writingwyo's Journal, 26 February 2023

Congratulations on maintaining on maintenance! That's always been impossible for me. 

Fritzy -- I'm sorry that's been a struggle for you, and I'm rooting for you this time to master it once you reach your goal. I don't know that I've mastered it yet, as it's early on, but I'm monitoring my weight and making adjustments as needed. I read on your profile that you tend to be "all or nothing " when it comes to diet. Could that have something to do with it? I've always tried to develop habits that I felt I could keep long term, because I operate on the theory that if I can't sustain the actions, I won't maintain the loss. Regardless, I wish you success on your journey! 👍 

Congratulations! Wow, we are at the same maintenance weight but you are eating so much more! Looks like, I may have to learn to ski! :) 

Good job!!! 

losingtowin -- my husband asked me the other day how I eat so much and maintain my weight. Truth be told, I don't know. I lost 20 pounds on 1800 calories, which a lot of the calculators put as above my maintenance. I'm not particularly muscular, and beyond my hiking and skiing, my exercise tends to be a little hit or miss. When I was tracking, I was scrupulously honest -- studies have shown most people undercount their calories. I think, though, that the thing that helps me most is an emphasis on food quality and whole foods. I also feel like I've learned a lot about nutrition and changed my relationship with food over my year or so of tracking.  

p.s. losingtowin -- I didn't lose weight BY skiing. I did it FOR skiing. 😉 Makes it so much easier to climb being lighter. I wish you success with your continued maintenance! 👍😃 

I think the one single thing that has helped me the most with weight maintenance is that I don’t eat out hardly at all. I just don’t like restaurants food. I much prefer to eat at home. The servings are way too big and I wouldn’t eat the leftovers if I took them home. When I visit my daughter I stay in a hotel (cat allergy) and eat In restaurants for a week. Torture. 

Dinner out typically means ingesting seed oil, in 95% of restaurants in the U.S. the omega 6 linoleic acid in seed oil is terrible for metabolic health. Restaurants deep fry and sautée their food in seed oil, it’s in all manner of sauces, in most all salad dressings, even ones made in their kitchens. The oil and vinegar they bring you in two separate bottles, well, do you really know what that oil is, or if it’s gone rancid? They even grill hamburgers and steaks using seed oil. Sure, you can ask them to grill in butter. But some places will tell you they don’t have a morsel of real butter on premises. In many ways, eating out is playing roulette with your diet. 

Love your comment about eating healthy so that you can ski. I do the same, along with resistance training (which I approach with the same feeling as I do brushing my teeth — necessary but not a love) so that I can dance, hike and do Pilates with ease. Sounds like maintenance is going well 👍 

@writingwyo Thanks! I'm holding the line so far :) Glad the weight loss has only made you experience skiing a better one.  

Kenna -- not eating out much is indeed a good strategy. I really don't eat out much typically. My husband doesn't like to, so it's mostly 3 or 4 get together with friends in the average month. I'm definitely a fan of home cooked meals  

ChrisInDC -- I used to share your concerns about seed oils, but the more I've learned, the less I'm worried. The Nutrition Made Simple YouTube channel has a good video examining the evidence on seed oils. Short version: if you look at health and mortality outcomes, oils are quite beneficial. I'm not afraid of them in the slightest. 

JB -- it's a good motivator to do the "spinach" exercise when you know it'll make the "chocolate cake" exercise much more fun 😉 Yeah, so far, so good on maintenance, but it's early so I do need to be reasonably vigilant. They say most people regain the weight within two to five years, so I won't consider myself out of the woods until it's been at least two. Because of my history with weight and food, I know I'll always have to be conscious of what and how much I eat and try to keep it in balance  

Writingwyo— I had to say it but you will never be out of the woods”. That's why this cannot be a diet, which has a beginning and an end. The mental process, your WOE, your activity choices have to be part of a permanent lifestyle change. You can eventually become a partner with your body in being as healthy as you can be. It cannot be about giving up all the wonderful things out there to eat, the celebrations and Holliday foods. Portion control, moderation. Healthier foods most of the time and less healthy or less conducive to achieving or maintaining your goals just once in a while. Guilt, recriminations, punishing oneself does not work. One brownie, one meal one vacation is not the end of the world for anyone. It’s not about starting over but just continuing on with your typical way of eating, and activity or exercise program.  

Kenna -- yep, indeed, we 100% concur. You're saying a lot of the same things I've been saying all along. I'm a believer in balance, sustainability, and extending myself a little grace, but not license 😉 By "out of the woods" I mean getting to a point where I truly feel confident in my maintenance. It will take a while for me to trust myself not to regain, and I know I can't go back to my old relationship with food 

Writingwyo. You have the attitude and approach that will keep you on the right road. You are going to win this battle 

Thanks, Kenna 😊 TBH, it doesn't feel like a battle to me. More just the way I want to live  

@writingwyo Good to know. I'm trying to keep nutrition first priority. Some days are better than others. I do find that eating at home more has really helped with being successful. Also, I tend to prefer activity with friends now over dining out with them now to socialize.