Question for successful maintainers.

I'd be interested in knowing too as I'm on the verge of having to maintain now - I know I need to eat like 'normal' people do, but as I've never eaten normally in my life, it's a bit daunting. At the moment I'm being super-cautious but I know that can't last forever, however I am reluctant to have something like a piece of birthday cake if I'm at a party, for fear that it will be a slippery slope. It's been all feast or famine with me in the past (slightly more on the feast side if I'm honest :p) and I would rather stabilise my eating now by not being too uptight about it, but still keeping myself in check when I should.
I guess you relax in time.....
 
Hmmm, I am not really a successful maintainer yet, but have been at goal give or take a few lbs since May, and refuse to let go of what I have achieved. The steps are essential, I think, to slowly ease back into eating real food, minimise the glycogen gain and give you a structure while stepping towards 'real-life' eating. Now I find my choices are very different to the ones I once would have made, 9 times out of 10 anyway. I still have wobbles days when I lose it and binge, but the binges are nowhere near the ones I used to have. Maybe NLP would help, but I have managed so far without.

One huge tip: I started posting on the maintainers board in April and have found it an amazing, supportive, informative environment... a lifeline for me. Without it, I wouldn't still be here. Maintaining is maybe the hardest part of this journey, but it can be done.

Porgeous and KD and other long-time maintainers will probably be able to add to that with more insight, but worth looking at KD's sticky on that board also, about how 'normal people' eat.

Good luck...

xxx
 
The steps were very useful for me for a number of reasons. Firstly they stopped the sudden gain of glycogen/water. This would have demotivated me. They restored my metabolic rate. They stopped me suddenly thinking the job was over, no great firework display and celebration of food when I got to goal...still have work to do.

They also gave me more time to work out how I was going to maintain.

SS is like walking with someone holding your hand. The steps are like walking beside someone. Independent, but with a guide to help me with my destination.

True maintenance was being left out in the field and being told that I was free to go wherever I wanted...good luck :D

After completing the steps, I calorie counted quite strictly for a 6 to 9 months so that I really knew what I could eat, sorted out my portion sizes, worked out how I could maintain on the foods I wanted to eat. I also used a calorie counter that helped me understand about getting a balance with foods. Healthy foods/less healthy foods/protein/carbs and above all, fats as I had been low fat for a long time and I wanted a more balanced way of eating (more like 30% fat...considered more 'normal' eating).

I did do an NLP course. I did Mikes. It was fab, but I was already 3 years at goal so wanted it more to help my clients and add to my knowledge of what it takes to maintain.

I didn't read many books at the beginning, but read masses of articles about how the body, hormones and mind works when it comes to both dieting and maintaining. Not any old article off the web, I researched as accurately as possible and checked out everything.

I think the most useful thing for me was getting it in my head that the diet wasn't the journey. The diet got me to the starting point, not the end. When I got to goal, it was the beginning of my biggest project. To learn how to be a normal eater as I didn't want to diet again.

I am a 'normal' eater and very comfortable with it, so I guess that makes me a successful maintainer :) It's been a massive 'project' for me. One that has been scary, fun, and above all, given me so much insight into why I overate and how my body and mind work with my choices of food.

Can't say it was a quick recovery, but I don't regret one moment of really getting to grips with this once and for all.

I have a couple of posts somewhere. One that Katy mentioned and another with tips. I'll post the links in a mo.
 
I think the most useful thing for me was getting it in my head that the diet wasn't the journey. The diet got me to the starting point, not the end. When I got to goal, it was the beginning of my biggest project. To learn how to be a normal eater as I didn't want to diet again.

Couldn't agree with you more... What a useful post - thank you and well done for maintaning for such a long time :)
 
Hiya
I agree with KD! For me the steps were very important in learning portion sizes and finding the right amount of calories for me to maintain. After that I calorie counted, very stricty, weighing and measuring everything. Overtime I gained a better sense of what I and how much I could eat and don't find the need to weigh and measure anymore but still have an awareness of the amount of calories I am eating. For me the maths always made things simple, if it adds up my weigh should be fairly stable. I know it's a cliché but I do try to work on the basis of everything in moderation, I don't do high fibre, low fat, low carb etc, I have a little bit of everything which helps me not to feel deprived. There is still a devil on my shoulder that every now and again thinks stuff this I just want to pig out but it's less and less often and to be honest a blow out once in a blue moon never hurt anyone!

Personally I didn't read any books or do any CBT, for me the answers were within me I just had to ask myself the questions.

Good luck!
 
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