It has been almost 3 years of maintaining my weight loss. This April 10, 2006 will be my 3rd anniversary of maintaining. I will continue to jot down and share my lessons/observations. It continues to be a learning process and I am continuing to learn new things just about every day.
I first began writing my maintenance lessons/observations in 2005 there is a “Sticky” thread in this "Maintainers Hall of Fame" with my previous observations 2005, this 2006 thread is a continuation.
January 2006
Regulate the quantity and quality of the food you eat.
Focus more on socializing when eating out.
Change occurs slowly one step at a time. So, the first step is to make a goal and begin.
When I am feeling a bit hopeless and helpless I remember that there is hope in our Helper, the LORD God Almighty.
In order to be successful at weight maintenance, you need to constantly be developing and fine tuning your maintenance skills.
Don’t be afraid to throw out problematic foods. If a particular food seems to be giving me a big problem I throw it out, rather than going through the stress of temptation and possibly eating that food and regretting it later. If it is something that someone else in the house wants I freeze it for them or put it in a cabinet in the back shelf so the food item is in a place where it is not readily available.
Don’t beat yourself up, when you get off plan. Treat yourself like you were a beloved friend who slipped and got off plan. You wouldn’t beat your loved one up would you? :)
I carry a 100-200 calorie healthy snack in my purse, in case I get into a situation where there is no convenient food available.
The healthy lifestyle/behavioral changes that you made to lose and maintain your healthy weight must be continually practiced throughout your life if you plan to remain fit. This is a lifelong endeavor it’s not a temporary fix.
Weight loss and Maintenance is all about learning how to eat a balanced diet in appropriate portions. The portions are a little smaller when you are losing than when you are maintaining, but the fundamentals are JUST THE SAME. Allotting time for some type of physical activity is also beneficial. I have found, at least for me personally, most of what pertains to people in losing mode also pertains to those in maintenance mode.
I am learning to rejoice in each day that the LORD has given me and pray that He grant me success in that new day.
24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,
25 O LORD, save us;
O LORD, grant us success. (Psalm 118:24,25) :god:
February 2006
Celebrate all positive lifestyle changes, not just the ones that show up on the scale.
Nothing magically happens when you reach maintenance, you still are faced with some of the same old temptations and issues you had when you were losing. One of the major differences is you have developed beneficial behaviors, thinking, strategies, and habits that make your weight maintenance journey manageable and doable for the long haul.
God gives us wisdom and insight on this healthy lifestyle journey through guidance of the Holy Spirit, prayer, resources, and just practical everyday living.
"Overeating will not solve the problem, it only create another problem to solve."
I have found that it is important to seek out information on weight management skills, but the majority of my weight management endeavors should be spent, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, on developing and applying that weight management information in the form of positive behaviors and practices.
Don’t let a small gain become a big one. Immediately take care of it. :)
Weight trends are more important than a single weight measurement in time.
The weight management journey is more enjoyable and fruitful when I show love and respect to myself by being honest and accountable to God and myself and others that love and care for me.
When I feel weak and low on motivation I remind myself of the potential health risks I was faced with and the negative feelings and thoughts I had about my self-image when I was overweight and I compare it to the uncomfortable, pressured feeling when I turn down a high calorie food option or having to spend more time exercising. I’d much rather listen to the voice of God and choose the later alternative.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)
It’s important that you take time for those things that you value. Like spending time with the LORD, family, eating healthy, exercising, etc. :god:
March 2006
Every day I get a new sunrise and a new start. :)
One of the things I struggled with most (but am slowly learning and putting into action) is the idea of moderation, balance and self-control. If you go really off plan one meal, don't then throw the whole day because of it. If you go off plan for an entire day, don't go off plan for the entire week. Small lapses are so much easier to clean up than big ones.
| QUOTE |
PROVERBS 25:28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
GALATIANS 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. |
I don’t always follow good practices on my lifelong maintenance journey, but I’m constantly striving to learn and adopt the best diet/maintenance practices as possible.
The weight management journey is a series of choices, so make the choices that will lead you to your desired destination.
Some situations you will not be able to avoid, so begin facing these challenges head on so that you will learn how to successfully deal with them for your entire life.
Motivation has to come from within (from yourself and the Holy Spirit) and is an important key to weight loss and maintenance. God is always present whether we listen or not; and you will always be with yourself (with motivation from within) no matter where you go, even at those times when friends and family are not easily available. :god:
April 2006
It’s the day in and day out of practicing healthy habits that will eventually make the difference and get you to your goal and keep you there.
When your circumstances change around you in a negative or challenging way, try to take control of your situation, as much as possible, by practicing the basic principles that you have proven worked for you.
1 PETER 5:8-9
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith…
Keep your eyes on LORD and keep your eyes on your GOALS.
PSALM 105:4
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
Try to focus on meeting your daily goals instead of only focusing on your ultimate goal. You will get to your ultimate goal if you tackle your daily goals one at a time.
