Finally moved from 'obese' to 'overweight' BMI category! Any tips on how to maintain?

[allthehillsandallthetrees]

Hello!

Celebrating today (by myself) after a long slog of losing weight to try and get myself out of the obese category on the BMI scale. Yes, I do know that BMI isn't a perfect system and has its issues.

Does anyone have any tips to share on things they have done to maintain weight loss in the medium-longterm? I am concerned that I might regain all or some the weight.

My habits are much better and my education around food etc has improved a great deal, but any tips, tricks, pointers, or things that have worked for you would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Congratulations - it really isn't easy. But maintaining it isn't that bad...and continuing to lose....

I did a lot of lifestyle swaps along the way to lose the weight I needed to lose and they are just normal for me now. It seems to be working. This is over a year or so....

The biggest one for me is making sure I eat 3 decent meals a day, with protein veg and carbs. That's stopped the snacking that was my problem.

I make 80% of the food we eat, cut right back on ready meals and eating out. Still do eat out but now if we are knackered I'm more likely to cook a bit of salmon and rice rather than suggest nipping out for a pizza or a curry.

Eating a lot more veg, salad with most meals.

I've stopped snacking at work. I'll have and apple or banana instead.

I've restricted drinking at home - so I'll still have a drink when I'm out if I fancy one with friends but I very rarely sit on the sofa and have a glass of wine now...whereas that was creeping up to most nights of the week.

I've joined a gym and go 3 times a week - that has toned me up!

More veg!

Congratulations on your weightloss so far. Document everything you eat. I don't need daily calories to be perfect (i can go over) but I do make sure my weekly calories are on target (I've maintained a size 6 for the last year by doing this). I also do intermittent fasting mainly because I find it helps my digestive symptoms and I'm less sluggish (but also it will help me maintain my weight and allow treats) and I document these on an app to. I think long term maintenance is about being flexible but also strict enough to know when to rein it in. So today dd made cake I had some without the guilt because I know I can keep my weekly calorie count in check. On Friday we're going out for breakfast so my normal 18:6 will probably become a 15 hour fast but that's OK because it's not everyday.
I also found during my weight loss journey that allowing the flexibility helped me not get cross with myself for perceived failures and give up.

Congrats!

Keep consciously thinking about your new habits and make sure you’re implementing them 99% of the time. Obviously we all have treat meals or days, but don’t let them multiply.

My worst habit is having ‘extra’ or ‘side’ things when I already have enough in the meal. E.g. there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a takeaway but I fall into buying an extra garlic bread or something on the side when I don’t need it.

Well done! That’s excellent news. Just keep on with your good habits and current approach - it’s easy to let it slide when you hit a milestone. So consciously double down instead.

Congrats well done, I like the BMI, it’s a useful tool. I’ve just come out of the overweight zone and I am maintaining by tracking food, my weight and exercising regularly. You just have to keep on self monitoring and checking in on your habits regularly

Thank you for the supportive words! Congratulations on your progress :)

Thank you!! I aim to double down! Just very fatigued by it all and would like some 'time off' but also don't want to fall off the wagon, as it were.

Yes, not allowing treat meals / days to multiply is definitely the main issue that I need to work on. I don't seem to be able (as yet) to enjoy a treat without letting it escalate into a cycle of many treats or days worth of treats. Bit of a problem!

Oh this is a good idea - tracking calories weekly instead of daily. I will have think about how I can also implement this, thank you!

Enjoy your breakfast on Friday!

If you want time off then do zig zag like a PP said - give yourself more calories over 2 days then reduce them on other days to balance it out.

I had time off tracking on holiday and tbh I didn’t really enjoy it as I thought I would I found it a little stressful and disconcerting to have no idea what was going on with my weight or my intake so having an oversight is reassuring

I would advise avoiding the episodes where you completely let go and pay no mind to what you are eating or drinking as those are the events that for me, lead to falling off track. I’m far better at staying on track if I have just done a smaller amount of indulging, so yes a meal out, a cake or a glass of wine but not a bottle of wine and a whole day of eating off track. One meal off your usual plan isn’t going to matter in the grand scheme unless it becomes more meals on more days

it can get a bit sunken costs at some point well I have already gone off plan so I might as well stay off plan. Or feeling like you are missing out on what you haven’t had vs appreciating the nice things you did have

Well done, that's fantastic.
I'd say the good habits you've learned along the way to get this far should stand you in good stead. They say not to but I often weighed daily and if it went up a bit I'd just bear that in mind and have a modest day. That doesn't work for everyone as you'll be different each time. This was also the case when I needed to gain weight. I'd increase a bit if it dropped.
But weighing in the morning after a BM and before breakfast. Obviously you're meant to have a window of movement of a kilo or two.
Treat each day as new.

Thank you for the tips!

I am going to join a gym, definitely. Also need to tone up!

You're right, it really is not easy. It has been such a battle, both physically and psychologically, but I am so happy to have reached this point, and so it has all been worth it. Congratulations on your weight loss :)

Thank you! Useful reminders here :)

I am also weighting daily at the moment, and I have found it helpful for tracking my journey and keeping me on the right path, however I don't think that is something I would do well with in the long term, so will try to switch to weighing myself once weekly (perhaps twice), from the point at which I reach my goal weight that is.

