Maintenance -- when to freak out?

I have been maintaining between 174 - 178 for the past about 2 months.  I thought 180 was my freak out point.  If I got over 180, I would have to change things up to ensure a backslide did not happen.  

Yesterday I weighed in at 178.4.  I kind of freaked out.  I also was like -- you haven't had a BM in a few days, you are on your period, you had Marianos on Friday, you haven't been working out hard b/c you have been sick.  (lots of reasons / excuses not to freak out).  Also, I have been eating more nuts and fats lately... and maybe just getting a little less diligent.  I still didn't freak out.  I wasn't feeling great, so I didn't run, but I did do my yoga class. I ate like normal -- even had a glass on wine on my second date (failed date -- I wasn't feeling it).  But Im still a bit nervous.

I woke up at 176.7 today.  Does this mean forget it I'm all good.  or should I kick the nuts out for a bit?  Ugh I don't know.  

Maintenance is tricky.  Especially b/c who knows exactly which number is the right one for me.

Welcome to the land of maintenance!  It's anxiety-provoking, isn't it?  You absolutely CANNOT let the daily fluctuations on the scale get to you or you really will go crazy.  

The most important thing is to figure out your "zone".  If you want your zone to be 174-178 then so be it.  When the scale says 178.4 you make changes until it gets back into the zone.  But if your zone is 175-180 then you do NOT let 178.4 freak you out.  It sounds like you had lots of other things that were probably impacting water retention as evidenced by the fact that the next day you were down almost 2 lbs.  You didn't gain or lose almost 2 lbs. of fat in a day.  

You may decide as time goes on that your zone is even lower than you originally thought.  I'm sure you'll figure it out 

This is great advice, and I am going to print it out for when I am in maintenance! Right now it seems like the weight loss is the tough part, but I am terrified of maintenance. OP you are doing great :)

Thanks :)  Yes I think yesterday I realized that maybe 178 had become my ceiling in my head.  Maybe it is kind of a soft ceiling w/ 180 freak out time.

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Thanks Tracy! lol...I've been a total nerd for the last two weeks! 

Great advice Tracy!  I have been in "maintance" for about 1 1/2 to 2 months.  I am only weighing once a week so I dont go nuts.  :-) 

The nuts shouldn't be a problem if they were the good ones and eaten raw, the most likely probelm was either other foodstuffs or water retention.

Watch the YouTube video by Tim Noakes called "Medical Aspects of a Low Carbohydrate Diet".  It'll clear up the issue on nuts being a problem.

On the water retention, your level of retention can vary +/- 2 liters at any given moment.  That translates to +/- 4 pounds.  You aren't able to regulate the water to prevent this, your kidneys will decide for you all on their own.

So... I wouldn't panic.

Panic when the upward trend continues for a several weeks with no sign of dropping off.

BTW: The choice to exercise or not also had little to do with the weight.  The only way it matters would be if you are eating heavy amounts of carbs and then stop exercising for a while without adjust the carbs.  I doubt you're doing that.

I've been maintaining 143-145 for several months now, 145 being the top of my goal range.  I've been as high as 150 while in maintenance, (right after vacation), but took those 5 off the next week.  I only weigh once per week to mitigate the "crazy".   Maybe you need a bit larger range to roam around in to feel mentally comfortable?  Recently, I decided to extend my goal range down to 135 and maybe land around 139 or so, so that I can feel more comfortable with the fluctuation zone.  I'm still exercising 5 days per week. I refuse, (am terrified) to break that habit. I'm not in a huge hurry to get there, I'd just like to have a bit more wiggle room so I'm going to try and cut back and drop a few more pounds.  My new found social life is making it HARD though, LOL.  I'm out A LOT these days!  Maybe I need to get up a few minutes earlier and hit the exercise harder!  

I feel your pain.  I hit 139 a month or so ago.  Even though it feels a little low I just bought all these new clothes.  Then my "cycle" hit and I went up to 142.6...for the past 2 weeks I've been going up and down between the two numbers.  I'm eating on program (for me), nothing has really changed but I keep thinking "Oh no it's bounceback time!!! My new clothes aren't going to fit!!!"  Yes, I don't have my priorities straight lol.

I think we just have to remember to keep doing what we've been doing.  Stick to program and not worry about small changes in our numbers.  

AND...thankfully my new Levi's still fit!

My weight fluctuates and I know it because I weigh twice daily and have for over two years. I look for patterns and trends with my weight. If I stay within my allowed range, I do not worry. If I hit the top number of my range, I get strict with myself and cut out any non dairy carbs.

There are so many factors that go into our weight, and it is easy to think a day of eating well and on plan has an immediate affect the next day. It is cumulative, so if I am staying on plan and not letting the portions creep, I don't get excited.

Also, I don't worry about consumption of fats (that's not to say I eat butter by the stick). Carbs are my issue.