How do you "Maintain" ???

I stopped tracking my food so it's just a guess. I think I get at least 100 g a day most days but some days I'm kind of low, closer to 60. I say that because my hair is falling out again so my protein is probably low. It tends to fall out if I'm not getting an average of 100-125g every day.

I do my protein shake with 42g 4-5 days a week. And 2-3 protein bars a day. They have 10-12g. So that means I'm getting at least 70g a day just from that. Then throw in some nuts, at least one meat dish a day, and usually a dairy snack of at least 10-15g.

Well, so far I can identify with everyone here and probably everyone who posts after me.......

I do have a little confession to make..... not really as I have mentioned it before.

I have never written anything down, never logged or charted a single thing.

The only thing I "remember" is:

- Start weight

- 6 months

- 12 months

- 13 months Goal

Before I had the knards to tell DrC I haven't been logging or charting...... he told me I was doing great "Just keep doing what your doing...... do you have any questions for me?"

I was like..... Okie Dokie.... will do !!!!

Now..... here was/is my system that happened more by accident than anything.

Early out I was getting my fluids in and most days meeting my protein needs (back than it was 70grams woman 90grams men) and my calorie count was always a bit under and it was the same thing day after day. I was always going to start logging when things got more complicated.

It never got complicated...... I kept track of my intake like I play golf without a scorecard. In golf every hole has a "par" so if you keep track hole by hole with a plus or minus you always know what your score is. So if after 9 holes I'm +6 and "par" is 36...... I'm 42 after 9 holes.

Same thing with my food during WL...... 200 cals per meal was "par" and most meals I was under.

So now my maintenance "par" is about 350 cals per meal plus extras..... depending on activity.

Also in maintenance I'm pretty much calorie conscious. Protein drink in the morning and protein centric meals and I'm all good.

My plates tend to look like 3-2-1 (three parts protein, two parts veg, one part starch)

There are 3 basic ways to caloric intake.

- Content

- Quantity

- Frequency

In general I choose to adjust content first, always keeping to small portions and second to adjust frequency.

My meals tend to be smaller, but can be calorie dense if I choose which allows me to have a larger variety of foods..... fried chicken, meatloaf with gravy, full fat mayo, olive oil.

So, if I have a meal that is high..... or over "par" I try and make my next meal be under "par" and at the end of the day my last meal normally reflects on how the day went.  

This has worked for me for more than 3 years now and allows me some freedoms.

**** Note, I'm ready and willing to go textbook and log and chart if I have to.

My weight range has been 148-152 for the most part. I have gone up to 158lbs for a bit and brought down to my range. And now my weight is up to 155 with regular cycling the last two months and my thighs are noticeably bigger. I'm going to see if this cycling thing is sustainable for me and re-evaluate. My gut feeling is telling me I will choose to keep the cycling up, but go down about 5-7lbs of body fat...... feeling kind of puffy.

When I cut back I normally just adjust my "content" with the same quantity, just go less calorie dense. Same size meals, just more towards to 200-250cal per meal range...... no biggie just prepare the food a little leaner with leaner proteins and leaner sauces. I actually revert to my Cafe Frisco parameters. (200cal max, less than 10grams carbs)

In the last 2 years I've probably weighed 12 times..... Now before you gasp..... I may be a weirdo in this way. Keeping off the scale keeps me very paranoid and more mindful of how I eat..... kind of like taking the net away on a high wire act.... I find that I'm much more careful. Sometimes the scale gave me the license to eat crap and that didn't seem right. (I think I've read that Mac has the same thought here)

Don't get me wrong as I do believe in the daily weighing for WL, early maintenance and long term and will always recommend it.

I hope I explained this OK...... not conventional.....but it is a result of some level of trying to figure this out so it works best for me and my lifestyle.......

frisco

I've been MIA for a while as well, but here's my two cents :)

I'm approaching 6 years out, and I have given myself a 5 lb window(113-118), which for the most part, I have stuck to.  As I have aged though, my skin looked a little slack.  All around me, my friends and family insisted that I was too thin, so I upped my range to 115-120. Even I had to admit that I did look a bit better.  Excluding a holiday trip to Rome that brought me back weighing 123, I have been able to adjust and keep my weight in check.  I weigh daily, but I don't log my food religiously anymore. 

I now find myself not following my plan, eating and snacking and reaching an all time high of 125.  I am a little unnerved.  I have not been hitting the gym as I used to.  I "get"  that I am going through an emotional time right now.  My husband lost his job  December 24th, after 30 years of being with the same company.  He is completely lost and in turn, so am I.  Our lives and schedules are completely out of whack.  He is trying to find work, and I am trying to control this eating!

So I'm going back to basics, once again.  I started measuring and weighing my foods, and today I will hit the gym after work!  I can tell you thought that the farther out you get from surgery, the more vigilant you have to be to stay on track!