I wanted to thank you all for your nice words and encouraging comments from my Dr. Oz show appearance. It was an amazing experience, and I just so appreciate all of your support and good wishes!
I’ve had a hard time concentrating on writing (I wonder why) but one topic that keeps popping into my mind today is maintenance. Dr. Oz said on the show that losing weight was great, but it was maintaining the weight that made him happy. And that’s exactly how I feel. I lost a lot of weight over the 10 years that I was obese, but I never was able to maintain or sustain the weight loss. So here are some thoughts on temporary maintenance – because getting to goal and staying there is most of our goals. At least it was for me!
You know, I’ve read a lot of blogs over the past 10 months and one really great thing I see happening sometimes is that people have lost weight and then hit a plateau of sorts. It can be a plateau very close to their goal weight, or a plateau which is still quite far from their goal. But what I love to see is that in spite of the plateau they aren’t quitting. Rather they are content to work hard at exercise and eating right while at the same time holding steady at their weight. I know that Vickie has talked about this on her blog before.
I call this temporary maintenance. Temporary maintenance is a good thing. It’s a more positive phrase than “stuck on a plateau.” Sometimes this temporary maintenance is deliberate and other times it just happens. But either way, it can be a really important part of your journey. Why?
Because when you are in temporary maintenance you are maintaining. And maintaining is your long term goal. Sure you have a long term goal of losing “x” number of pounds, but more importantly, a longer term goal should be the maintenance of the loss of those “x” pounds! Right? Right. So temporarily maintaining a weight loss, be it for two weeks or two years, isn’t always a bad place to be. It can be frustrating, but if you try and look at that time as a learning experience then perhaps the frustration and inevitable temptation to fall back into old habits can be squashed.
Here are some positive things about temporary maintenance:
♥ You aren’t gaining
♥ You can focus on eating healthy
♥ You can exercise consistently
♥ You can “play” around with food intake, determining where the balance point is
♥ You can try new things
When I was losing weight that final times, I didn’t have any really long periods of temporary maintenance – but there were the occasional weeks or two where my weight seemed to stabilize. And it stabilized at about every 50 pounds. At 250 it stopped for a bit, at about 199 it stopped again. Both times, instead of getting frustrated I remembered how far I had come and how happy I was to be where I was right then. Focusing on the positive aspects of all I had accomplished really helped me too.
How do you react when you hit a temporary maintenance point? Diane
late to the soiree but wanted to say I CAN NOT WAIT to watch the show this morning!
Taped it
.-= Miz´s last blog ..Earth Footwear 30 Day Challenge. =-.
Well you’ve seen what I do, Diane – my weight has been within the same five pounds or so since November, for any number of reasons. Maintaining that balance is very different than actively losing, but I have found that by slowing my loss and proving to myself that I DID just do that and I CAN keep it off, I have gained so much in the way of self confidence and self esteem. I also had time for my body image to adjust, and while I am absolutely committed to staying healthy through pregnancy and continuing my downward path to better health afterward, I am truly grateful for the time I have spent practicing maintenance.
I know now how to lose, and more importantly, I know how to just live comfortably and moderately, up and down a few pounds in the balancing act that is maintenance. My losses feel more tangible, like they won’t just slip away the moment I screw up. And I screw up a LOT, but nothing with eating is irreversible, and taking maintenance AND loss one goof choice at a time seems to be working swimmingly for me
.-= Taryl´s last blog ..*grumble grumble* =-.
I would say that for me – one of the most important skill sets was to understand – is a calorie is not a calorie.
I learned early on to monitor the balance/composition within calories (fat, protein, carbs).
I realize that not everyone is as sensitive to carbs as I am, but I don’t think anyone can eat food that is predominately heavy in one grouping. I think we all have to be somewhat balanced. And I think most of us do not get enough protein without making an effort.
I am a good example of making a change to break a ‘plateau’. Having held at my ‘goal’ weight for two years (after my initial two years of losing) and then deciding to drop 20 more pounds is a fairly rare thing in weight loss blog land. And I knew that dropping those last 20 pounds required a big change. Iit was readjusting carbs and major cardio for me. I switched up my exercise and increased my level of cardio output. It took 6 mos of pretty solid effort to drop those 20 (last) pounds.
It started out as a vanity issue (the last 20 was on my torso between my arm pit and my hip bone) because I really hated that fat layer that felt like I was wearing a bullet proof vest.
But it turned out to be a health issue. Those last 20 lbs made a huge difference in my lower back and knees. I would never have guessed that 155 was hard for me to carry. But I at 135 (now) there is a BIG difference. It was well worth 6 months of effort.
