Maintenance Club

[Cate]

Margaret, Di, Vern & Kara- Thank you very much for your positive comments about my change in appearance . I value the support that I get in the forum & in turn like to encourage & support others. If I can change my lifestyle I truly believe that anyone can. I think we are all doing well but we all know that it is something we must keep an eye on forever unless we want to go back to being obese/overweight. That's ok. I don't begrudge it. I feel that adding exercise to my daily life has also changed my mindset for the better. I have felt much more positive about myself & life in general. Happy maintaining folks. Cheers, cate.

 

[Omega]

Cate
You are so right - we cannot afford to take our eye off the ball. I was reading an article elsewhere which said that the bodies of formerly obese people do indeed change by the process of gaining and then losing weight. It is not our imagination when we believe that we have a greater struggle on our hands to maintain a healthy weight compared to a person with identical current stats who has never been big. It has been scientifically proven to be the case. We are right to keep our eye on the ball. We can do it though...

I too would have never believed how good exercise could be for my moods and general spirit. It enhances our lives while helping us with our weight.

 

[vjyoung]

QUOTE]

Omega, I am very impressed with your photos. You have accomplished something that many people fail at. I am glade to hear you are accepting that you are at a good weight and not working to loose more. It was very important for me to build a support system so that I could maintain my goal. What sort of support system do you have?

 

[Omega]

I am still in the process of putting together my support system - as I am comparitively newly at goal - having spent a fair bit of time coming to a soft landing. I considered that time as being a bit like practicing for maintenance - and an opportunity to come to terms with exactly where I wanted to settle weight wise...

Obviously my husband and parents play key roles in any support system for me. They are all supportive - although I am some distance away from my parents and they are pretty elderly these days too - so that relationship does tend to focus more on their needs... My husband also has his own issues with food and weight which does bring an element of danger into the mix... He was recently told that he should lose 209 pounds to bring his weight to the healthy range and has not had any success with that... This in itself is a constant worry for me as he is now slightly older than his father was when he died from a heart attack due to severe morbid obesity...

I became particularly spooked about the notion of how I could possibly maintain as I hit half my start weight (147)... It was a very surreal time for me... Nothing lets you see the extent of such a weight loss more than looking in the mirror and seeing a noticeably overweight woman of your own height looking back and knowing that you have lost that amount of weight...

It was at this time that I went out and joined both Weight Watchers and their main UK competitor Slimming World. I had tried to research both organisations from the outside but could not come to a straight answer over which was best. People praised both. I heard negative things about both too. I couldnt afford to get it wrong.

I had every confidence in my healthy food and exercise plan that had got me that far so had no intention of changing. Frankly I had lost all my weight with the forum advice and support and had no concerns as to whether the advice and support from this forum could get me to goal. I had however noticed that the whole subject of maintenance was pretty neglected by this forum. No forums about at that time seemed to cover it in the manner that I wanted. I wanted somewhere that put as much thought to the subject of healthy maintenance as this forum gives to the issue of weight loss...

I had not used the club approach to lose weight for a number of reasons. I had a bad WW experience back in 1996. I had no confidence that they could get someone like me (with hormonal issues) down to goal from where I started. I came to figure that while they might not have much experience in successfully getting a woman from 21 stone to 9 stone - they had a lot of experience at getting a woman from 10.5 stone to 9 stone and maintaining it...

Anyway - on joining WW and SW I was happy to note that my food plan was so healthy that it directly overlaid both their plans. I actually used to like the "core" plan - as I thought that it had a much healthier direction that points. Did WW abandon their "core" plan where you are?

Naturally I am always on the lookout for research involving the subject of maintenance... If anyone here learns of any (anywhere) I would appreciate it if they could tell me about it...

I suppose in many ways I am still setting aspects of my support system up...

You have a lot more experience in maintenance - can I ask you about your support system - and indeed any research that you have discovered in the subject on your journey through maintenance...

 

[vjyoung]

You have a lot more experience in maintenance - can I ask you about your support system - and indeed any research that you have discovered in the subject on your journey through maintenance...

