Some of you may have guessed that I have been struggling to maintain.
I’ve been ‘maintaining’ since around the beginning of June and it hasn’t been a walk in the park… more like parachuting into the middle of the Borneo jungle. I didn’t expect it to be easy but it’s been harder than I expected.
I guess I’d become weary of calorie counting and was hoping I could lose that side of things. So, ‘yes’, I made it hard(er) for myself
The thing is, I’m pretty aware of what and how much I should eat (without having to calorie count) but I think that as I don’t have a constantly visible daily reminder/target to ‘keep it real’ that I’m going more and more off the rail.
So this is me, giving myself the proverbial kick up the rear and stating that come this Monday I will be reverting to calorie counting. I’ve dug out my calorie counting and 12 week plan spreadsheets and they’re ready to rock n roll. I just hope that I’m as ready, as this is feeling a little bit ‘last chance saloon’.
Monday’s weigh-in should be that extra wake-up call that I need to start my new DAY ONE.
I'm going to have a guiltless w/e and then start over. Have a good w/e everyone.
Written by
Tiggerr
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when I have lost weight before it took me 6 months before I started to put the weight back because I stopped counting the calories and the bad habits crept back in. I don't think I will ever manage without counting calories I'm not sure I would have the confidence to not go over my allowance!
You're right, counting isn't such a bind, just thought it could be one thing less to have to concern myself with... not for the first time in my life, I find that I thought wrong
I find keeping it off much harder than loosing. Think will have to go back to the beginning. Nice to find that I am not alone. Mystery why we do it after all the joy of new clothes and lets be honest pride in getting rid of the weight and then few weeks later back to the chocolate. Good luck
I still haven't got to goal yet, so I'm not a maintainer, but after some recent exciting life events, I was having a bit of a break from counting calories. However even though I do have good habits now and mostly don't have sweet cravings, when I stop counting calories, the weight just creeps back on. I think I shall be counting calories for Life!
That does appear to be the road I may have to go down. It doesn't seem 'right' and I wish I could explain. I'll probably give 'not counting' another go, sometime in the future. I haven't given up yet.
Maybe if you are fed up of counting the calories you could you focus on 'counting' the nutrients rather than the calories. Whole, mainly plant based, (unprocessed) foods, hold the most nutrients that our bodies need and will regulate your hunger hormones, calm your cravings and help you to feel more satisfied & healthier in the long run. I know you know, but most processed foods (and drinks) are full of the things that trigger our brains and give us that unbearable insatiable appetite (refined sugars, salts and fats) and create that continual fight to 'not eat'.
Try eating until you are properly satisfied of 100% whole foods (about 80% plant based), of all the types of whole foods and colours of the rainbow and get creative with yummy new ideas and combinations (I'm not talking boring lettuce and cucumber salad) for a week or two and see what differences you notice...
Letting go of the processed foods (including the 'low fat' or 'diet' versions) is easier than I thought possible. I just made a decision - if it's processed I don't eat it (except for a very limited few exceptions).
That's how I have maintained my weight loss for many years and never count calories, rarely feel cravings and avoid hunger.
I know you can do it!
Let us know how you get on!
Best of luck to you
p.s and dont feel guilty if you do enjoy a burger, some chocolate or whatever. The guilt doesn't help one bit - just pushes us around that restriction - craving - binge - guilt - restriction cycle over and over. If you do choose to eat it - just enjoy it guilt free and then choose to eat nutritious whole foods for your next meal.
Thank you WildlyPrecious for taking the time to explain all that. At the moment I'm going to stick to what I know, which helped me lose 18kg in 5 months. It took this aged person long enough to learn to calorie count, so for now I'll stick with what I know I can get to work.
If I can reach a settled level then I'd be happy to try alternative methods, knowing that I can always revert back to at least one method that I can rely on.
I know what you mean about balancing out what you eat which I've been happy enough to do but I'm now spiraling from one bad food moment to another. The good food eating is waning and the reason I need to get back to basics that got me here.
I take your point on the processed foods and have probably moved back to eating more of those. I'll definitely have to put a stop to that trend.
Thank you for that, I really love my own boiled fruit cake (Mary Berry recipe!) and plan to make up a batch of two or three tomorrow - one for our hols, one for our son and one to come home to in October. This more than anything has been what I have been looking forward to since beginning my 'endeavour' to lose 8 inches off my waist so that I can return to horse riding. I avoid additives wherever possible and feel that to be an aid, plus pilates of course.
You can do it. I'm struggling at the moment too ,sitting at the top of my maintenance range. It's harder than losing in many ways but I'll have to soldier on. Good luck with your new start. 👍
Intriguing as to how many of us are finding it harder to maintain than to lose. Like you I'm at the top of my maintenance range, although this week I may have gone beyond that.
You're lucky to have quite a generous maintenance allowance Tigger,,. in fact a whole 1000 cals more than me. 😕
One idea, if you'd rather not count individual calories, could you somehow pre-calculate and memorise some "meal groups" , eg: some 500, some 1000 etc, that you can just call on without thinking . They dont all have to be saintly , include 500 cals of chocolate if you wish. Most weeks I probably only adhere to an 80/20 rule myself .
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Hopefully, they'll be oiled up by the end of next week 
Do’s & Dont’s
Planning food for non cook!! 
I am new to this, but need some encouragement to stay on track.
Eating more but weight lose 
A surprising turn of events...