My process has been steadily downward or holding for the last 5 years. Sometimes I have been in weight loss mode. Sometimes I have been in maintenance/plateau. But either way I have stayed focused. I have my little 2 pound up leeway. And now I have my 135lb ceiling. It is too hard to have to undo regains.
It is easier on my mind to HOLD. And keeping my mind and my life EVEN is what it is all about (for me).
.-= vickie´s last blog .. =-.
Great post! I think that my last problem was to think in “all or nothing”. I was in a point that my weight wasn’t moving and I started to think that the effort was for nothing.
Now I have understood that the effort is for not to gain again. Sometimes it’s difficult, but I must try.
I have lost around 15 pounds. A month ago I had lost around 15 pounds! And I have something like 35 more pounds to lost. So… I felt a little bad. But I thought that was better to loose 15 pounds than to gain them again.
But I have seen that this week I have started loosing again (I don’t know for many time), but this morning I have run the fastest in the last year. So, I think that I’m in the good way. I know that for me it would be very difficult, but… I prefer to be here than 15 pounds bigger!
I like this post! I have been in temporary maintenance for a year. At first, I was discouraged. I was blaming myself for not doing the work needed to get to goal and finally make it ALL THE WAY. But, I’ve recently come to the conclusions that you make here. It was important to go through that because now I KNOW that maintenance is not so scary!
.-= Marisa (Loser For Life)´s last blog ..Diets Don’t Work! =-.
I meant to add – Really good post. thanks for the shout out. I put a collection of links up that touch on some of the topics you mention.
.-= vickie´s last blog .. =-.
And I thought you did an excellent job on Dr Oz. I am curious about the TV adding weight thing. When you saw yourself – did you look the same (to yourself) on TV as you do in real life? Did the other people on the show look the same to you also? And Dr Oz is so tiny (on TV) – if the TV does add visual weight – how thin does he look in real life???
.-= vickie´s last blog .. =-.
Maybe slightly heavier looking on television. Dr. Oz is extremely thin in person. The producer said he lives his life exactly like he recommends on television. Very healthy, wholesome foods and exercises. I really admire that.
You are absolutely right- those plateaus are temporary maintainance, which is the state we will be in for the rest of our life after this journey. Long stretches where the scale stays consistent, clothing sizes stay the same, compliments on your loss are few and far between, and other areas of your life take center stage. Just as we have to relearn eating and movement to get to a new place, we have to learn skills to make it a state for the rest of our life. I lost 110 pounds before, and i was easy. I could not maintain it through pregnancy, and while pregnancy is a very easy excuse to fall back on, truth is I did not totally learn the behaviors necessary to make a permanent change. I think that might be one of the reasons I have sat so long at this plateau! The body has infinite wisdom , and mine is making me stop and really think before it continues the work.
And you were BEAUTIFUL and INSPIRATIONAL on yesterday’s Dr Oz ! Glad I met you !
.-= Diane´s last blog ..ooop…and WOO HOO ! =-.
Thank you Diane!
Thanks, I needed this. I have been in temporary maintenance for almost two months and am trying to break out. I need to be grateful I can maintain at all! Usually when I quit losing, I go right back up!
I was stuck in temporary maintenance about a year ago, and it was hard to deal with. I was working very hard but the scale didn’t move. I felt like I was going to be stuck forever. Focusing on making even healthier choices than I was already making helped me get over the plateau. It also brought the focus back on what really matters – health not weight.
.-= Andrea@WellnessNotes´s last blog ..Portion Control and Making Healthy Choices =-.
Maintenance is “interesting”. It really is life long. The thing about weight, weight loss & maintenance is that our bodies change as we get older. Our lives do to as well as stresses in life. All this can effect the bod & how it works. I have blogged endlessly about my changes our the course for 25 years & really how as I got into those mid 40′s & above, craziness happens. So, it is a constant journey to work with the bod & be patient & don’t give up. Like you mentioned, I play with the food percentages & types of food, I change the exercise, I step it up.. whatever it takes.
Diane, I recorded the show so can’t wait to watch!!! I see you are one of his experts now!
What happed to your yesterday post? It disappeared from your blog….
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Leg/Butt Move; You are Worth It! =-.
I try to stay patient during these types of stages. Planned maintenance is a healthy good thing because we can’t diet forever. Our bodies need breaks.
.-= Joanna Sutter´s last blog ..Coconut is So Delicious =-.
You did amazing on the show, even my kids watched and little A kept asking ‘is that Diane?’.
You must have been reading my mind this morning when you did this blog entry LOL. Still up and down with those same 2 pounds!!
I need to get a copy of you and Lori! It must be posted somewhere! (Darn work, getting in the way!)
