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

[AlyB]

Hello Laura and Nic,
Thanks for the welcome!
I wont be a stranger over here thats for sure! think I will need all the help I can get!!
Just waiting for 'official' WI, snowed in at the mo, then want to get a few lb's under goal as im aware i'll put on initially...
Nic, i think i need to do some exercise, but not really sure where to start! any tips?

 

[NIC68]

Hi Aly! Nice to meet you! Tips on exercise ummmm......... This is quite a difficult one really as it's such a personal thing isn't it. What one person likes the other doesn't! This is what I do anyway:

Monday - 1 hr badminton, 1hr swimming after work then go to pub lol as its my day off on a Tuesday!

Tuesday - 2/3 hour 10-12 mile hill walk with dogs and sis.

Wednesday - 1hr aerobics, 1hr body pump (cardio with weights)

This I do every week and sometimes go for a 3 mile run or do spinning class too - it's all time dependant as I work 3 nights as well as a full time 5 day a week job!

I worked up to this though Aly as 6 months ago I did NO exercise at all although when I was slim I was very fit and underneath all the fat my muscle tone was still pretty good! Luckily my fitness levels increased pretty quickly.

 

[AlyB]

OMG!!!
how do you ever get the time for all that!!!

im still at uni, and had considered the gym there, but i joined once before and only went a few times! I have a dog, and have been trying to walk her more, but need some toning i think.. im not really into running, although ive never tried it without a massive wobbly bum! so it might be ok!!

maybe i'll just try and get more active and get a toning DVD or something... I have a wii, and heard wii fit is good??? any ideas there???

thanks for your help!! are you going to do a diary on maintainers board?? i will soon, but not just yet...

 

[Laura Croft]

Aly - DVDs are good. I have a few by The Firm which are pretty full on. If there is a PT at the gym, ask them for a workout with free weights then you can do the work outs at home too.

Nic - I've only been at goal for a few months. I had a bit of a slip before Christmas but it wasn't massive and though I did hit the panic button at the time, I got myself back on track pretty quickly. It is only early days for me too but what is working:

1. Understanding just because I want to eat doesn't mean I have to.
2. Aiming to feel neutral and not full
3. Using the scales as a guide but not the be all and end all. I know they'll fluctuate
4. Continuing to count calories just to monitor, not as a means of diet. Even though I'm pretty good with my estimates, there's been a few days where I was wildly out (sometimes over sometimes under) so this is good for me.
5. Exercise - I like a cross between weights and cardio.
6. When I was above goal, I didn't go back on packs to lose the weight. I've never done any diets like this before and felt I could easily start wanting to go back on packs just to lose some weight. I needed to learn to maintain my weight on my own and in the end, I dropped my calories by about 100 a day for a few weeks and hit target. I needed to remember what weight loss was like on a normal diet - hard when I'm not the most patient person in the world anyhow.
7. Putting a value on what I'd done - made it less likely I'd throw all the work away

Btw, what was 'the dress?' You are one hard working lady. Do you ever sleep? Actually now that I mention it, having a good night's sleep helps too

Perfection - hmm don't aim for it myself, honestly. I like excellence but after a lot of banging my head against brick walls, I've realised that the words 'good enough' do actually exist. I still have high standards for myself but I'm much more chilled out than I used to be and I have to say my life is much more relaxed as a result. Trying to achieve perfection and have a healthy self-esteem (not just self-confidence) did not go well for me.

 

[Porgeous]

Hi Nic and Alys, welcome on board great to have you and well done with your weight loss!

Nic - in answer to your question, yes I still feel overweight. I still look at my body and feel there's bits here and there that could be got rid of. But I am also conscious that being the slimmest we can be isn't always the best option both in terms of maintaining but also in terms of how we look and feel. It is all about finding a place where we feel good, look healthy and more importantly are able to find a balance with food that means we can enjoy life. It sounds so simple!!

Alys - I think in the early days of maintenance you should go with whatever works best for you! Coming off the packs gradually is a sensible option and if it make you feel more in control that can only be a positive thing. From a personal point of view I would urge caution about using WW long term to maintain. I only say this because you can run the risk of feeling like you are on a continual diet which can be counter productive. The key for me was feeling able to enjoy all foods, some healthy, some not so much but no restrictions like, low fat, high fibre, GI etc etc just the old cliche of everything in moderation.

xx

 

[NIC68]

OMG!!!
how do you ever get the time for all that!!

!

Lol! I know it sounds a lot doesn't it but I find as long as I go straight after work, I'm done by 7 and the night's my own and I feel so good afterwards! The walk with my sis gives us a really good chance to catch up and the time flies by. As for running, it's not the easiest thing in the world and to be honest half kills me but 3 miles only takes half an hour and is free unlike the gym!! Living in the country though I'm not into dvds I'd rather get outside! I have friends who swear by them though.

