My questions about maintaing...with my own answers :D

[KD]

Thought I write down some things that come into my mind when I read maintaining diaries. Most of these questions have been things that have gone through my brain over time. Others are things I’ve read between the lines in diaries.
It’s not easy is it?

Nope. Okay, there are easy times, times when you think you can do this forever but there are times when it all seems overwhelming. There are also times when you couldn’t care less and just want to eat….lots!

I should be able to relax now?

No! Definitely not. Well, not for me anyway. That doesn’t mean you have to 100%, just that there is a price to be paid for everything. Being at goal doesn’t mean that you now have a passport for keeping your new weight. Relax, by all means, but you have to sort it out sooner rather than later.

I don’t want to diet again!

No…nor do I. Cutting down a little for a few days isn’t really dieting though. It’s what people do naturally. For us, it has to be a conscious effort, so it may feel like a diet. It’s not though, it’s just behaving normally.

Calorie counting is a diet!

No. I calorie count (not so much now…as I pretty much know what I’m doing). I calorie counted because I didn’t know how to eat normally. I didn’t know how to mend mistakes. I thought I knew, but I’ve learnt more since!

(Skip this in italics bit if rushed for time)
I tell my piano students that whenever they make a mistake on the piano, they have taught their brains to do it that way. They have given themselves an ‘x’ cell. When they do it right, they have grown a ‘y’ cell. Lots of mistakes gives them lots of ‘x’ cells.

So 5 times wrong gives them 5 x cells, once right and they have one b cell. When they come to play and don’t concentrate, which cell is the brain going to go for ‘x’ or ‘y’? There are so many x cells to chose from, the brain might happen to do find the y cell amongst it all, but the chances are, it will go for an ‘x’ as there are many more of them.

The same applies to maintenance. If you’ve spent many years doing it wrong, a few right things might just pop up without thinking, but you need to do the right thing most of the time, so that you get more ‘y’ cells.

 

[KD]

So when can I relax for more than a moment?

Not until you’ve really changed your way of eating. Until it’s a habit that comes naturally without thinking. We are talking about years here. I counted calories and weighed food for about a year. Now I only calorie count and weigh occasionally to check I’m still doing it right, but I still can’t really relax.

What about the GI diet, SW, WW to maintain?

Great. When you are just trying to maintain, you’re not dieting but learning a new way of eating. All these plans are fine, as long as your calorie amounts add up. Anything that allows free foods can be a problem. If you can cope with free food, that’s fine.


Most people who have had a weight problem for a while, might find this difficult. At the end of the day, it’s the calories that matter when it comes to maintaining.

What if I put on a few pounds?

That’s okay too. That’s normal. Even the skinniest person does that at times. For us though, we have to be aware, not panic, but cut down consciously for a while to remedy the situation. You have to refocus….and quickly!

But I just want to be normal. Please let me be normal Karion!

Hey! Don’t we all. Some people are more normal that others But for the most of us…dream on….being a normal weight does not mean you are normal. Physically yes…possibly, though leptin levels could make it harder for you compared to someone who hasn't had to lose weight. Psychologically, probably not. Not yet anyway.

Does this mean I can’t have any ‘bad’ foods at all…..EVER!!

I’m a great believer in having trigger food sometimes. I need to know how to control them. They are too nice to give up forever. Knowing your trigger foods is helpful. You can plan for them, and work out how you will deal with the demon. Bread was always my trigger food. Now I seem to be able to eat it without a problem. It’s taken time though, but I’m so glad I didn’t strike it off forever.

Since SSing, I have learnt so much. I know how to control my eating!! Can’t wait until I get to goal!

Huh. Dream on again buddy You may think you’ve learnt it all, but you’ve just scratched the surface. Sorry.

Whoops, I’ve put on a stone since I got to goal, should I SS again?

In my opinion nope (but I can say that cos I’m not a counsellor ) Apart from the fact that you shouldn’t do a VLCD under a certain weight, just think about having to do those plans again! Normal eating can usually sort this, or else 1500kcal .

I’m scared to get to goal now! Is it really worth it, and isn’t it going to be too hard?

