In late 2005 I discovered something that helped me to Raise my Metabolism while being able to eat more. Of course, it was still a sensible plan but less restrictive than my weight loss phase. It was also due to more than lifting weights and building muscle.
It may sound too good to be true, but I've had really good results with it both to finish my last 20 pounds in 2006 and also when life has been too hectic to really pursue my goals this time around. How? Well, let me illuminate:
- Eat more
- Weigh daily
- Set 5 pound cap
- Reaching cap means weight loss phase diet
- Set 5 pound low
- Reaching low means eating more
- Maintenance phase 'successful' when Low can be maintained 10-30 days at 'eat more' phase
I've had good results, and this is what I'm doing. But, it requires very diligent weighing in daily. This is a big problem for many people. Especially if obsession is a difficulty struggled with. This phase would not be a relaxing phase for someone in diligent pursuit of perfection. So, it's perfect for me.
I do believe that I would still be able to be maintaining my weight from 2006 had psychosis and drugs not thrown me for a loop. I'm planning not to have psychosis again-med cocktail and mental health awareness-so this will be a big part of my maintenance. A five pound range.
What's in your bag of maintenance tricks?
for some reason I read this and thought YOU KNOW IM NOT SURE!
ReplyDeleteIve maintained my loss for about 16 yrs and I think for me so much of it was FINALLY living in my body.
eating what my body demands and finally shifting those demands to more fuellike than, well, sweetssugarsstuff which was feeding a different need of mine
At just 4 pounds away from maintenance I rad your post eagerly. It is all pretty scary right now, and maybe that's why I can't let go of those last 4 pounds! But I am psyched and will try your maintenance trick! Makes sense to me.
ReplyDeleteWell, I've really only maintained fat. I've gotten skinny, but never really maintained it. I will say this, I weigh myself EVERY DAY. Good or bad times I do it every morning. It's the only way I keep the power away from the number. When I don't know what it is, I obsess. When I do - high or low - the ball is in MY court. I have control.
ReplyDeleteI imagine I will get to thin maintenance someday, and I hope when I do I am in a place where I'm able to focus a bit less on weights and measures and a bit more on listening to my body tell me what it needs. But if not - well, I don't mind weighing and measuring either.
LOL @ Mrs. Fatass!
ReplyDeleteWell, I wasn't sure I could answer this since I still consider myself on the weight loss journey because I haven't gotten to goal yet. YET :) But, I have managed to maintain my 60+ pound loss for the past year. I guess what's doing it is letting go of the guilt associated with eating. It's been huge for me. Before, I have overeaten and it would spiral me back to gaining everything that I had lost. Now, when I overeat, I just count it as an "incident" and move the heck on! I know I don't ever want to go back to my pre-loser days. Evah ;)
I love your tips and they make perfect sense. Copying and pasting... :)
Ah - as a yo-yo dieter, soon to be EX-yo-yo dieter, I have not done maintenance well before. My plan this time is to have a redline, a number I do not cross. If I get to that number, I go back on my strict diet plan. Sounds a lot like your plan. But I have never thought about the other direction and don't expect I would actually drop low. It is interesting to consider the science of it all.
ReplyDeleteOh - I forgot to say the big one... I cannot go back to eating what I used to eat. If I do, I will go back to weighing what I used to weigh. So simple, yet I never thought about it in all my past yo-yo years.
I'll let you know when I get there, but I'd really like to live as Miz does - just comfortable with my body.
ReplyDeleteI don't weigh myself daily now and can't even imagine that. I think it would make me loopy, I really do.
I have maintained my weight since Christmas really. Like life in general, it has it's ups and downs, pun intended.
ReplyDeleteI think believing in myself is the biggest tool in my arsenol of weight loss weapons. Also, I have been doing this for so long now it really is a habit.
Girl..I will let you know when I get there. As of right now, I am still on the weigh down plan :)
ReplyDeleteI am still a work in progress but exercise is surely one of the keys as well as continuing to improve on making my food balanced and healthy.
ReplyDeleteIt's been 12 years since I hit my goal and I do a lot of what you said. I have a 3-5 pound range that I float within and if I hit that top number I go into "do something now" mode! I also keep exercising religiously - 6 days a week.
ReplyDeletethis maintenance tip sounds like a good plan to me!
ReplyDeleteAbout 15 more pounds before I'm in this situation, but it's good to think ahead. I like the idea of a 5-pound 'range'
ReplyDeleteI'm very far away from maintenance but I'm thinking 45 min exercise everyday with tennis, tango and kickboxing thrown in once a week; eat around 1500 calories of mostly fruit, veg and low-fat protein with carbs for breakfast and lunch and treat after dinner as an option, 5 pound cap, weight every week, and as you said reaching cap means weight loss phase diet.
ReplyDeleteAs said though I'm sooooooo far away that maybe I shouldn't be thinking about maintainance at all.