Omega, I have no confirmed research on controlling ones weight, just experience on what works for me and my not help everyone.

The Weight Watchers program has changed their system several times during my involvement with them. I fallowed the point system when I joined WW and stayed with it until I reached my goal. I did not like all the record keeping and promised my self that once I reached goal I would no longer do that. However, I also promised myself that if I did not maintain my goal I would once again keep records. I also continue to weigh in once a month to keep me current with WW. So WW gives me 3 incentives to maintain my goal.
1. Once a month weigh in report to someone other than myself.
2. A record keeping system I do not liked doing which motivates me to maintain my goal.
3. A fee I do not want to pay if I go 2 pounds over goal.

My wife, who has an unaddressed weight problem of her own and does all the shopping and cooking in our home, prepares a large batch of vegetable soup every week for me. She has adjusted her cooking of our evening meals so that they are more balanced and healthy. She still brings home high point foods that tempt me, but it is up to me to ignore them. I routinely have yogurt mixed with different serials each morning.

My problem revolves around getting adequate amounts of exercise. I need some positive reason to exercise that goes beyond my need to control my weight. Going to the gym does not meet that and neither does jogging on roads or trails. I found that patrolling for road litter and helping to maintain trails in local parks works well for me. I would like to say more about that but when I do people here report me as spamming.

 

[Omega]

Exercise is necessary for us all.

I dont know whether you have heard of the national weight control registry - but they are doing the largest study ever on maintenance. I am in the process of joining them. They are monitoring 5000 people in maintenance and learning which behaviours are common in those that successfully maintain their weight loss and absent in those that do not.

In order to be a guinee pig for their research you have to have lost at least 30 pounds and have maintained that loss for at least a year. Although I have not been at goal for a year - it is well over a year since I lost my first 30 pounds...

One of the more interesting findings thus far is that 90% of the successful maintainers exercise for at least an hour EVERY DAY. This is perfectly in keeping with current WW advice which is to earn 4 activity points per day in maintenance.

Since I have every intention of maintaining my loss - that means that at least an hour of exercise every day is mandatory.

In actual fact I walk at least 6.5 miles per day (normally on my treadmill at 4.3mph minimum) plus I do exercise classes at my local adult education centre.

My WW strategy encompasses all that you mention regarding your own membership. Indeed - it is effectively doubled by my membership of SW.

I actually still attend both my meetings most weeks. My attendance serves to keep me on the straight and narrow - and I know that my existance helps to motivate some of the other members. When they get to think that they are trying to do something impossible they have a little chat to me.

My WW leader only lost 20 pounds herself some 19 years ago - so we do not have too much in common.

My SW leader has lost about 120 pounds and is not quite at goal yet. We have much in common. She was in tears when I got my wedding ring on for the first time in over 20 years and emailed all her groups about it. We were both in tears when I weighed in at goal - pretty much everything at the group came to a halt then.... The news kind of took over the whole place. Nothing against WW - but I bless the day that I decided to join SW.

 

[vjyoung]

Hi Omega, thank you for the information on The National Weight Control Registry. I sent them my contact information.

I think most all weight control programs can help people lose weight. It often depends on the relationship people develop with the leader or leaders of the program. However, that is more a social need that is being met and is part of the support system most people need. They must also fallow the program or they will fail to reach goal.

My observation is that people join a particular weight loss group to loose weight and quickly get some satisfaction of joining a group of people with a common problem which satisfies a social need and will continue to attend the group meetings to satisfy the social need but not commit themselves to the weight loss program. After attending meetings for a period of time and not losing much weight they began to feel less part of the group or blame the program they are not following to be no good and quit.

You are correct in thinking there is not much information of long term maintaining a goal. I was willing to follow a particular program to loss weight but not willing to continue doing the same thing to maintain my goal. Finding the best way for me to do that, has been a journey that is not yet completed.

I weighed in at WW today at 196 pounds and they think I am right on target thanks to all the removed ballast from my pockets. I am only 2 pounds over my personal goal of 188 pounds. This means I had 6 pounds of clothing or ballast on.

 

[Omega]

Well done for getting a good weighing at WW.

