I am not the biggest loser BUT I am a great maintainer! (guest post)

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Please welcome Jody! It has taken me ages—but Ive finally dragged her over to my neck of the ‘net…

I love these posts here at Carla’s place because in this day when it seems like you have to lose 100 pounds or more for it to mean something, Carla, is celebrating all of us that lose  15, 20, 25, 40 or any amount of weight! Even if a person loses 10 pounds, that is something to be celebrated – an accomplishment!

Like Carla, I was young when I lost my approximately 35-40 pounds.  I lost it by changing my food & did not necessarily exercise more. After that point, my way of keeping it off was not really the right way to do it. I was exercising but I was not eating right – salads, no protein & avoiding fat, even the healthy kind. This was old school thinking at its best! I was “maintaining” for the most part but I HAD TO RELEARN HOW TO EAT & exercise in a better way. The biggest thing for me was that food –not just salads but protein, healthy fat & the right type of carbs that worked best for my body.

Truth be told and this is the FIRST TIME I HAVE WRITTEN THIS FOR PEOPLE TO READ, I still crave all those things I ate way back when that made me heavy. Yes, I still would love to eat cinnamon rolls & cookies & brownies & crackers & lots of other stuff that made me “fat” BUT I CHOOSE NOT TO eat them!

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the way I eat now. I have a food plan that works for me & keeps me happy. I plan for treats & yes, there are times I just want to have “that thing”.  Yes, I have the emotional eating here & there too! The key point is that I get right back to my healthy ways. I own it & move on!

I have been maintaining for over 30 years.

What are the things I think helped me succeed at this:

  1. PATIENCE!!!!  I needed that to lose the weight & it takes a lot more of it to maintain! I just saw a segment with Joy Bauer from The Today Show. She had 3 people with long-term weight loss success stories on the show. They all said losing was hard but the maintaining was even harder! You may have ups & downs. Stick with it! Age creates a new set of things to deal with & I am working that now. It takes PATIENCE to stick with it as I try to get past these aging factors. It takes patience all thru life BUT you can do it!
  2. Find what works for you! We are all different. You may use a number of different plans to take the weight off but always remember it is not about anyone but you. Find the food plan & exercise plan that works for you. Make it YOUR lifestyle.
  3. Consistency of course! Once you have lost the weight, you just can’t go back to eating the way you used to – that is why you put on the weight. You need to take that food & exercise plan & be consistent with it long term. Yes, enjoy now & then but you can’t eat anything you want any time you want to…. Cold hard facts.
  4.  ALWAYS LEARNING!  I had to learn to change with the years, the job, whatever was going on in my life. I had the hormones when I was younger and now the hormones with age. I did not do the same thing nor eat the same thing all thru these years. You have to keep evaluating & finding what works for you at different stages of your life. Doing the same thing day in & day out, week after week, month after month, year after year is not going to keep you at maintenance because our bodies DO change! Learn to listen to your body every day, month, year.  Things change, you change – change with them!

I know it is tough to lose & it is going to be even harder to maintain but it is so worth it! Listen & learn about your body so that you can make adjustments thru time.  Live it & find ways to keep you happy & healthy – it can be done!

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Comments

  4. Fantastic tips Jody! Health is definitely a continuous journey. I’m finding my way through those age-related changes you speak of right now. 🙂

  5. Congratulations! And thank you for writing this post. We need more voices in the maintenance world!

  6. Maintenance is definitely hard, but so worth it. I have learned that I AM WORTH IT!!!! Celebrating 3 years next month!

  13. Great post! Maintenance is definitely something worth celebrating!

    All your tips are great, and I especially like your reminder that we need to change things as our life changes and we are getting older. I certainly know that things that worked ten years ago don’t work anymore for me at this point…

  15. Point #4 is so true. Taking care of yourself is a lifelong project. Excellent post.

  17. You need more of your progress pics in this post so people can see how fabulous some in their 50s can look! I hope they visit your blog 😀

    Go Jody!!

  19. I am 25 year Weight Watchers lifetimer and the effort and awareness it takes to maintain is absolutely worth it.

    Good for you… nice post, and I enjoyed reading your story and your advice.

  20. Yes, and yes! Although i didn’t lose “much” by some standards, i’ve kept it off several years now, doing most of what you cover here. It works, and it is worth it.

  21. Jody, you already know how much I love and admire you!
    But this post was perfect for me today; yesterday was a bit of a gong-show food-wise for me. But today I’m making all the right choices!

  22. At almost 59 I out-lift, bike, run and swim most 20-somethings. Just because I love what I do and have been at it for over 40 years-so yeah, consistancy counts! (I can still wear my high school clothes-and why not? They are back in fashion again (70’s child!) Keep up the good work!

  23. Fantastic share… and excellent tips. Sometimes it’s easy to do one (eat healthy or workout), it’s the challenge to do BOTH correctly. Kudos for laying it all out on the table for us to learn from.

  24. I totally connected with this post. I’ve always said it is easier to maintain than to get yourself back to where you’d like to be. I also agree with your tips…so good to see you over here on Miz Fit’s site today.

    Darryl

  25. I loved your post! You are so right. I have never heard of anyone who had lost weight on a fad diet, diet pills or diet shakes who maintained the loss over the long term. Yet, people still go there in droves and do great damage to their metabolism. You are the voice of reason!

  26. I read a book years ago by Arnold Schwarzenegger about foods that if you eat them will make you soft! The ones you avoid, Jody, were on Arnold’s make you soft list 🙂

  29. Great advice Jody! My favorite thing about you is your positive attitude. You always manage to bring everyone else up with you:) Love you and congrats on your impressive maintenance! (That really is a feat!)

  31. I WANT TO TO RESPOND TO EACH ONE OF YOU & WILL TRY OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS. JUST HAD TO SAY THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS!!!!!!

  36. Thank you for a very useful post, Jody and MizFit. I find it hard to lose weight, but even harder to maintain,that’s for sure! It only became easier than it used to be when exercise became a regular part of my lifestyle. Food still drives a lot of any weight fluctuations, though!

  37. I have to say! Great tips! We’re all different. How to quit these Mac’s, pizzas, brownies and the rest.. that’s the tough part. Will power!

  38. Wooo Jody!! I love it and I love you :). I feel a real affinity with both yourself and Carla and this helps explain it a little more. I’ve always been a “mainteiner” too using the principles you discuss. It’s really true – everything counts, not just the big wins! XO

  39. You certainly got that right. Losing weight is the easy part. It only requires that you maintain focus for a few months. On the other hand, keeping it off requires a lifetime of focus.

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