How have you maintained weight loss?

[dustyflipflop]

I lost a a good amount of weight last year in lockdown. It was through a combination of calorie counting and 45 min workouts 3 times a week when I had all the time in the world for it. The weight melted off.

I stopped last Sept and over the past year steadily gained nearly a stone back
The calorie counting is unsustainable and I don't want to go back to it as I know I will have to change what I do to maintain the loss. I'd rather start as I mean to go on.

I'm not overweight but I know if I leave it much longer I will start creeping that way and it's a long way back.

I have a big sweet tooth and get very tempted with the contents of the cupboard around 4-5pm. I never really know what to cook but I have 2 small DCs and a DH and it needs to be pretty family friendly as I don't have time to cook separate meals.

If you have successfully kept weight off over a long period of time without having to exercise 3-5x a week what did you/ do you do that works?

After years of losing and regaining the same 3-4 stone, I've finally learned my "usual" way of eating is just too much!

I lost 4 stone on WW a year ago and I've kept it off by sticking to WW. I'm a gold member now so it's only £6.95 a month to keep the app, and tracking everything works for me. It's a slight faff but being overweight and hating how I look and feel is more of an inconvenience.

I don't exercise. I should, and will for mental health/overall health reasons. But I keep the weight off through controlling my food despite being lazy AF.

For me it's maintaining a changed diet... so I changed what I eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner, and most importantly cut out the snacks for the most part. I'm not 100pc successful !

But defo cutting out snacks, and making sure that lunch and dinner are reasonable calories - I try to keep breakfast to about 300 (bowl of cereal or a single slice of toast - I'd think nothing of 2 slices before), lunch to 3-400 (moving away from sandwiches to things like turkey salad although I need more inspiration!) and dinner to 5-600 + a yoghurt. Snacks if I need, but low calorie and sensible.

Plus keeping up some exercise - supposedly running 2x/week and cycling once - although not been managing that for the last few weeks, must pick it up again.

So it's not about dieting, it's about changing what I eat. Weekends are more relaxed, but no longer do we (as standard) have a calorific dessert as a weekend treat, and no longer is it ignoring calories "because it's the weekend"

Why is calorie counting unsustainable? I'm afraid it's the only way.

Get lots of protein and salad and veg.

Avoid processed food.

Weigh yourself every day.

Don't keep sugary shit in the cupboards for you to be tempted by. Your kids and DP don't need it either.

Exercise, but do it for health and not weight loss - do not count the calories you burn.

Think back to what you were eating while you were calorie counting and implement the same routine again. You might need to calorie count again for a few weeks just to get back into it and to make sure your portion sizes are right. Dont set your calories too low, it's not sustainable forever. You need to see this as a lifestyle change and not a diet that you are 'off' or 'on'; so what lower calorie meals could you happily eat most days? I have fruit, protein yoghurt and chia seeds for breakfast. Lunches are salad or a sandwich and fruit. Dinners more diverse (loving Gousto atm) but around 600 calories and definitely with a couple of portions of veg. I have a coffee and a fibre bar mid afternoon which gives me a 'treat', I don't eat again after dinner. I find high fibre and aiming for 30g a day keeps me much fuller (pears, apples, raspberries, chia seeds, wholemeal carbs, skin on potatoes). If you find you need something late afternoon, clear the crap out the cupboards and replace with a lower calorie option to meet that craving.

It won't be perfect everyday and sometimes you'll emotionally overeat or have a bad week but I definitely think routine healthier meals and a sustainable calorie count with high fibre foods helps long term. Good luck, you did great to loose it all in the first place

Slimming World x

@banisher

I lost 2 stone last year and have kept it off this year by calorie counting in and out on Fitbit.

I actually eat more calories than before (around 2k) including some of the more unhealthy snacks - but I also get at least 20k steps and exercise every day.

For me that's because the exercise and building muscles was even more beneficial for me than losing the weight.

I guess really it has to be about changing your way of living permanently, not just dieting and then stopping and starting again?

I definitely want it to be a change in the way of living hence why I think calorie counting is not sustainable as last year when my weight loss came to a halt I worked out that to keep it up at the pace I was I needed to go down to like 800 cals a day or something silly which threw me off and I stopped.

I had another few kg I wanted to lose as I was still well within my healthy BMI so by no means was I going to extremes by trying to lose it.

I do go to the gym 3x a week. I use weights but don’t do crazy cardio as I find that dull. @Siameasy I find cardio really boring as well, maybe weights will be more interesting.
Is intermittent fasting hard?

I will be trying to hit my step count as I now have a new companion to motivate me to walk so maybe that will help too.

(and agree re separate meals - the whole family can eat the same thing?)

Cut out all ultra processed food, refined grains (white flour, pasta, rice), cut out sugar as far as possible, cut out snacking and practice intermittent fasting.
Increase veg and fibre intake.
Exercise more as it's good for you but don't take into account any calorie burning as your body will compensate in other areas to reduce your metabolism.
Weigh yourself daily but pay most attention to the weekly reading.
Calorie counting is so last century, which is why most people eventually put the weight back on by dieting.
You are what you eat, so eat healthily and be fairly active.
Like the Hadza people.

By being more active generally - walking especially - and cutting out refined sugar entirely, except for one meal per week. That includes the obvious stuff like cake and biscuits but also ‘hidden’ sugar in stuff like baked beans and sauce.

I lost 3 stone through 16:8 and have kept it off for 18 months by just continuing the 16:8 pattern. I didn't go back to regular sugary treats or milky coffees with syrup. So I guess you can say I changed my lifestyle rather than a diet. This is just how I live.

