21 habits - more stuff about maintaining

C

cym

New member
So, I'm on a kick about posting maintenance stuff 'cause I just don't see the issue being addressed a lot and IMO that's really the point of weight loss in the first place - keeping it "lost". We all get so caught up in "the most effective (or fastest or healthiest or whatever) way to lose weight" that it's easy to lose sight of the end goal - what happens the day, week, month and years after reaching "goal weight".

This is a list of 21 post weight loss habits practiced by people who both lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off for at least 3-5 years. I actually complied it over a year ago from a couple of different sources with the majority coming from the National Weight Loss Registry. To me the value in this list is that it was not just some weight loss guru saying "these are the things you should do", rather these were things that the small number of people who had actually been successful in achieving long term maintenance did. And, interestingly enough, although the weight loss methods they all used were different - the maintenance habits were the same.


1. Add 150-200 calorie expending exercise daily (in additional to regular exercise).
2. Weigh at least weekly
3. Have a plan ready to handle setbacks
4. Keep a food journal
5. Find new motivators for healthy eating other than weight loss
6. Practice daily affirmation
7. Stay realistic
8. Keep up a positive attitude and don't be dissatisfied with your body.
9. Show flexible restraint in food/exercise choices
10. Eat healthily, nutrients matter
11. Sit down to eat meals; take time over them; pay attention to what is on the plate
12. Have ongoing support
13. Manage stress and confront problems, rather than eating.
14. Eat a diet that relies on multiple smaller meals.
15. Keep protein near the top (about 30% of total calories)
16. Eat a majority of meals that are fairly low on the glycemic index
17. Do NOT reduce calorie intake significantly below the maintenance level
18. Make sure to eat breakfast seven days a week
19. Maintain a consistent eating pattern – varying it little, even on weekends or holidays. An indulgence can be a calorie trade-off, not the start of a binge.
20. Avoid fast food; make cooking a hobby not a chore
21. Eat a low fat/high carb diet.

Throughout the majority of my own weight loss process I kept this list displayed prominently and concentrated on interpreting these habits in a way that fit into my own personality/lifestyle and worked on establishing these habits so that, hopefully, when I reached goal weight they would already be a part of my life. Some of them seemed like "duh, of course" until I actually set out to put them in practice day after day (i.e. #8), some I had to rework into a way that made sense to me (i.e. #21 became, for me, "low saturated fat, high fiber") and some didn't make a bit of sense to me until I was already at maint. and stupidly decided to ignore (i.e. # 17), and many had the benefit of helping with the weight loss itself.
 
Good list cym. These are all things I'm pretty much doing now, so I'm hoping it will be easier to stay in the maintenance mode.
 
great couple of posts on maintenance cym, keep it coming if you have more.

i would like to comment on the nature of what you are speaking. it seems that so many people set some certain weight as their end goal. while i understand that setting goals is a great thing, i fear that labelling anything "the end" leads straight back into negative patterns and habits. a healthy lifestyle has no end goal, there is always something more to do. when people focus so much on reaching a weight, and then they get there, they will have that tendency to relax and slack off (as cym has mentioned). This is why I really like to express the important of non-weight related goals. goals that people can continue to work towards even after reaching their ideal weight. goals that are fitness and functionality related. doing this for the number on the scale, or the vanity in the mirror solely will lead to a point where there is no further to go. we need other goals that do not have an end to them, things we can work on indefinitely in order to stay focused and stay healthy. I have found that if I am not consistantly working towards improving something (this goes for most things in life) that I am not working on it much at all. I believe there is a better chance of long term success if we keep focus through consistantly wanting to improve something fitness wise, rather than just trying to hold at one particular point.
 
CoachCrimson said:
great couple of posts on maintenance cym, keep it coming if you have more.

I have found that if I am not consistantly working towards improving something (this goes for most things in life) that I am not working on it much at all. I believe there is a better chance of long term success if we keep focus through consistantly wanting to improve something fitness wise, rather than just trying to hold at one particular point.
Click to expand...

Coach, I have so much "stuff" on maint. that I've decided to start randomly posting that you're eventually going to say "enough already".:sleeping: Because truly I think we've got it all backwards. There's a multi-billion dollar industry devoted to losing weight and a deep void when it comes to maintaining that loss. Which just does not make sense to me because weight loss itself should be a temporary measure - whereas maintaining that loss should be for a lifetime. And maintaining lost weight is just not that easy or simple - but we act like it should be, don't really address it in any depth, and then when someone regains (as most do), they feel like they've "failed" somehow and just jump back on the weightloss train - determined to be "more successful" next time - yet usually having no more tools or direction in maintaining the loss than they did the first time.

What you say about the continual improvement is exactly the point that was made a couple of days ago in a thread on another forum (I'll post the link in your diary 'cause I think you'll get as much out of this particular site as I have over the last year).
 
Good posts, really, you bough up a valuable point.

There should be a topic here dedicated to maintaining your weight once you've reached your daily goal. Because it is not as easy as everyone makes it out to be.
 
