Maintenance is KEEPING the Weight Off. We are almost at the end of 2012, and I’ve been reviewing my own personal 2012 “diet/way-of-eating/lifestyle” Efforts and Results.

My Eating Behavior wasn’t Perfect, and my Results were even further away from Perfect. 

I’d like to be about 10 lbs lighter, and during 2012, despite many, many Efforts, I didn’t achieve the Results that I believe that my eating behavior deserved.

I was unsuccessful at losing the weight my body regained over the previous 4 years. However, Today, in the last week of 2012, I’m only about one lb higher than I was during the first week of 2012, which actually is excellent maintenance.

Behavior I’m proud of in 2012 is ... that I continued working on my weight-loss maintenance for another 12 months. I did my very best to eat in a way that would cause weight-loss and keep me from regaining my weight. I entered all my food into my computer food journal, DietPower. I entered my weights, and kept additional charts & records updated even when I felt sick-to-death of the weight Results I kept seeing.

I’ve continued to do my best to make Dieting an enjoyable Hobby.  Some of the ways I’ve done this is to continually search for new information; read diet-related books; try out new recipes, and write and make videos here at DietHobby.

I’ve now maintained my current weight-loss for SEVEN years, and am now starting on year EIGHT.  As stated in the article below, avoiding obesity requires “lifelong management”, and to achieve continued Maintenance success, I can never stop my Efforts. 

There have been many days when I got tired of the whole thing, and wanted to live “normally”, but I am a “Reduced Obese” person. A person with a disability like amputed legs will always have to make “lifestyle” adjustments, and I am in the same boat. I can never expect to handle food the way a “naturally thin” person does. My own experience has taught me that eating like a “normal” person will put my body back into morbid obesity. 

“The only weight loss that matters
 is the weight you can keep off.” 

Weight Loss-Maintenance
                Dr. Arya Sharma

“We are bombarded with anecdotal instances of how easy it is to lose vast amounts of weight. Not just the ‘weight-loss industry’ … think of TV reality shows, popular magazines, and fad diets.

We celebrate people for losing weight. We seldom check to see if they are still keeping it off. I am always asked by patients, “How much weight can I lose and how fast can I lose it?” I tell them that that’s the wrong question … the only weight loss that matters is the weight you can keep off.

This is why we introduced the term ‘best weight’ … the lowest weight you can realistically maintain. Your ‘best weight’ depends on your individual circumstances. Everyone’s ‘best weight’ will be different.

The public, but also health professionals and policy makers. need to understand that when you focus on ‘weight loss’ you get ‘weight loss’ – when you focus on ‘maintenance of weight loss’ you get ‘maintenance of weight loss’.

Another point is that we often frame weight regain as ‘failure’ when it is really the only natural expected consequence of stopping the treatment for a chronic condition. Even worse, the failure is often framed in the context of the treatment.

If you take a drug … lose weight … stop the drug … regain the weight …we would attribute the failure to the drug and not to ‘stopping’ the drug. No drug or treatment works when you don’t take it.”

I tell my patients, stopping your food journal it is like stopping your medication.

The principle is that you’re never done.  The idea you’re going to do something for a while and then stop doing it is not going to work. So you’ve got to find something that works for you that you can keep on doing.

The bottom line is that obesity is a chronic condition that requires lifelong management. So don’t do anything that you can’t afford to do, or that is so time-intensive that you’re just going to run out of time to do it, or so onerous that you’re just not going to stick with it.

                                 Dr Sharma’s Obesity Notes, www .drsharma. ca

“It is the mark of an educated mind
to be able to entertain a thought
without accepting it.”
Aristotle

Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology and zoology.

The ability to entertain a thought and examine it from multiple perspectives, without necessarily accepting the premise of the thought, is a mark of an educated mind and a mature philosophy because it demonstrates a lack of fear for new ideas, a solid understanding of – and trust in – one’s own position and it implies a willingness to change one’s mind. Conversely, actively avoiding entertaining opposing thoughts, demonstrates a fear of those thoughts and implies an unwillingness to adapt to new ideas.

Entertaining thoughts that might contradict what one already believes is a cornerstone of science.   Scientists actively search for thoughts that might contradict established theories, even – sometimes especially – their own.  Aristotle’s quote above means that we can think about an idea without automatically accepting it. We can choose to look at things from an objective point of view and weigh the facts carefully before making a decision.

It ALSO means that it is unnecessary to make a decision to accept, or to reject, every single concept that crosses our minds.

A fellow Forum Member  wrote:
 

"My calorie count needs to stay at 1200 to lose
and it has been averaging 1500.
So for now the only thing I know to try is cutting back to 2 meals a day.
This may be an every other day thing...we'll see.

