Flab-u-less-Flower
Silver Member
I had a goal when I started this journey. My GOAL was to become Fit & Fabulous before turning 40! Well I am happy to report, I did it! I started my weightloss journey
January 2007 and I reached my goal 3 months later. I have been maintaining my 25 pound weightloss for 10 months now and I am pretty proud of myself! I BELIEVED and I have ACHIEVED and my MAINTENANCE is doable! I just want people to know, that if I can do it, YOU can too!
I continue to eat healthy 80% of the time and 20% of the time, I eat naughty. I'm a calorie counter, so no food is off limits, which is the ideal route for me, being deprivation does not work long term, but this does being this is a lifestyle that I can stick with.
I have set up a safe buffer zone for maintaining my weight, I stay within my safe buffer zone which is anywhere between the 143-148 pound weight range, I have 6 pounds to work with.... (3 high end and 3 low end to help keep me in check of not going above or below these 2 numbers) If my weight goes above this number, it sends me into a PANIC, and I drop back down to 1200 calories a day for however long it takes to get the weight off. Yes, I am AWARE at all times.
MAINTENANCE is harder than losing!
Don't think, I'm kidding, or think "yeah right, what could be easier than maintaining your weight?" Believe it and prepare for it — because it’s true!
During weightloss, I KNEW how many calories to EAT and how much exercise to do to LOSE the weight.
However in maintenance, trying to balance everything to stay consistent at my current WEIGHT was a different story, but it is getting easier nowadays.
I can't completely relax and get complacent because that’s a quick ticket rightback to where I was.
Even though the weight loss part is done, that certainly doesn't mean I am home free, not hardly! Healthy foods, exercise, and weight lifting are second nature nowadays to me. Plus it is still CONSTANT awareness,
because as soon as anybody ignores healthy habits and exercise routines- you are risking a relapse. Needless to say, I've come too far to let that happen!!! To be honest, I was so used to weightloss mode, that it
became my comfort zone. But now I am trying to MASTER
maintenance, I still consider myself a Maintainer in training.....
As a society, we focus almost exclusively on losing weight. We hardly ever hear much mention about what happens after you reach your goal.
Which doesn’t make much sense to me, since we’re going to spend much more time keeping the weight off than we did losing it! For me, I know the rest of my life is going to be all about maintaining this healthy lifestyle that I am now accustomed to. I honestly believe 98% of weight loss and maintenance happens in your head, and you have to talk yourself through all the challenges that may arise each day. Even during maintenance you still get food cravings, they don't magically disappear!
My advice to someone who’s just reached goal, PROCEED with caution.... Do not let your hard work slip, by indulging too often or slacking on your
exercise. Goal isn’t the end of the journey, it’s actually just the beginning of the rest of your life! Maintenance is a lifestyle. I truly think
MAINTENANCE takes just as much thought, planning, and work as losing did, even more. Remember the things that you did to get to this point, because THEY are the things that will keep you here!
There have been many bumps in my maintenance road and life still throws me curve balls too, so being consistent is key. I now strive for consistency, instead of perfection! I look forward to MAINTAINING this weight for life, it is now more about balancing the good foods and enjoying some bad foods too...
Maintenance for me is exactly the same amount of work that weightloss was, without any of the GLAMOUR. During weightloss, I got thrilled when the scale made another downward slide, this appeared because I was
exercising and eating right and it was a visual high that I got as I kept track by watching the scale drop, and being able to fit into smaller sizes, receiving the wonderful compliments etc.... But in Maintenance it isn't
nearly as exciting because the scale doesn't drop any lower, I don't get a daily fix to help keep me going week after week, the compliments slowly stop, my new clothes fit NOW and I just can't keep buying more and more
and more.... (well I can, but that gets EXPENSIVE!) So, to add a little more excitement daily, I now shoot for different fitness goals from time to time
to keep me going day after day, and this GLAMS up my maintenance somewhat.
