So I’ve had some really productive weight loss attempts in the last two years. The first time was between October and December 2018, and I went from roughly 137 lbs to 125 lbs. 10 pounds makes a big difference for me, so I was really quite pleased with myself. I mostly did this through IF and only eating dinner. I didn’t do great at exercise at the time, though I did some lifting.
After I got to 125, I slowly loosened up what I was doing and stopped counting calories, weighing myself, and restricting... and although I did keep better track of what I was eating, I slowly but surely crept up again to 135 (if I’m charitable) by July 2019.
The second time: I made another big push, and this second time around I got to about 120 by October 2019. It felt great, and I looked amazing just those few pounds lighter. In addition, this time around I didn’t overdo it on coffee and binge for dinner after a whole day of fasting... I learned how to control my portion sizes and ate most meals! And I did a lot better on exercise as well. This mostly happened through rather aggressive journaling and reflection whenever I would overeat— and I learned a bunch of new strategies that helped me not overeat, like taking breaks when I was tired, consciously helping my stomach “process” my food, and noticing how many bites it took me before I got 70% full. Often it was just two or three bites that made the difference between satisfied and full vs full and stuffed!
But now it’s April 2020 and I’ve really let myself go again. I’m probably right back where I started, somewhere between 135 and 140, though I’m quite honestly scared to weigh myself. I’ve noticed my body changing and I’ve kept trying to reverse the changes, but I haven’t been very successful. A lot of my old eating habits have crept back in, and a lot of the new habits I’ve formed have dropped. I’m trying to get them back but it’s really difficult.
So I guess I’m wondering... how do you guys do maintenance?? I have a bit of losing to do for now, which I think I can do, but I’m really dreading losing weight and putting it back on again.
The best advice I’ve seen here is from the book French Women Don’t Get Fat, which among other things recommends eating joyfully and eating less of those things that aren’t exactly what you want, as well as slowly cutting back over time.
I think my plan for now is going to be to restart my food journal (maybe even here with you guys!), and trying to be consistent about eating breakfast, lunch, a snack, and dinner without getting bloated (and maybe counting calories as well as bites to make sure I don’t overeat all the time, even by a little!). But I’m feeling really nervous that for some reason, I can’t keep this up when I stop trying so hard.
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