I'm at my goal weight YAY! Now what???????

[LIAL]

After slogging it out for 12 weeks I have lost my 10kgs with not a shake or meal replacemnt bar in sight.
How do I now go back to eating 'normally' ie increased KJ's so i don't lose any more weight.
Do I need to do this gradually or can I just jump right in. I realise that I can not go over my maintenance KJ's or I'll get fat again .
Any help/hints greatly appreciated.
BTW thanks to weightloss.com.au for this awesome website that gave me all the calculators etc. I needed to achieve my goal.

[Butterfly_Dawn]

There's a maintenance section in here somewhere. Increase them gradually I would say, so that your metabolism doesn't get all surprised and start hoarding it all on your behind again

Also set yourself a good plan for how you're going to monitor yourself to make sure all is going well. like you said, you can't go back to exactly the same thing you used to do, otherwise it will all come piling back.

[dustany1dust]

I cant give any advice because I am not quite there yet but

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

[e&me]

congrats on reaching your goal weight!
I would increase gradually, if you have been avoiding some foods like carbs or fats maybe add a little bit to your meals- like adding a dressing to salads or having a sandwich for lunch instead of salad.

[LIAL]

Wow, my metabolism is totally screwed up! Here I was at my goal weight, off to a 'Do' last Saturday looking super HOT No dinner just finger food all night long. So thought I would indulge a wee bit after 12 weeks ok counting everything that went in my gob and smack, instant 2 kg's up. So am definitely going to go slow on increasing the Kj's.
Just feeling a bit paranoid now.....
Am I going to be stressed out about food from now on?

[e&me]

I think it will just take a while for your body to get used to its new shape and needs. Just keep working on finding the balance

[Louisa89]

First of all ------> CONGRATS!!
I´m happy for you, must be a great feeling to achieve you goals

As for your question, as the other members already said, I would also take it slowly and gradually, esle I think you risk all your past efforts. Don´t rush to it, just do it gradually, I am sure that soing so is the best way!
And again, congrats!!

[Awaha]

be aware that some of these foods are pretty high in sodium level, and it can cause water retentions... I have read on some websites that claims some merathon runners would put on weight of 5-10lbs (about 5kg) from a day or two just from loading up before a big event.

During my off days, I would have some rice with meat, and it would cause a weight gain of about 1-2kg, and I would drop it off again within 2-3 days...

make sure you keep yourself well hydrated and regular... then you should be fine

[LIAL]

Well "getting back to normal' is almost as hard as losing the weight in the first place I am slowly increasing my Kj's but every time I have a larger than normal meal I weigh myself the next day and I've put 1-2 kg's on overnight. So then I 'ease up' again to get back to where I was. This has resulted in me losing almost another Kg all up.
I am just so paranoid to put the weight back on like I have the last few years. I'm still keeping a food diary, It's like I can't eat anything unless I know how many Kj's are in it.
Last weekend I had a brownie but felt wracked with guilt after it, as I've not eaten anything like this since August.
Is this ever going to go away?

[LIAL]

Well, 18 months on and I am still thin. Must say this is through bloody hard work and constant vigilance about what I eat.

I have come to a bit of a compromise and I allow myself to indulge on weekends with a few drinks etc. Come Monday its back on the diet. By mid week I'm usually back to normal weight after "gaining" 2-3 kgs, which I put down to extra food in the guts and fluid from eating more. Bad times were a holiday to Fiji last year with all meals supplied. This resulted in a 2.5 kg weight gain in 12 days and annual holidays to the beach 1.5kg in 2 weeks.

I am still Kj counting and will add up in my head at the end of the day what I've consumed. Am trying to hover between 7000 and 8000kjs a day which is my maintenance level for my age/weight.
I have also turned into a 'bike nut" after building a road bike from scratch this year. I ride to work and back 40kms a day 3x week and try to average 200kms a week with a big ride on the weekend. This is all the exercise I do as my knees are giving me trouble when I walk/run.

To top it all off I was diagnosed with IBS this year so am now on a low FODMAP diet (no dairy, gluten and certain fruits/veg). This has been a really good move as I'm feeling 100% better.

So thats basically it... I vowed I would never get as big as I was before my diet and hopefully I will be able to stick to it.

[Retire_The_Fat]

Hi, Lial, good to meet a champion loser who has kept it off for so long

I'd swap the

hopefully I will be able to stick to it

in your last sentence to

and am sticking to that

You are, you know!!

Congratulations on being a winner!

[LIAL]

Hi Retire_The_Fat thanks for your comments You are soooo right of course. I AM sticking to it, lol, even though statistics are so not in my favour when the Dieticians Assn of Australia estimates that a whopping 95% of people that lose weight put it back on and MORE within 2 years. I strongly believe that you need to change your whole outlook on food before you can become the other 5%. Ofcourse I AM the the other 5% YAY!
Goodluck on your journey.

[CronicBadger]

Hello LIAL

Thanks for coming back with your progress report. Those statistics are, one one hand, not encouraging. But on the other hand serve as a very good warning to not become complacent.

After losing a lot of weight I gradually put on about three kilos over the last six months due to losing my focus. It's been a struggle to keep from going back to some of my bad eating habits (although I've well and truly cut free from the very worst of those).

I know what you mean about the value of a food diary (I've been keeping one daily since March 2010). It's a crucial tool for determining the reason for weight gains and losses.

And yeah, being "paranoid" about weight control can be a helpful attitude!