Has anyone gone back to SS for a few lbs? Any CDC advice....?

[boardwitless]

I'm away on holiday for 2 weeks soon and I know that I will put a bit of weight on (half board buffet ). I have been eating sensibly since reaching goal and so far have had no problems getting my head around cutting back if I feel I have overdone it at all. I've worked too hard to let it slide.

My dilemma is this - after my holiday, should I cut back to around 1200-1500 calories for perhaps a couple of months to get any extra lbs off or SS for a couple of weeks? I would be interested in any CDC's advice that they would give to their own clients if asked this question.

Disadvantages are:
I know SS should not be used like a crutch when maintaining
I may not be able to SS again like the first (golden) time
Is it really going to put my head in the right place for maintenance?
Will I have to go up the plans again?

Advantages are:
I had no problems doing SS in the past
I will be ready for a break from food after 2 weeks of hotel buffet
I can lose any gain quickly and then get back up to my maintenance allowance of around 1800 cals a day
I can choose low-carb for the last few days of holiday to ease into SS

Has anyone done this (or would anyone recommend using SS this way). I wouldn't consider it 'restarting' but I didn't know whether to post this on 'returners' or 'maintenance' instead

 

[Laura Croft]

Okay first up, there's no such word as shouldn't. If using the packs is the way you want to maintain your weight and you are happy with that, then go for it.

As a happy maintainer, I have to say not using the packs as a tool is what keeps me at goal. I wouldn't want to go back on the packs - I enjoy eating healthy food too much and honestly, didn't want to or need to spend the extra money on packs. One of my CDCs supplemented food with packs but it was cheaper for her to do that than me and she did put me off a bit when she laughingly said, if I do, it'll help her go on holiday! Also, there's a lot of ingredients in the packs. I know it's all good for us when we are on SS+ etc but it's not for me now. And last but not least, it's like the packs are that tasty, especially when there's a whole world of yummy food to have

In order to learn to maintain successfully, I needed to learn to eat in moderation and to also lose weight on my own. I came back from holidays recently, had only had a 2lb gain and the weight came off by eating maintenance - 100 calories a day for a week and ended up at the end of the week being a bit lower than before my holiday. LOL

Make sure you enjoy your holiday. I'd suggest trying to get a bit of extra exercise in, enjoy the food but just remember how you'll feel if you do gain a lot. As you say, you've worked too hard to let it slide.

You could go back onto 810 but keep in account you will need to look at going back up the steps (maybe you won't need two weeks on each step - I don't know the answer to that) but even if you just had 4 weeks of refeeding, isn't it possible you could have lost the weight just as fast by eating normally?

Others experience will differ but my body isn't happy nor is my mind when I go much below 1500 calories. 1500 still equates to one lb a week and it's a sensible weight loss for me. Going back to 1200 (minimum I can go to according to my BMR) makes me feel icky and I like eating food too much. It was a big drop in calories compared to what I had become used to.

As a second timer, it was quite scary how used to fast weight losses I'd become. That was almost addictive in itself. I've had to adjust my expectations back to 'normal' weight loss and have never been happier. And there's always exercise to help the weight loss along.

ETA not sure how you are working out your calories but when I went away, I wrote down everything I ate. It was rather handy when the brain cleverly forgot about the bit of extra wine and cheese from the night before, and the night before that. I did calculate my calories when I came back just to keep things in perspective.

Good luck in deciding what to do, and again, have a fab holiday!

 

[boardwitless]

Thanks Laura, many things to think about. You seem to have sorted what works for you and I think I am getting there too. Interesting you say about getting addicted to the fast losses and expecting them as a second timer - it's tempting to try SS when I come back just to see if that's the same for me too as the rapid loss was a real motivation while I was on SS for the first time and you're right, it does get kind of addictive.
Having done calorie counting diets for years on end, I now kind of resent having to keep within a limit to drop a few pounds and I try to justify all sorts of reasons for cheating (I'm OK with my maintenance limit of around 1800 however which I monitor on fitday.com so I do still keep a check) I'm reading some of the books suggested on the maintenance thread which are helping - and I'm going to take them away with me.
I'm veering towards going back on the SS packs for a week or 2 afterwards as I think I will be able to relax more on holiday and have few treats (I am 100% confident that this WILL NOT turn into a major blowout however) without the guilt element rasing it's head and starting off the little demon voices ('you've done it now, did you really need that extra bit of chicken? No? May as well have the bowl of trifle then.....)
Thanks for the holiday wishes, I will have a great time

 

[Laura Croft]

You are welcome.

I now kind of resent having to keep within a limit to drop a few pounds and I try to justify all sorts of reasons for cheating (I'm OK with my maintenance limit of around 1800 however which I monitor on fitday.com so I do still keep a check)

It's really good that you recognise this behaviour and hopefully the books will help you to work on that. I did a lot of work on Transactional Analysis and a lot of 'it's not fair, I deserve this thoughts' came from being in child ego mode. Does your book list include Eating Less? That book was the right message at the right time for me. Now that I'm at goal, I actually have a target range of calories instead of a target number. It gives me more flexibility and I really like.

