How is Your Maintenance Going?

[Mitra]

How is life in maintenance land? Are you happy with the way it's going? With your ability to do what you need to? With your size/weight?

After 3 years of maintenance, I'm finding it still has its ups and downs. I don't have to count my food most of the time, and I know what works for me, but still, every so often my weight will drift up by a few pounds, and I'll find that I start to see the Sock Line at the end of the day. Then the quickest way to get back for me is to journal for a while and count at least the carbs. So far I've not found that maintenance means equilibrium. It's not that it's especially difficult, just that my natural inclination is to eat a bit more, and more carby, than my metabolism can handle :rolleyes:, so I keep having to correct the drift.

At the moment I'm about 3 lbs above my notional target weight - nothing desperate, but I still don't like it. I tell myself that my there's a 10 lb "acceptable" band, and I'm bang in the middle of that, but really there's only about a 5 lb band where I'm actually happy with the numbers, and I'm at the top of that (based on no change in LBM - I'd change the numbers if I needed to allow for more muscle).

[Shadow]

Morning, Mitra :D! For the most part I am satisfied. The parts of my anatomy I don't like are mostly due to genetics and while I make every effort to do what I can to improve them, I'm never going to be able to change the basics I have to work with :rolleyes:. Weight-wise I'm doing okay although I am up a touch in weight over where I was for several months. I don't get people who say stress makes them lose weight - obviously that benefit wasn't in my gene pool either :lol:. But I am eating on plan, exercising, and drinking my water, so hopefully the fluctuation is a temporary thing....

So now where are the rest of all you fine maintainers :D?

[Relief]

Same old same old here. still struggling with the same issues--last may I was at goal when the doc insisted I change thyroid dose and I gained 15 pounds back by this Jan. switched docs; got a new thyroid protocol and have lost about 10 of the 15. loss comes so slow!!!! For me, losing is more a function of calories than carb--I still keep carb at about the 40-60 per day level, but have to really watch calories. lately have been pretty successful eating a modified fast 3 days a week and then normal the other days. on the fast days I do a very low--below 500--calorie day. protein shakes made with chrystal light, and then a variety of things made with egg whites-omelettes, crepes, hard boiled. Sometimes I have some chicken broth . I might have a small glass of V8 or a tangerine or some berries. It is my variation of IF. this has wroked better for me than trying to watch calories everyday--it just makes me crazy to do that. so on the normal days I eat controlled carb, but pretty much whatever, however much I want. I can lose as much as a pound a week if I do this--which for me is HUGE.

if i forget a dose of thyroid, however--or get sick (as I did this past week) which throws it all aff as well--everything grinds to a halt!

Busy busy right now planning a wedding for July--youngest DD getting married and then both she and new hubby will be deployed to Iraq. oh my.

I just closed a show-- 10 weeks of "Guys and Dolls"--had a blast with that and am now starting training for a new job. good money working from home doing transcriptions of audio tapes. ( things like Television and radio programs, court depositions--anything that need a written transcription.) A great side job for an Actor!!!

I pop in for a bit everyday and keep up on everybody's doin's but don't have a lot of time to post much

great day all!

[Mitra]

Deborah, I tried that sort of idea - alternate days at low cal levels. Do you remember, there was that Spanish study showing that it worked pretty well (for health benefits, I can't remember about weight loss). But I just ended up being so hungry on those days that I couldn't think about anything but when I'd be able to eat again. I liked the idea, but whatever I was doing wasn't quite working. Maybe I'll give it another go sometime, or maybe just do an occasional day.

Like you, calories seem to be what affects my weight - but if I eat more carbs I always eat more fat too, so controlling my carbs works for both as long as I don't start piling on the cream or cream cheese, which I could do very easily!

Just being nosy, but what is your goal at the moment?

I wish I could have seen your Guys and Dolls :D. That sounds like great fun - but exhausting. The DD who's getting married, is she the one whose photo was your avatar for a while?

Shadow, stress doesn't make me lose weight either :(. Keeping moderately busy helps, but life doesn't seem to offer "moderately busy," very often :lol:. It must have been a godsend to you that you have your cooking and eating routine so thoroughly worked out.

[Relief]

The DD who's getting married, is she the one whose photo was your avatar for a while?

that's the one--she is very young and the last kid I thought would get married this young--so independent! but she found a wonderful young man, also in the army, and ,well...love you know!

about my goal I am currently at about 126 and wear av size 8-ish I want to be easily in size four ( obviously US sizes) which is where I was at about 122. I would really like to be closer to 118 and with a much lower BF% than now. and then BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT!!!!!!so i guess that is my ultimate goal.

what occupies me--so is the behavioral goal--is working out the thyroid/ hormone optimum. you would be amazed how much time and effort it takes to diddle around--everychange has to me made in increments and allthe hormones are interelated so if anything is out of whack it can mess up the whole system. If my estrogen dose is too high--I won't lose, if progesterone is not balanced with estrogen ( or vice versa) I have hot flashes of death. if the thyroid is too low I gain--too high and I have hot flashes and heart palpitations--JUST RIGHT and I will start to lose again--all this eating exactly the same way. its very irritating!!!

[maxlharris]

I don't get people who say stress makes them lose weight - obviously that benefit wasn't in my gene pool either :lol:.

I go 50/50 on this. Sometimes, when I stress, I stop eating. I remember during ICE Week during my MBA (it's a week of case studies with presentations with 15-20 hour turn arounds, with 4 hours between the last presentation and the next case being revealed), I think I ate five meals the whole week. One of which was a coffee and pastry when I met my wife for the first time in person (ROMANTIC... Not!). I lost about 6 lbs from stress, caffeine, and low calories.

Other times, I eat.

If you buy the theory about genetically set weight bands, I wonder if there is a stress-loss/gain relationship when you are over/under. By ICE Week, I think I weighed about 250, which is maybe over my band. I dunno that I buy the theory (I think the methods behind the studies are flawed), but it might make sense like that.

[Shadow]

Deborah - It is soooo good to see you :D! I am sorry for all the thyroid issues you still battle :(. But I gotta tell ya, I've done the starvation diets before and if that is what it takes to get to a weight goal, I'm never going to get there :lol:. All that's ever done for me is send me off into binge-land :rolleyes:. I'd rather maintain at a slightly higher weight than go through the nightmare of starving/bingeing again.

Mitra - I can't tell you how thankful I am for being firmly established in this WOE!!! I know without a doubt that my stress level - not to mention my physical/mental wellbeing - would be far worse than it is if I were willing to fall off the wagon. I think my "routine eating" is a big part of how I get through my days. I couldn't imagine running amok like I am now while trying to fight a carb hangover :eek: or letting my body rundown by not exercising! It is really a godsend, indeed!!!

Max - I've not read about the set weight bands, but if it's what I'm thinking it is, I can see where it makes some sense. But then again, I can easily see that theory being used as an excuse to forgiving ourselves for all kinds of misbehaving in our eating :lol:! Guess what I'm saying is there's only so much we can do in some areas - but that doesn't mean we should not give it our all to improve what we DO have control over. (And I know you understand that point - I just wanted to make sure anyone browsing understood the difference between theory/excuse too ;) )

[Mitra]

Deborah, the hormonal stuff sounds so frustrating! I've been noticing how the things that go on in my life (stress levels) affect my hormones these days (shows up in menstrual variations) and how much that affects the way I feel, but I haven't reached the point of embarking on the endless process of negotiating with a doctor to make any adjustments. The main effects I notice are fatigue, and that my allergies (hay fever/mould) seem worse. I haven't had any change in my weight - except when I've eaten too much of the wrong sort of stuff. I suppose one of the reasons all this stuff is so difficult to treat is that it's very individual.

I've really never quite managed to sort out how US sizes work. I know the UK equivalent is a bigger number, but I'm not sure whether your 4 is our 6 or 8. The clothes I have with international labels aren't at all consistent about their translations!

As Shadow said, it's lovely to hear from you - maybe I'll have to go back to doing a regular maintenance thread again, just to keep in touch :).

