Those in Maintenance - Share With Me!

First, I want to say that YES I am consulting with my dietician at TWH and with my family doctor but I am also curious about everyone's personal experiences with entering maintenance.

I am interested in how you adjusted your calories/food intake but also what the psychological impact was on you.  Did you find it a complete insanity to go from the weight loss mentality to the maintenance mentality?  Did you have any fears or anxieties?

I am also curious what your body image or sense of self-esteem was like at the point you entered maintenance?

Any tips and advice that you could offer would be much appreciated. 

23 months post-op, and maintaining, but I'm really sorry - I have no sage wisdom to impart.

It's a daily struggle,and I underperform, and I know it.

One thing that does help to keep me on the straight and narrow it posting on the "What are you Eating/Doing Today?" thread.

Self-esteem is much less of an issue, but the mental struggle with the food addiction is still very much present.

Without this forum, and the occasional chat with a trained professional, I wonder if I would manage as well as I do.

Gaby. I seriously don't know how people go through this without any sort of support. Whether it be on OH, with a trained professional, or in a group setting in person. I do it all...and I don't think I could have done it without it!

I think my calories got to 1,000 by the one year mark. Maybe earlier. My goal is usually 1200 now. I don't usually count my exercise in that ratio, as some do, because it works for me. However, if I do go over my 1200, I don't beat myself up for it because I do exercise. I say this, because I know you do too.

Psychologically, I would say that it didn't scare me by this point to add calories. It did earlier, like at six months, when my hunger started kicking in. I didn't like that at all. My biggest fear was carbs. And then when I started having RH problems, and had to add carbs in with my protein and eat every two hours. That's also what I didn't like! LOL

You will do fine, up your calories, and keep on with your crazy exercising :-)

Hi Melissa

Food:  Katie gave me recommended calorie intake and protein / carb / fat ratios to go by for maintenance  As it was not much different from where I was at in weight loss mode (300+ more calories, ratio pretty much the same), I decided to approach maintenance not as a new phase, but as an expansion of the same eating pattern - just a little bit more.  I would figure out each morning what I would be adding that day to make up the 300 calories, and when I'd eat it - and then continued the remainder of my eating like before.  I stopped using FitDay for tracking - to try and ease off the pressure a little - and started weighing myself everyday instead.  [As post-menopausal, I don't have the monthly"swings" to contend with.]  As long as I stayed within three pounds up or below my target weight, I said - OK, no change to eating / exercise required.

This has remained my pattern, although I am not adhering as strictly to the "ratios" as I used to - but, too many carbs, and the pounds start coming back pretty fast.  Then back to basics.  I gained 5 pounds from December to March, and have just taken them back off without too much trouble by cutting the carbs back.  My body seems to respond much better now than when I was really fat.

So maintenance for me is really nothing new - just "more" of the same.

Mentality:  Terrified!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But after about 3 months I began to realize I was in control still.  For me, stopping the food tracking (which I felt was OK, because I was still basically eating the same things that I was already familiar with) was very freeing.  I just keep track of calorie ranges in my head now.

Body Image:  This was tough.  Finally accepting that I'm not fat anymore has really helped me ease back and become more comfortable with life, and not make food so important in my daily living.  To do that, I asked my family to help me understand what I REALLY looked like by picking out random people on the street and asking if I was that size.  Neither my husband or my daughter liked doing this to be frank, but it really helped me. Not surprisingly, I always picked people who were apparently larger than me as my comparables, and they consistently picked people who were much smaller than I thought appropriate.  Gradually I began to accept that I am now normal sized - and perhaps on the smaller end of the "average".  This has been a major head trip, and still is to be frank; but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that not worrying about being the fat lady is wonderful.  I get mad still about the size-isms that I encounter, but now within the context of member ship in the thin people club, but I try not to focus unduly on it.  I feel incredibly compassionate toward those who still struggle with obesity, and have to be careful that I don't come across too forward with those who are themselves still big but see me as small.  It's definitely a balancing act.

Good luck.  YOU CAN DO IT!  And ..................... Congratulations on your success!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the best

Claire

 

I don't have any great words of wisdom as I am not doing well in maintenance so far.  I keep gaining and losing the same 5-7 pounds. I keep testing myself to see what I can eat without gaining and of course that is not working. My body image is terrible.  I feel just as fat as I did a year ago. I can't afford shopping every few days to get that realization that I am smaller.  I am starting a 6 week program next two week with a therapist. I know I will need someone else longer term.

