Maintenance 101

[Blitz]

Lots of books have been written about weight loss (and a few of them are worth reading!) but not much about maintenance.
If you are lucky maybe a page or two near the back of a few of these books will have a few pointers for you.
It's a bit like planning a holiday where your travel details are meticulously plotted out but you have no idea what to do or see once you get there!

I've been in maintenance mode for over two and a half years now.
A few people have asked me about how to do it successfully.
I've promised to write a maintenance thread with a few of my insights to help you along.
So here is the start of my efforts.
What I would like to do is post 101 thoughts in 101 days (if possible).

Thought 1
The skills that you have learnt during your weight loss journey are the same skills you will use to be successful in maintaining your weight.
If you have successfully reached your goal weight you have all the management skills required to keep it off for life.
This should be a comfort to you as you start this second part of your life journey.
There are no surprises any more! What you have had to handle in the past are exactly the same sort of things that lay before you.

Kim

[Blitz]

Thought 2
Draw the line in the sand and set your weight limits.
Figure out what your maintenance weight range is and set it as your benchmark of success.
For example, in maintenance my weight range is between 67kg and 70kg. My lifestyle goal is to stay within those set limits.
Why a range of weight and not just one number you may ask?
One number doesn't give you much scope for management - you are either on it or not. Also, the body naturally ranges in weight anyway. A small range of three kilos by contrast is just enough leeway to pull things back as the trend emerges.
A range that is too big may lead to laxness that will be too difficult to push back as the trend becomes too established.
By drawing a line in the sand of a three kilo range you will know by that measure whether you are being true to the course you have set for your lifestyle.

Kim

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Thought 3
Weigh yourself every day.
A survey of those who had lost a significant amount of weight and have kept it off for one or more years showed a high common practice of weighing themselves every day.
What this practice does is that it keeps you mindful and accountable daily. Not to do so means that sloppy practices have a chance to become established bad habits in your life again. And once establish these habits are harder to break.
Weighing yourself daily is all about vigilance and it is vigilance that is the key to success...and daily vigilance brings greater success.

Kim

[Blitz]

Thought 4
Keep accountable.
Reaching goal is not an excuse to let it all slide away.

Be ready at all times to give an account of your current weight. Good or bad, what ever the number is that is precisely answered to ANYONE who enquires. I will also give context to the number by describing the latest trend (comparing the current days to recent days). The state of play of how I'm doing in keeping my weight off is NOT a national secret.

Everyday I weigh myself and record the result in my weight loss book. These days it doesn't make for exciting reading. Just a bunch of numbers within a three kilo range. But it is still being recorded two and a half years after reaching goal weight because it keeps me accountable. By sticking it in the same book as my weight loss numbers I make recognition of the same principles of accountability as I had losing the weight in the first place. My book is left open on the current page and sits next to the phone for anyone to see.

A quote (sometimes attributed to Mark Twain): "Shame the Devil - Tell the Truth!"
Be honest before your God, to your loved ones and above all – be honest with yourself!

Kim

[Blitz]

Thought 5
Become a student of your body by keeping some record on how you are fairing.
For some that may be a detail diary or journal listing every aspect of their lives. For others it could be a record your exercise, calorie or food intake.
For myself I record my weight each day and may add a small note next to it of unusual events or circumstances for that day (like going out to a restaurant, being sick or extra exercise).

By keeping records you will build a picture how your body works. With that knowledge you will be able to anticipate how you will fair in the future given a particular set of circumstances. This gives you a heads up on adopting strategies to prevent blow outs.
All this is just a continuation of what you should have learnt and practised whilst losing weight.
The lesson here is that this practise doesn't stop with reaching goal.
This is an essential for continued success in weight management in your lifestyle.

Kim

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Thought 6
Remember where you have been.
Those that don’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it!

Never forget what you were like before you lost weight.
Remember trying to find anything that you can wear that looked half decent?
Remember how out of breath and exhausted you felt just going about your daily activities?
Remember how you were a spectator to life which happened around you?
Remember how bad your health was back then?
Remember how public seating was such a tight squeeze?
Remember the extra sweating and chafing of your body parts rubbing (giving you nasty rashes)?
Remember the difficulty in reaching body parts to wash it properly...or even wiping your bottom on the toilet?
Remember the thousand and one other things...never forget them.

Daily remind yourself what you once were – and that you don’t want to go back to that.

Kim

[Blitz]

Thought 7
Keep your eating routine.
Studies have shown that those successful in maintaining weight loss generally don't vary what they eat very much.