Nothing to be scared about. It’s certainly worth it. Like a dream come true really. Keep your expectations realistic though. I decided that when I got up to the 1500 CD plan, I would continue to focus (be on a diet so to speak) for another year. At the end of that year, I realised that I needed at least another 4 years.

If I manage to maintain for 5 years, I think I’ll feel pretty confident that I’ve cracked it, but then I’ve had much longer than that with weight issues. 5 years of learning to do it right is nothing in comparison to all those years lost.

I hate you Karion!! I just want to get to goal and get on with my life!

Okay. You have the right to hate me Go to the back of the queue

 

[canireallydothis!!]

Thanks hun, I guess you do have all the answers tho

 

[KD]

No, not at all Just my answers to those questions of mine

 

[flirty40greeneyes]

That's brilliant Karion ..... well done for articulating what so many of us know so well, but choose to ignore or forget.

Thanks!

 

[Karen]

LOL

trying to depress me again?? wouldnt just walking all the way to the back of the queue help me to lose anything i might gain during maintenace?? ok, im lying!!

brilliant post!

good to remember that SSing is the easy bit, even if i dont wanna hear it right now :cry:

i tend to try to focus on the task in hand as i just KNOW introducing real food into my life again is going to be a far far bigger battle than losing 10 stones!! i have already promised myself that every article of clothing that i will own at my target weight will fit just right and i wont own anything elasticated so that if my brain goes into denial (it does this quite a lot)...then i can rely on my waistband remind me and to keep me on track. well thats the plan anyways

xxxx

 

[KD]

That's brilliant Karion ..... well done for articulating what so many of us know so well, but choose to ignore or forget.

Thanks!

It was the last statement that I articulated so well wasn't it

I was thinking about it all on my walk this morning and thought I really need to write it down for my own benefit as much as anyone elses.

I've done the wrong thing so many times. Have to get it right this time. So far...so good....phew

The most I've put on is 5lbs, that was once during my holiday and once for Xmas 2006. Each time I've lost it again during the next couple of weeks, so I'm getting there. I'm in for the long haul though. Must never get complacent.

 

[wannabeminime]

So refreshing to hear someone tell it like it REALLY is!!

 

[Karen]

people are always waiting for you to put any weight u lose back on, arent they?? i cant tell u how many times i have heard people smirkingly say that someone who is working their tail off to lose weight will fail no matter what. i hate that!! human nature is evil at times.

its brill that u r here to remind us that isnt the case always and show us how its done. 2 fingers firmly up to all those smug people who urge us to fail, eh??

 

[wannabeminime]

Whats your view on people who use the packs to maintain? ie 2 packs and a meal? It works, but is it the way to go, long term??

 

[KD]

Ouch Bex. That's a difficult one for me, but only because I'm dead jealous of people that have them handy Okay, not exactly true as I don't have a jealous streak in my body. I do think it makes the process a tad easier though....but anyway.

My honest views: I can't see anything wrong in it at all. It's packed full of vitamins etc, it keeps you going, and each pack is very low calorie compared to other bars or if you tried to make a healthy meal with equal sustaining power.

Perhaps a good alternative if you've had a bad day. Ideally, we would just eat normal healthy natural foods, but sometimes things don't go that way do they.

Expensive to do regularly though. Not expensive when you are replacing dinner, but lunch and breakfast it would work out costly.

Otherwise, can't see any problem with it and if I had easy access to them, would probably use them myself when the going got tough....but not regularly.

 

[wannabeminime]

Ouch Bex. That's a difficult one for me, but only because I'm dead jealous of people that have them handy Okay, not exactly true as I don't have a jealous streak in my body. I do think it makes the process a tad easier though....but anyway.

My honest views: I can't see anything wrong in it at all. It's packed full of vitamins etc, it keeps you going, and each pack is very low calorie compared to other bars or if you tried to make a healthy meal with equal sustaining power.

Perhaps a good alternative if you've had a bad day. Ideally, we would just eat normal healthy natural foods, but sometimes things don't go that way do they.

Expensive to do regularly though. Not expensive when you are replacing dinner, but lunch and breakfast it would work out costly.

Otherwise, can't see any problem with it and if I had easy access to them, would probably use them myself when the going got tough....but not regularly.