Here are my suggestions for what they are worth:

1. only go up 100 calories at a time - I did not do this and wish I had. My clinic told me to go up to 1200 and I did which resulted in gain and frustration. Maybe by only going up 100 per week or 200 you will hit your sweet spot and recognize it.  ie. the point you maintain at. It is scary to see the scale go up, I won't sugar coat that.

2. figure out how often you want to weigh - I went to once a week which didn't work as it would shock me how much I could put on in a week. I have gone back to once a day but don't write it down except for once a month.  It keeps me more on track to see the weight once a day and try not to be too judgmental. Set an absolute won't go past this number. I set a softer number as well that I will go past depending on whether there is an event, etc. If I go past my absolute number than I am back to 800 calories until it is gone.

3. tracking food - I must admit I have slacked in this area on and off although I do keep a mental tally. I do need to go back to tracking daily. I don't know why I stop doing it - it should be a self  sabotage trigger for me by now but it isn't. I do weigh and measure still. Tracking water is also an area that is not as good as it needs to be.

4. exercise - I went from daily to something less than daily and then it becomes a battle - another self sabotage set up. I was experiencing a lot of pain in my joints and was told to scale down. I am trying to find other forms of exercise other than just aerobic so my joints hurt less.  I am a lot older than you and have arthritis already in my back , knees and hips. This is one area that affects my mental self worth and an area I have struggled with all of my life. I don't know how to fix this. This is one area where I can self sabotage very easily and I need suggestions myself in this area.  I am an all or nothing thinker in a lot of ways.

5. mental struggle - of course it is still there and of course I doubt myself and my ability to keep it off. I am scared for people to judge me and look at me too closely to see if I am maintaining my weight loss.

6. food choices - I live alone and don't have to cook for anyone else - this is good and bad.  I tend to not try out new things but on the other hand I get bored with what I do eat.

7. talk - I don't talk about weight strategies much any more and maybe I need to - I have seen so many go away from the boards and say they are busy living life and don't focus so much on weight food, etc. etc.  In my opinion this can be a slippery slope. I am not there and don't know if I will ever be there. I don't want to be posting that I have gained 20 or more pounds back and or be embarrassed to say I am struggling. I want to be a Dawn, or a Karen who stay in touch.

I will be honest, my self esteem is in the pits right now and by writing this down I realize why.

Everyday is a mental struggle as well as physical one. If I try not to be so conscious about things I gain weight.  I gain very quickly without much change in food so it is frustrating.

I need a get together soon or a coffee with others in maintenance.  Anyone planning one? I know people say those in maintenance don't need their own group but right now I do need one.  I need a small core group of people to talk to about this. Anyone else? Since WLS has really grown in numbers in Ontario the get togethers can often be way too big for detailed talk about the needs of newbies, those further out and those in maintenance.

I wish you all the best Melissa and as many have said this is another challenge to get through. I hope I don't sound too negative, just going through a bad patch.

OMG -  just read your current weigh? Are you kidding me??? Congrats, congrats, congrats. 

How much do you exercise?

Paula  

I am in a bit of a hurry here...so this will not be as detailed as I would like

 

Maintenance is the kicker....and the most important to get ahold of

 

1.  Track....track....did I say track?

2.  Dont graze......three meals and 2-3 snacks for life

3.   keep moving

4.  Dont test the waters too much

5.. Watch alcohol....can loosen your inhibitions....and its liquid calories....

6.  You are still early out....so transgressions will not show as much on the scale....watch out for post 24 months.....your body is sneaky and learns how to absorb more calories....and our pouch/sleeve is bigger.....

 

7.  Mantra - dense protein....veg....water....vits....get moving.....

 

This is just a start....sorry...on way out door

 

 

I would agree with a lot of these points...try not to change your habits too much, once you "test the waters"..you become succeptible to old habits, because they are not dead only buried beneath the surface.

 

when you slip which we all do...relaize that you are human...& then chalk it up to experience.

 

 

 

Thanks for posting this Pinkjellybean. I am close to your surgery date and really enjoyed the answers you got.

You know how its been for me...Mainteance is a *****but also a real opportunity to figure it out, as long as it takes with trial and error, what your body needs to stay well and what relationship with food you need to have to maintain your sanity.  Once you get the body and the head working together, it'll be a breeze...right??  At least that is what I keep telling myself.  Go forth bravely, honestly and with self compassion and it will fall into place sooner or later.