I must admit that this forum was central to the long term success of my project. I lost well on my own in the early months - but discovered this forum as I was trying to resolve a horrible plateau.

I was quite desperate - having asked my GP for advice, written in to television doctors and tried all that I could think (reducing calories, increasing exercise...). Expertise that I found here resolved my problem and convinced me that this was a good fit for my needs. I wanted to continue in the healthy path that I had started on, and this forum (as I am sure you have realised) promotes the concept that the only healthy method of weight loss is as a lifetime change of lifestyle to one of exercise and healthy nutrition. We have little time for gimicky diets here...

I have learned a lot about nutrition during the course of my journey - and can now instruct slimming group leaders and GPs alike on how to ensure that you are getting a truly healthy diet which is structured for good health and weight loss. So many people go by guesswork regarding the different nutrients - and it is only by counting them that you can really ensure that they are set at the right level.

I found challenges (as in the challenge section here) to be very useful whilst I was losing weight. Unfortunately the only weight control challenge that was suitable for a person in maintenance was one that I ran myself. Maintenance is sadly a neglected area on this forum. Fortunately another diet forum exists where maintenance takes a higher priority and where challenges do run which are suitable for the person maintaining weight and the person losing weight alike... Many of us believe that we still benefit from that kind of support. That need does not stop because the scale says that you are in zone... Ongoing challenges will (I am sure) help me to keep to the straight and narrow...

 

[dilynnlew]

You are both so right about there not being a lot of information on long term maintenance of weight loss. Even though I have only been maintaining my loss for a few months, this much is clear.
I also feel that society as a whole sets us up for failure. Every thing is a "quick fix"...nothing ever said about slow and steady winning the race and keeping the race won, if you know what I mean. Personally, I know many people who would love nothing more than to see me gain the weight back. They are watching me every time I eat...critiquing my diet. One gal where I work asked me if I would be "skipping dinner" since it appeared to her that I had eaten a large lunch. Well, my lunch may have seem big in quantity, but it was healthy foods and fairly low in calories. If I don't partake in a snack or sweet, I am made fun of. If I do partake, there are still comments. Maybe I am being too sensitive...I dunno. But, I am finding very little if any support from those around me in my daily life.

One reason I appreciate all the support on here and another lovely forum that I frequent often!

 

[KaraCooks]

I think you kind of hit the nail on the head, Di. The quick fix mentality is a problem.

I think a lot of people don't want to acknowledge that for those of us who have lost a significant amount of weight, we will always have to be vigilant and aware. Even if we are no longer *dieting* in whatever form we used to lose weight, we still have to keep an eye on things and be mindful of what we eat and how much we exercise. And I think for a lot of people going into it, the idea that they will NEVER be able to completely walk away from that awareness is scary.

I think that part of supporting maintainers is being able to learn that awareness doesn't have to be obsession. It's possible to integrate awareness into your everyday life w/out being a freak about it.

I for one don't understand why more forums don't support maintenance. Seriously ... what better support, understanding, and motivation is there for someone who has weight to lose - than to see someone who has lost it and KEPT it off.

Sure I get motivated by magazine photos or new clothes or other things like that ... but some days what keeps me going to the gym or saying no to the candy is knowing that Margaret or you (Di) or Cate or others have been where I am and have pushed past it. And knowing that ultimately I can do it because they did it - it's not an impossible task - is huge.

Maintainers should be the lifeblood of any weight loss forum. IMO, anyway.

 

[Omega]

I think that you are right. People do wonder how long it will last. In a way - we wonder it ourselves too...

For me - the concept of being in contact with fellow maintainers is enormous. I am so pleased that I formed this club. I was in maintenance and feeling very isolated here until I saw a posting where someone mentioned that they were in maintenance too. That is what got me thinking that there may be several of us about...

