Maintaining weight loss in 2021

[zzizzer]

Just wondered if anyone fancied a maintenance thread as we head into the new year?

I lost the weight I needed to recently and am now finding it tricky to eat to maintain: it's become such a long term habit to lose weight (which I now can't afford to do), and I also don't want to let it slide again either.

I think my focus will be on staying around the same weight but building up muscle as much as possible.

Anyone have any tips, or want to join and try to encourage each other?

Bloody hell.

That’s not enough.

You know that's not healthy. Seek therapy and probably stay off internet dieting groups.

I don't mean that to sound harsh, that's just the best thing to do...step away from obsessing.

sadsaddersaddest I think that's one of the problems a lot of people have observed with VLCDs, getting back to normal, sustainable, eating habits so you definitely won't be alone. I think your GP might have been a bit insensitive there. There might be a more specialist board where people with similar experiences can share what has worked for them in your type of situation.

OK, I'll leave. Sorry, I did not mean to derail the thread. I hope you all manage to keep the weight off in 2021

Absolutely no need to apologise sadsaddersaddest! You haven't derailed this thread at all! It's just this particular thread might not be able to offer the right type of advice for someone in your situation. I hope you are able to solve your predicament with finding a good of eating and being healthy and wish you well in this.

Happy to read this, I'm in the same position. Hit my goal weight in early Dec after slowly losing just over 4 stone. I lost a little bit more as I knew I'd gain a bit at Christmas. Now slightly over goal, but eating carefully, hoping to lose the little bit extra and then allow myself more days off calorie counting. I feel pretty good about it in general, but worried looming lockdown will make me a bit less active than normal!

4 stone is amazing, congratulations Hotpinkparade!

I didn't necessarily mean this thread, sad, as it is a maintenance thread. You know how people get sucked into pro anorexia sites and spend time obsessing about losing weight and being unhealthily thin. Avoid that.

Thanks Marmite! It took two years, with plenty of relaxing for holidays and Christmas etc, which feels more sustainable for me. I'm hoping now to get in to a pattern where I eat carefully during the week and relax at weekends... Not that there's much difference between weekdays and weekends for me at the moment, but I'm thinking ahead to when restaurants open and we can all socialise again! Has anyone else come up with a good balance that includes treats, nights with a bit too much wine or similar?

That's my plan too! I estimated my maintenance calories and eat slightly under during the week, giving myself an extra 1000 at the weekend. Works perfect for me.

I'm hoping now to get in to a pattern where I eat carefully during the week and relax at weekends...

That's what I do too. Slightly more special meals but not hugely calorific usually. But we do occasionally have a takeaway. We will generally open some wine to drink over the weekend so calories are added there too. We also sometimes like to watch old TOTP on Friday evening with a beer and snacks. I don't really drink much alcohol apart from that. I have been losing weight albeit very slowly (not at all on a takeaway week more breaking even) even with this so will have to add in some more calories more frequently.

Hello hello. I was very cold working form home today so I joined my husband in doing 5 x circuit exercises throughout the day. I have been feeling like a weakling recently anyway so it'll be good to build myself up a bit. I've lost a bit of the Christmas bloat again yesterday which is good. That's the bit i'm finding hardest about maintenance. How to handle small - medium gains from holidays. Any gems of wisdom welcomed.

IDontMindMarmite, I usually give myself at least a couple of days of deficit before weighing. And I tell myself doing something about it is better than not even if it takes a while. Scales which analyse your weight in terms of fat and lean mass are good because you can see if it's just fluid that has gone up, although you have to remember the margin for accuracy can be quite large.

Hi, can I join please!

I lost two stone between March and October last year. Also starred running and strength training with Fitness Blender.

I only wanted to get a healthy BMI but then lost five more pounds after getting COVID (courtesy of our son who caught it at senior school) and now I want to stick to this new weight but feel like I'm dieting to stay there to be honest.

I have had years of on/off dieting since having children and never reached goal weight before so it's all rather new and nerve wracking as I don't want to put on and undo the hard slog of last year.

Congratulations and welcome!

How's everyone getting on? I'm nearly back to my goal weight post-Christmas. I've been eating in deficit since 1st Jan, so not taken too long to get back to 'normal', and have been more relaxed than usual, including a takeaway last week. A bit of exercise - couple of bike rides, long walks at the weekends and 1 or 2 runs a week, but nothing serious. I've also done some shopping in the sales, filling in gaps in my wardrobe now all my old clothes are too big... Had to send back a size 8 pair of trousers to exchange for a size 6! I know about vanity sizing etc etc but it still might be one of the best things to happen to me in a while...

Well done Hotpink. So I haven't been eating at a deficit, just my usual maintenance goal and by Friday I had dropped 4lbs off my 5lb Christmas bloat! I then had a free weekend, as per my usual calorie cycling plan and haven't weighed since then. Partly strategic, partly trying not to obsess about the scales. I actually don't need to return to my lowest weight. It was already an overshoot by several pounds.

I have done some cycling and walking this weekend too which I like to do. I have been thinking of doing some Yoga as I am trying tp build up my strength a bit, i've been feeling like a weakling recently.

I also did some baking yesterday. Usually I bake cookies or something which freezes really well - necessary for helping with restraint! However i've baked something that I wouldn't usually freeze and it is calling my name. Hard to resist!

Isn't it bizarre when you need a size even lower than you chose??! I struggle to believe it and write it off as vanity sizing...

Had a planned ‘cheat meal’ last night, sort of a homemade takeaway... Added up the calories and it was a lot, at least twice my tdee! Scales are reflecting that this morning but I’m trying to be zen, return to healthy eating and trust that this is a normal way to live!

Wow that sounds like quite the impressive cheat meal pink! I had fish and chips take away last night but google reckons that's only 800 calories. I had dessert as well but was so stuffed after.

To be fair, what I used to order from Nando's regularly turned out to be over 1200 calories and I was certainly not struggling to finish it. Still had dessert after. Fecking criminal for chicken in pitta.

Hey, anyone still here? How's it going? So far I feel like a rollercoaster. Gained at Christmas, lost and even gone lower than my maintenance goal. Now trying not to go up or down but it feels a bit like a tightrope.

Hi Marmite :) Congrats on getting rid of excess Christmas weight! Hope you can find a more even keel somehow... My method is working well in some ways. I am sticking with my calorie goal 4-5 days a week (same amount of calories I was eating to lose weight) then have treats at the weekend... Takeaway, dessert or booze. Still tracking everything. It works well at the moment, my weight is really steady and I don't feel deprived, just look forward to the weekend. I'm not exactly off the leash though, even if my tracking of cheat meals is a bit less forensic than it used to be! Not sure how well this approach will work when life is a bit more normal, I'm not preparing all my own food and treats are a bit more spontaneous... Guess we'll find out!