I am SO ABOUT temporary maintenance. I lost a little over 20 lbs and am probably about 20 lbs from where I should be. My life got crazy and I decided that I was okay with not losing. I am very happy that I don’t seem to be gaining– I’m mostly sticking with the lifestyle changes that helped me lose the weight. I’ve been in the same place since November and I’m okay with it.
I’m struggling with this at the moment, but no ways am I going to throw in the towel..as long as I maintain this weight I’m happy…but am doing everything right…everything…and know it will come..
Thanks for sharing your experience with us…we can learn so much from you in this area.
I’ve been about 8 lbs from my goal for about 6 months. I have found that it is best to ditch the it isn’t worth the effort philosophy for an outlook where you are getting enjoyment out of your workout for itself. You are not just working out for a number on the scale but for your health. I try to mix up my exercise routines and also try to do exercises that I enjoy often. Same thing with eating. I have made a healthy choice in my diet not just to reach a goal but for overall health. I am getting enjoyment out of eating right just for my own good. I may never reach my goal, but I’m feeling great just where I am.
Using a step down approach to weight loss, as in losing some, stabilizing for a while, then losing more, and so forth makes a lot of sense. It seems to me that it gives us a “new” set point and makes the whole process less difficult. The only advice I have on this, however, is don’t just “yo-yo” rather than descend the stairs.
Well-said! I’m very happy if I’m NOT gaining. Staying the same weight is a good thing; it means that we’ve figured out the appropriate, healthy weight for our body to be at (even if it’s temporary maintenance that we’re talking about).
.-= Sagan´s last blog ..The Living Healthy in the Real World Guide to Grocery Shopping, Part Two: Building the Basics =-.
When I lost 30 pounds, with every 10 pounds I lost, I would “sit” with that weight for a month or two – I wanted to get used to being at that new weight so it would feel normal to me. Then when it felt normal, I would actively try to lose the next 10 pounds. I’ve maintained the weight I’m at right now for a few months and I’m working on losing the last 20 pounds. For me, slow and steady really is the best way to go!
.-= Jill´s last blog ..Livin la vida funky =-.
Maintenance has been much harder. I’ve had to focus on other things in my fitness and eating since the weight was staying pretty much the same. But I like a challenge and it’s been interesting.
.-= Cynthia (It All Changes)´s last blog ..Food Detective =-.
I wish I had maintained 3 years ago instead.Then I’d still be half way to my goal. This time around I hope to remember your post.
Thanks for the beans comment!
.-= John´s last blog ..Family Day =-.
I think eating in a calorie deficit for a long period of time can be both physically and mentally draining. I like the idea of even temporary maintenance on purpose – a few weeks where you switch your focus from weight loss to relaxing up a bit and keeping your weight the same for a while.
I’ve also said many times that losing the weight was the easy part, maintaining the weight loss is where the real work begins.
.-= Susan´s last blog ..‘F’ is for Balance =-.
Great post and something that I think doesn’t get talked about much. I have not lost major weight yet, but a huge positive for me has been the general maintaining and not being in a pattern of gaining over the past few months. Other than the holidays(LESSON LEARNED!, it’s the first time in literally years that I have not been on a steady, quick incline with my weight. I’ve been up and down like crazy, so just to see myself sustain a consistent weight has been very positive for me and motivating in helping me to believe that I really can, and am, making the changes I need to make in my life – not just in the number on the scale, but especially in my mind.
.-= Lillian´s last blog ..Good Food =-.
I hate when I plateau! But this is the time where maintenace is important! I love that you are talking about this because it’s so critical to your weight loss goals or just maintaining weight. Like Dr. Oz said, staying or getting healthy is a life long journey.
I recorded Dr. Oz’s show yesterday and watched it after work. You were amazing and looked great! It was so awesome to see you on TV after talking back and forth. I was excited for you! Keep on inspiring people!
Jen
.-= Jen-JensFitnessTips.com´s last blog ..Olympic Special #1: Luge Abdominals =-.
I turned it on yesterday but it was about cheating men!
I must see if I can find the show online or something 
.-= tj´s last blog ..My night off from cooking… =-.
Good post Diane. Since the beginning I set a number for myself. I don’t know that I really believed I would get here. Now that I’m here I feel like maybe I could lose more. But I’m not sure it’s what I want so right now I am at maintenance (temporary maybe) but really for me it won’t be any different than what I’ve been doing but maybe a few more calories. I think just a few hundred calories really is the difference between losing, gaining or maintaining.
.-= Dawn´s last blog ..New York and meeting new people =-.