I still worry about people who have been on the forum over the past couple of years and got to goal or nearly to goal and then disappeared. People like Wulsk (Yuliana), Alliephoe (Phoebe)... I have no idea how things are for them now. I really wish that I could catch up with them somewhere on a forum - anywhere... Angel looked in on the forum last week - and I was really delighted to learn that she is still slim and trim and is basically at an ideal weight. Sadly - all the stories are not so happy. I know one person who lost a lot of weight and has since regained a lot - yet still cannot seem to be encouraged to come to ANY forum that I frequent.

If I spot anyone saying that they are in maintenance here - I simply cannot resist the urge to mention the existence of this club. There is so little on maintenance here - that people could easily presume that there was no way of making contact with the few of us that are about.

It is, quite frankly, the contact with fellow maintainers that keeps me coming back here. I have long been in touch with a reasonable crowd of my old friends via FB. This was something that cropped up when I abandoned the forum for a number of months around this time last year. Quite a few of them were worried about me and sought me out. Quite a few of them are still not at maintenance yet. Many of us are tackling large projects - and they can and often do take a number of years to get to goal (if ever).

 

[vjyoung]

I may be a bit sadistic, but life has demonstrated to me that people focus on their own needs and only on others needs if they think they will get something out of the relationship. It is just a fact of life and we can not escapee it! Professionals will help us because they are getting paid for it. Some people will help you because they are also looking for support. This forum is an example. Most people in my support system could not care less about my weight. In fact, I am fulfilling a need they have in exchange for their support.

I have experienced the joy and thrills of helping others and constantly attempt to do that. However, if my offer to help is rejected or not appreciated I will not indefinably keep it up. Recently my support system twice thanked me with articles in our local newspaper which made me feel good and there was no mention of my weight loss.

 

[Omega]

Recently my support system twice thanked me with articles in our local newspaper which made me feel good and there was no mention of my weight loss.

I am sorry to hear that your support system was happy to use you in such a manner and did not have the courtesy to mention that your weight loss and maintenance was a key factor in your motivation. They told an incomplete story and thereby prevented you from inspiring others to rescue their health. I hope that they realise that they were using you.

I am afraid that if I were in your shoes I would tend to rearrange my support system and not be so available to them. Sometimes in life - we only appreciate what we have when it is no longer there.

 

[vjyoung]

I am sorry to hear that your support system was happy to use you in such a manner and did not have the courtesy to mention that your weight loss and maintenance was a key factor in your motivation.

Hi Omega, my support system is just as much about picking up road litter as it is for me maintaining my weight goal. If people are giving me accolades for picking up litter that makes me feel good and gives me motivation to get my daily exercise. Therefore I am more likely to keep doing it. No one cares when I go to the gym and exercise. No one is using me! I may be using others to help me maintain my weight but they are receiving something in return. I therefore look at it as a mutual benefit. One article did say “His original “need” was to get more exercise”.

I have encouraged others to follow in my footsteps and a few are doing it. That also makes me feel good. They may be doing it for slightly different reasons but that does not matter. We are all benefiting.

Today I picked up 6 bags of litter and walked about 4 miles. Three people beeped their car horn in support. I hope the scale will also give me some good news in the morning that I am closer to my personal weight goal.

 

[Omega]

I do 6.5 miles on the treadmill every day plus other forms of exercise as the week progresses too. I dont feel that I need the support of the general public to do what I know is good for me and helps me to stay a healthy size. This is particularly important since my hormonal disorder means that my body is pretty much programmed to gain weight easier than the average person's...

Maintaining a healthy weight is all the motivation that any of us should need to do that exercise. We dont need to be sponsored for our exercise or for our weight loss - we do it to live.

I know that the fact that I am a healthy size (while having no positive impact on most people that know me in my day to day life) has a positive impact on people that I meet at my slimming clubs and indeed on this and other forums.

They meet me and believe that their weight loss dreams can come true - where they may have been inclined to think that it was an impossible task.

People put nice messages on my postings - and I often get quite touching PMs too where people speak more of fears and hope... I try to encourage where I can.

Major weight loss is a very serious business - as we are speaking at levels where weight can be life threatening. My own father in law died as he turned 47 due to a heart attack because of extreme morbid obesity. My husband takes after his father and has been told that he needs to lose 209 pounds to be at a healthy weight and is 47 years of age. Naturally I worry about him. I have forum friends with similar stories of losing family members to this killer.

