This is a club for people in maintenance that have to get out of the mindset of striving for weight loss and look in a similar way to the task of staying in zone.

Somewhere where others will cheer you on for staying the same weight week on week - and where people can understand the concerns that you may have about drifting back up or indeed continuing to drift downwards...

Hi! This is a great idea, Omega!
I am currently trying to maintain my recent loss of 40 pounds. My target weight zone is between 118-122. I don't want to get above this, so I am currently weighing twice a week to check myself. My weight right now is actually below my range...mostly due to getting back to my job in an elementary school and the stress that comes with that; plus being very busy. Also, while at school, I don't have the easy availability for snacking like I do at home!

Anyway, hope we have several others who could benefit from this club. I could certainly use the support, and would like the chance to help others that are in the same boat.
Di

Hi Di

I'm pleased that you like the idea. It is great to have you with me. It is easy to feel isolated in maintenance - despite the fact that almost everyone on the forum hopes to get there eventually...

Cate has left me a note in my diary to say that she will be joining soon as she has drifted outside her zone.

Congratulations on your weight loss. You are doing amazingly well if you are managing to hold within a two pound each way zone. I could never manage that. I seem to be constantly testing the limits of a 3 pound each way zone...

Weight Watchers expect their members that have got to goal to stay within a 5 pound each way zone to retain their free membership rights. Slimming World which are their main competitor in the UK expect their members to stay within 3 pounds of their target.

I have continued to weigh every day - but after 2.5 years on project know that I suffer from water retention through the month so only update my ticker every couple of weeks. I get depressed if I see my ticker head further away when I know that I have been good.

My weight today was 9st2.6 (i.e. 128.6) so that is 2.6 pounds over goal but still in my zone (just...).

Are you planning on adjusting anything to bring your weight back into range?

Margaret

I weighed 116.2 yesterday AM, so a couple below range. I don't really think I need to change what I am doing, unless my weight keeps dropping...which I don't think will happen! I really just think it is the combo of stress/busyness that has made me lose more weight. I feel like I am eating plenty, although I have gotten quite lax in counting calories. So, if I do lose more, that will be the first thing I try...counting calories to see if I am getting enough to eat. I feel like I am eating gobs!

Stress is never good for you - so try to keep it to a minimum...

It is great that you feel like you are eating tons. Probably a good idea to count calories if you keep going down.

I am not counting calories at the minute either. I was running a challenge in July and August and it kind of meant that I had to count everything. I tend to eat a pretty repetitive diet so tend to hit my targets and be in my happy range almost every day anyway. The only problem is when I eat out on special occasions and I dont have too many of those...

It is quite liberating to not count anything for a few weeks...

Hey everyone. I just thought I'd drop in and say hi (and add this thread to my subscriptions).

Hope you're all doing well!

Thanks Kara - you'll be maintaining yourself again really soon.

I am doing fine. I weighed in today at 9st2.2 so that is 2.2 pounds above goal. That's within my zone so I am ok with that. I have given up messing around with my ticker too often - I just update it every couple of weeks - otherwise the water weight drives you nuts!!!

Generally I am having a good day today too - so that all helps.

Hi everyone,
Having a calmer day today at school...but tomorrow will be bad again

We are having a catered mexican lunch today here for faculty...so I hope I can behave myself and just have a little of everything! THen, I will take a nice long walk when I get home!

Have a great day, everyone!
Di

It is good that you had a calmer day. I hope that yesterday went better than expected.

Yesterday was good as far as exercise went. I ended up eating a little more healthy food than I had planned - but I dont think enough to do me any harm.

I am having a busy day today. We have a 300 mile journey tonight (going up to Newcastle to see my parents). I should be able to do my normal exercise and eat fairly normally. Often the only thing that suffers is that I have difficulty drinking my normal allocation of water. Rod grumbles if I want too many toilet breaks on the journey.

Cate has said that she will be joining us the minute she gets back into zone. She is 100% back on her main plan (Cohens) and has dropped 2kg already this week. She only has another 2kg to go and she will be there. She is always a major inspiration to the other Cohens folk and is kicking butt big time with great food control and exercise levels. It will be wonderful having her with us.

Omega...I know just what you mean! When we are traveling by car, I really have to limit my intake of water also...otherwise we would be stopping every 30 miles or so for bathroom breaks! I also have to watch it somewhat at my job in school...because when I have students in the library, I can't just leave them whenever I feel the urge! So, it is very hard to get all my water in most days...unless I am at home.

Today was a weigh-in day for me:116.8. Still just below target zone...that is better than above...for sure!!

