Back in maintenance mode - yeee haaa!

Ah yes, so I am indeed back in maintenance mode. For me that means I've got back down to my I-feel-good-at-this-weight weight. My jeans are comfortable and I feel leaner. It also means that to maintain this weight I stick to a clean programme every day except Saturdays ... those are my 'free days'. I can eat whatever I want. This works for me.

It works on the physical level - I maintain this weight. And the food that forms the bulk of my diet is tasty, satisfying and nourishing to my body.

This maintenance mode also works for me on a psychological level - I know that come Saturday I can enjoy all the treat foods without guilt. I like to plan ahead ... if we're going to be at home I think about what new recipe I could try cooking. Or if we're going to be out, what restaurant fare sounds appealing. There is also plenty of leeway if we're invited to friends' place for say a barbecue. I get to partake in all the delicious foods on offer and enjoy the great company of friends! Can't get much better than that.

I guess what I really want to say is that I need this 'system' (for want of a better word) to maintain my weight. If I didn't follow this system I would be 20 pounds or more overweight. I am not naturally thin, I am not naturally inclined to eat healthy and really, I have to make myself exercise. I know in my heart that eating healthy and exercise is good for me, but it still requires effort and consistency.

Weight maintenance really is *maintenance*!

Ah, my first post to this blog, and if I am to be truly honest and accountable I have to say that I am currently about 6-8 pounds over my ideal weight. It doesn't sound like much, and it's not *really* (I can still fit into my jeans! But why is that rather large roll of fat hanging over my waistband when I sit down??) However, it is the actions and lack of action that has caused my weight to slowly creep up over the past 5 months.

In January this year I checked in with my nutritionist and was actually down a few pounds since seeing her three months prior which at that time I was at my ideal maintaining weight. Now I was slowly losing even more weight by just eating as per the programme she put together for me.

"You know what that means," she said with a smile and then whispered, "you can eat a bit more!"

"Yipee!!" I said. Not that I had been missing out, but if it meant I could eat more, well that was right up my alley.

"Instead of having just one 'free' day on the weekend, you can have a 'free' weekend, " she told me. "And if you feel your clothes getting a bit tight, well then go back to just one 'free' day" ('Free' meaning eat & drink whatever and how-much-ever you want).

I liked the sound of that! So for the past five months, every weekend I ate whatever I wanted, no holding back. Mmmmm, good times. However, I now realise I got a bit sloppy with the rest of my programme ... I slacked off with my walking, I ditched my food diary and I even convinced myself that I could sneak in a few mid-week treats because, surely, with my zippy metabolism it wouldn't make a difference.

Alas, fat roll hanging over waistband does not lie. And I'm not being hard on myself, I just know if I keep doing what I am doing right now that in 6 more months I will have put on another 6-8 pounds. So, I take stock now and get back on track.

That means:

1. Start the walking again - now I get up at 7am each morning and go for a 40 minute walk before my 2.5 year old wakes up.

2. Keep the food diary - it makes me accountable for what I am actually eating (no more sneaky mid-week treats) which leads on to the next point:

3. Make an appointment with my nutritionist for a check up (that's going to be on July 14). She will review my diary and see what areas need tweaking (which probably means one 'free' day on the weekend, not two!)

I have learned a lot about weight loss, maintenance and nutrition in the last five years. Certainly one of the most important things I've learned is that weight maintenance is *maintenance* you actually have to do some stuff in a regular, habitual way to not only stay a particular weight but to keep healthy. I am grateful to my jeans and be reminded of this right now!