At any rate I am now 12 lbs. over the top BMI for normal weight range
and have gained 8 lbs. over the summer. This can't go on."
 

What is described here is a common occurrence for those of us with older bodies who have lost and are working to maintain weight-loss. People who track their food... even during "bad" times ... can actually SEE this happening. Actually SEEING it is rather unusual, because most people in this position "give-up" and don't track, begin eating more, and regain all of their lost weight.

I am working on this same issue right now. It is very difficult to continually eat a calorie average low enough
to maintain weight-loss. I find that ..for me.. doing EXTRA exercise burns very little calories. and makes me very hungry so I wind up eating more than I've burned.

  For the past 4 weeks, I've been running another experiment with an Alternate Day Eating type of plan. My plan is more of a zig-zag, calorie cycling plan rather than one of Intermittent Fasting because I'm still eating all throughout every day... only I'm having smaller portion, lower-calorie meals totaling about half the calories on alternate days.

Success for me would be to average losing 1/4 to 1/2 lb weekly,  and get back into the blue area of my Weight Maintenance Range, (and this year I raised my maintenance range to make it run 5 lbs higher).

Due to water-weight-swings etc. it is impossible to judge weight-loss success in such a plan except over quite a lengthy time period. My stabilized weight is running about 3 lbs less than it was 4 weeks ago, but most of that drop came in the first week, and it is too soon to see whether this plan will cause weight-loss. It is also too soon to tell whether or not such a plan will be sustainable for me.

       
Below are Eight charts showing Yearly Averages of my own Daily Food Intake. Beginning 9/20/2004 through 8/8/2012  ...  an 8 year period (approx 7 years 11 months) 2880 consecutive days of detailed record keeping.

Despite low-calorie eating, one can see that my nutritional needs were adequately met during the entire 8 years. I find it personally interesting that although I experimented with a great many different "diets" and eating plans, my nutritional yearly nutritional ratio averages wound up overall being quite similar.

One CAN see slight differences in nutritional ratio due to various experimentation with various low-carb eating plans during the past 3 years in that the fat ratio increased slightly; the carb ratio decreased slightly, while the protein ratio remained fairly constant.

                                                     

FOLLOW UP NOTE: 
Be sure to read the Final SUMMARY
showing average weight and average calorie comparisons.

1st chart Below started on 9/20/2004 - therefore the yearly average is 42 days less than 1 year.

SUMMARY
9-2004 through 8-2012 
8 year period (approx 7 years 11 months)  2880 consecutive days of record keeping

Date        Weight

9/2004: --- 190.5 lbs.
8/2005: ----145.2 lbs.
Loss 45.3 lbs. - 1235 average daily calorie intake
11 month period –  (calculating 3500 calories= 1 fat lb)
............averaged = 480 calorie daily deficit =  making actual Total daily calorie burn 1715

8/2005: --- 145.2 lbs.
8/2006: ----108.2 lbs.
Loss 37 lbs. - 1310 average daily calorie intake
12 month period –  (calculating 3500 calories= 1 fat lb)
............averaged  = 359 calorie daily deficit = making actual Total daily burn 1669

8/2006: --- 108.2 lbs.
8/2007: ----110.0 lbs.
Gain 1.8 lbs. - 1442 average daily calorie intake
12 month period –  (calculating 3500 calories= 1 fat lb)
.............averaged = 17.5 calorie daily excess =  making actual Total daily calorie burn 1424

8/2007: --- 110.0 lbs.
8/2008: ----113.6 lbs.
Gain 3.6 lbs. - 1406 average daily calorie intake
12 month period -  (calculating 3500 calories= 1 fat lb)
.............averaged = 35 calorie daily excess =  making actual Total daily calorie burn 1371

8/2008: ----113.6 lbs.
8/2009: --- 116.8 lbs.
Gain 3.2 lbs. . - 1015 average daily calorie intake
12 month period –  (calculating 3500 calories= 1 fat lb)
............averaged = 31 calorie daily excess =  making actual Total daily calorie burn 984

8/2009: --- 116.8 lbs.
8/2010: --- 116.8 lbs.
Loss/Gain 0 lbs. . - 1069 average daily calorie intake
12 month period –  (calculating 3500 calories= 1 fat lb)
............averaged = 0 calorie daily excess = making actual Total daily calorie burn 1069

8/2010: ----116.8 lbs.
8/2011: ----120.0 lbs.
Gain 3.2 lbs . - 1081 average daily calorie intake
12 month period –  (calculating 3500 calories= 1 fat lb)
...........averaged = 31 calorie daily excess =  making actual Total daily calorie burn 1050

8/2011: --- 120.0 lbs.
8/2012: ----127.0 lbs.
Gain 7 lbs . - 1149 average daily calorie intake
12 month period – (calculating 3500 calories= 1 fat lb) 
...........averaged = 68 calorie daily excess = making actual Total daily calorie burn 1081

Re: calorie intake and calorie burn calorie numbers.
Note that I am a "reduced obese" female, height 5'0", over age 60.
I am sedentary, and I do not count, or attempt to count, exercise calories.
The "Normal" calorie calculations for my personal statistics per the standard formula Charts are: 
Harris Benedict formula - BMR for sedentary = Total daily calorie burn 1400
Mifflin formula - RMR for sedentary = Total daily calorie burn 1250

My exercise activities have been:

Primarily Walking with a bit of additional Strength Training.

