Ask the Readers: Best Weight Maintenance Tip

The best advice I can give is to eat "normally" while you're losing the weight so that maintenance is nothing more than a continuation of that process.

Keep in mind that
1) You must eat in order to lose, and
2) the more you can eat while losing weight, the more you'll be able to eat when you reach your goal.

...

Understand why you over ate in the first place - stress, boredom, low-self esteem, etc. It is an absolute must that you find other coping mechanisms for dealing with these issues. Unfortunately, these things do not go away once you loose the weight.

For me, the keys have been:

Keeping sugar reduced
Minimizing processed food
Keep portion sizes reasonable
Cover 2/3's of my plate with fruits and/or veggies
exercise

Brian

My key has been sloooow weight loss. I lost 15-20 pounds (not sure exactly, since I stopped weighing myself more than once a month or so), but it took me over a year. It's absolutely been a lifestyle change: smaller portions, awareness of hidden traps, excercise FOR ITS OWN SAKE. I realize that I'm not sure at this point whether I'm in a "maintenance" phase or a "loss" phase because I try not to think of it that way. I started stressing a bit less and adding more healthy snacks as I get hungry throughout the day, and instead of dropping to maintenance, I seem to be losing more (albeit very slowly).

So, yes, patience, excercise, portions and a complete non-diet mentality. I'm not worried anymore about being one of the [insert dubious statistic here] percent of people who gains back after dieting, because I never went on a diet. It was hard to be patient and probably harder for people who have more to lose, but I also was starting from fairly healthy habits, so the changes I made weren't all that drastic. Easier to make, yes, but the easy tricks like eating healthier snacks or drinking less soda weren't there to be made.

Lose Weight With Me said:
Keeping sugar reduced Minimizing processed food Keep portion sizes reasonable Cover 2/3's of my plate with fruits and/or veggies exercise

* Make exercise a priority
* Eat foods in a natural state
* Keep a food journal
* Watch your sugar intake

It's calories in calories out.

The key for me was not trying any diet. Those are meant to be temporary by their very nature. Instead, I gradually changed my lifestyle to be more healthy.

1. Started eating breakfast
2. Split my meals into four portions through the day instead of one big lunch.
3. Eliminated sodas and other non water liquids.
4. Eliminated a lot of my snacking between meals.
5. Became vegetarian.
6. Started exercising 4 times a week
7. Became more physically active in my day to day life.

Kitty said:
The best advice I can give is to eat "normally" while you're losing the weight so that maintenance is nothing more than a continuation of that process.[...]

I'm in complete agreement with Kitty. That's the way to do it, at least in my opinion.

I became vegetarian about a year ago.

I also started excersizing not for the sake of burning calories but to feel good about myself - I love how proud I am of myself afterwards. Feeling good makes it so much easier to stay on track. It is when I'm feeling crappy that I am more likely to eat large amounts of junk. The calories burnt are like the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae - the one I have the power to say, "No thanks," to most of the time. :)

It took me almost 3 years to lose 90+ pounds with Weight Watchers. What I benefit from most are the tools (journaling, support, and accountability) that I gained from WW. Personally, I think the most important things are:

- journal
- have a support system
- use flexible restraint
- think about what you eat and really enjoy it
- and most importantly find an exercise you really enjoy

I think the easiest way to maintain is to try and make maintenance as enjoyable as you can, while continuing to meet your dietary health needs and physical activity needs. Find ways to enjoy your new maintenance lifestyle. It's practically impossible to stick to a rigid program that you don't enjoy. Maintenance is about living your life to your utmost enjoyment in the healthiest way possible.

Hmm...good question. I've been asked this so many times. To be perfectly honest, my diet is so-so, and I work out off and on--although it's been pretty regularly lately. When I first started losing weight I worked out A LOT. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm not eating nearly as much as I used to. I used to eat everything in front of me, or at least until I was stuffed. I'd order supersize meals. Lots of fast food. I still eat fast food sometimes, just less of it (and minus the fries). I rarely drink soda. From the looks of my lifestyle (and the fact that I'm now in my 30's), one would probably think I shouldn't be having such an easy time. I've actually lost 20 pounds in the last couple of years without trying, and I'm at the point where it wouldn't be healthy to lose much more. So there it is. LOL. Wish I could be of more help.

