THE TRUTH ABOUT MAINTENANCE! Blog

So I’ve been struggling a bit this week. I'm still a bit lost as to any major goals as I’m feeling pretty good at where I’m at. I suppose I’ve been on a mission all year to get rid of the baby weight and feel good and now I’ve done it I feel a bit lost.

I’ve been reminded that losing the fat is actually easier than finding that nice balance called maintenance. Right now I’m most probably 5kg lighter than before I had Braden and feeling pretty good. What’s hard is that I no longer need to follow a plan, I’m not on a big mission to lose the weight, so now what?

Right now I’d be pretty happy to stay where I am although I’ve realised that maintenance is actually going to take a bit of work. What I’m finding is that with no set plan or direction I’m getting a bit lost. I’m good for a couple of days and then I go off track and the cycle continues. So what I need is to actually learn now that I’ve reached my happy place what my body can and can’t handle and just exactly what I need to do to maintain.

This is where people often go off track! How many times have you seen people lose weight only to stack it all back on quicker than they lost it, maybe it’s even happened to you. It’s good to know it’s pretty normal and that you can actually do something about it.

First step is to treat maintenance like the next chapter. Like weight loss it does take some effort, planning and monitoring until you actually develop some new habits. This doesn’t mean you are sticking to another plan forever but it’s good to acknowledge that you do need to put in some effort.

Second Step is to work out exactly what you can and can’t handle. This means looking at what you were eating and how much training you were doing while losing weight and SLOWLY making adjustments. This might mean you reduce your training a bit and add in a couple of extra small treats or some more good starchy carbs to some of your meals. The key is to not add too much all at once or simply stop all your exercise.

Third Step, have a plan and monitor it! How do you really know what your body can and can’t handle if you don’t take that extra bit of time to really work out what you can add back in and how your body responds.

The reality is that maintenance isn’t all that much difference to fat loss. You’ll be still eating similar meals but maybe some portions might be larger, a few more treats or a bit less cardio. So make sure when you are losing the weight that you start to train your mind to realise that these new habits are forever as this is the only way you are going to lose the weight and keep it off for good!

So this is where I’m at. I mentioned the other day that I was going to set some goals and for now mine is simply to BE CONSISTENT AND MAINTAIN! I know its not very exciting but it will be one of the most beneficial stages that I will go through.

So for the next 6 weeks my goals are:

- No more than 6 drinks per week
- Chocolate once per week
- One treat meal per week
- Two cappuccinos per week
- Cut out the extra picking
- Stick to my usual healthy eating routine
- 3-4 Runs per week
- 1-2 Bike sessions per week
- 3 weight sessions per week!

Once I feel confident that I can maintain my weight then it will be time to set some more challenging goals!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Hilds
P.S I'll be keeping you updated on my progress on the GAO Facebook private group http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1013987729&ref=ffl#!/groups/235358806491821/