Nic - in answer to your question, yes I still feel overweight. I still look at my body and feel there's bits here and there that could be got rid of. But I am also conscious that being the slimmest we can be isn't always the best option both in terms of maintaining but also in terms of how we look and feel. It is all about finding a place where we feel good, look healthy and more importantly are able to find a balance with food that means we can enjoy life. It sounds so simple!!

Ha, simple it's not! You look fab by the way and were such an inspiration to me when I first started, so thank you. I've decided to aim for 8st 7lbs and see how I feel then. Hopefully this should only take a few weeks or so - I'll weigh on Monday and take it from there.

Btw, what was 'the dress?' You are one hard working lady. Do you ever sleep? Actually now that I mention it, having a good night's sleep helps too

I always get a good nights sleep Laura - I'm usually pooped!
The dress is one I bought month's before a wedding I was going to in September that at the time wouldn't go over my bust!! I was absolutely determined to get into it and did! (Be it at the 11th hour - it was still too tight 3 weeks before!) There's a pic in my albums of me in it standing in front of a red door. I was 9st 4 or 5 then so am a bit lighter now.

As for calorie counting this is how I lost weight in the first place so am pretty clued up on them - scarily so! I think I should stop being so hard on myself and take a leaf out of your book and settle for 'good enough' too sometimes.

 

[Laura Croft]

!

I always get a good nights sleep Laura - I'm usually pooped!
The dress is one I bought month's before a wedding I was going to in September that at the time wouldn't go over my bust!! I was absolutely determined to get into it and did! (Be it at the 11th hour - it was still too tight 3 weeks before!) There's a pic in my albums of me in it standing in front of a red door. I was 9st 4 or 5 then so am a bit lighter now.

As for calorie counting this is how I lost weight in the first place so am pretty clued up on them - scarily so! I think I should stop being so hard on myself and take a leaf out of your book and settle for 'good enough' too sometimes.

Yay to good enough. I seem to have become a bit of a parrot to quotes from when I was in OA at the moment. One of my sponsors used to make me look in the mirror and say 'I am enough, I have enough, I do enough.' I hated saying it but honestly, it did help.

I'm sure you sleep very well. I guess what I meant is making sure I have enough sleep .

I can't see that pic. Have you got some photos on 'friends only' setting? Btw I have no photos in my album.

 

[AlyB]

Big thanks to you all for your input!

Charlie, I hear what youre saying about maintaining with WW, and it feel like being on a constant diet, maybe it wont be forever, but certainly for the forseable future (at least a few YEARS!!) i feel i need the strict confines and control. Ive been 'on a diet' since I was about 14, im now 40, so its kind of a way of life for me anyway! and thats probably another reason i dont trust myself yet! Ive lost and put weight on all my life, but this time im determined never to pile it all on again! enough really is enough!!

Nic, im about the same height as you, how come you still want to loose weight?? I know everyones individual on this, I recon I would look ill if i went below 9st.. have you been that low before? just curious!!

Im thinking i'll be happy to fluctuate between 9st and 9st7lb, my ww gold card says 9st7lb, and according to their rules I can be 5lb either side of that..

 

[KD]

I get ya with the WW thing. Of course, I couldn't recommend it. I'm a CDC

But, when I got to goal, and long after, I wasn't a CDC but didn't want to do it the WW way even though I was very familiar with it (and SW :sigh:..oh and Atkins:sigh: oh and the cabbage soup diet :sigh: oh and every other diet :sigh, mainly because they usually tweak in some way to make it suitable for dieters. Most of these diets suggest high points/syns etc for foods with fats, even healthy fats. It's the way we are in the UK and it's about 1/6 to 1/3 of what is considered a healthy fat level for most people.

Calories on the hand are the true measurement. You can overeat on free foods and they count at all, but of course, it all adds up. Doing a very low fat diet sort of allows for this by keep the fats low, but personally I didn't wanted to get closer to 'normal' levels IYKWIM.

But, you have to do what you feel you can do, just my personal opinion.

 

[AlyB]

Thanks for your input KD

I just dont want to blow it this time, and need to feel in control. I know WW so well, i can judge how many points are in most things without looking it up, and im hoping that eventually i'll just know how much should be on my plate, and mentally tot up the points or cals without having to write it down or consciously think about it too much. I know its restrictive, but feel its what i can cope with and need for the time being!