Keep a food diary and weigh in daily. Eat healthy and accept the fact that I will always yoyo within the same 5 pounds because it's natural but if I go those 5 pounds it's time to reign back a little.

I've been maintaining a close to 90 lb loss for about 6 years now and I think for me the main things leading to success were:
1) Completely changed my eating habits for LIFE, not just "while I'm on a diet"
2) Fill up on fruits/veggies, not chips/cookies, etc.
3) No caloric beverages (except milk and light beer)
4) Eat oatmeal for breakfast (I swear, it keeps you full all morning)
5) Chew gum when I'm bored so I'm not tempted to eat
6) Have a lot of activities to do when I'm bored so I don't feel the need to eat
7) Exercise!!!!

Good for you, Spectra! Those are exactly my "secrets" too! :) I also have to add keeping a food/calorie/exercise diary is necessary for me. If I'm not keeping track, I have a tendency to vastly underestimate. I need the diary to keep me accountable - and honest - with myself.

* Weigh regularly.
* Eat consistent meals. Beware of snacking and don't ever skip meals.
* Get plenty of enjoyable exercise.
* Stay aware of how your emotional state affects your eating habits. This has been the hardest for me, it's so hard not to slip into emotional eating whenever I get stressed out or exhausted.

Though eliminating junk and reducing refined carb intake are both essential for health, portion control is ultimately the most important thing. If you eat more calories than your body burns you can bet dollars to donuts you will not lose weight.

One thing that has worked for me - I've lost 43 pounds in the past 12 months, with 50 left to go - is to lose fairly small amounts at a time with rest periods in between. I will set a goal of 10 pounds or so and lose it by limiting portions (I always eat healthfully, but when I'm losing I eat less to create a calorie deficit). Once I reach that goal, I'll work to maintain it for several weeks before beginning the next phase - another 10 pounds. Sometimes I will waver 2-3 pounds around a certain goal weight, but once it stabilizes I'm ready to begin again. During the past year, doing it this way, I have not regained more than those 3 pounds at any one time, so I've just consistently gone down, but slowly like I should. It's working great, but it's not an overnight fix. (As if it should ever be!)

I enjoy a very structured schedule consisting of

*limited calorie intake (between 2000-2250 calories a day)
*At least one serving of every food group with every meal (usually two serving of vegetables)
*limited consumption of processed food (I only eat things that still look like what they are. e.g. if you can't tell what something is by looking at it,don't eat it)
*Drink plenty of water (usually 1 and a half gallons per day)
*Daily exercise (40 minutes of jogging)

This is my routine (except for the number of calories) that I used to LOSE most of the weight (125lbs.).But I haven't been maintaining for very long.

I understand that some people can't stay on such a strict routine,but this is what works for me and I hope it will help.

Dont let yourself get hungry, always snack. if your appetite is under control, you wont over eat. I think the only time i really lose the plot with food is when i go to yum-cha. :)

I normally have a piece of fruit at breakfast (9am) then at around 11am i'll have some nuts or some bircher muesli and yogurt, lunch is around 1-130 a small serve of whatever i feel like, second lunch (3pm) is normally a med take-away container of mixed veg or a small fruit salad, dinner normally chicken or fish with vege (sometimes whatever i like, even pizza or KFC) then 1 small scoop of vanilla icecream with fresh strawberries/blue,black or raspberrys and a tbs of chocolate sauce, if i dont have any ice cream i'll have a lowfat hot chocolate or nice floral tea with honey and milk. I find that a small serve something sweet signals the end of my eating for the day. Its like the final meal and the one i enjoy the most, so i'm usually pretty happy to finish off like that.

i also walk alot (40mins to and from work, so 80mins all up) and i swim every second evening too, i dont feel guilty about what i eat when i'm active.

For me the key is to lose weight by adopting a lifestyle you can continue. That and exercise. I don't do masses of exercise, just a walk every day and dancing once a week, but it's enough.

The other thing that has helped me is learning new coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, and to deal with social pressure from other people wanting you to eat their fatty roast veges, cake and pavlova on Christmas Day and the like when the thought of all that lard makes you want to puke.

I've maintained a 90 pound loss for about four and a half years now. I agree with Talia's comments about learning new coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, and dealing with social pressure to eat.

