Sooooo...I was reminded that its been a little over two months now since I started the maintenance phase and figured I'd post an update and share some lessons I've learned so far. First a quick background refresher: I had initially set a goal weight of 120 lbs (I'm 5'2"). When I got to 127 two months ago, I decided I didn't need to go any further, partly because I felt I was getting too small, and partly because of the comments of others saying I was too small. I went from 600 cals to 1000 cals, which my body seemed to reject, so I went back down to 800, then 900, then 1000 by the end of month one. The increases in calories were more due to choosing higher calorie foods (nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocados, cheese, butter, cream, sauces, fattier proteins). Increasing volume did not help as much as I get/got full pretty easily. Then I lost 9+ lbs that first month anyway. This scared me a tiny bit (ok, maybe more than a tiny bit). Now an update: I am now a week past 2 months in maintenance, and up until last week MFP tells me I was averaging 1500 cals a day over 7 days. I was pretty pleased last week as I managed to keep the weight loss to only 2.8 lbs for the entire month. However. This past week MFP tells me I have been averaging 1000 again, and I dropped 2 extra lbs. This morning I weighed in at 114.6 lbs, with a BMI of 21. I'm not really surprised given my calorie intake and the fact that my exercise routine has increased...not so much in duration, but in intensity (i.e., instead of walking, I'm now running). I drink at least 2.5 litres of Water a day, aim for 60g Protein, take all my Vitamins, do 1 hour of some sort of dedicated exercise every day, and, thanks to @GreenTealael's July challenge, continue to do the arm exercises daily that actually made a visible difference to my arms! Mentally, I am in a much better place. I can feel that I am not as anxious anymore about "runaway" weight loss, nor do I feel that strong fear of regain. I personally attribute this to: (1) Accepting that I actually have some control over my weight/body: If I eat too little, I lose weight, If I don't I wont. The fear/anxiety I had surrounding losing too much or gaining it all back was based on a line of thinking that I had no control over it all. But I do! I trust that if I put in the honest effort, I will succeed in navigating through this and beyond. (2) Having a "cushion" between my current weight and my max acceptable weight. Knowing that I am about 13-ish lbs below my personal max allows me to eat a little more freely, and basically relax, you know? So I think the extra weight loss past goal was actually a good thing. (3) Now this may sound pretty stupid and vain to some, but honestly, wearing clothes that look good on me and making myself presentable every morning does wonders to one's confidence. And confidence makes everything so much easier...and ACHIEVABLE. I mean I feel like a million bucks most days...and all because I'm wearing super cute shoes. So shout-out to @sillykitty who started that OOTD thread that seems to be cultivating EVERYONE's confidence. Soooooo...with all that said, a few other things I have learned this past month: a) I am a daily weigher. Unlike the weight loss phase, when my weight fluctuated form 0-1 lbs day to day, now my weight will fluctuate between 0-3 lbs day to day. I've learned to get used to this for the sake of my sanity. I also think that daily weighing (for those that can handle it of course), is the best way to stay on track. b) Instead of trying to hit my caloric goal consistently every day, I try instead to get my weekly average around said caloric goal. So in essence, I have regular days when I eat "normally" and then will have a day or two in the week when I get to indulge. Right now my goal is 1500, but I know I need to go higher as I still lose weight at this level, taking my exercise habits into consideration (working on it). c) Getting all my calories in is WORK. I felt, and still feel, like I am eating non-stop between noon and 7pm. It does not help that I eat so effing slow. I know this will not last forever, and that eventually my stomach will allow more volume, but still. Sometimes I just want to eat a giant slice of cake or something to just get it over with, but then I remember the dumping. Boo. d) I am still slightly carb-phobic. While there have been days when I'd reach up to 100g of net carbs, I'm usually around 30g most days. I'm okay with this. e) I really do enjoy logging my food! It speaks to the anal side of me, lol. It helped to keep me on track during weight loss phase, and maybe even more so in maintenance phase. During weight loss, you basically have to just get under a certain level, it didn't matter how under, so long as it was under. In maintenance, more aim/precision is required...not too under, and not too over...MFP helps me tremendously in that.
OK, I feel like I've just written a small novel. Sorry this was so long!