Yesterday, as I walked back to the office with my lunch, I was thinking about maintenance.
I got a turkey burger, broccoli and brown rice for lunch. Sure, I “can eat whatever I want.” Eat whatever I want if I don’t care about maintaining my hard work.
Generally, people who have lost weight say it’s harder to maintain than it is to actually lose weight, but I was thinking about my weight loss process:
Giving up nights out with friends in favor of workouts.
Being really strict with what I ate.
Creating brand new habits.
Struggling through tough, fat-burning workouts.
The hard work has already been done, and the habits have been created. And I don’t ever want to have to do that again. It is so much easier to just keep at it, then to start all over again.
It’s why I keep running.
And keep ordering vegetables. (Most of the time.)
And keep strength training. Um, working on that.
I know myself, and I know that one chicken parm sandwich and fries (that is what I would order right now if it had no calories and didn’t make me feel gross) leads to a chicken pad see yew leads to some other form of carb and cheesy goodness.
I obviously indulge sometimes (I mean, you read this blog. You know my penchant for french fries and beer) but I rein myself in before things get out of control, because I never want to have to start all over again. I know the feeling of letting myself go too far, and I never want to feel that again.
This post is sort of serious, so here’s a photo of a puppy. He’s in NJ right now because I think a sea of boxes would be really overwhelming to him. Yes, we did FaceTime the other night.
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It is hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle all the time. As long as if you do let yourself go for a meal or two, you bring yourself back, you are all good! There is no reason to beat yourself up. Drinking beer, eating some french fries and being social is all part of the game!
I have lost 50lbs and I completely agree that the maintenance is easier than weight-loss. I don't want to go through that again so it is motivation enough to stick with it!
I've been struggling so much with this during the last few weeks. I've lost 76 pounds since the beginning of last year and still have a bit more that I'd like to lose and it's getting to the point where I have to work even harder and control my eating even more. Work has been crazy and I've felt myself slipping into old (not good) habits and making excuses and reading this was a nice little reminder of how hard it was just to start and how much i never want to go back to where i was.
See I am in the camp of thinking that weight maintenance is harder than weight loss! I think its easier to be focused on the lose part and when the weight comes off, it just reinforces your behaviors and makes you want to keep going. There's not the same reward with maintenance, and I have been struggling with it so much!
@Beth @ Beth's Journey: Up until this weekend I would have agreed with you, but I was talking with someone and remembered how much I had to sacrifice to lose the weight. I think that it takes more willpower to maintain, but it's easier to actually do it--if that makes sense. (Maybe not.)
I actually feel like the hardest part comes before a single pound is shed- choosing to make a change. It's so hard because there is no magic switch you can flip in your brain, and I often try to make it happen for others but I feel like it takes so much strength and determination and humility to choose to live a better, healthier life. That said, I 100% agree with what you said and I never, ever want to go back and have to start all over. I feel like maintaining is only difficult if you lose on restrictive, unreasonable diets, but when you make a true life style change, then maintaining so much easier.
@Ari @ Ari's Menu: OOOH you're right on the deciding to make the change. That IS the hardest part.
@Ari @ Ari's Menu: I agree! Starting is the hardest part.
i LOVE your serious posts. I think these are the most helpful, especially because you've been so successful at your maintenance mode. These are good reminders.
It's much easier to HOLD what you have then start all over.
Trust me ,I know it!
It's the starting something that's always the hardest for me. Once I'm there, I'm good as long as I keep myself in check.
3 years ago I realized I'd gained some weight, ~15 lbs, and it would have been too easy to just let that be my new "normal". It is so easy to just adapt that "go with it" mindset, and that attitude is such a derailer. It took me a year to lose it, I will not be derailed again :)
I so hear you girl. You went through a lot to get where you are, no food is worth throwing all that away. Go you!
Hey would you mind adding my blog to your running round up? For the life of me I couldn't post yesterday. Thx!
Um, I love that you Facetimed with your dog. :D