The other tactics which have helped me are:
1) working out a balanced, calorie-controlled menu plan and sticking to it
2) discovering new foods and recipes so I don't get bored
3) avoiding sugar, refined carbohydrates and processed food
4) learning all I can about nutrition
5) eating four small meals plus a snack every day
6) throwing away my "fat" clothes and/or getting clothes taken in - I literally can't afford to gain any more than five pounds!
7) finding exercise I enjoy and organising my life around my workouts
8) discovering leisure activities I enjoy with my husband - like hiking, canoeing and rockclimbing - instead of sitting around on our butts
9) avoiding negative people
10) eating out as a rare treat, rather than a regular occurence

Gee - I didn't intend for this to be such a long list! I guess this shows that maintaining a substantial weight loss requires a complete overhaul of your life - and your attitudes.

Only 2 things have worked for me consistently (40 pounds kept off for 2 years now): 1) environment control--if you can't keep your hands off it, don't bring it into your house and pack your own lunch and snacks for work and do not bring money for vending machines. 2) daily exercise and get it out of the way early--I rise at 4:30am and workout for 70 minutes every day. If I waited to do it later I wouldn't do it, at least not consistently.

Ren said:
Dont let yourself get hungry, always snack. if your appetite is under control, you wont over eat. [...]

I think it's worth noting that some of us have very different strategies for maintaining.

For me, it is very important to let myself get hungry and to feel myself get full. If I eat when I'm not hungry, I lose track of how much I'm eating and how it feels to be satiated but not stuffed. If I am snacking regularly, I don't feel "full" until I've really eaten a whole lot of food. I don't let myself get starving or anything, and I often have an afternoon snack to fuel my workouts. But I do let myself experience genuine hunger, because it helps me get a better feel for when I've eaten enough vs. way too much.

But I totally understand that for other people hunger can be a problem that leads to overeating. Reading through this thread really brings home the point that each and every maintainer needs to find their own strategies. I know for me it was a lot of trial and error at first... after a year I still try a few new things, but I'm running into a lot less errors as I get the hang of what works for me.

Minimum consumption of complete/quality protein each day - for me that's 16-ounces over a day (96-100g minimum)and whatever other protein I want that may or may not be "complete"; Seven to ten servings of non-starchy vegetables and low GI fruits (60-120g/day depending on selections); whereever the fat intake falls (depending on selections) is fine by me, I don't restrict fat per se. Supplement with a basic multi-vitamin and fish oil. Normal activities and "sport" interests without formal exercise program that requires X-minutes or intensity per day.

Maintained 80+ pound weight loss since 2001.

The reason there are so many diets today is because different diets work for different people. People need to know that just because a certain diet worked for some else it may not work for them. The problem with people maintaining their weight loss is because once they lose the weight they stop doing it took to get it off. Weight loss requires life changes, in eating habits and disipline in workouts.

Like what a lot of people say: It needs to be a lifestyle change. If you change your life for good, you're going to keep with it. Not that I can speak from experience yet...I'm still just losing the weight.

I lost 100+ pounds over 3 1/2 years and have kept it off for about a year now.

For me, the key has been planning. Every Saturday morning, I peruse through my cookbooks and magazines and I plan my menu for the coming week...all 21 meals and however many snacks. Then, I create a grocery list from that menu and I buy nothing that is not on the list. That way, there are no trigger foods in my house or at work or in the car. If I want to have something that's not so healthy for me (and yes, sometimes I let myself have that chocolate bar!), then I have to make a special trip for it.

The second key has been forgiving myself for the times that I do make poor choices. I quit beating myself up and falling into the vicious cycle of eating to make myself feel better then feeling bad for eating, then eating more....You have to recognize that you are not perfect and are going to mess up. When you do, just analyze it and move on.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

I've only maintained a 40 lb. weight loss for 6 months so far, but for me the key is to give yourself small goals to improve your healthy eating habits. Are you getting the required amount of veg. and fruits per day? Then how about trying more organic produce?

We can all make strides to eat healthier, and attempt to consume in a way that puts less of a burden on our resources and our environment. There is always something to learn or investigate in finding out how we can lead a healthier life.

Well if you were losing 1 a week pound BEFORE maintenance just add 500 calories to your calorie intake per day when you were losing weight to maintain. And add 750 calorie if it was 1.5 pounds per a week and so on...