Diane, I read part of this as if you typed it just for me. I NEVER looked at my almost year-long plateau as temporary maintenance. I was so caught up in it as it was happening and it was so incredibly frustrating. In hindsight, maybe it was a blessing in disguise, because I now know how to maintain to some extent. Now that I’m inching my way out of the plateau, I’m ecstatic, and I’ll have a faint idea of how to maintain when I reach my goal weight. Thank you for sharing this topic with the world (me). It’s very comforting!
.-= Erin´s last blog ..DOMS Got You Down? =-.
First I got frustrated. Then came acceptance. Acceptance, especially this last time, that this probably IS ‘the last 10-15 pounds’ I need to lose, and “need” is VERY subjective! I’m well within a healthy BMI, no one on the outside thinks I need to lose weight, so I am accepting that perhaps this is the weight my body feels (most?) comfortable at. I can face a lifetime of staying at this weight. First I feared maintenance (because I’ve never been successful at it)…now I’m embracing it. I realize I’m not the same woman now I’ve ever been previously, and frankly, doubt I ever really did attempt maintenance seriously. I always hit a goal weight (or gave up), and went right back to my old stupid ways. Never again. Actually, I’m in the fun “discovery” stage of maintenance, learning what works, what doesn’t. And it IS fun to learn how to do this.
.-= Sunny´s last blog ..When Worlds Collide! =-.
I’ve been temporarily maintaining for so long that I’m in habit of just continuing with the regimen while mixing things up.
Thanks for the reminder to focus on the positive.
.-= ‘Drea´s last blog ..Dot, Period, The End =-.
As ‘Drea said. Because I weigh at all times of day on so many different scales, it’s hard to really tell if my weight is changing or not. Sometimes it shifts two pounds in two months, possibly, but my clothes are looser. Since this is now my lifestyle, not a diet, I just continue, after making sure I haven’t drifted too much with eating or exercise. At some point, it’ll get harder and harder to lose, so I no longer will. I don’t think I’m there yet, not even sure I’m temporarily maintaining, just losing extremely slowly. Yeah, that’s it!
.-= julie´s last blog ..Too tired to be #*&^% with! =-.
Hi Diane, Let me first say my wife and I saw the Dr. Oz show yesterday and you and your (100) friends looked great!
As for the temporary maintaining, – I did this over the holidays last year… you see the previous year I had gained all of my weight back over the holidays. Last year my only goal over the holidays was to hold my ground (I did)!
I really like to see blogs with hints and success stories and I agree the real goal is lasting weight loss.
Well I’m back to losing… really boring but steady by counting every calorie rather than just eyeballing it.
Happy Wednesday!
.-= John W. Zimmer´s last blog ..Update: Workouts and BJJ! =-.
I am currently experiencing what I would consider temporary maintenance and I’m not even half way to my goal. While I wish I was losing faster, I am happy that I have lost and maintained that lost. More importantly I’m happy that my mind is in the right place.
.-= Siobhan´s last blog ..this time =-.
Thank you thank you thank you for this post. I lost 40 pounds about 4 years ago, and often get mad at myself that I have not been able to continue losing. (I should lose at least another 25 to get within a “healthy” range.) Your post reminded me to give myself credit for maintaining
.-= shannon´s last blog ..Quick morning post =-.
You were terrific on Dr. Oz! I wish they made it a 2 hour special so we could have seen more of the big 100+ pound losers. I loved your healthy tips. You are such an inspiration and now the whole world knows what we’ve known for a long time.
That would have been so great if it had been longer and they could have featured more people!!
thanks for this post, I definitely needed to hear it today!
.-= rebecca @ durch dick und duenn´s last blog ..Actual, lessons Learned =-.
The good stuff: You did a phenomenal job on the show, Diane, and you looked BEAUTIFUL! I love the “full face” — great eye brows
The not-so-good stuff: I was disappointed that Dr. Oz opened the show by saying that his guests had lost weight the “old-fashioned” way — “without surgery”…they’d done it with “hard work.”
Of course, as a weight loss surgery person, I get those sorts of comments all the time, but I still hate to hear it from doctors who are supposed to be educated about this sorta stuff.
Is there a rule that says we can only celebrate people who lost weight WITHOUT surgery by demeaning people who lost weight WITH surgery?
I talk about this a lot — it really doesn’t matter how you LOSE the weight; what matters is how you KEEP IT OFF. Ultimately, whether you had surgery or didn’t, you have to maintain the same way: Healthy eating, active lifestyle, good choices. (But you know all this).
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I was totally impressed by you and your tips and believe that everything mentioned on that show applies to someone like me…who took the easy way out and didn’t work hard at it (ha ha — right!)
