Getting nervous about how to deal with maintenance mentally !!

Ok so I have 11 lbs to go!!! And just wondering how the heck this is going to work mentally !!! I mean I've spent 5 months with getting ready 6 months loosing weight!! And seeing change after change in my body and cloths and how people see me and I see me!!! All the new 1st like tiny dresses and bikinis ... so when your finally done what happens !!! No more 1st ... no more wow factor!!!  I know this sounds dumb and vain but that's been my adrenaline rush .. so what do I do now!!! Live a normal life !!!! Sounds awesome but scary also!!! What did you all do how did you feel !!! Is it just me being wacked !! :-) help

♡ Kelly

Great question -- I'm nervous about this too!

You and me both sister!!!!! :-)

♡ Kelly

You are right to be nervous.  Many people hit goal just to start bouncing right back.  For many, it has to do with the psychological factors you mentioned. First, it's hard to go from pursuing a goal and being driven by numbers to simply maintaining.  Second, eventually all the hoopla around losing weight dies down. People stop complimenting you, your sizes do not change, and all the support and recognition that you received while losing the weight eventually disappears as people (and sometimes unfortunately you) turn to other endeavors. So what to do...?  

Everyone has their own strategy, but I will list for you the strategies that worked best for me.

1) Don't stop making and achieving goals.  Your goal should now be to maintain your weight for a particular time period.  I had a specific event ( my monthly support group) that I set as my time to weigh the same amount each month.  That was my new goal.  I also set activity/exercise goals.  I believe that if we fail to move forward, we begin to fall back.  Goal setting is a huge part of maintenance for me. 

2) I continue to reward myself for maintaining my weight loss.  This means (to me) that every new season I budget a certain amount of money to completely revamp my wardrobe.  I continue to use clothes in the same sizes as my reward for meeting my goals.  If money is an issue, the same thing can be done on a smaller budget through second hand stores or keeping the purchases to a few key pieces each season.  Don't stop rewarding yourself for your success or you will start to take the weight loss and the success you have achieved for granted.  For me, that would lead me to slowly give up my mindfulness over my weight and my food.

3) Put pictures of yourself before the VSG in places where you can see them on a daily basis.  Remind yourself that you are either working toward a goal of keeping your maintenance (time specific goal) or you are working your way back to your former obese self.  We almost never stand still, either we are achieving something or else we are moving back to what was normal for us for most of our life.  Forgetting is the biggest enemy of maintenance.

I hope some or all of these can be useful to you.  I think the head games are just as important as food and exercise because in the long run, it's our mindset that will either keep us at maintenance or allow us to gain it all back. 

Elina thank you so much for advice ... my new goal will be to stay at my current weight or 2 to 3 lbs up or down and i luke my new reward ideas that you gave me !!! ;-)

♡ Kelly

I'm glad to see someone else thinking this. I have been away from OH for awhile and came back this morning and of course the first thing I did was update my ticker woth my current weight. It was such a surprise to see 33lbs to goal. Wow. Where do we go from here? I'm with you Kelly! I guess we just keep on keeping on!!! Congrats, by the way, on your success!!

Thanks Robin we go up from here it will only get better!!! With all this advice we can and will succeed !!! :-)

♡ Kelly

These are great questions to start thinking about! Never crossed my mind until now!  Def something to think about!!

Can't lie I am a bit nervous what the hell am I going to do... huh

1st I'll probably drop it down to 140 

2nd maybe 135

Then from there I stay put... depends how I look... I'm not sure... right now I'm a size 6 I don't really know if I should go smaller ...idk...

Then enjoy!!!!! We got this girl we got this !!!

:-) ♡ Kelly

Start reading the vsg maintenance group. You will see lots of people experience a little letdown when the excitement is over. Focus on maintaining changed eating habits and don't go back to old ways of eating. having new goals is good. i set my goal counter on being below 125 for 6 months and after 6 months do it again.  i also set goals like going to ride a horse (did that) riding my bike (gotta get it tuned up) and doing other things that i missed out on.  maintenance is like weight loss only with maybe 600 more calories of healthy stuff.  works for me.   diane