My CDC is great, and has said i can WI with her, but i just dont trust myself yet with a free reign around food. Its a scary thought! and its where ive gone so very wrong over the years. Im so determined to learn this time and not make the same mistakes again!!

I am concerned mostly about adding in carbs, but intend to do everything very gradually!! I just hope I dont put on too much in the process, hense wanting to be about 5lb under goal to start with..

Thanks again for everyones help, I really appreciate it!

 

[NIC68]

Laura - you should be able to see it in my profile albums under my avatar. There's just the one called 'before and during' I look a lot different I can tell you! If you still can't see them I'll have to ask an administrator for help!

Aly - Up until 7 years ago I was very slim (I'm small boned, size 2.5 feet, wrists like twigs etc!) In my teens I was around 8 stone, in my mid twenties between 7 and 8 stone and in my early thirties nearer to 9 stone! So even though it's fluctuated its always been in the healthy range (although 7 stone was too low but this was just after my divorce and didn't last long) It wasn't until a nasty relationship break up that I really piled the pounds on through depression and a shattered self confidence. This became a vicious circle of unhappiness and overeating as way of comfort, then feeling bad about it so eating some more! Something I've found many minimins members can relate to.
Soooo I think 8st 7lb would be a good for me - I was 8st 8lbs just before Christmas and felt good.

 

[AlyB]

Hi Nic,
you really are tiny! 2.5 feet! at least you can get kids shoes eh! im size 5, thought that was small!!
Ive always been on the chunky side, was always the fat kid at school etc!
know what you mean about relationship break ups, its doom diet wise, comfort eating and shattered confidence is what happened to me. Thats one of the reasons i never want to pile the lbs on ever again! its associated with bad times, and thats not me any more!
Your weight losses are fabulous! you look so different!

 

[NIC68]

Thanks hun, you'll have to get some pics up too! When I get a good one of me all dressed up in my finery I'll do a proper 'before and after' in my signature.

 

[NIC68]

Just realised my dress pictures aren't in my profile album but if you go to all threads started by me it's the one titled 'the dress'!

 

[Laura Croft]

Oh my gosh. You look absolutely amazing. Did you find some people didn't recognise you? Well done!

 

[Laura Croft]

Okay here's a question for both of you. Has there been anything you thought would be different when you'd lost weight that hasn't changed? Is there anything that surprises you?

 

[NIC68]

Good question Laura! Sorry for the late reply but my computer's bust at home so have to wait and use the one at work

For me personally I thought I'd have more body confidence but I think I'm more critical than ever! When I was heavier I never looked at myself too closely as I knew I was fat and that was it! But now I'm constantly scrutinising myself from all angles. I think this also comes from other people constantly staring at me too. They really LOOK now where as before I was just glanced over. Women especially try and find flaws - probably jealousy I know but it makes me feel uncomfortable.
Thank you for your kind comments too - I felt a million dollars that day!

 

[NIC68]

BTW I weighed in this morning at 8.13 so under 9 but still going to aim for 7 pounds off but I'm not too bothered if it comes off very slowly!

 

[AlyB]

ahh good question Laura..

I was surprised when chatting to OH yesterday, he said he never minded me being overweight and loved me regardless.. he doesnt think im any different, just healthier.. and thinner of course! I found myself getting annoyed with him, i suppose i expected him to love me 'more', but he says he loved me anyway!! I guess thats 1 thing i thought would change, and it hasnt!!

Like Nic, I thought I would be less critical of my new body, but im not! more so in fact! I feel my 'baby battle scarred' tummy looks worse than it did before! I suppose the focus has shifted from the fat to the muscles not being toned etc..

I am surprised and irritated by some peoples reactions to me now. Its so obvious ive lost a load of weight, but some people just stare, or even make comments about piling it all back on etc.. some say negative comments that arent even true like 'oohhhh youre hairs got thinner'!! it hasnt, but they just have to make some negative comment! I try not to let it get to me or make me paranoid, and know its their problem not mine, but it still surprises me!

Having said all that, the positive things far outweigh anything else! Theres sooo much im happy about!!

and well done Nic on getting below 9st!! fantastic!

 

[Laura Croft]

I'd never realised how big my nose was. In actual fact, it's not huge but it's much more prominent naturally now that I've lost weight. I'm still not sure what to make of it and though people do tell me it looks fine, I'm not so convinced. It's a bit like when you've painted a room, or in this case remodelled it and decided the sofa isn't right after all.

I relate to you both about how saying people stare - they really do. I've been out a few times and I remember my mum once saying that if someone like nice, women will often look her and up and down. I had no idea what she was talking about because it'd never happened to me. Now I realise they do.

I'm more body confident now. I love the fact I'm not hiding inside a huge coat.