Some ramblings about maintenance

Only 15 weeks into my weight loss, and at least 25 pounds to go, I know it's
a bit early to think about maintenance but I want to be prepared.

This is the third major diet I have undertaken. The first was in 1976 when
I lost 45 pound (200 to 155). The second was in 1994 when I lost 58 (260 to
202), and now in 2004 I'm down about 45 pounds so far (down about 55 from my
heaviest last year) on this diet. I'm probably going to aim for 175 pounds,
about the middle of a healthy range for me.

For some reason dieting has always been easy for me. In TOPS in 1976 I
remember losing 13 pounds the first week! Stubbornness, or willpower, or
pride, whatever, has always kept me on track. Maybe it's my parents'
influence of not wasting anything. If I quit losing weight now and go back
to the way I was I will have wasted all the effort of the past 14 weeks.

Maintenance has been a problem for me. Probably a big factor is that with
previous dieting I did not necessarily eat healthy but rather starved myself
down to a desirable weight. This time is different, though. With the help
of FitDay (and no, I'm not associated with them!) I am able to track all my
intake and make adjustments to eat healthy. For example, since my start on
January 13th I've averaged 1853 calories per day with 23% from fat, 19% from
protein, and 57% for carbs. My cholesterol is averaging 168mg per day, and
my sodium is at 2,690mg/day (1,960mg/day for the past 7 weeks). Certainly
healthier eating than I had been doing.

I want to keep my weight off when I reach my goal, I don't want to have to
go through all this again. I have made healthy changes to my eating habits
which I hope will stay with me. The way I am eating now is something I can
easily do for the rest of my life. The problem is that I'll be obsessed
with weighing in every day. I know how to lose the weight, I just haven't a
clue as to how to stay at a certain weight.

What works? Certainly complacency is a problem just as much as obsession.
Would it be reasonable to set a range of say 10 pounds (five pounds on
either side of the goal) and try to keep within that? Weigh in once a week
and make adjustments for the next seven days? I have an idea that weight
maintenance is something like the functioning of an autopilot on a plane:
The autopilot cannot make the plane fly absolutely straight; it is designed
to make constant corrections so it ends up guiding the plane in a subtle
corkscrew path.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

--
Dewolla Stepon
268/224.2/199
154 at age 28
280 at age 53

"Dewolla Stepon" wrote in message
news:RY8kc.44633$YP5.3303421@attbi_s02...
Only 15 weeks into my weight loss, and at least 25 pounds to go, I know
it's
a bit early to think about maintenance but I want to be prepared.

This is the third major diet I have undertaken. The first was in 1976
when
I lost 45 pound (200 to 155). The second was in 1994 when I lost 58 (260
to
202), and now in 2004 I'm down about 45 pounds so far (down about 55 from
my
heaviest last year) on this diet. I'm probably going to aim for 175
pounds,
about the middle of a healthy range for me.

For some reason dieting has always been easy for me. In TOPS in 1976 I
remember losing 13 pounds the first week! Stubbornness, or willpower, or
pride, whatever, has always kept me on track. Maybe it's my parents'
influence of not wasting anything. If I quit losing weight now and go
back
to the way I was I will have wasted all the effort of the past 14 weeks.

Maintenance has been a problem for me. Probably a big factor is that
with
previous dieting I did not necessarily eat healthy but rather starved
myself
down to a desirable weight. This time is different, though. With the
help
of FitDay (and no, I'm not associated with them!) I am able to track all
my
intake and make adjustments to eat healthy. For example, since my start
on
January 13th I've averaged 1853 calories per day with 23% from fat, 19%
from
protein, and 57% for carbs. My cholesterol is averaging 168mg per day,
and
my sodium is at 2,690mg/day (1,960mg/day for the past 7 weeks).
Certainly
healthier eating than I had been doing.

I want to keep my weight off when I reach my goal, I don't want to have
to
go through all this again. I have made healthy changes to my eating
habits
which I hope will stay with me. The way I am eating now is something I
can
easily do for the rest of my life. The problem is that I'll be obsessed
with weighing in every day. I know how to lose the weight, I just
haven't a
clue as to how to stay at a certain weight.

What works? Certainly complacency is a problem just as much as
obsession.
Would it be reasonable to set a range of say 10 pounds (five pounds on
either side of the goal) and try to keep within that? Weigh in once a
week
and make adjustments for the next seven days? I have an idea that weight
maintenance is something like the functioning of an autopilot on a plane:
The autopilot cannot make the plane fly absolutely straight; it is
designed
to make constant corrections so it ends up guiding the plane in a subtle
corkscrew path.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

I think you have an excellent plan, Dewolla. With the sensible eating to
lose the weight and keeping tabs on the weight once you reach maintenance
you should have no major problems. It's when we stop keeping tabs on the
weight that we pack the pounds back on.

