Life After Weight Loss

T

troutman

New member
As we all know the odds of keeping your weight off after you lose it is very slim. It is a great concern to me because when I'm off track I can gain 10 Lbs. in a week.

Does anyone have plans on what they will be doing to keep their weight off?

If you have lost all the weight you want, how long have you kept it off & how are you doing it?

I have brought up this subject before & so far no one wants to talk about it. I think this is something we should really be talking about.

Chip
 
I agree, it should be thought about Troutman. I think for some of us it just seems so far away that most don't think the plan needs to be in place yet. Personally, I plan to watch myself like a hawk as I gain easily but don't lose it well :eek: That is NOT to say I won't indulge now and again, but I plan to EARN those calories and PAY for them again afterwards. I plan to continue to journaling and everything I do now - I know that once I hit a certain point, I can maintain it (I've been on a danged plateau for over two months! :mad:) IF I can keep an eye on me and remember how I got to be the weight I started at and what drove me to lose in the first place :D

What are YOUR plans? What drives you?
 
I Don't Have A Plan

BizeB, I don't have a plan thats the whole thing. When all I hear is most people do not keep their weight off. How am I going to do it. Its just something that is a great concern. I wish people that have kept their weight off for a long time, would give us their wisdom.

What drives me is I was think I was really eating myself to death. Like I believe my father did. I don't believe that is what God wants for me (or do I). I want to live as long as God chooses. I want to start setting an example for my family. I want to run a marathon. If I like that I want to run a ultra-marathon. I can go on & on but I won't.

Chip
 
maintenance

My mom lost 70 pounds several years ago after being diagnosed with diabetes, and she has kept it off. I plan to do what she does. Walk at least 4 days a week for at least 30 minutes (in addition to my normal daily routine). Watch my portion sizes and try to stay within the amount of food needed to maintain my weight. And, begin anew with counting calories if I gain 5 pounds - less than that could be just hormonal bloat, but 5 pounds is a good red light number! I'll probably also keep journaling, because it helps me to deal with emotional issues that used to drive me to eat. And, I plan to continue my Bible reading, because that is important to my healthy life. :)
 
twinmom2791, Wow, some besides myself that actually is thinking in the terms of what do I do when I reach goal. It sounds like you have a good plan.


Chip
 
This is a really good thing to think about, basically I plan to change not a lot, other than allowing some of the foods I wouldn't at the moment, but still watching portion control and snacking. I don't plan to step down my exercise at all and still plan to do cardio workouts twice a day for 5 days of the week.
 
You bring up a great point troutman. I've given the matter much thought myself. And I truly believe that I will have to count calories for the rest of my life. Once I get to my goal weight there is going to have be a small amount of expirimentation to discover exactly how many calories I need to take in to maintain my goal weight. I'm thinking it will probably be somewhere in the area of 1600 to 1800.

Once I get the exact number I know that on days that I exercise I may need to add some to compensate. And on really lazy days I may need to eat a little less. But it's always going to be something that I must think about.

Because not thinking about it is how I got where I am.
 
I don't have a specific plan in place, which is kind of scary.

For me, I now know and understand why I got so big. When I was big, I knew, but couldn't understand, I didn't think I ate THAT much.

I have never been lazy technically, I was even active for my size and was always the "athletic big guy". My problem is I would eat so many snack cakes and drink 5-8 regular pops a day and not even the exercise I did (playing sports, riding bikes etc) could fight all those calories.

When I reach my goal I won't be afraid to allow a snack cake or a candy bar here and there, it just won't be multiple, every day.

I just don't think it's reality never eating junk food again. What kind of life is that? You just have to realize what it does in excessive amounts. Then you won't go overboard. That is why "skinny people" can eat a lot of junk, they don't do it every day and they aren't eating everything else on top of it.

At least that is my theory and thoughts.
 
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You guys have some great ideas. I really don't want to count calories but maybe thats the only way, I hope not.

Chip
 
I'm not sure there will be any difference after i reach my goal -- this is a lifestyle change I'm making - not necessarily a diet... there's nothing in my lifestyle that will change afterwards because wouldn't want to undo all the work i've done...

Counting calories will probably be second nature, portion sizes, I should't have to think about... but i can't reachmy goal then all of a sudden start eatin cheesecake and downing guinesses.. :)
 
/me can make low fat low calorie cheesecake that's very yummy.. I was trying -- ableit unsuccessfully - to make a point :)
 
I think those who put it back on haven't made a lifestyle change.. just dieted.
 
The five pound rule is a good one. I plan to use a five pound gain as a red flag. I have been told that once you reach your desired wieght there is a vulnerable period of about 6 months during which your body is adjusting itself and establishing a new "set weight." After that six-month period, you can ease up a little, and I mean just a little. When your body has adjusted then regaining the lost weight won't be so much of a threat. The trick is to get through those six months.

I realize that I have to watch myself very closely for the rest of my life. Like troutman, I can really pack it on fast if I am not careful.
 
Wow, 6 months, huh? Well, that is good to know. I am kind of amazed that the body would readjust so quickly, but that is a very good thing. I mean, my body has been within +/- 20 pounds of 225 for the last 12 years, so to think that it could adjust to a weight that is 40% less than my start weight is pretty incredible! :)
 
personally, I've lost 35 pounds before and once I stopped doing what I was doing with a matter of 8 months or so, I gained it all back and then some. I think it's true what they say, you can't choose to diet. You have to choose to make a lifestyle change. Although you might not need to go to the gym 5x a week anymore or eat only 1200 calories, you should still eat a proportional amount of food and exercise and take strolls and such. I think it should be about healthy living and not so much as dieting.
 
The person who told me about this six-month period is both a doctor and my sister! She has been advising me through my current weight loss.

I do not mean to say that after those six months have passed you eat whatever you want. As many have already said, we all have to change our eating and exercise habits for the rest of our lives. It's just that if you can keep the pounds off during those first six months, you have a much better chance of keeping them off permanently.
 
When I get my goal weight, what should I do? I am thinking that I will gradually up the amount I eat until my weight stablizes but right now my body seems so sensative even small increases in food.

Anyone here with some experience in reaching their goal and keeping the weight off? :confused:
 
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