@AlbertBridge I also kept the WW app at £6.95 per month. I’m not so great lately at tracking but it really helps knowing it’s there if I need it. Sometimes when weight starts creeping up I give myself a week of tracking to snap back into shape.

If you aim for a whole foods diet, you never have to calorie count or restrict what you’re eating.

4-5pm is my killer time too. I try to have an apple with cheese.

I think managing your expectations is important tbh. I more or less maintain my weight whilst eating whatever I want and not forcing myself to do any exercise that I don't actively enjoy doing, but I maintain a manageable bmi of 24, rather than 22 (where I am happier with how I look, but have to be hungry...).

I definitely want it to be a change in the way of living hence why I think calorie counting is not sustainable as last year when my weight loss came to a halt I worked out that to keep it up at the pace I was I needed to go down to like 800 cals a day or something silly which threw me off and I stopped.

A maintenance diet is different to a weight loss diet. To lose between 1-2lbs a week you need to reduce your calorie intake by around 500 calories a day.

To maintain your weight you need to work out how many calories you would need a day to offset the number of calories you naturally burn a day. Exercise burns more calories than sedentary lifestyle, hence the weight comes off quicker or you can eat more calories (but I agree with other PP not to eat these calories, use them as a buffer as calorie calculations can be a bit inaccurate)

The number of calories you can consume is individual to you based on your age, lifestyle, height and weight which is why using an online maintenance calculator is a good idea.

For example, my calorie intake to lose weight was 1260 a day (and I do 10k steps a day which seems to aid speed of weight loss). My maintenance diet calorie intake is between 1700 and 1900 depending on how active I am. Daily weigh ins tell me if I have gained anything. Cut back the next day or two to get rid of it.

I doubt very much you would be restricted to 800 calories a day on a maintenance diet. Also, MyFitnessPal free app is great for tracking calories and you can add in your own recipes. Most people eat the same foods over and over again.

intermittant fasting works best for it imho.

Load your plate with protein and veg and up your N.E.A.T

What works for me is staying strict during the week, and weekends off. If there is an event mid-week, I'd have one less day at the weekend. Holidays I eat whatever I want and restrict for a week or two when I get back to get it off.

I do keto / very low carb / no UPF

My weight is completely level and I don't ever count calories. If I did, I would probably be horrified.

You don't need to watch the calories to the minute detail if you cut out all the shit and eat a lot of meat and animal products (eggs, cheese, butter). It's what we were designed to eat and it's really really hard to overeat good quality nutritionally dense food. No one binges on pork chops.

I lost 2.5 stone by calorie counting 10 years ago and kept it off with barely any change since then. I think the phase people miss after they finish a successful weight and sustainable weight loss plan is the next phase when they figure out how much they can eat normally alongside a sustainable exercise routine. A weight loss plan when done in a way that won’t completely kill your metabolism takes 6+ months. It’s worth your time to take 2 months and count calories with the goal of maintaining your weight. Figure out what you want to eat, how much you want to eat, how much you plan to exercise. Weigh yourself once a week. Some things from calorie counting should remain lifelong habits, such as weighing out your carbs. Once you’re in the habit of eating a sustainable weight maintenance diet, phase out counting calories but keep weighing yourself and track for the odd week here and there if you notice your weight starting to creep up.

Slimming world. Maintenance plan is basically same plan with an 300/400 calories a few times a week. Basic principles cooking from scratch, 1/3 plate veg, lean protein and veg. I also need to be sensible with my carbs. I find it less restrictive than calorie counting. The slimming foodie book is very good and family friendly £11 on Amazon.

@oddsbobbins That is such a sensible approach, and other than the planning you suggest (which would certainly be worthwhile) it’s more or less what I do already.

It’s really not that tricky and no you haven’t ruined your metabolism or anything like that. The reason people pile on weight after a period of restriction is they tend to go crazy and eat loads of calories. Especially if you have been eating boring food rather than making recipes you would be happy to cook if you are not on a diet.

For me the way to keep it off is to moderate treats and eat healthy portion sizes with lots of veg and cut out the snacking. You get good at eyeballing portion sizes after a while. If I do have pizza I have a few slices with some salad rather than a huge pizza to myself. I Keep an eye on the weight and if it starts to creep up I cut out booze and treats for a week and maybe have a day or 2 intermittent fasting and it all comes back together.

If I do want a blow out meal I go and have it and then eat more lightly for a few days after. When I have a treat I sit down and enjoy it and have what I really want rather than just inhaling it and feeling sick and guilty.

Your puppy will motivate you OP, in all weather.It's never boring walking with a furry friend, and easier to motivate yourself to meet their needs. You will laugh when you look back at your post in the future, basically asking how can I keep the weight off without doing anything 😂. Once you are exercising again, you'll feel more motivated and positive, and able to address eating. Goodluck

Should say never boring!

@Looubylou

Your puppy will motivate you OP, in all weather.It's never boring walking with a furry friend, and easier to motivate yourself to meet their needs. You will laugh when you look back at your post in the future, basically asking how can I keep the weight off without doing anything 😂. Once you are exercising again, you'll feel more motivated and positive, and able to address eating. Goodluck

Thanks, yes she'll be a BIG dog so will need plenty of walks so hoping getting those steps in will help. I guess I didn't mean do nothing at all but I know myself proper workouts end up very dicey when it comes to me. I'm always very on and off.

The suggestions of intermittent fasting have been interesting too. I have never tried it but have heard of it before. I'm pretty good at not having to eat if I haven't had anything first thing in the morning for example - once I start eating that's where the issue is as I'm constantly wanting something.