Since you haven't starved yourself to lose weight this time you should have
a healthy and quite manageable eating plan in place. Don't forget the
exercise once you reach your goal. It doesn't have to be trips to the
gym....running up those steps to watch the NASCAR practices will do just
fineg Call me if Dale Jr or Dale Jarrett are out there practicing!

Beverly



--
Dewolla Stepon
268/224.2/199
154 at age 28
280 at age 53

Dewolla, I've read right through your thougtful ramblings and they've
made me think quite a bit.
Your history isn't too different from mine, except that my dieting
history goes back to the 1960s and I've had even more frequent and
dramatic weight changes in both directions than you.
I too think about maintenance even though I'm not there yet.
I think the key is to expect to eat much the same for the rest of my
life, and to try to adjust my food intake until I find a level at
which I stop losing but don't start to gain.
I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum to some people here when it
comes to weighing. While I'm following a WOE to lose weight, I don't
need the scales to tell me if it's working - I know it works if I
stick to it and I prefer to keep away from the scales for most of the
time.
I expect to have to start weighing much more frequently when I reach
maintenance - by which I mean about once a week. The idea of daily
weighing is to me at the best totally pointless and at the worst a
recipe for disaster!
You're doing really well so far, and I think it doesn't hurt at all to
think about how we'll handle maintenance before we get there - I fully
expect it to be much harder than weight loss. I have no idea how to
eat like a "normal" person - all of my adult life I have either been
in the process of gaining or losing, both of which I do really well.
I expect standing still to be much more difficult than either of
these. I would like to get to about 5 lbs below my goal and then
treat this as a zone within which I can go up and down according to
what's going on in my life. We'll see.
janice

On Thu, 29 Apr 2004 15:13:53 GMT, "Dewolla Stepon"
wrote:

Only 15 weeks into my weight loss, and at least 25 pounds to go, I know it's
a bit early to think about maintenance but I want to be prepared.

This is the third major diet I have undertaken. The first was in 1976 when
I lost 45 pound (200 to 155). The second was in 1994 when I lost 58 (260 to
202), and now in 2004 I'm down about 45 pounds so far (down about 55 from my
heaviest last year) on this diet. I'm probably going to aim for 175 pounds,
about the middle of a healthy range for me.

For some reason dieting has always been easy for me. In TOPS in 1976 I
remember losing 13 pounds the first week! Stubbornness, or willpower, or
pride, whatever, has always kept me on track. Maybe it's my parents'
influence of not wasting anything. If I quit losing weight now and go back
to the way I was I will have wasted all the effort of the past 14 weeks.

Maintenance has been a problem for me. Probably a big factor is that with
previous dieting I did not necessarily eat healthy but rather starved myself
down to a desirable weight. This time is different, though. With the help
of FitDay (and no, I'm not associated with them!) I am able to track all my
intake and make adjustments to eat healthy. For example, since my start on
January 13th I've averaged 1853 calories per day with 23% from fat, 19% from
protein, and 57% for carbs. My cholesterol is averaging 168mg per day, and
my sodium is at 2,690mg/day (1,960mg/day for the past 7 weeks). Certainly
healthier eating than I had been doing.

I want to keep my weight off when I reach my goal, I don't want to have to
go through all this again. I have made healthy changes to my eating habits
which I hope will stay with me. The way I am eating now is something I can
easily do for the rest of my life. The problem is that I'll be obsessed
with weighing in every day. I know how to lose the weight, I just haven't a
clue as to how to stay at a certain weight.

What works? Certainly complacency is a problem just as much as obsession.
Would it be reasonable to set a range of say 10 pounds (five pounds on
either side of the goal) and try to keep within that? Weigh in once a week
and make adjustments for the next seven days? I have an idea that weight
maintenance is something like the functioning of an autopilot on a plane:
The autopilot cannot make the plane fly absolutely straight; it is designed
to make constant corrections so it ends up guiding the plane in a subtle
corkscrew path.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

I am new to maintenance, my idea was to allow myself a maximum of 5lbs
over goal. Under goal I didn't set a limit Just as well as I am now
about 3 lbs under my goal weight. I am slowly increasing my calories
to find out what I need to maintain. It is a scary process, I lost a
total of 30 lbs over 14-15 months, 22 of those in 1 year of WW, I have
a problem increasing what I eat. I get full more easily. I have added
snacks with points, before it was snacks without points or very low on
points. I will keep going to meetings when I reach lifetime, I need
the groups to keep me focused. Well done on your loss so far.
Michelle : Ozzie in Switzerland
69.8/59.5/61kg

On Thu, 29 Apr 2004 15:13:53 GMT, "Dewolla Stepon"
wrote:

Only 15 weeks into my weight loss, and at least 25 pounds to go, I know it's
a bit early to think about maintenance but I want to be prepared.