Being here at the maintenance level is pretty AMAZING, just knowing I "MADE IT" feels GREAT! Nowadays my NEW HIGH is having the scale stay the SAME, that NOW makes me extremely happy because I know I am
doing it RIGHT and somedays I just wanna holler YAHOO, so sometimes I actually do! I am happiest when I get through a day, a week, or a month knowing that I have made good food choices the majority of the time,
exercising daily and keeping up with my new lifestyle. It is also rewarding when I can slip right into my new jeans each day and that in itself puts a
smile on my face, no shimming required!
Maintenance is still a constant feeling of staying in control for me, but I think this AWARENESS is a good thing. I compare maintaining my weightloss to other aspects of my life. For instance paying all of my bills
every month, who likes to monitor their money? Nobody, -but I know if I didn't keep track of my money, I could easily go into debt. So being cautious of my weight works the same way, if I didn't watch and monitor
and check the scale often, I could be in trouble weightwise too.... Awareness speaks volumes when your maintaining 'specially when I indulge too often and the scale makes an upward rise, the accountability
factor kicks into high gear, but each time I get RENEWED determination to get back on track ASAP, and that is KEY.
Maintenance ISN'T easy, contrary to popular perception, if maintenance was so EASY, 95% of people would not FAIL at maintenance and regain their weight, but all be damned if I am going to be one of the statistics!
Hell no, I know the odds are stacked against me to keep this weight off, but I AM going to be among the 5% that keep this weight off! This is my maintenance, and I am doing it, and I will continue doing it because I am
worth the effort, plus I feel amazing and my body looks pretty amazing too! Just because I reached maintenance,
it does not give me eating privileges to eat whatever and whenever,.... Oh how I only WISH it worked that way, but the reality is, it DOESN'T!
Maintenance is a GOAL in itself, it doesn't end after a week, or a month, or a year even, it is never ending, something I must continue to do for a lifetime.
My goal for the new year is to continue to maintain this loss the whole year through, so here I come 2008. I love working out with my weights, sculpting my muscles and my muscles to me are just like a beautiful garden, they require daily tending, so I will keep up with not only the weightloss maintenance but with my exercise maintenance too! Maintenance has to be FOREVER, and I am willing to go the distance so I can be Fit & Fabulous for many years to come!
January 2007 and I reached my goal 3 months later. I have been maintaining my 25 pound weightloss for 10 months now and I am pretty proud of myself! I BELIEVED and I have ACHIEVED and my MAINTENANCE is doable! I just want people to know, that if I can do it, YOU can too!
I continue to eat healthy 80% of the time and 20% of the time, I eat naughty. I'm a calorie counter, so no food is off limits, which is the ideal route for me, being deprivation does not work long term, but this does being this is a lifestyle that I can stick with.
I have set up a safe buffer zone for maintaining my weight, I stay within my safe buffer zone which is anywhere between the 143-148 pound weight range, I have 6 pounds to work with.... (3 high end and 3 low end to help keep me in check of not going above or below these 2 numbers) If my weight goes above this number, it sends me into a PANIC, and I drop back down to 1200 calories a day for however long it takes to get the weight off. Yes, I am AWARE at all times.
MAINTENANCE is harder than losing!
Don't think, I'm kidding, or think "yeah right, what could be easier than maintaining your weight?" Believe it and prepare for it — because it’s true!
During weightloss, I KNEW how many calories to EAT and how much exercise to do to LOSE the weight.
However in maintenance, trying to balance everything to stay consistent at my current WEIGHT was a different story, but it is getting easier nowadays.
I can't completely relax and get complacent because that’s a quick ticket rightback to where I was.
Even though the weight loss part is done, that certainly doesn't mean I am home free, not hardly! Healthy foods, exercise, and weight lifting are second nature nowadays to me. Plus it is still CONSTANT awareness,
because as soon as anybody ignores healthy habits and exercise routines- you are risking a relapse. Needless to say, I've come too far to let that happen!!! To be honest, I was so used to weightloss mode, that it
became my comfort zone. But now I am trying to MASTER
maintenance, I still consider myself a Maintainer in training.....
As a society, we focus almost exclusively on losing weight. We hardly ever hear much mention about what happens after you reach your goal.