Have a great day!
Di

I weighed 115.4 at my morning weigh in today. I really have been eating tons! I don't know why I lost again. Hubby thinks I am working out too much and too often. I don't know...what about you others that are maintaining? How often do you work out, and what kind of work outs are you doing?

I will be cleaning house today, so will skip my treadmill workout and see how I feel tomorrow. I just still have this fear that I am going to start packing on the pounds if I don't burn lots of calories! Silly, I know...but hard to break! Plus, I DO feel better when I exercise...less sluggish and more energetic!

How's everyone else doing?
Di

It is great that your weight is not moving upwards - but it is probably time for you to mess things about to try to increase the calories or reduce the exercise if you really want to.

If you are happy doing the exercise though - I would be inclined to keep it in and increase the calories. Look at maybe the protein and healthy fats side of things. They can add quite a few calories - but bring benefits too. Check and see how grams you are getting. You may not be getting optimum levels for good health and want to improve that side of things.

For protein - the minimum we should be aiming for is 1g for every 2 pounds of body weight - and people who exercise regularly are advised to be getting nearer 1g for every pound of goal body weight. Lots of people dont hit this target - and it is a great use of calories.

Also be sure that you are getting 1000mg calcium and 25g fibre as a minimum.

As far as my exercise goes - it is best to not try to compare yourself with me. My hormones mean that my body wants to be permanently increasing my weight and I have a bit of a battle on my hands to try to keep things right. I have reduced my daily exercise walk down to 6.5 miles per day in maintenance. In addition I do various exercise classes during the week (e.g. aerobics, resistance exercises, pilates, dancing, and I have just started nordic walking). I suggest that you check the exercise thread to see what is advised there as I am sure that you will not need to do what I do - although exercise is definitely a big positive for us all.

Kara may pop in with a suggestion from her year in maintenance - and I am expecting Cate to be with us any day (the weight is falling off her since she went back on Cohen's main plan).

I have just got back from a weekend away in Newcastle visiting friends and family. We ate out last night and while my food was as good as I could order at an Indian restaurant - it was far from what I should ever eat... I had no starter or dessert or alcohol. Diet coke with the meal. It was plain boiled rice and tandoori chicken with undressed salad. I havent had rice in such a long time and I did leave some. I know that my weight will be sky high and I feel big.... I am not weighing myself today and I am just hoping that the damage will be not too severe... I suspect that I will be outside my zone (although I was in zone yesterday). Eating out is so difficult - especially at restaurants when you cannot make sure that people understand not to use salt in cooking etc. It is difficult to make too much of a fuss too when you look the thinnest person there...

This would be my advice.

I know that for me, cutting back on my exercising is not really an option - didn't when I was maintaining and I am pretty sure I won't in the future. I tend to suffer from minor bouts of depression and when I exercise I feel better mentally. I would rather keep up my levels of exercise and eat more, than cut back on working out. (Also I know me - momentum is everything and if I cut back on exercise that's a slippery slope to cutting back to the point that I'm not doing it anymore.)

When I was maintaining, I was steadily working out 4 times a week at a minimum - weights and ss-cardio. Plus I'd throw in a class at the gym now and then, or go hiking on the weekend, or whatever.

Can you maybe add one or two high calorie items to your menu once a week or so. This is the perfect time to allow yourself a bowl of ice cream on Friday night or maybe a hamburger and fries one night a week. Or if you're eating low fat dairy, maybe move up to 2% or even whole fat for some things (I personally love full fat cottage cheese). A glass of whole milk at night before bed would be some healthy extra calories.

Other than that, I do agree it's really hard to get into the mindset that it's ok to eat more or eat things that you wouldn't have while you were losing weight.

Omega and Kara,
Thanks for the suggestions. I really don't want to tone down the exercise much, because it makes me feel so much better. I am going to try to add some protein to my diet. I have been lax about counting my calories...so starting today, it's back to fitday and recording...can't hurt!

Well, it's Monday and back to school. Hope you all have a great day!
Di

I hope that all who look in are having a good Monday.

I got onto the scales today (after my weekend away and meal in a restaurant on Saturday) and am once again floating out of the top of my zone... My weight today was 9st3.8 (i.e. 129.8!!!) and since my zone goes from 123 to 129 that is nearly a pound out of the top of my zone. I knew that I felt bigger!!! I am just hoping that some of it is sodium because I know that I am very sensitive to that - and restaurants seem to throw salt into just about anything... My game plan is to be good with my food and exercise and also drink an extra half litre of water a day until I am back into zone.

I am having salmon tonight and hope that helps things.