Maintaining weight loss isn’t sexy.

by

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In this season of resolutions & weight-loss maintenance tips—I return, again, to the lessons learned from our rescue-canine.

It may initially seem convoluted but trust me.  We get there.  Even if Coop never did.

When last we left Coop he was happily drooling all over his new home.

He slid effortlessly into our lives—but not so much into the lives of the neighborhood canines.

Coop, we quickly learned, had some socializing to do.

We examined options, interviewed trainers, and concluded sleep away camp was the answer.

Two weeks. All training all the time. No distractions. Then back home to us where Id *maintain* what he’d been taught.

On our way to pick Coop up after camp I said to the Husband:

I know it will be *hard* work maintaining what Coop learned. I realize it wont be fun. Ive lived maintaining for 20+ years. MAINTAINING IS NOT SEXY.

The Husband had no clue what I meant.

In precisely the way, I surmise, all of YOU immediately grasped my point:

  • Airplane seat belts fitting sans-extenders?

All of the above propel us on to bigger fitness/weight loss success.

The ‘power’ of most of the above wanes after weight has been shed/goals reached.

Maintaining? Not glamorous

Maintaining? Never featured on magazine covers alongside a titillating photo announcing: “Discover how Sheila lost 30 pounds and still struggles daily to maintain loss!!!”

I knew maintaining Coop’s training would be challenging because I knew my own weight loss maintaining hadn’t been sexy easy.

I was confident I could rock it because I recognized our differences —while seemingly vast—-were few.

I prepared by reminding myself of the three steps I went through with my own maintaining process.

Step one:  This is all new & super! I’m so happy!!!

For Coop it was us seeing he’d transformed.

For me/weight loss it was shedding pounds/discovering my love of the iron. Goal achievement feels so EXCITING it’s hard to envision the newness (weight-loss or Coop’s new skillz) ever losing its power to motivate!

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newly certified!

Step Two: You know I can do this. Must we practice again!? (AKA My new body rocks—do I really have to work to *maintain* it?)

I’ll admit my mind was BLOWN by all Coop learned at Doggie Boot Camp. He was socialized. He followed commands.

I was very tempted to get lazy as Id already been REWARDED with a rockin bod trained dog!

Maintaining had to start on day one.

I knew–from fitness and weight loss–if I blew off day *one* CONSISTENCY would never return.

COOP

consistency is key.

Step three. This is forever?! When do I rest on my hindlegs laurels?!

Maintaining what Coop learned at camp is a forever process.

A daily process.

Maintaining weight loss is a forever process.

Maintenance demands we seek out new motivations as, frequently, old motivators no longer work.

We’ve reaped those rewards.

I look to my daughter when I feel like slacking.

I’ll never venture off my healthy living path because she’s my living, breathing motivation to remain fit and strong.

It’s true.

Maintaining isn’t as glam or sexy as the actual weight loss (or Coop training) process—but that doesn’t mean it cant be done.

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It’s a 3-step process.

It’s all about consistency.

(and really. who’s to say that’s not sexy?!)

  • From canines to fitness—what are your experiences with maintaining change?
  • What’s your best tip to avoid returning to old habits?

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Comments

  2. I am really consistent with my running and that’s about it these days.
    I need to transfer that ability to my weight loss before I can consider maintaining.
    :/

  4. Thank you for writing about this long and difficult process! Once you’ve achieved your goal weight, it’s just too easy to “sit back and relax”. But it’s inevitable, if you do that you regain. I certainly admire you for your journey! 🙂 Happy New Year.

  5. you know what, you are so right! i look to my nieces and nephews when i am lacking motivation… which turns into just PLAY! playouts, that’s fun and NEW and well, just movement

  6. Maybe not sexy for you, but it sure is for Mr. Mizfit 🙂

    I would have had a much easier life if I had learned to follow commands and be socialized like Coop 🙁

    Happy NEW Year, Carla!

  8. I think the lack of attention to the “after” is responsible for yo-yo weight gain. Quick-fix crash diets don’t teach you how to keep the weight off. When I lost 40 lbs, I had a really hard time finding support for the hard work of maintaining.

  11. This is my sentiment exactly when I see the media shout about a 100+ lb weightloss while those who’ve kept weight off for years and years, well. not so interesting I guess. My 50 lbs have stayed away for 17+ years by making the good habits that got it off SO strong and ingrained that they are second nature. Still not easy sometimes, but worth it.

  12. The rear view mirror comes in handy if you don’t overuse it — look back once in a while and remember how it felt before and why you changed whatever you changed in the first place. That helps me.

  13. Best tips for maintaining? Hmmmm… that’s the space I’m currently living in at the moment. I’ve recently gained back a chunk of what I lost. My best tip that I’ve learned from my re-gain is to maintain the healthy habits that created the loss. Also, find new “pay-offs”. Eventually the scale will quit being a reward. Find something new to remind you of why you do this work.

