The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[vacationak]

I am now less than 10 lbs from my goal, and I have been telling myself I would make firm plans when I hit this point to figure out what I am going to do to keep the weight off. I have read Unca Tim's sticky post near the top of this maintenance page, as well as other posts, information, motivational messages, etc. All well and good in theory. What is the reality? I would greatly appreciate hearing from people who have been through maintenance, are going through maintenance, and even those who have not been completely successful on maintenance. I don't think I am a true food addict. I definitely have made poor choices in the past 8 or 9 years when my weight has been something of a problem, especially this past year when I just kept hitting lifetime highs - month after month. 13 months ago, I got down to the weight I currently am at, and then proceeded to gain nearly a pound a week for 8 months. If I am not successful keeping it off this time, I don't give myself a lot of hope.

To date, my thoughts for what may work for me:

1. Weigh once a week without fail, and no more than once a week. I currently weigh every day, and fluctuations don't bother me. Good for now, but on maintenance, I see myself justifying why the scale is up half a pound - day after day after day.

2. When I do gain a couple of pounds, immediately and giving myself no excuses, do Medifast for three or four days. Of course, it is easy to say I will do this, but will I be committed enough to actually do it?

3. Try to incorporate one or two Medifast products a day. I like a few of them, and the soy protein does seem to prevent hunger.

I know that it is recommended to continue to eat 5 or 6 times a day. By using one or two Medifast products, I can see eating 4 times a day. Beyond this, it just doesn't seem practical for my lifestyle. It has been a real struggle to eat 6 times a day, even though the Medifast products are convenient and limited in volume.

I hope I have largely broken my fast food habit. I attribute at least 2/3 of my excess weight to those convenient drive-thru windows. The other 1/3 I blame on my husband - always a convenient target - it certainly can't be my carb habits or advancing age. I hope if I can keep my weight down for 6-9 months, my body will begin to be comfortable there and the weight won't go back on so easily. The last time I kept my weight down close to where I wanted it was over 6 years ago, and then I only kept it off for about 4-5 months.

Sorry for the length of this post. Again, I will appreciate all suggestions, tips, experiences and thoughts.

[Shana]

I know I'm no where near maintenance, however I already have a game plan for when I DO reach it, and the key for me will be to have a pair of extremely slim fitting pants I will pull on at least once a week and wear for at least an hour or two. If the pants start to become uncomfortably snug then it's an indication to snap out of whatever behavioral pattern I've fallen into, and spend a few days Medifasting back to where I want to be.

I know that in the past I've gained weight because my clothes were lose, or I wore dresses every day and didn't SEE or FEEL the changes, so the pants trick is my way of not becoming complacent.

Hope that helps!

[vacationak]

Shana - Thanks for your response. You make a couple of good points that I will give some thought.