For anything worth having there is a price to pay and so I have found that living the life of maintenance has cost me many things, among them time and energy. But the benefits by far outweigh the cost.
May 2006
Making and eating healthy choices makes a huge difference in your quality of life. I know when I eat a lot of junk food instead of healthy food I feel sluggish and run down.
What I eat and how much I exercise today will determine my health not only tomorrow, but in the future.
Each choice we make causes a ripple effect in our lives. When things happen to us, it is the reaction we choose that can create the difference between the sorrows of our past and the joy in our future.
— Chelle Thompson,
Believers are not alone-- We have Christ in our hearts, God as our Father, and the Holy Spirit as our Guide and Counselor in all things.
JOHN 14:16-18
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -
17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
June 2006
Don’t compare your body or accomplishments to others. You can’t be that other person. Focus on the progress you have made personally, as an individual. Don’t compare yourself to models, movie stars, etc. it usually is not productive. You are not these people; God made you a unique individual.
PSALM 139:14-16
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Focus on what you do have not what you don’t. Focus on the positives.
Remember no matter how small the number, when you have lost weight you are making progress. .25 poound = 1 stick of butter, 1 pound = 4 sticks of butter. Just look at the progress you’ve made in butter sticks. :)
As far as eating healthy and exercising are concerned, someone said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
Try focusing on the good attributes.
It’s okay to shoot for weight loss goals, exercise goals, and lifestyle goals as long as they don’t adversely affect your health.
Remember to put God first. :)
ROMANS 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
July 2006
If you slip into your old habits you will slip into your old weight. I’ve followed this pattern several times before and I really don’t want to get into this pattern again. :)
Temporary Changes = Temporary Weight Loss
Count the cost. I’m beginning to ask myself how much is this indulgence going to cost me? Is it worth all the exercise or cutting back on calories I’ll have to do? If it is worth it, I’ll eat it, but if it is not, I pass—maybe some other time.
I have my easiest times maintaining when I try to focus on making healthy choices at least 80-90% of the time and getting in 35-50 miles a week.
According to my pedometer I average about 3,000 steps per mile--I must have a short stride. :) I also tested the accuracy by walking about a mile from the grocery store, when I had to leave the car in the parking lot and walk home. I used the odometer in the car to track the same route and the readings basically matched. BTW the car turned off in the parking lot before I went shopping, thank God, because I didn’t have to carry groceries home, because I didn’t get a chance to go inside the store and buy them.
Trusting, acknowledging and obeying God is what will cause us to make progress on our path.
PROVERBS 3:5-7 (KJV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
August 2006
Sometimes there is a tendency for me to get caught up in the time to reach a goal, but I’ve learned that I do far better--physically and emotionally-when I focus on making the healthy choices that will get me to goal and not so much the time it takes to get there. Yes, time is a factor, but making healthy behavioral changes to get to goal is more important than the time to get there when it comes to weight management. :)
If the number on the scale is rising I have to seriously evaluate whether on not I have gained fat weight or not. Have I been on plan--eating the required calories, food portions, and getting the right amount of exercise? Is it water retention, hormonal changes, etc.? The point is to be honest with myself and evaluate my behavior using my journal.
As much as possible I try to build my eating and exercise plan around my life not the other way around--that also means that most of the time I strive to make choices and follow guidelines that are generally healthy, while also being practical.
I learned how much food to eat, and how much amount of exercise I needed by reviewing and applying sound and healthy weight management principles, along with simple trial and error. :)
I knew I had to have a plan to deal with the weekends, because I had to face a weekend every week, and there would be 52 weekends, every year for the rest of my life. It’s no way I could avoid it, so I had to devise a plan with the Holy Spirit that would successfully get me through them for life.
Sometimes I eat to relieve stress, but later I regret that I ate off plan, it didn’t fix the situation, and I feel even more stressed than I did before. Eating the food is not going to fix or solve the problem.
ISAIAH 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
September 2006
Generally I’m learning to be content and love myself but I have my days when I feel wonderful, feel bored of counting calories, don’t feel like walking, feel glad that I’ve lost over 50 pounds, feel depressed, feel like running to the nearest piece of chocolate when I have an upsetting day, feel terrific---but I can’t go by how I feel I need to focus on the plan.
I am praying that God give me a sufficient amount of food for the day and that I don’t get out of control and eat more than I should on a regular basis. I’m learning to eat only the amount of food that is sufficient for that day.
LUKE 11:2-4
2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
God is faithful and gives me my daily bread and I have to be faithful not to eat over the amount that is sufficient for the day.
I can’t continue to make the same old bad choices and expect a good outcome. It won’t happen. That’s what I was doing in the past—hoping that my bad choices wouldn’t have a bad outcome, but they did. I had to be honest with myself. It hurt, but it was necessary.
Expect that there will be days that you make bad choices, but learn from those days and use it as a learning experience to develop effective strategies to make a better future.