[soopy]

Hi Everyone!
Thanks for starting this Mitra, it's good to hear how you all are doing.
Relief—so sorry to hear you are still struggling to balance everything. You are so dedicated, and deserve some good results.
Shadow—I'm in total agreement that having the food/exercise stuff routine goes a long way towards helping deal with stress.

Well, we are still eating on a day on/day off schedule. It's firmly PP, and I've been experimenting with some Nourishing Traditions recipes such as lacto fermented oatmeal. I'm not really strict about my cutoff times, so the fasting is more like 20 hours rather than 24. DH mostly has to remember to eat enough, as he often doesn't feel hungry. My weight is pretty stable, he's definitely stalled.

Exercise is also pretty routine, but I got a cool new Cruiser bike for Mother's Day, so will add some rides. Only on the flats though, it only has one speed. I most definiely notice my stress levels rising if I go 2 or 3 days without a good hike, so I go!

The other 20% is where the changes are happening. We continue to experience some Super Stress, and it isn't going to go away. New thinking seems to be that Stress is a major factor in Heart Disease so we are hitting it with everything we can. We'd love to take a holiday, but the situation is such that it really isn't possible to get away for more than a quick overnight, so we'll settle for making our environment as conducive to relaxation as possible. We finally have our new infrared sauna, and it is wonderful! Still getting used to it, but will soon have a sound system hooked up and have the mellow cd's and aromatherapy oils all ready to go. I can tell you that it is very relaxing, but it's a little hard to have measurable health improvements. I'll let you know if DH starts to drop pounds. Blood pressure (DH's, mine is very low) is another improvement we're hoping for, but I've also bought a Resperate (recommended by DVDMon on another thread), so if (when!!) the numbers drop, we won't know which device to attribute it to. I really don't care, as long as it gets better.

OK, I'm off to relax in my garden, smell the lilacs and listen to the birds....

[Mitra]

Soopy, I'm sorry things are stressful for you - but I'm rather envious of the sauna. Maybe sometime in the future ...

How are you doing with the Nourishing Traditions recipes? I love that porridge - I add a dollop of butter or creme fraiche when I eat it. I make the baby dutch pancakes sometimes, too (but use half the amount of flour the recipe suggests). I also find it very useful to have some sauerkraut on hand as a store cupboard vegetable (we're getting low, so it's time I started some more). I like some of the dishes they give recipes for, like duck confit, but use someone else's recipes.

It's good to hear from you again.

[Shadow]

Soopy - It's wonderful to see you again :D! I, too, am so sorry about the stress :( but hopefully you get out to enjoy those lilacs! Ours are in full bloom and I just adore them. I go out to the yard every night just to take in their aroma. I can never stay more than a minute or two, but somehow it helps to recharge these batteries just doing that much. Hopefully it will be the same for you :)!

[soopy]

Thanks for the good thoughts, Shadow and Mitra. I forgot to mention the importance of the 'F' factors in dealing with stressful times—Faith, Family and Friends. I know I'm fortunate to have all three in my life, and that includes on line friends. Today I'm off to the city for 'retail therapy,' That is so rare for me, I absolutely hate to shop, but my knees are starting to tell me it's time for new trail shoes. And I need some co-ordinating fabrics to go with an e-bay purchase so I can get some quilting done—also good therapy to do something creative.
Mitra, I know space is a consideration for you with regards to a sauna. I know they have portable, fold away type versions. Of course you wouldn't get the 'atmosphere.' We have a two seater, and it's not nearly as massive as I thought it would be. It does fit in a corner of my spare room quite nicely, and a single would take even less space.
Shadow, lilacs are my favorite smelling flowers, well maybe rivalled by sweat peas. It's too bad they are only out for such a short time, but I am definitely getting lots of sniffs in! Scent therapy? Why not?

[Shadow]

Scent therapy? Why not?
I've become a firm believer in it :D! But I agree - if I had my way, lilacs would bloom all summer long! Hope you get to enjoy that retail therapy today! Sounds like it's about time for you to get those new shoes ;)!

[Mitra]

I was thinking about you both today, when I went for a walk, and was looking at the last shrivelled remnants of lilac on the trees - envious that you'll have yours a little longer.

Soopy, it's not so much lack of space for a sauna that's the problem. It's that we live in an old house, and the building regulations are so strict about what you can do, that it's just not worth the effort.

[soopy]

Mitra, there's really nothing to 'do' to the building. The sauna is just a box that you assemble and plug in to a regular household outlet. It uses about the same elctricity as a hairdryer. And you pack it up and take it with you when you move. Not at all like the traditional kind.

[Shadow]

I was thinking about you both today, when I went for a walk, and was looking at the last shrivelled remnants of lilac on the trees - envious that you'll have yours a little longer.
I'll make sure to take an extra sniff or two for you tonight :D!

[banshee]

I'd have to say that maintenance is keeping me sane at the moment. :rolleyes: The stress from my current job hunt has been a killer. I actually had an entire morning of weepy depression on Saturday, for no apparent reason - although I'm pretty sure it had to be the stress hormones getting the upper hand for a while. I felt totally stupid and worthless for most of the day, and then I was fine on Sunday. So weird.

Anyway, I do pretty good most of the time. Get in my exercise, keep my carbs within maintenance limits - around 60-80 grams per day when I actually sit down and calculate it, and get in my supplements and protein. The last couple months, though, have been a true struggle in all areas. Finding time to exercise has been tough, remembering to take my supplements has been tough with my routine all shot to pieces, and I've been seeing some of my old "no willpower" patterns re-asserting themselves.

For example, last week I was out of town at a conference. They provided lunch every day, and I had dessert every time. (Except for the "all-American picnic meal" - avoiding ice cream bars wasn't difficult - it's not decadent enough to tempt me.) At a friend's for the weekend, though, I was confronted with truly yummy delicious home made desserts, and again indulged - several times. And at dinner with friends Saturday, I ordered dessert, which was a true failure - it's one thing having no will power when the stuff is placed right in front of you without you asking for it, it's another thing to actually ASK them to give you something you know you shouldn't eat! :o

HOWEVER, I did get in my exercise during the trip, and when I got home and weighed myself this morning, I'm at exactly the same weight and body fat I was when I left home, so apparently I didn't do any lasting harm even with the week long extravagance of indulgences - I still fit into my smallest size pants. And except for my depression-filled Saturday, it was only 1 dessert per day, so it's not like I was diving into giant tubs of sugar all day long... I'm convinced I was ok because of the new muscle I've built in the last 6 months of weight lifting. That success is what allows me to "fail" more frequently without trouble. I still intend to eat clean for the next couple weeks though, if I can manage it.

It's funny, but I think I wouldn't be nearly as stressed if I wasn't being successful at getting interviews! Since I started the job hunt in March I've averaged more than 1 interview per week, with several of those out of town requiring overnight travel. That much "selling myself" is really hard for me, since I'm an introvert at heart. I actually stopped applying for new jobs a couple weeks ago to give myself a break, but the rate hasn't let up yet. I can only imagine how difficult this pace would have been before I got my health under control with PP! :eek: I probably would be bedridden by now, instead of just really tired and feeling frazzled!

My goal right now truly is "maintanance" - I had been trying to get down some more in size and body fat, but right now all I want to do is survive until I find a new job, so keeping at my current weight, body fat and strength levels is my goal. And I'm not beating myself up too much for the frequent sugar indulgences - I know it's the stress, and once the stress goes down I'll be back to my usual ability to pass things by without any difficulty.

I even asked my personal trainer to give me a very simple program to work on until this is all over, so that I'm not adding to the stress with my workout - he told me to back off on the weights, since lifting heavy is a stress on the body, and when you're under heavy stress already, you should reduce the physical stress of your workouts. So I'm currently doing lots of compound movements that let me do a quicker workout, many using just my own body weight, and for the one or two where I do add weight I'm doing lighter weights and higher reps. That should keep me from backsliding until I can get back to a true muscle building routine.

Ok, that was a lot longer that I thought it would be... thanks for listening! :p

[Mitra]

Mary, I hope you find something soon. The encouraging thing is that if you can hang on to your maintenance through all this, you can have confidence that you really can do it :).

I think I'm still feeling the after-effects of our stressful winter away from home, spending a lot of time in hospital with my mother in law's illness & death. Strangely, I didn't feel stressed at the time, but once we got home again I was totally exhausted. Last month I finally felt close to normal, but now I'm back to feeling tired and fragile :rolleyes:. It's bad planning on somebody's part that we have to deal with manic hormones and aging parents at the same time. Lots of people have teenagers around too :eek:. I'm trying to hang on to the fact that last month was better, so things are moving in the right direction. And I've stopped spotting and started ovulating again, so the hormones must have recovered somewhat, even if not quite enough to give me any energy :rolleyes:.

Is there anybody out there having a really easy time? :D

[Shadow]

Mary - Thank you for telling us :D! Sorry it's been so stressful for you lately :(. Hopefully things will soon look much brighter :).

[Shadow]

Is there anybody out there having a really easy time? :D
Only in my dreams :lol:!

Seriously, Mitra, I am sooo bummed you're feeling poorly again :(! I was so hoping you were over that - as I'm sure you were, too!

[deirdra]

Is there anybody out there having a really easy time? :DWell, not really easy, but not bad. In the past year I've upped my fat intake to 70% (and calories to ~2000/day) and cut out all grains, soy and most casein. Without cravings, it is easy to stay in line, and the high fat keeps my moods high & stress low, which for me is a great improvement since I was always a glass half empty person. The only bumps in the road have been when I was out of town and had some grains (e.g. half cup of rice). Along with the muscle & joint pain, stuffed up head and wheezing, fatigue etc., 5 lbs came back. But it was a good wake up call to avoid foods I'm intolerant of, get back on track & shed those 5 lbs of water in a few days.

[Mitra]

It's nice to hear some good news, Deirdra :).

[Shadow]

Deidra - How wonderful you're sailing right along :thumbsup:! I'm sure one of these days, the rest of us will be sailing right along with you :D!

[banshee]

You know, Deirdra, I hadn't thought about it, but it is rather interesting that last week when I was so busy indulging, I was having major allergy and asthma issues, and now that I'm back home and back to eating what I should be eating, I'm not having as much of a problem.

I had thought that it was because the cottonwood-blooming season started earlier in Chicago, but that's rather silly since I'm further south at home, so the season almost always starts earlier here... :rolleyes:

[Bones]

I just copy and pasted my post from the other maintenance thread since my reply would be the same here. :)

Wow! It's been a while since I've been here. I don't know if any of you will even remember me, but it's nice to see some familiar faces still around. I got down to a weight I was comfortable with and maintained for about a year. I found myself dealing with some unexpected stress the last couple of month, started reaching for junky comfort food which quickly threw me back into addiction mode, and now I have myself back under control. I have come out of these past few months 15 pounds heavier, but determined to get back to where I was. I have been losing and regaining the same few pounds these past few weeks...blah! I know that I need to be be stricter with myself because the last few pounds are the hardest to lose, but I'm having a difficult time getting myself into the mental frame of mind needed to do it. How are all of you doing with those last few pounds?

[Bones]

Same old same old here. still struggling with the same issues--last may I was at goal when the doc insisted I change thyroid dose and I gained 15 pounds back by this Jan. switched docs; got a new thyroid protocol and have lost about 10 of the 15. loss comes so slow!!!! For me, losing is more a function of calories than carb--I still keep carb at about the 40-60 per day level, but have to really watch calories. lately have been pretty successful eating a modified fast 3 days a week and then normal the other days. on the fast days I do a very low--below 500--calorie day.

I relate to you so much, Relief! I have hypothyroidism and my digestion is sooo slow. Like you said, I have found over time that it has more to do with what/how much I eat than how many carbs I eat. If I eat things that are too "heavy", or eat too much at once, the foods just sits in my stomache forever. I can eat heavy food, but only a few bites, otherwise... I also try to fast once a week to give my digestion a break, otherwise it feels like my body gets overwhelmed and bogged down.