  14. as soon as william’s congestion clears up, i’m going to start sleep training him…. consistency will be of the utmost importance then!! right now… it’s all about making him comfortable #somanysnuggles

  15. This reads very similar to my tomorrow post – I wonder why?? 😉 We are on the same wavelength on this…. You know my feelings on the whole maintenance & long term keeping it off…. I wish there were stories like you & I & many others how we kept or 30 pounds off for 30++ years… nope, it is not sexy… 🙂

  17. I wish I had an answer to that question. I struggle every day trying to keep the 178 lbs I lost over 3 years ago OFF. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Anyone who says food is not an addiction for some of us is mistaken. I slip, I fail, I give in sometimes, but I will NEVER GIVE UP!!! So maybe determination is the answer?

  18. I got it all off…then broke my foot. In a boot for a year before surgery. Now…I’m out of the boot and I’m going to have to find a way to get it all off. Again. Plus a few more I gained while I wasn’t mobile. I can’t stand being still. Here’s hoping it comes off as fast as it did the first time.

  20. As someone *almost* to their weight loss goal I know maintaining is the hardest part. As humans we get lazy, and for me I have to keep pushing or end up back where I was! Great post and I know all about dog training too! On two levels this is great!

  21. Perfect planning to get perfect body is mandatory, but I have lot of confusion in following some weight loss tips for women but now it is clear by reading your website, Thanks for sharing!!

  22. While it’s not a huge weight loss, I’ve been maintaining a 20lb loss now for 3.5 years. It’s not easy (or sexy), but over time it became easier and even dare I say it, second nature, just like being a fur-baby parent. Have a fantastic 2015 Carla!

  25. You are so right about consistency. I think the best way to avoid returning to old habits is to constantly remind yourself of WHY you initially took the steps to become healthier. Until you really resonate with your why, it will be easy to get lost and back into old habits. Most people spent most of their life eating poorly and not exercising enough, losing weight over a short period of time isn’t a silver bullet. Lifestyle changes take time, energy and commitment that are fueled by a deep seated desire to be a better person, live longer and be healthier and happy for yourself and your loved ones.

  26. I have always needed support in maintenance. It has always been a struggle for me.

    I spent Christmas week skiing, and because the snow was warm and melting, the conditions weren’t ideal. It was important for me to be very focused on my form and to make sure that I was always aware of the texture/terrain/challenges in order to be sure that I didn’t have an accident. The more I focused on good form, the easier it was to get through the wet/grainy snow without having one ski veer away like a wayward child. It is so much more exhausting than skiing in perfect conditions. In order to ski the challenging trails, I had to work much harder than I normally would. It could be easy to resent the fact that I have to pay more attention rather than remembering that “any day on skis is a good day!!!”

    That is maintenance for me right now. There is just a deluge of family “stuff” that is so concerning; but most of it is either not in my control or truthfully a little outside of being my business to control. If I get in the wrong mindset, I start to feel like this stuff is unfair and it is so exhausting to deal with all of this and take care of myself at the same time. When really taking care of myself is an immense privilege, and part of the reason I am able to handle normal stress in the first place. Sometimes it is just too hard for me to do this alone, I am not ashamed that maybe I require more support than average – so I stay with Weight Watchers. I KNOW that WW is not for everyone, but at this point in my life it is still for me. It is where I stop in once a week and I focus on what *I* will need for the week ahead. So for me, it’s remembering to be mindful – it’s remembering that I can take care of myself without feeling guilty for doing so.

  27. You’re right — maintenance isn’t sexy. However, it’s what needs to be done. Find a way that makes it better and somehow fun. Example — hate exercising, find an exercise that you like. I hate certain kinds of exercises, but I love Zumba, the fun eliptical at the gym, and yoga. I hate the treadmill, so I stay off of it.

  28. I just started focusing on drinking water again. Baby steps, baby steps. I love zumba too and need to get back into the groove!

  29. You and Jody are my constant consistency reminders! I truly think many days”Carla & Jody work out every day and so will you.” 🙂 It also helps to remind myself of what happens (very quickly!) if I “take a break” from what I know works…

    Wishing you health & much happiness in 2015!

  30. You’re right! Part of the thrill of losing weight is seeing the transformation, but once you have reached your goals, it’s important to continue to make new ones. So maybe now you are at the weight you wanted, but now set a new goal to run a mile faster than you ever have, or try a new workout class. This will keep that thrill alive even once you have reached your original goals. And while maintenance may not be “as” sexy….it’s important to do things that do make you feel sexy all year long. So after that new kick boxing class go out and buy yourself something that makes you feel good about all the hard work you have done to get there!

  32. I love this title and I SO agree! When I started my blog a few years ago I wasn’t really a weight loss blog because I had already lost the weight. Maintenance isn’t exciting, or sexy as you put it. It’s really rather boring. You do the same thing every day, track, exercise, make good choices. Nothing exciting about that but it WORKS. 😀

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