X-Post What does maintenance mean to you?

I am not sure if I truly understand what maintenance means. I know when you hit goal you don't go out and gorge on Mickey D's shakes and cake! However I picture maintenance to be exactly what I am doing today! Eating healthy and moving my ass! I crave **** all the time and I try to find a substitute the quells the craving and still fits with my 2 prime directives.....eating healthy and moving my ass! I don't even call it eating on plan because plans end. Am I wrong in my thinking? Am I going to get rude wake up call? So the question is WHAT DOES MAINTENANCE MEAN TO YOU?

 it means I am done losing weight or even trying to lose weight. I'm DONE. 

it's a good thing. time to think about other things for a change: I feel like I spent about 90% of my life from the age of 13 on (and I'm 50!) worrying about my weight. time for something else.

Maintenance to me means. The approach you take to living the remainder of your life. It's not just about what you eat.

It's about addressing your lifestyle. That includes the way you view yourself and the world. Eating healthy to maintain your weight but also addressing your mental and emotional well being so that you respect yourself. Once you address these issues then dealing with the outside world and relationships become easy. Maintaining your weight becomes easy.

Now...does anyone know how to do this?

Maintenance means doing the stuff you did to lose weight only being able to eat 1200 calories instead of 600. Thats about it. i still journal, shun white carbs, get 70 g protein and try to make life about things besides eating.

It will take you a few months to find your maintenance routine as to how much you can eat and such. But i am sure you recognize that you are changed forever and have to make maintaining a goal just like losing was a goal.  It isn't always easy but its way easier having had the surgery and is is so much better than being so fat. Feeling good is worth a lot.

diane

To me...maintenance means not losing or gaing weight, staying at my goal weight within 5 pounds...I can fluctuate up or down 5 pounds semi-daily...but as long as I don't go over that 5, I've learned to not let it make me crazy. 

What it has meant as far as lifestyle goes....not changing that much from weight loss phase...I still eat the same things typically....but the loss just stopped on its own.

I'm trying to incorporate a little more variety now also, different meats, more veggies & fruit...but I do watch my portions, usually just eyeball it, but am aware if I am eating about the same as during weight loss phase. I think at most, I can eat about 4 ounces of any solid protein, like filet mignon, that is about double than early post op. I also eat about 5 ounces of greek yogurt.

 I don't live every day of my life for my weight or lifestyle. I just live.

I eat, I breath, I walk around and feel normal. 

I am not ashamed of my body.

I dont gain or lose weight. I don't count calories. I don't obsessively weigh.

I do however avoid carbs. I avoid nothing else LOL