Thanks for the post Cym, and its a subject close to my heart, as long term weight maintenance is sort of a goal for myself since I lost the bulk of my weight last year. However, I don't totally see myself in that list, maybe I should be worried? ;)
  • I do keep myself more active, I do now appreciate that I should 'climb the stairs, and avoid the elevator', park further away, etc. Exercise has become part of my life - I ENJOY a variety of activities - weight training, hiking, running, tai chi, cycling :)
  • I do NOT weigh myself weekly. I was becoming obsessive and a bit of a bore about my weight and about calories, I purposely started to avoid relying to much on the scales. Anyway, I'm trying to increase weight as part of a strength training phase.
  • I don't keep a food journal, however I do eat healthily. For example, I still make sure that I get plenty of vegetables, fruits, greens, berries, nuts, etc.
  • I do find other motivators for healthy living - greater fitness and health!
  • I don't always feel positive about my body, somethings about it I have to accept. I'm a 44 year old man, I'm fighting against the clock and however much I try, some things wont change.
  • I do eat healthy still. Nutrients are as important to me as ever.
  • I don't often sit down a take my time over a meal. I never did, I eat and run.
  • I do still eat multiple meals. Snacking or grazing has become part of my life. I do try to avoid large late meals.
  • I do eat lots of protein (part of my strength training phase), and I eat low GI carbs. For example, I rarely eat white bread anymore. I don't eat very much potato now either.
  • I ALWAYS eat a breakfast, and its nearly always a big bowl of porridge (oatmeal).
  • I eat fairly consistently, grazing throughout the week. Of course I don't have starve days, I almost never let myself feel hunger.
  • Avoid fast food - too blinkin' right! That stuff is evil. Ok, these days I'll accept the odd sweet or cake, or nick a few chips (fries) from my kids - but only as part of an otherwise healthy diet.
  • I eat plenty of carbs, mainly low GI, plenty of wholegrains and fruit etc - a little honey and chocolate at the right time etc. I maybe eat a little too much fat, but at least of the good kinds. I eat a lot of oily fish, and nuts. I like EV Olive Oil, and I eat avocados from time to time. I even eat (horror!) a tub of full fat yoghurt every week. Its delicious!
 
Hi Toothless Ferret:

The funny thing is I don't practice all of those habits myself...maybe 18 out of the 21....I'm not all that into sitting down at the table for each meal -that probably only happens once a day - and not even every day, and truthfully I don't pay any attention to the GI load of fruit/veggies other than to make sure I combine high ones with fiber...but when I compare my post weight loss behavior in the past against that list I have to admit that I really didn't practice any of those habits.
 
indigoiis said:
We need a Maintenance and Beyond club. ;)
Click to expand...

That isn't such a bad idea! There are plenty of people who will loudly acclaim that it is almost impossible to keep the weight off long term post-weight loss. I don't agree with them, but its not always easy to maintain a healthy lifestyle long term. Its easy to regain old habits of eating and slothdom. The journey continues after you achieve your final target weight.

I hit my target weight 10 months ago, although I had another short cutting period 4 months ago to try and reduce my bf% more. I am slowly putting on weight (and fat), but as part of a strength training phase. So what do I do differently in this lifestyle compared to the one that made me fat in the first place?

  1. I always eat a good breakfast (usually porridge/oatmeal based).
  2. I exercise regular - strength training, running, cycling, hiking, tai chi. Not all of the time - I believe that rest and relaxation are also VERY important. I enjoy nothing more than a lazy day, sitting in the sunshine drinking green tea, watching the ladies go by - thats quality time.
  3. I am much more conscious of what I consume. I eat more greens, berries, nuts, fruit & veg, wholegrains, good oils, lean protein and water than I did.
  4. I do sometimes treat myself to a cake, chocolate, sweet, a few chips (fries), etc - but in moderation!
  5. I don't drink so much alcohol. I do still go out and party maybe once or twice a fortnight a little, but I cut out all of the beer, port, and most of the wine that I use to drink at home during the week.
  6. I keep more active. I walk or/and cycle the dog every day. I see stairs and steps as a chance to burn some calories rather than as something to avoid.
  7. I graze rather than binge. I frequently snack on healthy foods, and avoid large meals. If I do have a large meal, then I give the dog an extra walk afterwards!
  8. I eat far fewer bad snacks such as sweets, crisps (chips), biscuits (cookies), or cakes than I use to. I don't buy them or bring them into the house.
  9. I rarely eat junk food other than the odd sub.
  10. I eat far less processed food. I try to eat natural foods as much as possible. I also avoid fried foods - I never fry food myself.
  11. I enjoy my activities. I enjoy getting outside more. I look for new challenges.
  12. I remain an active member of this forum. Reading about other peoples struggles, successes, and failures.
These are lifestyle changes. They need a certain amount of self-control. I still have to sometimes make myself go to gym. I still have to stop myself from helping myself to another can of beer. I don't know if I will still be fit and healthy in ten years time on my 55th birthday, but I'm giving it my best shot.
 
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