Could you maintain for life?

[scouzer]

I remember 4 years back when I lost 70 pounds on the Atkins diet in5 months and thinking "I'll never go back to how I was before, I've worked so hard.
In the space of those four years I've gained 85 pounds and I'm back where I've started from.
I know the Atkins diet is very restricting and shouldn't be used for long term weight loss but I used what I had to in order to lose weight fast. :sigh:
I've read a lot of threads where people have been maintaining their weight for months and even years but could you maintain for life or are you only in it for the short run? I don't want a repeat of what happened tome back then!!

Scouzer. X

 

[evanesco]

The way I see it is SW is a plan for life. By the time you get to target, you should have formed new habits and these should remain with you. We're all going to have setbacks, but hopefully not the kind that cost us so much weight gain. I plan on carrying on going to group when I get to target, 1 because it's free, 2 because I'm art of the social team, 3 because my OH is still going to be slimming and 4 because I think it helps so much to have a support network like that, and if you gain a few lbs, the thought of starting to pay for class again should help whip it off quickly.

 

[Laddiesboy]

I think SW not only aids weight loss, but actually teaches you about good food, essential nutrition (HEa and HEb) and reasonable portion sizes. It teaches you the difference between a healthy meal and an unhealthy meal.

I have previously done WW and although it was very effective, I was eating to satisfy the diet rules, rather than to satisfy my needs.

As a result of course, when I came off, I just went back to my old ways and ended up even fatter than before I started Grrrr.

When I get to my goal weight, and this is the first diet I have ever felt would get me there happily, even if I chose to not follow it to the letter, the lessons I have learned on my journey to that goal will stay with me forever - I am a reformed and informed eater

 

[Brightonrosie]

Being realistic I don't think it will be plain sailing because life always throws temptation in our way. I think you have to teach yourself always to go back to the plan after special treats like birthdays holidays Christmas weddings etc. It will be so important not to let those days drift into the next and the next. Although it is a way of eating for life, places like cafes and fast food outlets will not cater for our needs. I would hope that I could be disciplined enough to return to plan as often as possible. No one in the real world makes sauces from quark cheese or doritos from lasagne sheets but we can still cut the fat off our bacon and dry roast our potatoes xx

 

[paperclip]

I've been maintaining since July and haven't found it too bad - I'm quite relaxed about what I'm eating, and have only once gone out of my target range. At the moment I'm 1.5 lbs above my target weight, but I'm perfectly happy with that and don't have the will or want to lose any more right now!

I've found Extra Easy is the most reasonable plan to stick to for the rest of your life - it's just normal food without any weird restrictions of what you can eat with what! I tend to cook from recipes out of non-SW cookbooks, which shows how normal EE is!

The one time I did go out of my target range, I just went back to the EE plan without my extra healthy extras (try saying that three times fast!) and lost the weight in a week. The thought of paying to go to class and wasting my hard work was enough motivation, and since I'm still on EE, I didn't have much of a change to go through to get back to where I needed to be. The thought of going from what I'm eating now to something like Atkins to lose some weight is terrible - for me, weight loss comes from just slightly adjusting what I eat now.

Hope that helps a bit!

 

[KD]

Not sure if you mean maintain for life using SW principles, or other ways...but either way, I'm hoping it's possible.

I haven't dieted since I got to goal.

I don't think it's as easy as some people believe, whatever 'method' they use. As Brightonrose says

Being realistic I don't think it will be plain sailing because life always throws temptation in our way. I think you have to teach yourself always to go back to the plan after special treats like birthdays holidays Christmas weddings etc.

I do this a little different though and don't tend to put on weight over these periods. I tend to use celebrations and holidays for trying different foods, rather than more food. It's the only way I found that I could 'work' long term.

 

[scouzer]

Thanks guys,it's just that I've lot weight so many times andi feels that I have the will power to get target weight but I can't maintain it. I guess it's a part of life and dicipline!!

Scouzer. X

 

[NIKI]

For me slimming world is the closest to a normal diet which is why I believe is the easiest to maintain. Like any journey there are bumps and twists in the road but recognising a small gain and nipping it in the bud is more realistic for long term maintenance.

Like yourself I did WW spent my time living off veg soup and counting everything that touched my lips, I tried atkins and got the smelly breath, moody cow t-shirt!! I did lose weight on atkins and WW but like yourself it was unsustainable. I am doing extra easy which is just normal eating with basic principles that we all know - eat lots of fruit and veg, cut the fat off meat, have an intake of fibre and calcium - all the stuff we already know really!

Hope you get to your pot of gold at the end ... good luck

 

[mfinnis]

I know where you're coming from on this one - I lost 3 stone with W8 matters last year - and put it back on as soon as I had finished...why? because I was not only suddenly eating again, I had no support to get me back to a "normal" diet, and I was bingeing on things I had been "deprived" from...

With SW I'm not deprived so there should be no need to binge again...I can eat anything I want - it just has to be within syns...if I want a big blowout meal - I will save my syns up all week and do just that - but I will never feel like I can't have something ever again...

I think SW teaches you about moderation - and normally I'm so full on eating healthy meals that I tend to not want to over-indulge on other stuff like I have in the past...so fingers crossed!

good luck....

 

[scouzer]

Thanks Marie, I forget that I can have literally whatever I want but in moderation. I guess that' the difference between SW ad most diets that deprive and restrict you so drastically. I am learnin and developing good eatin habits but every so often I slip and find it so hard to get back up!! Lol.

Scouzer. X

 

[suespain]

Hi guys

I got down to 11 1/2 stone 7 years ago from 15 1/2 stone. Since moving to spain I went up to 16 stone 10. I swore I would never go back up to that sort of weight.

Restarted again in Feb/March and this time am going to get down to 11 stone and NEVER go back up again.

Sue

 

[scouzer]

Thanks Niki. It's so easy to let yourself go!! But I appreciate your words, I can do it if I'm watchful and just remind myself that i never want to be how I was before.

Scouzer. X

 

[MellyWelly]

I think the key is definately to keep weighing yourself once a week. Stop the lbs before they creep into stones! I've done it before, lost the weight, then had a holiday and been scared to weigh in. You can kid yourself you're fine until one day it suddenly hits you, before you know it a stone has gone on!

 

[scouzer]

I get the same thing, "afraid of the scale phase" and it can be so dangerous!! Thanks everyone, I can do it!!!

Scouzer. X

 

[jaylou]

I have maintained my target weight since July last year, so coming up to 15 months now and I do it by going to group every week.
I stick to the plans during the week as if I were still "dieting" but have what I want over the weekend so a bit of extra bread, some sweets or a cake with a coffee if we go out. I may have a take away.
My weight goes up and down but I keep on top of it by still going to group each week. I go because I love the group, I am the weighing lady anyway and because I want to support others who are still losing and show them that being at target needs as much work as losing weight.

I'm afraid I do make my sauces from scratch with quark (sorry brightonrosie), the whole family loves my carbonara. The SW way is the way we eat now and will always be. If I didn't do it I would put 3 stone back on in a flash and probably more.