They tend to eat the same foods routinely.
There are many sound reasons for this:
A). They have found a good eating plan that works for them and stick to it.
B). There are no "surprises"...the foods are known quantities (calorie and portion wise).
C). Shopping for food can be more "automatic". You know what you plan to buy and you can keep your nose out of what you shouldn't buy.
D). Foods that are not usually eaten are approached with more caution simply because they are not usually eaten!
E). You don't miss what you don't have! The more often we eat things...the more often we want to eat those things! In this approach treats are real treats - rare treats.

Kim

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Thought 8
Continuing to walk the talk.
Is who you say you are the same as what you do?
Is your character (who you are when no one is looking) consistent with that you claim to be?

Weight loss is about changing you character to a more upright one. Maintenance is about maintaining that new character.
Any compromise in that standard (apart from leading you to the charge of hypocrisy) means that standard will fail.

When the issue is about the substance of your character then putting on weight is no longer just about a few kilos but rather a deeper thing altogether. It now becomes a question of who you are - and what do you stand for.

Kim

[Blitz]

Thought 9
Keep mementos and signposts of your journey to success.

I recently met someone who lost a good deal of weight who told me that he had kept nothing to remind him of his overweight past...not even photos. I believe he was making a mistake by doing that. Whilst I understand his desire to expunge the past from memory, the danger is that he may forget the importance of his achievement. I keep quite a few things to help me stay excited about keeping the weight off.

I have a pair of pants that I step into occasionally and use to illustrate to others the achievement. Stepping into them is a surreal experience and yet it enforceable shows me that I was literally twice the size I am now.

During my weight loss journey I constantly wore a beanie with the word "reality" on it. It was a challenge to me to get real with my God, my family and above all - with myself. I still wear that beanie today. Each time I look in the mirror and see the word "reality" it spurs me to stay real to the course I've chosen.

I have my "fat" photos close to hand (on phone, ipod and laptop) ready to show anyone who is interested. Each time I show them...I show myself what was and what shouldn't be again.

I have other mementos and signposts. I wear a superman logo on a t-shirt and get a lot of flack from strangers doing so but what they don't know is that wearing it reminds me to be my own hero. My weight loss book is another. Not only does it keep me accountable for today but it also signposts my past success and shows me that future success is there for the taking.

Find items that you can use as useful symbols to physically remind you of the past - and the success for the future. We are creatures of our senses. Engage the senses will aid your memory and resolve.

Kim

[DD Diva]

I really enjoy these posts Kim, thank you and keep em' comin'!!!

[Blitz]

Thanks Josie...will try my best. However I'm beginning to think that 101 thoughts may be a little optimistic but I'll try and put together as may as I can.

Thought 10
Be an Inspiration to those around you...to inspire you to stay true.

I'm constantly getting feedback via people or through a third person about how inspirational my journey has been.
This in turn inspires me to stay the course and keep the source of inspiration alive for them.

Only yesterday someone told my wife that I had inspired them to lose 10 kilos.
The man had diabetes and knew that he had to do something about his weight in order to help his health.
He had thought about me and drew strength from it.
This is a man who I literally meet face to face once every year for the last six years.
He has seen me fat, he has seen me lose weight and for the last two years he has seen me keep it off.
He has taken courage that this thing can be done and is a reality...and it is possible for him.

I know quite a few people in my life who have been inspired to lose weight because of what I have successfully done.
They see me today - still thin and full of amazing energy two and a half years after reaching goal...and dare to believe that it can be done by them.

So what does this mean to me? It makes me realise that I am a role model - not only to people I know well...but also people who just know me slightly. With being a role model enlarges the cause. It is no longer just about me. Others are also in the equation. While it is true that ultimately I'm not responsible for them...it is also true that whether I stand or fall will affect them as well. That builds me up and strengthens me in my pursuit to maintain weight loss.
And that helps me to stand even truer to the principles I set for myself.

Kim

[Blitz]

Thought 11
When the going gets tough...dig in deeper!

Weight loss is all about the mind. So it isn't surprising that keeping the weight off is still about the mind.
Things in maintenance will not be rosy every single day of your journey.
Life will have a habit to interfere with your routines and plans.
You will go through periods when maintaining your weight will be tough going - more than usual.
This is the time when you just have to toughen it out and dig deeper within yourself. This is where your character is important.
These times will test your character. You must steel yourself and withstand that pressure and stay true to who you proclaim to be.
Dig to the core of your very being and repeat to yourself and the world the words that Martin Luther all those years ago said in defiance to the pressures brought to bear upon him - "Here I stand - I can do no other!"

Dig deep within yourself and say "Here I stand - I can do no other!"

Kim

[Blitz]

Thought 12
Remember your weight loss anniversaries.

Remembering wedding anniversaries, birthdays and the like strengthen relationships with those around us. Because when we remember and celebrate the bonds between us grow stronger because of this expression. So too with weight loss anniversaries. We are strengthen by them as we remember those times in the past when we conquered and succeeded.

