Maintenance Approach......3 Basic Choices

Maintenance Approach......3 Basic Choices

There has been some recent posts on maintenance and how to transition..... 

Increasing calories can happen in 3 basic ways:

- Quantity-------------> More per meal

- Content--------------> More caloric rich foods per meal

- Frequency----------> Eating more meals

I choose to increase "Content" and "Frequency" would be choice #2

By keeping the meals small and increasing the caloric content allows me to eat a much more varied diet which can include fats, sauces, coatings, sugars, starches......

But the most important part to this approach is that you preserve your restriction for the long haul. Under eating your capacity is the only way to preserve your restriction. Always pushing your sleeve to the maximum is how you stretch your sleeve and increase capacity (not good).

In maintenance I pretty much eat anything.........if it fits into my baseline of:

My plates tend to look/value like 3-2-1

- 3 parts protein, 2 parts veg, 1 part starch

- Calorie count

Yes, I eat fried chicken.

I would rather eat 2oz. of fried chicken with veggies.........than 4oz. of skinless chicken breast and veggies..... assuming both would have the same net calories.

Those are the choices as I see them...... up to you to choose your approach.

frisco

I'm a #3 guy for the most part with a little bit of #2 thrown in there. I am a 3oz protein person then the veggies and usually 1-2 TBS of a starch. My plate when compared to an old analog clock looks like this: The first half hour is protein, then the next 20 minutes is veggies and the last 10 minutes is the starch.

I've done #1 a time or two (haven't we all?) and I don't like the way it makes me feel - either physically or mentally so I'm a #2 & #3 gal too...Thanks again for putting it out there frisco.

Deb

I'm a 'content' girl.  It's the approach that gives me the most enjoyment and satiation.  I still have awesome restriction.  I kinda feel like I have it all, despite being thin :). Rich sauces, full fat everything, marbled steak. As far as I'm concerned, fat is where it's at - except on me ;)

Thanks Frisco for posting this. I wish we could have more maintenance discussion on the board. 

I think you were reading my mind.  As I am getting closer and closer to goal, I have been wondering about maintenance.  Thanks for posting this.

I don't seem to do any of them but if pushed I'd say 2. 

I eat every four hours or longer if I'm out and about but never less.  I pretty much eat what i ate in the losing stage unless i go out or have a function.  My refrigerator looks the same now as it did 30 months ago.  Greek Yogurt, chicken thighs, etc. If i eat a thigh i have no room for veggies.  I used to do veggie snacks but got lazy and not so much now. 

Today in the grocery store i was looking at the beef and thinking i should make a pot roast because i love it and it's so rounded and as soon as spring comes (southern Ca)around i won't do it but i didn't buy it because I'm working on the after holiday bloat.  I do and have from the beginning put a teaspoon of raspberries into my yogurt, etc. 

I've never added back in starch because i didn't miss it.  So no pasta rice or potatoes.  The one thing i miss is bread but if i eat it i don't have room for anything else.  So whatever that is.  I think it's just my way of coping.

The truth is that I have done all three.  It is best to not increase portion size, but I have done it and paid a price for it.  When I am being my best self, I am eating mostly clean protein and veggies.  Sometimes I eat fried foods and sometimes I go over my caloric budget for the day.  That's why I still need to keep such an eagle's eye on the scale.  Ideally, I am eating clean most (80-90%) of the time.  The other time, hopefully, I am increasing caloric density rather than amount.

Maintenance newbie just since Sept.  Didn't know what to do at first so I started adding new foods. That didn't work for me.  I guess I tend toward 1 and 3.  I have been trying to change 1 as I agree eating under capacity will keep the best restriction.  When I do 3, it feels like I am eating all the time.  I was never much of a snacker before surgery.  More of a 3 big meals a day and this has been a hard thing to change.  My big now looks a great deal different than my big before.  However, I am very concerned that I will stretch my sleeve.  So I have been cutting back the amount I eat and eating more snacks.  I eat very clean for numerous medical reasons.   Thanks for posting this.  I need this tool and only by eliminating 1 will that continue. 

I'm mostly t 2, with some 3 thrown in. I do allow a few extra snacks in maintenance, but it's mostly higher calorie versions of protein and dairy, with extra oils and treats for snacks thrown in. 

Lynda