Mitra
06-12-2006, 05:58 AM
A selection of quotes from Staying Power this week:
"By far and away, most people who lose weight on any kind or diet - including rigorous fasting regimens or even stomach-stapling procedures - will regain most of it within a year. Sadly, many of them will regain all they lost and more."
"Trust us when we say that if low carb got you thin and well, then, as our Southern grandmothers used to say, you need to "dance with him that brung you," and learn to maintain that way."
"But maintenance is more than just a way of eating. It's a way of life, a way of thinking about what's important to you, and a way of prioritizing which things are important enough to make long term changes, even sacrifices, for."
"Every maintenance journey is different; what appeals to one person might not even cause a flicker of temptation in someone else. Your goal is to figure out what works fro you."
Of course, there are many other ideas about things that help. Keeping a detailed journal for at least the first year - helps fix the habits, gives a reference for what works for you, and takes you through the round of annual festivities.
I know I've looked at this subject before, but I really hate the thought that people work so hard to improve their health and lose excess fat ... and then have to do it all over again.
What did you find hardest about maintenance, and how did you deal with it? Is there anything you've learned that could help someone else avoid a few pitfalls?
If you've lost and regained the weight once or more, what are the things that derailed you?
I suppose it's not fair that I should ask all these questions without giving my answers ;) . One thing that's hard about maintenance is losing the "reward," of seeing things change. I've had to fight the temptation to keep on losing weight just because I've come to view going down as good, and staying the same as not so good. Pursuing further health or fitness goals is one way to keep getting rewards, and transferring your efforts to other areas of life, like some hobby, or study is another way.
Monitoring is important - to catch any adverse changes before things get out of hand. I don't find that clothes work very well for me - there's too much scope for deceiving myself by just wearing looser fitting clothes :rolleyes: . The things I watch out for are fluid retention (ring gets tighter, ankles/feet get a bit puffy or "tight" feeling) and weight gain. Before reacting to weight gain, I'd take time to check that it was fat gain, but weight is the easiest thing to measure.
When I've started to drift up, journalling has been very useful. I've learned what numbers work (about 60-70g carb and 1600-1700 kcals - I don't normally count, but that gives me a reference to get back to if I've drifted), and also, I find that when I weigh and measure and record all my food I tend to eat less anyway!
Finally, hanging out here, and being constantly reminded of the advantages of eating enough protein, lots of veggies, and keeping blood sugar and insulin under control is a great help.
Another difficulty with maintenance is that it is so individual - but if we can compile a list of what has helped each of us, then we should cover a good range of the possibilities.
"By far and away, most people who lose weight on any kind or diet - including rigorous fasting regimens or even stomach-stapling procedures - will regain most of it within a year. Sadly, many of them will regain all they lost and more."
"Trust us when we say that if low carb got you thin and well, then, as our Southern grandmothers used to say, you need to "dance with him that brung you," and learn to maintain that way."
"But maintenance is more than just a way of eating. It's a way of life, a way of thinking about what's important to you, and a way of prioritizing which things are important enough to make long term changes, even sacrifices, for."
"Every maintenance journey is different; what appeals to one person might not even cause a flicker of temptation in someone else. Your goal is to figure out what works fro you."
Of course, there are many other ideas about things that help. Keeping a detailed journal for at least the first year - helps fix the habits, gives a reference for what works for you, and takes you through the round of annual festivities.
I know I've looked at this subject before, but I really hate the thought that people work so hard to improve their health and lose excess fat ... and then have to do it all over again.
What did you find hardest about maintenance, and how did you deal with it? Is there anything you've learned that could help someone else avoid a few pitfalls?
If you've lost and regained the weight once or more, what are the things that derailed you?
I suppose it's not fair that I should ask all these questions without giving my answers ;) . One thing that's hard about maintenance is losing the "reward," of seeing things change. I've had to fight the temptation to keep on losing weight just because I've come to view going down as good, and staying the same as not so good. Pursuing further health or fitness goals is one way to keep getting rewards, and transferring your efforts to other areas of life, like some hobby, or study is another way.
Monitoring is important - to catch any adverse changes before things get out of hand. I don't find that clothes work very well for me - there's too much scope for deceiving myself by just wearing looser fitting clothes :rolleyes: . The things I watch out for are fluid retention (ring gets tighter, ankles/feet get a bit puffy or "tight" feeling) and weight gain. Before reacting to weight gain, I'd take time to check that it was fat gain, but weight is the easiest thing to measure.
When I've started to drift up, journalling has been very useful. I've learned what numbers work (about 60-70g carb and 1600-1700 kcals - I don't normally count, but that gives me a reference to get back to if I've drifted), and also, I find that when I weigh and measure and record all my food I tend to eat less anyway!
Finally, hanging out here, and being constantly reminded of the advantages of eating enough protein, lots of veggies, and keeping blood sugar and insulin under control is a great help.
Another difficulty with maintenance is that it is so individual - but if we can compile a list of what has helped each of us, then we should cover a good range of the possibilities.