My special anniversaries are:
1/1/2011
This is the day I started my journey officially. I stepped on the scales and recorded the result for the 1st time...153.7kg and with that I was able to work out that I needed to lose 87kg and that the goal weight for me to reach was 66.7kg. Each new year's day I think about those first steps. How ignorant I was about how much it would change my lifestyle. Also the naivety of my beginning too. As I worked out that I had to lose 87kg, only the vaguest of feeling came over me that to seemed a bit of a high number...this feeling I dismissed at the time with the thought "it is what it is...if I have to lose 87kg then that's what I have to do...I put it on...I have to take it off." It was only much later that the penny would drop that I had goaled myself the task to lose more than half my weight!
19/2/2011
This is the date that I lost 10% of my starting weight. This is magic percentage that healthy authorities push for...the fat percentage that surrounds the internal organs. This number was an inspiration for me to achieve since being healthy was one of my primary motivations.
5/7/2011
This is when I got under 100kg (99.5kg) and into double digits. I hovered just above that 100kg for a few days before I finally broke through. The victory was sweeter because of the struggle to get it.
15/9/2011
I had hoped to be finished by the 1st week of September based on the foolish assumption that since I lost 2.5kg in the first week that if I continue to do so I would reach goal by then. As if it was so simple! Another thought I had was that shortly after that was a Magic Convention in Sydney run by my good friend and that I could surprise him...that was going to be my reward for making goal. A few months before I began my weight loss, my friend visited Perth. As I was dropping him off at the airport he risked his friendship with me to tell of his concern about my weight gain (that last year or so I had really started to balloon out). To allay his fears I told him of my plan to start on New Years Day. I don't think he understood how serious I was. In our monthly phone calls he would ask how the weight loss was going and I would say I was hard at it - but without telling him how much I had lost. Every time I felt at low ebb I would image the look on my friend's face at this time and that would inspire me to press on harder. By convention time however I had lost only 68kg of the 87kg but my wife urged me to go anyway. I flew all night and landed at dawn in Sydney. Dumped my bags into the hotel near the convention venue, caught a train, then two buses and did a small walk to get to his Magic Shop out in the sticks of Sydney. Dressed formally with a hat and dark glasses on I approached - I couldn't have timed it better. He and two other men were at the letterbox at the front of the business complex his shop was in. The two men saw me but my friend was bent down fishing out his mail. When he stood up there I was in front of him with my hand out - "G'day Sean - good to see you again!". He hesitates, here is a guy who is greeting him and he doesn't recognise who the heck it is...I give him a break and take off the sunnies - then it hits him..."My gawd! It's Kim!" Mission accomplished. That was the reaction I was going for! Will never forget it. It is a memory that keeps me going.
24/2/2012
This is the day that I hit goal (87.1kg actually). I remember the exact word I uttered when the scales hit 66.6kg - "finally". I didn't feel joy or excitement as you would imagine...just relief - that last bit of the journey took so long.
5/6/2012
I have said that one of the main reasons for losing weight was health. This is the day that I dealt with a health issue that I had for two decades...my belly hernia. I had been told that I needed to lose weight for a good outcome in a hernia operation. This is the day that my hernia was operated on. The surgeon also slashed (this was NOT cosmetic surgery) my lose skin around my stomach...and removed my belly button! This date is the one that I view as the final finishing line of my weight loss as such and the start of "normal" life sans hernia.

All these dates inspire, challenge and remind me how far I have already travelled - and that this legacy must be protected by continuing along this path.

Kim

[Blitz]

Thought 13
Practice Mindfulness about your maintenance and weight.

Fill your mind with thoughts about this subject.
Meditate on it as much as you can, to quote the good book -
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)
When we practice mindfulness thinking then that naturally filters into our daily lives.
It becomes a well spring that sustains us in the journey of life.
It is no longer about something you do but rather it has entered into your very core.
It becomes WHO YOU ARE.

Kim

[Blitz]

Thought 14
Choose the easier path not the hard path.

Remember it is always easier to maintain your weight than it is to regain weight and then have to go back and lose it all over again.
One of my bedrocks when I decided to lose weight was that I was only going to do it the once. I've seen too many people in my life roller coasting between losing and regaining weight - hopelessly trapped. I'm essentially a lazy person, far too much effort for me. I was only going to do it the once and keep it off.

Keeping a moderate healthy regime daily is a lot easier than letting yourself go for a while and then having to severely curtail your food intake and increase your exercise. Apart from the physical effort, the mental effort required to re-tool yourself to purpose your mind to the task is far greater. The victories lifestyle is kicked to the kerb. The self esteem is dealt a fatal blow and forward momentum comes to a screeching halt. No wonder many choose to wallow rather than pick themselves up.

Far better to remain on the path of maintenance than go back than try to re-start. It is far easier.

Kim