Keeping weight off once you've lost it

[Beescosyhome]

Is anyone at this stage, or has anyone successfully done this long term?

I lost some weight and toned up a lot at the start of the year. So happy with my current weight. No magic wand or fad diet, it was all down to eating better and exercise.

The problem is now managing to keep it off. I use a fitbit and I don't really burn many calories unless I make a big effort to be active, I do some exercise, but it doesn't come Food was always a big comfort to me and I'd eat a lot of takeaways or binge on sweets and crap. Everything before revolved around food.

Of course I can have a meal out or a takeaway or a bit of cake with my coffee, I don't deprive myself, but not nearly as often and I have to have 2 biscuits instead of the whole packet, I have to be so careful not to slip back into old habits. So many times in the supermarket I have to walk past all the sugary snacks and instead go home and have something healthy and filling.

Not really sure what m asking, but it's going to be hard at times to keep this up.

I've done it, but I'm sorry to tell you it has to be a permanent change that you make. So yes, just two biscuits instead of a packet - forever.

I have kept weight off (barring pregnancy but I lost it all again three times) but I watch what I eat pretty careful. I don't deprive myself and pretty much have what I want but I limit the amount. I will have to do it forever or the weight will come on again. It's a daunting thought but I just think I've worked so hard now I don't want to undo it.

Keeping the weight off is as much about what's in your head as about what's on your plate and you do need to get in the right mindset.

Well, life has to not revolve around food. Finding other, preferably active things and get used to eating only at mealtimes, I find helps enormously. You can enjoy food and cooking but the best way to not think about it all the time is building other things into your day. Build up activity. I run and walk everyday for around just over an hour and an hour respectively. That ensures a healthy fat burn and increases muscle mass. I'm trying to increase 'pottering'. Getting up frequently to do small tasks such as cleaning a sink or sorting a drawer out or putting clothes away. I'm a reader so whilst it is not particularly active it does allow thought to be focussed in stuff apart from food. As for the food I have small portions of protein and carbs and a half a plateful of salad or veg. Typically my sweet indulgence is a single chocolate box chocolate with coffee after my meal. I like good food and because I only eat smallish portions anyway don't bother with anything I don't like very much. Not many biscuits do it for me, they have to be exceptionally rich and buttery and I'd probably just have half of one. I've just become to expect this in terms of food. If I don't have as much salad or veg now the food seems very beige. I don't think about food outside mealtimes and don't get ravenously hungry.

And you need to stop viewing cheap sugary snacks as food. Develop a taste for the expensive stuff. It's less prevalent and puts you off most of the cheap stuff. Baked goods and confectionery which use the wrong fats and too much sugar ends up just tasting wrong, sort of slimy, very sweet and ultimately unsatisfying. The expense means most people cannot justify eating too much of it.

Same as PP. It has to be a permanent change. I did slimming World and now that's just how I eat. If I didn't, I'd put weight on

I am in the same situation but you need to change habits for good not just see it as temporary. I have the odd treat but try and adjust my calorie intake so I keep within limits, I also joined SlimmingWorld so I weigh weekly and others who also struggle with their weight can support

I managed to keep my weight lost (from breastfeeding) off by running four times a week, and as soon as I stopped running but kept going on the chocolate, I gained a stone in three months
I've lost most of it now but strategising how to keep it off. My friends and mum are slim so I can mimic them, but DH is a serious runner and can eat anything meaning our snack cupboard is like a treasure trove!

I would also say I have become much more active and do coastal walking so uphills for 5-10 miles once a week, I joined a walking group so walk 7-8 miles with them and do a fitness class weekly, one swim, a gym session and a local walk so 6 exercise sessions a week. That helps but I am retired. Not everyone has the time

Keep tapping into how fabulous you feel now about yourself, your body and your achievement

Keep reinforcing that and remind yourself how delighted you are to be like this now. I buy lots of new clothes to try on at home (send many back) but it’s thrilling to flounce around for 10 minutes in a size 12 dress.

I also know that I have established new eating habits for life - this is my routine now - it’s not a diet and it isn’t over. Been on that yo-yo too many times before.

Lost 2.5 stone from Jan to May this year. Have kept it all off so far but weigh myself every day and if I do put on a pound I’m extra careful to then lose it. I try to always eat healthy and any treats are considered not scoffed.
I’m determined not to put any of it back on cause those 5 months were a hard, constant slog to get there and I’m fucked if I’m going to do it all again

The NHS give the advice - www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/treatment/ of 60 - 90 minutes moderate activity a day if you've been obese and lost weight.

That can be a mixture of normal activity and exercise - and introducing greater amounts of resistance and higher intensity training would help that.

'Develop a taste for the expensive stuff'.

Good advice. So many times I've eaten a crappy doughnut or bland dessert and thought 'ive just wasted x hundred calories on THAT?!'

Agree with everyone else - it's a lifestyle change, that you have to stick to forever. So it's got to be sustainable for you. I dropped 2 dress sizes and have kept it off for about 10 years. Main things that work for me - cut way back on processed sugar (weekends only), loads of fruit and veg and plant based foods in general (not vegan though), plenty of sleep, weight training 3 times a week and lifting what feels heavy for me, staying hydrated, minimal snacking (piece of fruit or handful of nuts once a day), being pretty strict with 80-20, learning to eat and drink mindfully and not just shovel food or booze in coz it's there

I'm really struggling with this at the moment. School holidays have me reaching for biscuits in the day and alcohol in the evenings
Daily hiit workouts are helping to minimise the damage. Think I need to start tracking everything on mfp again...

Be militant about tracking what you eat. Forever. Once you've been fat your body will be desperate to regain the weight. Three meals a day. NO SNACKS. Learn to accept hunger. Biscuits are not food, they are poison that offer you nothing nutritionally. Have a treat meal once a week if you must and ideally delicious cheese or steak and chips or posh truffles something, not a bag of crappy crisps or a pack of doughnuts.

@Janaih

I'm really struggling with this at the moment. School holidays have me reaching for biscuits in the day and alcohol in the evenings Daily hiit workouts are helping to minimise the damage. Think I need to start tracking everything on mfp again...

There's a relatively easy way to avoid that.

Not buying the biscuits and booze in the first place. I'm not being facetious - you're not desperate for them all the time (if you were desperate for alcohol all the time, that would be something entirely different, after all), so do the shopping when you are most likely to be able to avoid walking down those aisles. You even have to go out of your way in many supermarkets to reach the alcohol section.

It's probably the easiest part of all of this, in my opinion. Certainly easier than a guilt fuelled throwing yourself around the living room in front of Jillian Michaels or some other such person, at any rate.