 

[vjyoung]

Maintaining a healthy weight is all the motivation that any of us should need to do that exercise. We dont need to be sponsored for our exercise or for our weight loss - we do it to live.

Hi Omega, I think it is wonderful that you can lose so much weight and maintain that loss all by yourself with just a little support form others in your same position. Very few people can do that!

I have had a hart attack and told I only had a few weeks to live if I did not have open hart surgery, which I did. That motivates me to find a way to control my weight. That is why I have built a support system that works for me.

My WW leader often holds me up as a successful example of how one can lose weight.

It is my observation that people are very different and motivated in many different ways. You have found something that motivates you to successfully control your weight and that is good.

I need to work at fulfilling the needs of others! I have learned that doing things just for my own benefit and no one else’s benefit, does not work for me. Routinely going to the gym or jogging along the road are examples. I need to be doing something that benefits society.

I am sure that there are many other good ways for people to maintain a weight lose. I would like to hear them.

You invited me to this forum to discus how people can maintain their weight loss. I am attempting to explain how I have done it. If your way is the only acceptable way to maintain a weight loss on this forum, please let me know and I will move on.

 

[Cate]

"Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding."
~Mohandas Gandhi.​

Hi fellow maintainers. Let's get back to the level I thought this thread was at. We all need support I think to help us maintain our self-esteem and it doesn't really matter what motivates each of us, so long as something does.
These days I am thankful that I have good health & am feeling fairly fit & active. I love life. I have to be careful about what I eat but I really enjoy eating healthy, nutritious, fresh food. I have set myself a minimum of 60 minutes average daily exercise which also helps me to feel good about myself & helps to maintain my weight. I love doing light weights & feeling stronger. I enjoy providing support & encouragement to others to achieve their goals & am thrilled that I have been able to inspire some.
Getting to goal weight is possible & so is maintenance. The support we get along the way helps it be so. Life is good!
Cheers, Cate.

 

[Omega]

Cate - I fully agree that it doesnt matter what motivates us individually to do what needs to be done - so long as something does. The thing that really matters is that we do it - and that we find that we are doing enough...

How is your weight going Cate? I havent asked you in a little while. Mine was actually 1.8 pounds above goal today - but I am away from home this weekend (so it is no surprise that I am a touch on the high side). I am just hoping that I will still be within my 3 pound zone on Tuesday. My Slimming World group is running the group voting for their "Miss Slinky" competition. The leader and none of the members like the Miss Slinky notion that is suggested by head office (skinny people) - so we do our own spin which is where we all dress up in Christmas decorations. Last year - the winner wore battery powered lights as well as tinsel and chains... The Miss Slinky for two of the leader's other groups were men......

I hope that everyone else is maintaining their zone well too (hopefully better than me).

 

[Cate]

Hi Omega & fellow maintainers. My weight is very stable. That .5kg that I dropped was only temporary so I'm sitting at exactly 2kgs over what I had decided would be my GW range. I'm not at all bothered by it though. I know that I can drop my weight if I am prepared to stop drinking wine. My waist is still shrinking because of my exercise & my clothes fit me nicely so I'm ok with it. It doesn't give me leeway but that also means I don't over-eat any time. It's a good hand break! Life is good! Cheers, Cate.

 

[dilynnlew]

Hi Cate,
Good to hear from you and see that things are going well for you!

I had a rough week and I struggled mentally. My weight went up 3-4 pounds and I freaked out! I still have such fear in me that all those 40 pounds is creeping back on. Logically I knew that my weight was still in my zone, but my fear did all the talking, if you know what I mean! I am happy to report that the weight came right back down...3 and a half pounds since Thursday; which leads me to believe a lot of the gain was water and perhaps some BM, to be blunt!

Like you say, sometimes the way we feel and how our clothes fit are better indicators of how we are doing...it is just so hard for me to be positive though, when I see those numbers go up on the scale. I sure wish someone could tell me how to get over this irrational fear...is it because I am still so recently maintaining??? I dunno...