This is the third major diet I have undertaken. The first was in 1976 when
I lost 45 pound (200 to 155). The second was in 1994 when I lost 58 (260 to
202), and now in 2004 I'm down about 45 pounds so far (down about 55 from my
heaviest last year) on this diet. I'm probably going to aim for 175 pounds,
about the middle of a healthy range for me.

For some reason dieting has always been easy for me. In TOPS in 1976 I
remember losing 13 pounds the first week! Stubbornness, or willpower, or
pride, whatever, has always kept me on track. Maybe it's my parents'
influence of not wasting anything. If I quit losing weight now and go back
to the way I was I will have wasted all the effort of the past 14 weeks.

Maintenance has been a problem for me. Probably a big factor is that with
previous dieting I did not necessarily eat healthy but rather starved myself
down to a desirable weight. This time is different, though. With the help
of FitDay (and no, I'm not associated with them!) I am able to track all my
intake and make adjustments to eat healthy. For example, since my start on
January 13th I've averaged 1853 calories per day with 23% from fat, 19% from
protein, and 57% for carbs. My cholesterol is averaging 168mg per day, and
my sodium is at 2,690mg/day (1,960mg/day for the past 7 weeks). Certainly
healthier eating than I had been doing.

I want to keep my weight off when I reach my goal, I don't want to have to
go through all this again. I have made healthy changes to my eating habits
which I hope will stay with me. The way I am eating now is something I can
easily do for the rest of my life. The problem is that I'll be obsessed
with weighing in every day. I know how to lose the weight, I just haven't a
clue as to how to stay at a certain weight.

What works? Certainly complacency is a problem just as much as obsession.
Would it be reasonable to set a range of say 10 pounds (five pounds on
either side of the goal) and try to keep within that? Weigh in once a week
and make adjustments for the next seven days? I have an idea that weight
maintenance is something like the functioning of an autopilot on a plane:
The autopilot cannot make the plane fly absolutely straight; it is designed
to make constant corrections so it ends up guiding the plane in a subtle
corkscrew path.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

On 29 Apr 2004 16:34:17 GMT, Ignoramus8917
wrote:

In article , janice wrote:

I have no idea how to
eat like a "normal" person - all of my adult life I have either been
in the process of gaining or losing, both of which I do really well.

Janice, would you not say that after you lose weight, you would
continue eating about as much as you are eating now? If so, then you
are eating like a normal person now.

That's a good point, ig, and one which made me think what I meant by a
normal person.
If I eat like I do now, I would expect to probably go on losing past
my goal. I would expect to have to up my calories a little to stop
losing.
By normal people I guess I mean those who are neither dieting nor
overeating, who, unlike me, seem to stay roughly the same size.
janice

In article , janice
wrote:

My best maintenance tool has been participation on the support group
for the dietary intervention I use which is also helping autistic
children. It is totally absorbing and I must remind myself it's past
mealtime. When I took a break from posting I gained three pounds. So
it's a brain and boredom thing in addition to appetite.

I used to post compulively to ASD but it didn't make much of a hit.

--
Diva
********
Completing 4 years of maintenance

"Ignoramus8917" wrote in message
...
Note that people who do not weigh themselves daily due to
psychological stress of daily weightings, do not do all that great in
maintaining weight. Think about Jennifer ofr Gloria etc. (some people
do not need to weigh themselves daily because they maintain weight
alright). The ones who refuse to look at reality though, because they
are afraid to be hurt, in the end do not have a grip on reality.

Had to take this jewel out of the killfile...