It doesn't matter how long it takes you to lose the weight, only that you do. Just concentrate on living one day at a time, trying to make the best choices that you can, while seeking the Lord and having a positive outlook. :)
It’s important to focus on strategies during weight loss and maintenance that will help continue to manage your weight for life. Learn how to deal with social gatherings, stress eating, a food pusher, trigger foods, etc. These types of things will present themselves your entire life and you have to determine the best way to deal with them, if you want to be successful for the long run. :)
October 2006
The quality of my life is foremost affected by my relationship/fellowship with my Lord and it is also dependent on maintaining a healthy weight and good eating and exercise habits. I finally realized that I am affecting the rest of my life with the choices that I make both spiritually, and physically.
3JOHN 1:2
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
Lose weight, maintain the weight, and take care of your body so you will live a long and healthy life. "You only have one body. If you destroy it, where will you live?" :)
1CORINTHIANS 6:19-20
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
I try to only listen to my body when it tells my its needs, but I don’t take orders from it. I don’t usually listen to my body when it says, “Eat that second piece of cake” or “You don’t feel like exercising, today, so don’t do it.” I’m the one, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that’s supposed to give the orders around here. (lol)
Maintenance is not necessarily harder than losing weight, but it is different, because the goal has changed and the mind set is a little different—you’re thinking about maintaining instead of losing.
Although I can eat an average of 1400-1600 calories a day, I find that it is a more productive strategy for me, mentally, if I try to shoot for 1200 a day on weekdays and eat a little more on the weekends. When I say I shoot for 1200, that’s what I have in mind and often times I go over by 100-200 calories. But if I shoot for, say 1500 calories instead, I might go over and end up gaining weight slowly but surely, so setting a lower limit helps me get the overall outcome that I want for the entire week.
November 2006
Don’t look to a number on the scale for your fulfillment or to make you happy about your body or any other area of your life. Look to the Lord for your joy. :)
HEBREWS 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Sometimes I have a conversation with myself, when I am tempted to do something that will lead me down the wrong path—like eating something off plan or not exercising. I think, “Is this choice worth it? What will this cost me?”. I’ve heard it said, “You should not throw away what you want most for what you want right now”. I think that is a very true statement, because we do not want our efforts to go to waste. :)
Drink enough water. I know this is an obvious lesson, but I think I finally got it. :)
If you fall off the wagon, don’t give up, quickly get back on and continue your journey to your goals. Your goals definitely can be reached. :)
“It is very difficult to go back and make a brand new start. But you can always start from now and make a brand new ending.” (Unknown Author)
JAMES 5:11
As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
:god: ALL
December 2006
Reaching my weight maintenance goal was not an ending, but just a beginning to a new healthier way of life. I still have to work at weight management/maintenance and I’ll be working on it for the rest of my life. :)
Being too strict on my eating, usually leads me to get out of control. So, I try to have planned treats and special meals here and there.
Use honest self-examination to determine what plan, activities and/or strategies work best for you, individually. Don’t do something, just because someone else is doing it. :)
Learn from your past weight management mishaps and mistakes then make the necessary adjustments, so that you will improve your future.
The scale is an indicator of your weight not your value. :)
Remember to thank the Lord and rejoice in the small positive changes you’ve made. :)
PHILIPPIANS 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
You don’t need to be perfect, but you need to be persistent to reach your goals. Don’t give up!!!
GALATIANS 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Carol,
It took me about a year (2001 to 2002) to lose about 45 pounds, after reading Dieting for Dummies and diligently journaling. I spent a year (2002 to 2003) in a cycle of up a pound or two, then back down a pound or two, because my food intake (calorie average would go up and down). Then the LORD led me to “Grace Forum” where I received diet and spiritual support and accountability. I lost the last 5-6 pounds, here at “Grace”, and made my goal weight of 130 pounds (April 10, 2003) and then I made the transition from weight loss to maintenance by slowly increasing my calorie intake and I also became consistent with my walking. Now I maintain in a weight range- 130 plus or minus 3 pounds.
Everyone is different as far as how quickly they lose weight. It depends on your total calorie deficit. The amount of calories you consume and the amount of calories you expend. It takes a 3500 calories deficit to lose a pound. Losing .5 to 2 lbs a week is healthy, I’ve read. The slower you take it off the more likely you are to develop new behaviors that will keep the weight off. More time allows your body, thinking, and emotions to adapt to the changes.
I walk both outside and inside. I live in California, but when the weather is not cooperating I walk inside. In fact I wear a pedometer throughout my waking hours, and I basically take it off when I go to bed. So, I’m tracking all my walking, when I am in the store, when I am at home, when I go to the beach, etc. I would have to say that most of my miles are earned inside, walking around the house doing chores, and while watching T.V. and listening to Christian music. Don’t let the weather stop you. The pedometer really is a handy tool. When I look at the pedometer display that indicates how far I’ve walked I get motivated and try to walk even more, if time permits. Walking is something that I enjoy and it affects my mood and disposition in a positive way.
I hope this answered your questions. Let me know if you have more. :)
It looks like you’ve been doing well in the “New Year -New You Challenge” keep up the good work. Go, Carol, Go! :rah: