad habit on the head, namely shopping for rubbish, then that should keep us relatively safe? I mean, if you don't buy junk, you can't eat it at home, right? So as long as the cupboards are well stocked with good stuff, falling back into bad habits shouldn't be a problem.

I think the 7 pound buffer is a good idea! I'm planning to gain a bit over the colder months, not by eating any junk I hope, but just by eating good portions of hearty winter meals to keep the life in me when it's freezing outside! Then I'm hoping I can gently trim off any fluffy excess come the spring so I'm ready for summer again. I think that keeping within half a stone of your target is a pretty good boundary.
 
I think I'd still count most days, or if I saw a bit of weight creaping back on then know to exericse a bit more and put down that chocolate haha. I havn't given it much thought tbh, maybe coz I still have a long way to go. But thanks for making me think lol :rolleyes: x

In my yo-yo days I never gave maintenance half a thought, really. I wanted to lose weight quickly and I kind of had a vague, unrealised assumption in my head that if I took the weight off speedily, I'd quickly be able to resume life as normal! It was always 'I can't wait to have a plate of chips again!' Or planning just how mad I was going to go at the buffet dinner on holiday once I'd slimmed into my bikini! :p

Think it's different this time - hope it is, anyway. I enjoy what I eat now, so maybe that's the ticket!
 
Hi Iris! definitely food for thought that one!! (Excuse the pun!) I am really thinking about this seriously now as I'm quite near to goal and to be honest I think I'm raising my calorie intake and testing myself even now. I find it quite scary to think of being at that magic number. It's almost like light at the end of the tunnel as if you've been locked away in a room for whatever amount of time and know you're going to be let free soon. Will you go mad or will you be cautious, unable to let go of your confines as you've got so used to it? Mmmm..... I'd like to think I've re-educated myself and now know the pitfalls, but you never really know do you? i don't really miss the food I used to enjoy before all this but there are times when I've had to stop myself ordering exactly what I want on a menu in a restaurant and gone for the 'healthy option' But that's the thing about maintaining - you Can indulge yourself once in a while and it won't make any difference at all!

What about you Iris? How will you cope?

I'm loving the locked away Mrs. Rochester analogy! Maybe we're all madwomen in attics when we're losing weight. :p

I think you're right about being able to indulge. In fact, I think it's vital that you have that odd indulgence - wouldn't be human, wouldn't be living if you didn't, I don't think. Maybe I'm deluding myself, but I think the body (and mind) appreciates the odd treat and can handle and balance it well.

I'm with you on the fear. I'm still terribly scared of ballooning back up again, but that fear has dissipated a little bit over the last couple of weeks for some reason. I've been upping my calories cautiously, and predictably enough the old metabolism hasn't known what's hit it, so the pounds have been coming off far faster than I could have hoped. That's reassured me a bit - I can eat well, I can actually be a bit of a pig with good healthy food (glutton that I am) and I think my metabolism will handle it hopefully! The only plan I really have is to keep eating the foods I've grown to love and to avoid chocolate bars. They're my downfall, and if I thought the odd one would do me any good, I'd try to exercise moderation and have just one, but the average milk choc bar is basically just choc flavoured sugary fat, at least it is in the UK anyway, so hey, better to just avoid and go for the odd choc dessert when I'm eating out.

Still not sure how many calories will equal a maintenance intake for me. I've been up to 1600 this week and still losing, so I'm going to try taking it slowly and increasing that gradually until I hit the balancing point - if I can find it. It's amazing just what a difference having a few hundred extra calories has made to my energy levels. It's put me on a bit of a high, really! Hope you can enjoy the same feeling soon, too, you're nearly there!
 
I think i will still watch what i eat like i do now and count the cals but have 1 daya week where i treat myself to maybe a nice chocolate bar as i LOVE it then a meal where i dont have to think about the cals like chinese or a kebab :eek:

You could start doing that now, you know! I have a day a week where I take my mum out for lunch and we make a day of it - go shopping, drive around and gossip, see some sights, then have a slap-up meal and a nice pudding. Doesn't impact your weight loss at all - in fact, I think it helps keep you on the straight and narrow during the week and gives you something to look forward to each day. Also keeps the metabolism ticking over!

It doesn't have to hurt to work. Maybe start having that treat day right now. :)
 
hmmm, id feel bad though and feel like i have let myself down cos i still have that belly and until thats in clea sight of going i dnt think i could have the treat day
 
I understand that fear/guilt thing, but the irony is that the belly would probably shift quicker if you put more in it. I've upped my cals to prepare for maintenance and the weight loss has suddenly speeded up over the last few pounds. Be very careful you're not sacrificing your health in pursuit of flatter abs, you know? Take care of yourself!
 
Iris, I pop in from time to time to read these boards. I'm doing a low carb diet with eye on calories and reading your posts you are pure motivation for me... I'm around 23 pounds from my goal and I'm thinking about maintence and etc.. I lost weight before but gained it all back after 1 year because I didnt prepare for maintence and I didnr prepare for a lifestyle change. Now with a new mind set and knowledge.. This time the weight is staying off..
 
Some great advice and thoughts here, so thanks for sharing all.

I plan to slowly reintroduce more calories - I need to as I love food too much! As I have mentioned on another thread, for a while I was only on 1000 cals (sometimes less), which began to take its toll on me and caused me some worry in regards to loss of bone and muscle mass, so I decided to up my cals to 1200 minimum and I must say I have lost more weight in the two weeks I have done that, than in 6 weeks on 1000 a day - and I feel better for it!