You appear to still have some serious issues. You know absolutely nothing
about eating disorders at all yet you continue to sit in judgement of me
like you are some kind of model of mental health. I have been bulimarexic
since I was 12 years old and went into recover at 20. It's not something
that goes away. That I was able to deal with my recent relapse and get back
into recovery as quickly as I have is an accomplishment. Due to your
ignorance on the subject let me educate you in that it is common practice
for bulimics and anorexics to *not* weigh themselves regularly as part of
treatment. You've been told this before but choose to belittle the practice
since it doesn't fit with your narrow view of the way things ought to be. I
highly recommend readings from Kelly Brownell, an actual expert in the field
for anyone who wants to know more about eating disorders. He especially
does not recommend daily weighing, even for "normal" folks, but I say do
what you want and don't judge what works for others.

I lost over half my body weight in 10 months. I gained back less than 20%
of it in a relatively short period of time due to a hormone imbalance. If
you woke up with a sudden 15 lb weight gain over 24 hours, you'd have
probably killed yourself based on the way you flip over a single pound. I
didn't handle it well either, but I worked my butt off to recover. For 6
months now I've been dealing with doctors and tests and busting my hump to
keep under control something that is medical. All of this while trying to
get my metabolism back to something resembling normal - which I've been told
may take another 6-12 months. Next week I start a new course of treatment
that's going to cause me to gain approximately 10 lbs. That's *my* reality
and I have a perfectly fine grip on it.

I came to this group for SUPPORT during the difficult times and all I got
was more of your garbage which is why I stopped making regular posts about
my situation and went to private emails for support. Apparently things
aren't going to change as you are going to continue to feel the need to use
me to make yourself feel superior.

Jenn

"Ignoramus8917" wrote in message
...
Note that people who do not weigh themselves daily due to
psychological stress of daily weightings, do not do all that great in
maintaining weight. Think about Jennifer ofr Gloria etc. (some people
do not need to weigh themselves daily because they maintain weight
alright). The ones who refuse to look at reality though, because they
are afraid to be hurt, in the end do not have a grip on reality.


This has to be one of the stupidest statements I've heard in a long time.
How can you say that someone who doesn't weigh daily doesn't do well in
maintaining their weight. Many people don't weigh daily due to the
fluctuation from water, etc and don't want to deal with the ever changing
numbers on the scale. I don't know why you think you have to single out
Jenn and Gloria. They both deal with health issues much more important than
a few pounds on a damn scale. I personally think they do a good job of
controlling their weight under these circumstances. I doubt many of us
would have what it takes to do the same as they have done.

"Beverly" wrote in message
...

"Ignoramus8917" wrote in message
...
Note that people who do not weigh themselves daily due to
psychological stress of daily weightings, do not do all that great in
maintaining weight. Think about Jennifer ofr Gloria etc. (some people
do not need to weigh themselves daily because they maintain weight
alright). The ones who refuse to look at reality though, because they
are afraid to be hurt, in the end do not have a grip on reality.


This has to be one of the stupidest statements I've heard in a long time.
How can you say that someone who doesn't weigh daily doesn't do well in
maintaining their weight. Many people don't weigh daily due to the
fluctuation from water, etc and don't want to deal with the ever changing
numbers on the scale. I don't know why you think you have to single out
Jenn and Gloria. They both deal with health issues much more important
than
a few pounds on a damn scale. I personally think they do a good job of
controlling their weight under these circumstances. I doubt many of us
would have what it takes to do the same as they have done.

He singles me out because it makes him feel superior since I've had problems
and he hasn't ergo he wins because it's been a competition for him from day
one. Kinda like thinking you hit a double when you actually started out at
second base...

"JMA" wrote in message
...

"Beverly" wrote in message
...

"Ignoramus8917" wrote in message
...
Note that people who do not weigh themselves daily due to
psychological stress of daily weightings, do not do all that great in
maintaining weight. Think about Jennifer ofr Gloria etc. (some people
do not need to weigh themselves daily because they maintain weight
alright). The ones who refuse to look at reality though, because they
are afraid to be hurt, in the end do not have a grip on reality.


This has to be one of the stupidest statements I've heard in a long
time.
How can you say that someone who doesn't weigh daily doesn't do well in
maintaining their weight. Many people don't weigh daily due to the
fluctuation from water, etc and don't want to deal with the ever
changing
numbers on the scale. I don't know why you think you have to single out
Jenn and Gloria. They both deal with health issues much more important
than
a few pounds on a damn scale. I personally think they do a good job of
controlling their weight under these circumstances. I doubt many of us
would have what it takes to do the same as they have done.

He singles me out because it makes him feel superior since I've had
problems
and he hasn't ergo he wins because it's been a competition for him from
day
one. Kinda like thinking you hit a double when you actually started out
at
second base...

I think people who feel it necessary to belittle others often have inferior
complexes.