Three years ago, my daughter Karen and I went over to our local Jenny Craig. Karen had finished her college eligibility in track and field, and wanted to shed her shot putter pounds. Little did I know that she and her dad had conspired to convince me to join, too, which of course I did. What a difference that decision has made! A month after we joined, Mr. F was so impressed with our progress (and with the fact we were eating chocolate cupcakes and losing weight) that he joined, too. Collectively, we have lost a fairly decent-sized NFL lineman.
This is Weight Loss Maintenance?
I’ve lost weight successfully before, but the difference this time is that I’ve been able to maintain the loss. It took me about ten months to shed 80 pounds, but I’ve kept my weight in a 3 lb. range in the more than 2 years since then. Maintenance is a whole different mindset than weight loss, and there is just as much of a learning curve as there is with weight loss. One of the most helpful bits of advice comes from Brian Wansink and his Mindless Eating website: People who maintain healthy weights have a system for doing so, and are very regular in their habits. My system is not too different from other people in the National Weight Control Registry:
- Get on the scale daily. Little gains are much easier to deal with than big gains.
- Eat a diet that is low in protein and fats.
- Exercise.
- Avoid watching TV.
- Eat breakfast.
I would also add “Don’t make excuses.” It’s not water weight, it’s not the time of the month, it’s weight, so fix it now.
Probably the biggest difference between my system and the NWCR advice is that I do not do any formal, sweaty exercise. Mr. F and I walk several miles a day, which to me is walking, not exercise. It seems to be enough, however, that we feel healthy. The other trick we’ve learned is to have the occasional treat that you truly enjoy. We do not “waste” our calories on “routine” treats, like the cardboard cookies you can buy at the store. If we’re having a treat, it’s a TREAT. Mr. F just baked me one of my favorites, lemon meringue pie, and he spares no expense or quality. I wouldn’t bother making things with artificial sweeteners–yuck. I’d rather have the real thing, just less often. This seems to make maintaining a weight loss effortless, as you’re not going without.
So why “stay on” Jenny Craig? Well, we like the convenience of using their foods, and after some very careful label reading, it is virtually impossible to duplicate the healthfulness of their products and their tastiness in the regular supermarket. This is Nestle, after all, and Nestle makes most of the food we buy in high end restaurants anyway. So we use their foods when we want to, make our own when we want to, and keep our weights where we want them. Hard to complain about that.
5 Comments
vdowell · November 11, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I couldn’t agree more with what you said about wasting calories, I for one cant stand what my friends and I jokingly call, “low grade confectionery.” I usually try to avoid buying junk food when I go shopping. I find it really helpful because whenever I get hungry at home, I only have healthier food to choose from. However, my roommate and I both suffer from sweet tooth’s and take the occasional trip to Splash Cafe for a treat. I feel like its much better to eat something worthwhile when you want to indulge a craving. If not… I find myself wanting more, more, more instead of being satisfied with one serving.
That being said its really hard being healthy in college… ordering pizza can be way too convenient and enticing during late night study sessions. oops! :/
MakeyvaD · November 12, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I agree with having a maintenace mindset rather than a weight loss mindset, because I know a few very heavy people who had a weight loss surgery and everyone of them ended up gaining there weight back and maybe even more weight. People don’t realize that once they lose weight they still have to work hard to maintain it. I also agree with eating your favorite treat sometimes when you don’t feel like being so healthy to give yourself a break and to reward yourself for being so healthy which will probably help you keep the maintenance up. So don’t eat the cookies with splenda, but eat the REAL real cookies because even diabetics need the real thing sometimes.
ylabiaga · November 14, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I have never been a believer in diets. I guess I’ve been lucky since my parents always kept be active as a kid, taking ballet classes, gymnastics, and sports. It is true: being in shape is a lifestyle. Maybe for models and celebs who feel pressure to lose weight fast dieting is okay, but for the most part, I agree that being “fit” and healthy requires one to be consistent with their eating and exercise habits. We just learned about sleeping and waking in class, and I feel the eating right and exercising on a regular basis is JUST as important as getting a good night’s sleep. Our bodies are not meant to take abuse too often, and just like a car, you have to maintain it regularly.
Also, I agree that if you’re going to indulge in sweets or junk food, do it whole-heartedly but just know that you’ll have to get back on track after. I really can’t stand those fake sweeteners and all the ‘light’ stuff out there. One, sorbitol probably isn’t good for you, and secondly, we all deserve a treat once in a while. I think people are getting smarter about dieting and realizing that really the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to live a healthy lifestyle.
NikkiNoroian · November 14, 2009 at 6:04 pm
That is so true about lower calorie deserts! They do not taste the same and don’t satisfy my (occasional) sweet tooth. I like your idea about eating the real thing, just not as often. I better start saving up for the pumpkin pie! 🙂
The people who successfully keep their weight off are the ones who are willing to make it a lifestyle change. There are so many people I know who lose weight by deprivation. When they reach their target weight, they go back to eating the way they used to, and gain it all back. You really have to learn to eat to live, not live to eat.
jessie ysunza · November 30, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Maintaining a healthy diet and balanced weight is more complex than loosing it in the first place. A balanced diet, like you said, involves exercise as well. I believe this is the biggest problem people have in understanding weight loss. So many advertisements for diet pills, wight loss plans, and short term eating patterns wrongly influence people who want to lose weight. Many of these plans are temporary and make people believe that once they are off a substance their weight will maintain itself. In reality, it is control of our eating patterns and control of WHAT we eat that will keep us healthy and fit. I find it hard to keep a close eye on what I eat in such a busy college lifestyle. Sometimes it is more of convenience than quality. I feel as long as I don’t let poor eating habits turn into my lifestyle, the occasional sweet or greasy food is not too much harm..as long as I make it to the gym the next day!
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