Which doesn’t make much sense to me, since we’re going to spend much more time keeping the weight off than we did losing it! For me, I know the rest of my life is going to be all about maintaining this healthy lifestyle that I am now accustomed to. I honestly believe 98% of weight loss and maintenance happens in your head, and you have to talk yourself through all the challenges that may arise each day. Even during maintenance you still get food cravings, they don't magically disappear!
My advice to someone who’s just reached goal, PROCEED with caution.... Do not let your hard work slip, by indulging too often or slacking on your
exercise. Goal isn’t the end of the journey, it’s actually just the beginning of the rest of your life! Maintenance is a lifestyle. I truly think
MAINTENANCE takes just as much thought, planning, and work as losing did, even more. Remember the things that you did to get to this point, because THEY are the things that will keep you here!
There have been many bumps in my maintenance road and life still throws me curve balls too, so being consistent is key. I now strive for consistency, instead of perfection! I look forward to MAINTAINING this weight for life, it is now more about balancing the good foods and enjoying some bad foods too...
Maintenance for me is exactly the same amount of work that weightloss was, without any of the GLAMOUR. During weightloss, I got thrilled when the scale made another downward slide, this appeared because I was
exercising and eating right and it was a visual high that I got as I kept track by watching the scale drop, and being able to fit into smaller sizes, receiving the wonderful compliments etc.... But in Maintenance it isn't
nearly as exciting because the scale doesn't drop any lower, I don't get a daily fix to help keep me going week after week, the compliments slowly stop, my new clothes fit NOW and I just can't keep buying more and more
and more.... (well I can, but that gets EXPENSIVE!) So, to add a little more excitement daily, I now shoot for different fitness goals from time to time
to keep me going day after day, and this GLAMS up my maintenance somewhat.
Being here at the maintenance level is pretty AMAZING, just knowing I "MADE IT" feels GREAT! Nowadays my NEW HIGH is having the scale stay the SAME, that NOW makes me extremely happy because I know I am
doing it RIGHT and somedays I just wanna holler YAHOO, so sometimes I actually do! I am happiest when I get through a day, a week, or a month knowing that I have made good food choices the majority of the time,
exercising daily and keeping up with my new lifestyle. It is also rewarding when I can slip right into my new jeans each day and that in itself puts a
smile on my face, no shimming required!
Maintenance is still a constant feeling of staying in control for me, but I think this AWARENESS is a good thing. I compare maintaining my weightloss to other aspects of my life. For instance paying all of my bills
every month, who likes to monitor their money? Nobody, -but I know if I didn't keep track of my money, I could easily go into debt. So being cautious of my weight works the same way, if I didn't watch and monitor
and check the scale often, I could be in trouble weightwise too.... Awareness speaks volumes when your maintaining 'specially when I indulge too often and the scale makes an upward rise, the accountability
factor kicks into high gear, but each time I get RENEWED determination to get back on track ASAP, and that is KEY.
Maintenance ISN'T easy, contrary to popular perception, if maintenance was so EASY, 95% of people would not FAIL at maintenance and regain their weight, but all be damned if I am going to be one of the statistics!
Hell no, I know the odds are stacked against me to keep this weight off, but I AM going to be among the 5% that keep this weight off! This is my maintenance, and I am doing it, and I will continue doing it because I am
worth the effort, plus I feel amazing and my body looks pretty amazing too! Just because I reached maintenance,
it does not give me eating privileges to eat whatever and whenever,.... Oh how I only WISH it worked that way, but the reality is, it DOESN'T!
Maintenance is a GOAL in itself, it doesn't end after a week, or a month, or a year even, it is never ending, something I must continue to do for a lifetime.
My goal for the new year is to continue to maintain this loss the whole year through, so here I come 2008. I love working out with my weights, sculpting my muscles and my muscles to me are just like a beautiful garden, they require daily tending, so I will keep up with not only the weightloss maintenance but with my exercise maintenance too! Maintenance has to be FOREVER, and I am willing to go the distance so I can be Fit & Fabulous for many years to come!
It's like a secret club. You're supposed to know the answers when you get there