On a side note, yesterday, I was out shopping with my partner and we stopped at Starbucks in Selfridges for a quick drink and snack for my partner, and I insisted that he did not get me anything - I just wanted water as we would be having lunch in a few hours, well, he came back with two plates of cakes; the cake he purchased for me was a "low fat carrot and orange cake" - which was only 200 cals per slice and I must say it was delicious! However, most of all, it was just lovely doing something normal, like stopping for a drink and slice of cake whilst out shopping - it was all so very civilised... :)

Sunday is my weigh day and as of this morning, I have lost another 3 pounds this week. Since the increase in cals, the pounds have been melting off me...
 
I should have also mentioned that I do a lot of exercise - I walk for 2 miles during my lunch break and I walk home from work, which is six miles, so the plan will be to continue doing that whilst increasing my cals. I would hope, within time, that I am no longer so strict with counting calories and just know when to stop/more in tune with my body, however I would like to think I would be on or around 1700 a day...time will tell I guess!
 
way to go karma..
 
Well I'm going to put all this into practice tonight as I'm going to a friends birthday bbq and I'm going to have a little bit more than I would've done a few months ago. I'll still be sensible but maybe have a bit of mayo with my salad (shock horror) and not worry about having a bit of crispy chicken skin! I'm going to have a light lunch though - just soup and fruit. Well I've only just weighed in today so have a whole week to see if it'll do any damage!?
 
Iris, I pop in from time to time to read these boards. I'm doing a low carb diet with eye on calories and reading your posts you are pure motivation for me... I'm around 23 pounds from my goal and I'm thinking about maintence and etc.. I lost weight before but gained it all back after 1 year because I didnt prepare for maintence and I didnr prepare for a lifestyle change. Now with a new mind set and knowledge.. This time the weight is staying off..

That's fantastic!! Just knowing that you've got a plan for the long term and that you're never going to let yourself fall back into the dieting trap again makes shedding those last pounds a lot less stressful. I'm so happy you find some motivation here, too. I think we can all draw motivation from each other - the more support you can give and receive, the better!

The very best of luck with your continuing successes - let me know how it's all going. :)
 
Some great advice and thoughts here, so thanks for sharing all.

I plan to slowly reintroduce more calories - I need to as I love food too much! As I have mentioned on another thread, for a while I was only on 1000 cals (sometimes less), which began to take its toll on me and caused me some worry in regards to loss of bone and muscle mass, so I decided to up my cals to 1200 minimum and I must say I have lost more weight in the two weeks I have done that, than in 6 weeks on 1000 a day - and I feel better for it!

On a side note, yesterday, I was out shopping with my partner and we stopped at Starbucks in Selfridges for a quick drink and snack for my partner, and I insisted that he did not get me anything - I just wanted water as we would be having lunch in a few hours, well, he came back with two plates of cakes; the cake he purchased for me was a "low fat carrot and orange cake" - which was only 200 cals per slice and I must say it was delicious! However, most of all, it was just lovely doing something normal, like stopping for a drink and slice of cake whilst out shopping - it was all so very civilised... :)

Sunday is my weigh day and as of this morning, I have lost another 3 pounds this week. Since the increase in cals, the pounds have been melting off me...

You've taken off so much weight - many congratulations, you must be thrilled with the new you! I know what you mean about going out and just enjoying being 'normal.' It's lovely to just sit there and feel like you can enjoy the food without feeling like you're concealing some horrible secret or addiction.

Doesn't the increase in calories really make a difference?! I think it must be doubly important for you as you're so active and your body has worked so hard to lose all the weight - giving it that little reward of a few extra calories seems to have worked. I guess it's like the old 'you've got to spend money to make money,' except it's 'you've got to consume calories to burn calories!' You could probably take on another couple of hundred, to be honest, but as you near maintenance you'll no doubt be doing that.

Just imagine what it's going to be like eating 1800 cals a day (maybe more!). Total digestive luxury, eh? :p
 
Well I'm going to put all this into practice tonight as I'm going to a friends birthday bbq and I'm going to have a little bit more than I would've done a few months ago. I'll still be sensible but maybe have a bit of mayo with my salad (shock horror) and not worry about having a bit of crispy chicken skin! I'm going to have a light lunch though - just soup and fruit. Well I've only just weighed in today so have a whole week to see if it'll do any damage!?

If it does, I'll eat my favourite pair of shoes! With Helman's extra light, naturally. ;)

Seriously, won't do you a bit of harm. If anything, a little influx of unexpected calories should give your metabolism something to work with and gear it up a bit. Besides, it wasn't a bit of chicken skin and a dressed salad that caused the problems in the first place, was it? Sometimes it's easy to forget just how the old you ate, and the kind of foods and behaviour that caused the weight gain. Can be fun to reminisce and do a little comparing/contrasting, though! When I find myself getting nervous about ordering a portion of apple pie for pud in a restaurant, I have to stop and give myself a mental shake and a good talking-to. 'Iris, you used to eat 3 multipacks of Snickers a day. A slice of pie isn't the enemy, woman!'
 
Thanks for the encouragement iris. you truly are a jem.. Having a plan and being in the right mindset for me is the only way that I will reach my goal and maintain it... These forums are so motivation..
 
Back
Top