I keep the ultimate goal in mind, and keep a ballpark idea in my head of when I expect to achieve it, but I generally only really worry myself with the next month or so. The second thing I do is only really focus on short term goals. It gives me something to push for, but as long as I meet my easy goal, I feel happy about my progress. The second is a stretch goal that is possible, but barely. One is a goal that will be fairly easy to hit, that I don't have to stress about much.
I just wanted to give my two cents on why I don't think it's a bad thing to have long maintenance breaks, since you really actually do have all the time in the world and it is okay to lose it slowly.Īs far as setting timelines and goals, I do 2 things that seem to help me. That's fine, but if that's true, I don't know what advice to give you other than to eat more consistently at a deficit and stop eating so much on weekends. If you're worried about taking breaks, then it sounds like you might still have a timeframe in mind, whether it's one you've officially decided on or not. It also pretty much removes any possibility that I'll "give up" on losing weight, because if I'm tired of eating at a deficit, I just take a break for however long I need. I think these breaks have been pretty instrumental in giving me confidence that I can successfully maintain when I get there. At this time last year I was similarly paying minimal attention to my intake but was rapidly gaining weight. The fact that I can, for a month or more, not meticulously pay attention to what I'm eating or drinking, but can still pay just enough attention and rely on my new habits to not gain any weight, is a pretty considerable victory for me. Like you, I have no timeline in mind and take maintenance breaks frequently and whenever I want, and like you, I've lost minimal weight since December 1st. I run or use the elliptical roughly 2-3 times a week and am hoping to increase that to 4-5 times a week, though I know you cannot outrun your fork.Īny tips of suggestions or insights you might have in regards to finding a balance between having a time frame for weight loss and going at it really hard and also adjusting for it to be a lifestyle change at the same time would be much appreciated! I do not weight my food (this is something I've learned will not be sustainable for myself) but I do measure them. At 5'1" and 148lbs, my allowance is 1300 calories per day, even though it should/could be 1200. I've been losing and gaining the same 2lbs since December. I'm having a lot of maintenance weeks because "I have all the time in the world to lose the weight and it's okay to lose it slowly and have a bigger meal because it's a special occasion" but I'm finding those special occasions are almost every weekend.
I'm finding that this mindset has me somewhat complacent though. I've been trying to shift to having the mindset to one where this is a lifestyle change and I should be okay with losing weight at a slower pace focused through diet moreso than exercise. The timeline method had also led me to giving up before when after a certain time I realize it's physically impossible to complete my goal. However, I've clearly gained it back each time. It usually only took me a few months of incredibly strict eating and working out nearly every day. I've been stuck in a rut for the past 3 months trying to balance between losing weight using the mindset of having a specific date at which point I want to lose weights versus being in the mindset of this being a lifestyle change.įor some background, I've lost 30lbs several times now using the timeline method where I usually give myself a date at which I need to lose to the weight.
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