🔺1st year of weight-loss exercise averaged 1/2 hr daily.
🔺2nd year of weight-loss exercise averaged from 1 to 2 hrs daily.
🔺During the first 4 years of maintenance exercise averaged 1 hr daily.
🔺Past 2 years of maintenance, exercise averaged 1/2 hr daily.

NOTE that the first two years of weight-loss maintenance, my daily calorie burn went as one might expect based on my height, weight, age, and exercise. (See standard chart calculations)  But NOT during the 4 subsequent maintenance years during which there has been an "unexplainable" drop in my total daily calorie burn.

I consistently record my food intake and weight data in various computer programs.  I have now been doing this consistently every day for almost eight years. ..…. as of the time of this writing, for the past 7 years and 11 months.

The Computer and software program in which I record my food is a useful TOOL. There are many such food journaling programs,  but my own personal choice (at this time) is a program called DietPower. (Update 2018: My Recommended Food Journal for beginners is now  "My Fitness Pal". My behavior of RECORDING my food intake every day forces me to stay aware of my actions, and it keeps me out of Denial. I know what I'm doing, and what I've done, and I continually face my own actions head-on.

 Sitting at the computer and entering the daily data has become a Habit which …most of the time….is an enjoyable one.  It is sometimes emotionally difficult to actually write down Everything I've eaten, but in a way it's similar to a Catholic going to Confession. My frequent input of my total food information often brings a sense of relief and sometimes even personal Absolution, a feeling of pardon or forgiveness.

I am Accountable for my eating BEHAVIOR every day, no matter what it is.
My weights are the RESULTS of my eating Behaviors, and those RESULTS are actually outside my personal control. I am responsible for the food that I put into my mouth (my behavior). I am not responsible for what the scale says (my results) because I cannot control what my body chooses to do with that food.

Therefore,

I am responsible for my Behavior, but not for my Results.

The scale is merely a TOOL that reflects the total weight of one's total body, including fat, water, bones, fecal material etc. It shows the RESULTS of my eating BEHAVIOR.

The scale is without personality. It is not a Judge and Jury of my actions, but is merely a reflection of them.
Ones individual weight on one single day might not be very accurate, but graphing many days of those individual weights gives an extremely accurate picture of the RESULTS of one's eating BEHAVIORS.

Weighing and recording ones weight every day can be emotionally difficult when the scale goes up. This is especially true when the entire weight graph shows an uphill pattern. Watching a downhill, weight-loss pattern feels very rewarding,

but watching an uphill, weight-gain pattern can feel demoralizing.
These are the times when most people choose to stop recording weights.
And, there are days when I feel very reluctant to write down what the scale says.  
There are weeks when I am very unhappy with my weight results,    and I sometimes feel that I'm having an uphill pattern that is unjustified,  but IT IS WHAT IT IS.  I cannot change what I will not face.

People who ACTUALLY keep records of their food intake ALL THE TIME, can gain a great deal of insight into the connection between their body size/weight, and their food intake.

Although I remain open to the knowledge and opinions of nutritional "experts", conventional wisdom or the knowledge and education of any such expert, cannot erase the truth that is shown in long-term detailed personal records.

Due to my consistent daily DietPower journal entries, I now have records of every day of my all of my food eaten since September 20, 2004.  This is just about 1 month short of EIGHT years of personal data.

That data is statistically correct, because all 8 years were handled by me personally, in the same manner.  I've consistently weighed and measured my food, read labels, and followed calorie counting charts.

If I've weighed and measured food incorrectly, or made calorie counting errors (which is impossible to avoid), those inadvertent errors are a consistent part of the long-term process.  Such errors would merely raise or lower the overall caloric levels but does not alter the weight/food-intake relationship.

On my ABOUT ME page here in DietHobby, under the heading RESOURCES, there are a great many links to weight charts and weight graphs showing many details of my first 5 years of personal record keeping.  If you have not done so recently, you might want to review these.  To do so, click the link above.

I also plan to soon write an article  showing detailed charts of my personal food intake, together with a SUMMARY of the relationships between my food intake and weights for the past 8 years.  Watch for it.