I know you don’t share Dr. Oz’s views that people who have weight loss surgery are cheaters or lazy people, and that’s why I always feel welcome on your site, but I just wanted you to know what I was thinking
Anyway, congrats again — YOU ROCK! :-*
.-= Cari (aka Gastric Bypass Barbie)´s last blog ..Pay No Attention To That Man Behind The Curtain =-.
Oh I’m so glad you posted this. I don’t blog about it but I’ve been on a journey to lose about 50 pounds as well and darn it if I’ve hit a plateau again, but I’m glad to hear your journey of your body readjusting at about every 50 pounds. Mine has been about every 22 pounds. I didn’t have much to lose, so I’m really close to my 2nd goal (I’ve already hit my first and readjusted my new goal by about 15 pounds) and it is SO frustrating. But thanks for putting it into perspective again! I needed it this week!
Great post! I get upset when I reach this “temporary maintenance”, though honestly I feel that it’s because I know I’ve hit a small goal and find myself getting lax with my food choices/quantities to celebrate of sorts.
I like that phrase much better than “stuck in a plateau” also.
.-= Leah´s last blog ..My Turtle Journey =-.
Diane, I can’t believe I’m just finding your blog now. You are such an inspiration. I lost 135 lbs four years ago and have kept the weight off ever since. I’m just beginning my own blog to share what I’ve learned, my recipes, etc. Thanks for all of your insightful writing that I’ve seen so far.
I think for me, losing 135 lbs required me to change so much of myself and my life that I never knew how to go back to 268 lbs. By the time I got to my current weight, I was too changed and too aware that I used food as emotional currency for my whole life to ever go back to old patterns of overeating.
This is a great and important topic. Thanks!
I am tried of my temp maintaining and its time to move on. Pray for me…we’re trying something and see if we can kick start something before I lose my gumption!
.-= Pam´s last blog ..Going Old Skool =-.
This is just what I needed to hear. You are so right about this and I had never really thought of it that way. I get to little slumps here and there where I’m not gaining but I’m not losing either, but I just keep pushing on. I often get discouraged- so this is such a great way to look at it!
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..WI at Work Day =-.
Such an important post because we’re all going to experience those down times. I love the positive spin on this. We really need to remember the wonderful achievements and steps we’ve taken so far instead of being so down on ourselves and worried about why the weight isn’t coming off right away.
.-= Anonymous Fat Girl´s last blog ..Thoughts on gastric bypass =-.
I’m so sad! You were pre-empted in Memphis for the Olympics–and it was hockey, for goodness’ sake! Fingers crossed that they re-run it this summer.
.-= Cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..My First Lent, My Way =-.
i’m in a temporary maintenance now. It’s tough, but it gives me a chance to focus on healthy habits.
.-= Mackattack (Beth)´s last blog ..Ravioli with spinach and bacon =-.
Congrats on the Dr. Oz appearance – I can’t wait to watch it!
.-= SeattleRunnerGirl´s last blog ..What I’m Thinking About Now =-.
Diane, I am so excited for you. You are such an inspiration to so many. I can’t believe we will both be on the Dr. OZ show. Please make sure you let me know when it will air so I can watch. Dr. OZ Rocks!! He is so kind and warm.
Maintenance is so hard. It’s as hard as losing the weight.
Hug’s coming your way!!
Jill
My sister was kind enough to tell me I should read your blog today as I am going through temporary maintenance. I am holding my weight after lossing around 90 pounds. I decided to let myself maintain my weight loss for a while possibly until my birthday in April. Allowing myself to maintain my weight loss, gave me the freedom not to be frustrated with not losing weight. Am I very proud of myself, I have loss the weight on my own. I continue to work out 5 times a week and to eat healthy.
By the way, I have maintained my weight for about a month now. I am happy maintaining my weight because I am not gaining. I still hope to loss about 20 pounds but I can wait. I have come so far and the last 20 will be the hardest. The neat thing about lossing weight this time is that it was the first time that I did not go on a diet. I just changed my eating habits a little at a time until I was eating totally different than before.
LOVED your TV weight loss secrets. Especially rating your food. I’m implementing that … and the others … immediately. THANK YOU.
.-= Sherre´s last blog ..More Whys and More TV Therapy =-.
Just wanted to say that you were great on Dr. Oz – I was able to catch it after all! I taped it and watched it with my husband and got pretty emotional at a couple of points. It was pretty surreal to have a couple of the guests voice what we have all been through. I think it was especially poignant for me because I just passed that particular milestone a few days ago. Anyhow, it was a well put together show, and you looked beautiful and were very well spoken. Great job, Diane!
.-= 266´s last blog ..My, Oh My, What A Wonderful Day =-.