How do you maintain your weight? I really struggle

[HalyardHitch]

I don't think maintain is really the right word I'm looking for.

If I eat three meals a day, I lose weight. My meals are healthy ish (I'm probably kidding myself here) but not small meals. Lunch might be a tin of soup with six crackers with chicken paste, a bacon and egg sandwich with crisps or salad. Dinner is more often than not a quick roast.

The second I start snacking I gain weight.

I just can't keep my weight the same. I'm either gaining about 2lb per week or losing 2lb per week.

I'm currently 11st5 and have lost 4lb in two weeks. Not particularly deliberately but I've just cut snacks. I'll put it all back on the second I snack.

I'm 5ft4 and for me 10st is my absolute skinniest I can be without looking ill. I'm not sure if that makes a difference. People are always surprised at my weight, saying I look smaller than 11 and a half st. My scales are definitely accurate.

How can I maintain a weight?!

It sounds like you are maintaining to me, fluctuations are normal - I’d suggest you relax and eat good food when you are hungry!

What snacks do you have?

I wouldn't call that a healthy diet!

I suppose when I say snacks I mean a glass of wine or two or a bag of crisps.

The second I add any junk I'm gaining.

My 4lb loss has even included a couple of takeouts so I'm not starving myself and I'm not going hungry

Ok so I don't particularly have a healthy diet. I'll rephrase. Evening meals contain lots of veg

Dinner is more often than not a quick roast

A quick roast! How does that work?!

Bung some meat in the oven. Quarter some potatoes, don't peel and whack them in after boiling for fifteen minutes. Frozen vegetables in a pan, turn it on about an hour later. Done. Simple dinner . I need simple with a one year old and a two year old. Plus pasta and convenience food is tricky with my eldest as he has coeliacs disease

Maintaining weight isn't actually about maintaining a set weight. It's not about always being 11 stone. It's about maintaining within a range of say 5-7 pounds. So one week you might be 11 stone, the next week a few pounds heavier, the week after a few pounds less.

Does four pounds really make a huge difference? I honestly wouldn't notice that unless I was weighing myself all the time.

I guess I fluctuate between ten stone and about 11st9. Maybe I don't need to worry about it but for me it makes a massive difference, even a few lbs. Maybe I've been looking at it all wrong

I think you are overly fixated on weight. What is your shape like? Are you carrying a lot of extra fat around your middle? How fit are you? I'd concentrate on just getting fitter, do brisk walking every day, and do some weight training like lifting a kettlebell. It might be that you are naturally a bigger body so won't adhere to the BMI scales but you need to look at other indicators of health, eg can you go up a few flights of stairs without getting out of breath?

What about designating set days when you're "allowed" to snack/have alcohol? This is what I do and it broadly works (I'm still losing rather than maintaining, but broadly).

I agree that you sounds overly fixated.
Maintaining means keeping your weight within a band... not agonising over going up or down a few pounds. If you weigh yourself frequently then you’ll find you’re going up and down, yet it doesn’t actually mean anything much.

What do you look/feel like when you’re at the ‘top end’ of your weight? If you feel bloated and uncomfortable then lay off the snacks. If you feel you’re going the other way and losing a bit more than you want, then increase healthy eating in a little more. It sounds as though you maybe snack on unhealthy stuff, put on more than you want, then lose it, so you’re yo-yo-ing rather than just accepting a normal level of variation in weight.

I would go by what you look and feel like. Don’t fixated on weight and certainly not on whether other people are surprised by your weight. Do you look and feel ok?

Get a Fitbit and walk. It really helps me to regulate my weight.

Really useful, thanks. It's interesting to see that my perspective is skewed somewhat.

At my current weight 11st5, I definitely so notice the extra weight. I'd prefer to be closer to 10st. I guess I'm done having babies now - the youngest is 14 months so I'd like to be happier about my body again.

I'm an hourglass shape, notice the weight on my hips and arms but since I've had the boys also my tummy is softer

I've been doing 5:2 for 5 or 6 years and it really helps me maintain. I've been 9st 10-10st 3 most of that time. Not everyone can cope with fasting for a day but if you can it's brilliant to just shift the odd pounds that go on.

Op I'm totally the same as you! Similar weight, similar height. And fluctuate between 10.5 and 11.5 stone. I'm currently at the top.

The only way I can maintain is by cutting out all snacks and bad food midweek and relaxing things at weekends and by relaxing I mean by eating what I want when I want. If I do that I maintain.

I only start piling it on when I do that midweek as well.

I'm also 5'4 and fluctuate between 8st9lb - 8st13lb. It may only be +/- 2lbs but I feel the difference.

Like PP I am quite strict during the week, but do what I want at the weekends. I generally don’t snack. I fluctuate between 10stone 1 and ten and a half at 5ft 6, upper end is usually on holiday or period-related. I weigh every Saturday and log what I weigh in MFP (just the weight, I don’t track food) so I can keep on top of it. I walk about 18,000 steps most days which helps.

I struggle with this too, bookmarking for replies x

I’m bumping this in hope of more responses. It’s been really interesting to read people’s thoughts and experiences here. Thank you for asking this question OP.

I’ve been losing weight slowly since last year and my ‘goal’ is in sight. I do worry that I’ll put it all back on again or that I’ll have to be on some kind of ‘diet’ forever to maintain

I know it’s about changing lifestyle and my relationship with food. It’s encouraging to read that people have managed it.