I'm veering towards going back on the SS packs for a week or 2 afterwards as I think I will be able to relax more on holiday and have few treats (I am 100% confident that this WILL NOT turn into a major blowout however) without the guilt element rasing it's head and starting off the little demon voices ('you've done it now, did you really need that extra bit of chicken? No? May as well have the bowl of trifle then.....)
Thanks for the holiday wishes, I will have a great time

Isn't it great how we are all different. I'd be a bit scared because I could see my thoughts going back to 'I am going back on SS so it doesn't matter if I eat the extra trifle.' Also, just a bit of advice and to play devil's advocate. Some people struggle to get back on packs if you are going as extreme as 810. How would you feel if you can't get back on the plan and have put on a few pounds? What's your backup plan? Don't forget there's always 1200 if you want a bit of structure.

Now that I'm on my soap box, please be careful about considering 1000 as a step when you come back, if you were considering it A lot of people in the Maintenance section have struggled when they've tried to get back onto 1000 after eating for a while as it's just not enough cals. It's a great step when we are moving up the plans as our metabolism is slower but going so low can be tough.

Ps. The weight gain won't all be fat, some of it will be water retention etc. I've found short term gains come off fast so give it a bit of time after you've come back from holiday to let the scales balance out again. And you wouldn't be looking at 1500 etc for a few months, I bet it'd be a month at most

 

[leeds123]

i have the same dilemma, am near goal but going away to AI resort in June and will be eating what i want. i will be exerising every day too but know i will gain. I plan to ss for the few weeks after hols to lose some pounds, and unfortunatley i am not strong enough to do 810 or 1500 on hols. let us all know what you decide.

my CDC still uses packs to maintain, having 2 a day (one bar one soup) and a meal at night and she has done this for years.

 

[KD]

Go on holiday. Enjoy yourself. Eat different foods, but don't use the holiday as an excuse for overeating.

Come back and either get back into your current routine with food (which surprisingly can shift holiday excess), or do 1500 (1200 if really panicky)...and enjoy the fact that you can still eat a fair bit even after a holiday.

 

[Lesly Cambridge]

Hi there boardwitless (great name, hehe). Absolutely endorse what KD says - and in any case, you'd have to put on more than 2 stones on holiday to be heavy enough to go back to SS - not likely, I suspect!

Have a good hol, choose your one plateful carefully from the buffet, and enjoy eating healthily for the rest of your life.

 

[boardwitless]

I'd be a bit scared because I could see my thoughts going back to 'I am going back on SS so it doesn't matter if I eat the extra trifle

Yep Laura, I did consider that aspect and want to avoid the 'safety net' aspect of SS

Does your book list include Eating Less?

Yes it does, I got a couple of books via ebay that I've seen recommended on the Maintainers threads

Go on holiday. Enjoy yourself. Eat different foods, but don't use the holiday as an excuse for overeating.

KD I might have done in the past but now I'm in a better place head-wise and would be able to see the repercussions of any overeating. Before now, it all just kind of blurred together (both physically and mentally )

either get back into your current routine with food (which surprisingly can shift holiday excess), or do 1500 (1200 if really panicky)...

in any case, you'd have to put on more than 2 stones on holiday to be heavy enough to go back to SS - not likely, I suspect!

Yep, you're both right - I'm not looking at this with the mindset of a long-term maintainer, just a 'quick-fixer'. There's no race to lose any extra poundage afterwards, it can come off slow and steady and I should work on that
Thanks for the input

 

[Porgeous]

Hey there

I always gain on holiday as I tend to overeat and do very little which is a lethal combination! It doesn't bother me as I have the attitude that I go on holiday approx three times a year and those are the times that I truly allow myself to let my hair down when it comes to my diet. I don't mean that I eat everything in sight or that I eat all the wrong things but just that I allow myself to have what I want and probably more of it!

I typically gain around 4lbs, although India has been worse with a 6lb gain... YIKES! When I get back I spend about two weeks just getting back into my normal routine to allow my weight to settle down, get rid of any water retention etc and then revisit where I am at. If I still have a few extra lbs hanging about I will drop my calories by about 100/200. This may seem very little and it is because this allows my weight to very gradually creep back down without my feeling like I am on a diet or depriving myself. In reality I am only dropping a fraction of a lb a week at this rate but slowly my weight returns to where it was.

It comes down to personal choice on how you want to manage your maintenance. I am not a fan of using packs as a quick fix as for me it just gives me an excuse to over indulge and for me would create bad habits of yo-yoing.

Hope some of my ramblings might of helped!

x

 

[Laura Croft]

I wonder if continued maintenance will also give me the ability to say things more succintly.

BW - I like the way you are thinking. FWIW, that's what has worked for me too. I had a BIG blowout the other day. I mean really really big. I logged the calories and Perfect Diet Tracker almost blew up. However I have gone back to normal eating and the weight is coming off. *shudders*

 

[boardwitless]

Hi Georgie, that's the kind of mindset I am aiming for - careful enough to watch the weight and not be oblivious to lbs creeping back on, but then again not obsessive over losing any gains asap. I think I'm getting there but it does take a while to come out of the way of thinking while you are on a 'diet' i.e. logging losses every week and being disappointed if the numbers don't add up to the loss you think you deserve, based on how 'good' you've been - or setting a goal date.

I logged the calories and Perfect Diet Tracker almost blew up.

Love it!