Anyone else trying to maintain after a big loss?

[Lovesacake]

I’ve lost nearly 5 stone and now feeling quite daunted at the prospect of trying to maintain a healthy weight FOREVER! In the past I have lost weight and then always put it on again. Anyone else in the same boat?

Well done for your weight loss, fantastic achievement!

I lost 3st and have maintained pretty easily for about 18 months now.

How did you do your weight loss? I adjusted to ‘healthy eating’, stopped snacks, ate smaller portions (of normal family menu) at dinner, upped whole grains and veg, and kept breakfast and lunch healthy.

So it was pretty easy to keep those habits, while being a bit more generous with nice cheese etc. When I was in active weight loss I was very careful with celebration treats but now will not worry about birthday cake, desert after a meal out, an ice cream etc, but within my new healthier eating habits.

I weigh once a week and just go easy for a few days if I am creeping up. Not a crash diet for a few days, just hold back on extras.

Establishing a way of life was essential for me. And actually my appetite did regulate, I am now more than happy with half a pizza whereas in the olden days it never occurred to me not to eat the whole thing. I now find things I used to Hoover up far too sweet. I reached for a Kipling French Fancy the other day and then stopped because I realised that I now find them unpleasantly sweet and artificial tasting. Can still eat a whole Lindt bunny though

So I would say, if you have been calorie counting or keto or something, spend time, the last stage of your weight loss, finding a liveable way of healthy eating.

Exactly the same, I lost 5 stone and was so happy, let myself relax a bit and have now lost 4.5 as I’ve gained over Easter.

im back on it from yesterday, the plan is as follows.

• start running again
• start tracking again
• cut out the carbs again
• get past that first week of “I can’t do this” because I find once I’m past that initial panic, I only get stronger.

you’ve done it before, you can absolutely do it again. My mantra at the moment is : Just because it’s hard work doesn’t mean we give up.

Thank you both for your replies, sorry I didn’t respond sooner have had some trouble with the new app.
I didn’t follow any particular diet although I did do 16:8 so my plan is to stick with that as much as possible and keep doing the weekly weigh ins. I think in the past when I’ve lost weight I’ve thought ‘hurrah I did it’ and immediately stopped weighing myself, then not noticed as the weight gradually crept back up.
im quite motivated at the moment to maintain my weight but it just feels like such a never ending challenge because I definitely haven’t lost my desire to binge on very high calorie food!

Yeah same @Lovesacake , I’ve lost large amounts before, not as much as 5 stone, maybe 3 - and each time just slowly put it back on. It’s like I know what to do and just don’t do it!

This time round though I exercise quite a lot which has meant when it does come back on I really start to notice. I’ve done well this week, 2lbs since Monday but I have a hard weekend ahead with kids parties, so will just have to find a way around it. I don’t want to be cutting stuff out so I might do light salad dinners or stir fry’s.

I still want the high calorie choices too, Easter was terrible!

@SisterAgatha I agree, Easter was delicious but terrible. I’ve been roughly maintaining my weight now for a few months but it still feels quite stressful, like if I take my eye off the ball I’ll be piling the weight back on before I know it. I wonder if anyone has been able to lose a large amount of weight and maintain it whilst also being relaxed about food. I still am constantly trying to work out what I can get away with eating!

My aunt has but she has a gastric band!

i spoke a lot about this to a long time slim friend and she told me she basically has never taken her eye off the ball. I can’t live like that so I kind of go up and down the same 6lbs. (Especially on period week!) I’ve maintained for about 8 months I would say with some big meals included in there. I have another up and down friend who says the same, she loses and gains the same half stone continually.

so yeah 2lbs down this week but I ate a whole Lindt bunny yesterday so… let’s see!

how did you lose the weight, well done btw x

@SisterAgatha Thank you 😊 I did it very slowly, took nearly two years. I did 16:8 eating and tried to eat v healthy during the week, lots of salads, protein and veg etc. I always gave myself weekends off to binge on crap. But I think the main thing that helped was I became quite the exercise fanatic. Previously I was basically constantly sat on my arse so I think the change to doing 1-2 hours of exercise a day was the main reason I lost the weight. Trouble is I still have an enormous appetite so am in the loop where I HAVE to do hours and hours of exercise every week to counteract the amount of food I eat. I wish I could be better at just eating a healthy diet but I still crave so much junk food so I’ve just accepted I need to exercise like a lunatic if I want to stay a healthy weight!