Survey-Curious about all of you maintainers

1)  How much do you weigh now?
2)  How many (on the average) calories do you eat daily?
3)  How much exercise, and what kind do you do daily?
4)  Do you eat carbs or keep them out of your diet as much as possible?
5)  Do you find that your current eating and exercise habits are making it easy to maintain, or do you fight it day to day.

I'm just curious as to how everyone is maintaining at their current weight.  I'm still trying to lose that last 3-4 pounds.  I've seen many of you talk about how hard it was to lose the last 5 pounds, so I'm curious as to how hard it is to maintain now that you've lost it. 

These last few pounds are being stubborn, but I'm eating quite comfortably.  Makes me wonder if I should cut back on my "comfortable" eating pattern in order to lose it and then will I have to continue the cut back to maintain?  I really want my eating pattern to be comfortable and not a daily battle, so it could be a deciding factor in whether I try harder to lose these last few pounds. 

Any thoughts?

1)  How much do you weigh now?
      121 lbs.  Highest wt was 224lbs
2)  How many (on the average) calories do you eat daily?
       Between 900-1200 cal/day
3)  How much exercise, and what kind do you do daily?
       Try to exercise daily.  1/2 hour or so cardio, weight lifting
        4 times a week
4)  Do you eat carbs or keep them out of your diet as much as possible?
      I try to keep carbs around 40-50 grams a day
5)  Do you find that your current eating and exercise habits are making it easy to maintain, or do you fight it day to day.
     Right now it is working just fine, I haven't really gone off program by much.  I am trying to maintain what weight I have.  I think if I were to add in many carbs, things might get hard, but I haven't tried that yet
       

Thanks Marie.  I think the carbs affect me that way too, so I try to avoid them 90% of the time.  But then there's that 10% when I just can't resist!

Hi There,

I am a complete and total mess.  I have been depressed for awhile now....

1)  How much do you weigh now?  I am not sure, my scale broke.  I have ordered a new one, expect it here within the month.  Probably around 150.  Lowest was 142.  Goal was 155.
2)  How many (on the average) calories do you eat daily?  No idea, lots.
3)  How much exercise, and what kind do you do daily?  None, I diligently walked 4 miles a day for 2 years.  Now I barely leave the house.
4)  Do you eat carbs or keep them out of your diet as much as possible?  I eat carbs.  My diet is a mess.
5)  Do you find that your current eating and exercise habits are making it easy to maintain, or do you fight it day to day.  It is easy for me to maintain, inspite of the lack of exercise and good eating habits.

I look like crap.  I have no toning at all.  I have a flabby stomach and legs now...  I'm still very thin, but I don't look nearly as good as I did without clothes on, with clothes on no one can probably even tell the difference.

I am saying this as the first step to making changes.  I really am a mess, inside and out...

Cindy

Oh Cindy I really hate to hear that!   I hope you will do something to help you get out of this funk.  Have you talked to your doctor?  Nothing wrong with antidepressants.  It could get you over the top and off the edge. 

((((((HUGS))))))

Ok, here are my answers:

1.  119.5
2.  900 to 1200
3.  Little formal exercise. Mostly household chores and gardening.
4.  I still count carbs and avoid all refined carbs and don't eat much grain. maybe 50 g a day or less.
5.  I had found it pretty easy to maintain until the past week or too when i seem to have a case of the "nibbles". could be due to a medication I started. Gonna have to watch it.

Not sure I have much advice for you but if I were you I would do whatever it takes to lose those last few you want and then go from there on how to maintain.   Diane

I do pretty good thru the week, then the weekend of camping, and socializing comes and I fall off the wagon.  Staying on program thru the week is keeping me steady, but I need to go through a weekend ON program instead of off.  *sigh*    If I bend over, will you give me a swift kick in the behind?

1)  How much do you weigh now?
About 149 (I'm 5'8" and 57 y.o.). Starting weight was 253. I maintained for a long time (3 years) at 140-143 and then rather suddenly gained last year. I keep trying to get back down there, but this is where my body seems to want to be. It's a weight that I did maintain long ago for some years pre-surgery, so it's probably some kind of set point. I am still wearing my size 4 clothes, however. I like how I look, but I don't want to gain any more.
2)  How many (on the average) calories do you eat daily? I don't know exactly. But I think around 1500-1800.
3)  How much exercise, and what kind do you do daily? I didn't exercise at all while losing ( I HATE exercise) but took it up in the last year, partly to combat the gain, but mostly because I've been diagnosed with osteoporosis. I do cardio (usually step, at home) 3x a week for an hour and strength training 2x/week, once with a personal trainer and once at home. I have muscles in my arms now. It's really cool!
4)  Do you eat carbs or keep them out of your diet as much as possible? I still go for protein first. I rarely cook pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. I do eat popcorn, however, as it doesn't trigger me. And I eat sweets (though I'm trying to curtail that since they DO trigger me)
5)  Do you find that your current eating and exercise habits are making it easy to maintain, or do you fight it day to day.
Hmm. I AM maintaining and the way I eat and exercise is my new normal. After 4 years, I'm pretty used to it. I weigh every day, I struggle with sweets, I exercise unwillingly but diligently. That's pretty much it. Is it easy? Well, it would be easier to eat bon-bons and watch TV all day!, and it's a daily struggle to put my workout clothes on, but this lifestyle is working for me...

Lizanne

Thanks for your candor Lizanne.  It's always good to hear from long timers to remind myself this is a lifetime of change.  Even though I know that, I find my head thinking otherwise when it wants me to eat trigger  foods. 

 I go up and down between 130 and 135.

never tracked calories and still don't

I do gentle aerobics, dancing, walking - shoot for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. keep trying to add resistance and haven't done it regularly yet. fyi - I got to goal without exercising but I want to be healthier and especially I want my brain to work better!

I eat carbs but try to keep it to fruit & vegs (I don't eat near enough vegs) I do eat other carbs but it tends to make me sleep and lead to cravings.

aerobic exercise got easy after a couple months. I started VERY slow - like 5 minutes!!

food varies - I get into spells of eating crap, mostlly because there is so much of it where I work - like a time or two a week someone brings in cake or donuts, dammit.