Thanks for that. I know i have a long way to go, but i would like to think i could follow a healthy eating plan to maintain. However, in reality i know i will sometimes need the packs to fall back on. I am not as strong as the maintainers on here, you, MD and Dizzy, i like junk too much.

 

[KD]

TI am not as strong as the maintainers on here, you, MD and Dizzy, i like junk too much.

You must be kidding me!! Can't stop, but more on that later

 

[MadamDotty]

Hi Karion

That's a brilliant post, so many things that we need to remember and take into account. I did the first few months of maintenance and thought it was easy and that I had it licked - WRONG!! It's not and I haven't but it took that long to get back into eating if you know what I mean, after working my way up through the steps, I was still very wary of food and avoided all the "naughties" But as time went on, and I relaxed more and started eating more of the things I used to like - e.g. chocolate & pastries, of course my weight started to go up. So far I've just about kept it under control but I'm still half a stone over my goal weight and I really would like to be down there again.

I've also only recently accepted that I do have to count calories, I do have to be aware of what and how much goes into my mouth everyday, again I just assumed that eating healthily would be fine, but healthy food has cals too of course and eat too many and you'll put on weight - simple really, you think I'd have known that!

Bex - I still use packs occassionally (having access to them of course) not all the time, but when I really need to cut back then I'll have one or two a day and stick to around 1200 cals, I don't think I need to go lower than that, plus I shouldn't because my of my BMI. Also if I want soup for lunch I'll usually have a CD soup, and whilst I try to avoid chocolate (still a trigger food for me - but only just worked that one out too!) I'll have a bar.

I'm glad I give the impression that I'm strong when it comes to maintaining, but I'm afraid it ain't so, it's all a front I try, and on the whole don't do too badly - but it is a battle everyday and I think, like Karion put a whole lot better, it will be a long time before I feel I've won the war!

 

[KD]

i tend to try to focus on the task in hand as i just KNOW introducing real food into my life again is going to be a far far bigger battle than losing 10 stones!!

Not necessarily...it's just that it goes on...and on...and on....there isn't such an obvious goal (except to stay the same weight that is). You don't get the joys of seeing the scales go down, or having those positive comments from people. You are very much on your own, and talk about it bores people

It's also easier to fall off in many ways. Having lost a lot of weight can give you a false sense of control and power....an overconfidence in yourself.

Before you know it, you've slipped too far and a diet is needed again.

 

[KD]

but healthy food has cals too of course and eat too many and you'll put on weight - simple really, you think I'd have known that!

I think you've always known that, but it's easy to believe it doesn't apply to us. Okay...we know it does, but somehow, on the surface we can feel invincible, especially if you are overeating the healthy stuff. You feel like you're doing soooo much better this time not indulging in the bad stuff.

You know too much of the healthy stuff can make you gain too, but you really don't want to think about that, so tuck it away and hope that the scales will just congratulate you on the quality of your food.

I'll have one or two a day and stick to around 1200 cals, I don't think I need to go lower than that, plus I shouldn't because my of my BMI.

1200 should be fine. I cut down to 1500 and increased exercise after my holiday and Christmas. Just reduced my portion sizes of everything 40g of porridge became 30g of porridge etc.

 

[Isobel1965]

Great thread, KD!!! Wish you'd written this 6 months ago!!!

xxxxx

 

[MadamDotty]

1200 should be fine. I cut down to 1500 and increased exercise after my holiday and Christmas. Just reduced my portion sizes of everything 40g of porridge became 30g of porridge etc.

At the moment I'm following Fitbug's guide and eating 1400 cals, although most days it ends up nearer the 1500 but I've started exercising, which will help and I'm happy to lose these last few pounds slowly. I only tend to go down to 1200 and have the shakes when it creeps up a bit more, heavy weekend or something like that.

 

[KD]

MD, if you're anything like me, motivation tends to be a short term thing. What you've done is recognised that what was working, isn't doing it for you any more.

You've then found something new to get you going again.

I think that's the key. Adapt, change, work out new strategies before it's too late.

 

[MadamDotty]

Hope so Karion.

As you've already pointed out, this maintenance lark is an ongoing learning curve as for most of us it's brand new territory.