Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Maintenance - The "Right" Way or the "Wrong" Way?
Thus far, I have been at a weight maintenance level for 4 months. So far, it is going quite well. Am I doing it "right" or "wrong"...who the heck knows. I simply know that each month when I weigh in at Curves, I am within a pound or two of the same weight. Works for me! I had originally thought once I reached my goal, my weight would just stay around the same thing every day. In a perfect world, that might actually be the case. However, with me, that isn't the case. My weight during the month can fluctuate as much as 8 pounds or so....always staying within the 10 pounds "window" I set for myself, but still, the fluctuations up and down are there. This allows me the flexibility to go to cookouts and eat things I wouldn't have dared touch 6 months ago when I was still trying to lose weight, or to go to restaurants and splurge on dishes that aren't always the best, or to enjoy some after dinner dessert (in moderation). Most of the time I'm still pretty good...but then there are those days where you just want to eat everything but the sink or I indulge a little too much in the yummy goodies...then I see a higher number on the scale. But I don't freak out. I just make sure I work my butt off to get back to where I'm supposed to be by the 4th of each month so I won't post a gain at Curves. No big deal if at some point this month I was up 7 or 8 pounds...its that Curves weigh-in that matters. lol Is this the right way to be in maintenance? Some might say I'm doing it all wrong. Some might say whatever works for me. I say, it works, I'm staying on track, this allows me to be flexible and enjoy the goodies each month but STILL keep the mindset of not straying too much. I believe this is the plan for me, one that I can live the rest of my life with or never risk gaining all the weight back. It allows me to be "bad" when I want to, but after a day or two of that behavior, I am back on track and working on getting back to where I'm supposed to be. Granted some days I am a heck of a lot worse than I should be but thank GOD those days don't happen often. But when they do, I accept them for what they are, pull my skinny jeans up (boy I love saying that lol), give myself a "you know better" talk, and get back on track. I think that's all we can ask of ourselves in the long run.
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4 comments:
Sounds like you've found the formula that works for you. I think I would be a little nervous about a 10 pound window, but I guess I'll see when I get there. As far as I'm concerned, I am learning to live - and that includes learing to live with sweets, carbs, treats.....on occaision.
You are really an encouragement that it can be done - and by the time I get to maintenance, I will have watched you maintain successfully for some time. That will let me know that it CAN be done!
No pressure intended. :)
LOL No pressure at all. Originally I had figured a 5 pound window would be good, but then realized how easy it was on a day to day basis to be up 2.5 pounds (water retention, etc.). That's when I realized that 10 pounds might be more realistic. I found that on a weekend with lots of family gatherings or going to dinner and a movie, it was too easy to fall out of my "window" and feel frustrated. This way, I can do those things and still maintain within my acceptable range and I have found it is still reasonably easy to get back to where I'm supposed to be. Hope you have a great day.
Hey if its working Id say it is right. I think that the way you are doing it sustainable for life and that is the key!
Thanks Mrs. Darling. I can see this as being able to do for the rest of my life, so as you said, hopefully that will be the key. So far I've been on 1 big vacation and 2 mini vacations plus countless family cookouts and things since I hit the maintenance level, and this mindset has allowed me to indulge (sometimes too much I will admit) but still get right back on track after its over. Thanks for the input,,,always nice to hear that others don't think I'm nuts for handling it this way.
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