'Treat each day as new' is definitely a mantra I will try to take forwards.

I could not agree more! For me the biggest challenge is getting back on track after a small indulgence and not letting that morph into one relentless and never ending series of indulgences! Have not found the way to manage this as of yet but I am working on it.

As a PP said, 'treat each day as a new day' I think this will help, but will need to find other mechanisms for coping with this too.

And congratulations to you on your weight loss!

First Congratulations 🎊
Losing weight is never easy. If it was easy they'd be no fat people.

I think I'd try to keep up your good habits during the week and chill a little at the weekend. But it's so easy to slip into old habits and for the weight to slowly cheap back on. Which is how you end up with people like me who've lost the same half stone loads of times.

Can I be cheeky and ask what your BMI was?
The highest mine has been is 32 currently in the battle to get back under 30

It's ok to have the occasional treat but occasional doesn't mean daily!

Follow a protein based diet

Breakfast
Protein shake
Banana

Mid morning
protein yogurt

Cards only at dinner or lunch

1/3 protein
1/3 veg
1/3 carbs

One thing I've done pretty successfully is that I plan my 'treats' into my daily (or every few days) calorie allowance. So, I might have a pastry for breakfast one day, then a reasonable protein/veggie lunch but only half a slice of bread. Or even chocolate for breakfast. Or cake for lunch. Or half a portion of my dinner then a nice ice-cream.

I don't do it all the time, but I find if I try to miss out treats I end up eating them anyway, and I end up thinking about them. If I just have them, but then don't eat til the next meal-time, that works out better.

I do normally eat three meals and one snack (yoghurt and fruit) a day though, so it's easy enough. I can't get on with intermittent fasting or anything that feels like deprivation. I'd rather eat little and often.

The difference between weight loss calories and maintenance calories should be about 300-500 a day. So maybe it does make sense to aim for maintenance for a few months - those extra 300-500 a day (or averaged over a week) should give you a really welcome and well-deserved breather. It’s a couple of snacks or a small extra meal or saved up a pizza and a few glasses of wine!

Then when you feel like you’re ready to have another blast at weight loss, you’re starting from a place you’re really chuffed to have reached and stayed at.

Are you finding it easier/more comfortable to get movement in now? If so, try to really commit to a daily step count and a few exercise classes a week. That gives you some more headroom in your calories too.

Congratulations! Great achievement!
I listened to a Michael Mosely (RIP) podcast which emphasised the importance of exercise for maintaining AFTER weight loss rather than to lose weight initially. An eminent scientist said that exercise is not critical for weight loss but obviously good for general health. Really interesting. Part of MM's Just One Thing series x

Well done on doing so well

I suppose I do the zig zag - 5 days a week I stick to what I did for weight loss, then theres at least 1 day ( maybe 2 ) a week where all bets are off, and I eat the white bread and crisps which are my downfall.

I do weigh once a week, same time, same routine, to keep an eye. Some weeks are stay the same and that for me is my "danger zone". If I STS for say 2 weeks on the trot, then as sure as pussy is a cat I will have a gain week three. So for me its 2 weeks sts, I need to cut back a wee bit for the following 2 weeks, still have "treats" but back to cutting out unneeded calories - skipping butter in a sarnie, cut back on the cappuccinos, swap back the toast for brekkie to fruit and yoghurt, cut the bread down to bare minimum . I dont allow myself more then 2lb over, once I start letting that slide to 3lb then its only a hop,skip and jump to 1/2 a stone gain and a fuck it

I still keep to cooking 99% of all the food I eat, a take out is still rare treat

I know how we feel like we have been so good and we deserve time off. I know for myself I have to keep in my mind, how I eat now is how naturally slim healthy people eat all the time , which is why they are that way. For me its got to be a lifestyle, being forever mindful of what Im putting down my neck

Thanks very much! No, I don't mind you asking. My BMI wasn't far off yours actually - 32.9 in January of this year (my heaviest weight). Where are you at now in your journey, if you don't mind me asking?

Congrats on your weight loss!

Thank you for the tips! Yes I agree with you on the intermittent fasting. I am currently doing that (TRE) alongside my other main weightless method (keto Fast 800), but in the longer term I think it is something I will want to move away from. Firstly, because I find it a bit tricky to maintain as I feel tired and lethargic, and secondly because I am not sure it is good for women's hormones to skip breakfast regularly (I know lots of people will disagree with me on that, which is fine, but this is the view that I have arrived at based on having read quite a few articles and studies on the topic).

Congrats on your weight loss success!

Yes I really like this suggestion! And boy do I need the breather! Very much craving pizza and some other treats at the moment.

I have not really started to get movement in to be honest, and that has been a conscious decision. I did not want to exercise whilst obese - I wanted to wait until I reached 'overweight' on the BMI scale, for various reasons. However, come mid-October, when I will look to transition off Keto I will then begin to incorporate exercise, for weight maintenance and general health purposes.

Thanks for the suggestions!