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One of the best ways to maintain I've experienced is to just keep track of your weight every single day. And trying to do it while knowing daily fluctuations do

One of the best ways to maintain I've experienced is to just keep track of your weight every single day. And trying to do it while knowing daily fluctuations don't matter much, but that if over time you've gained a few kgs, you need to figure out what happened wrong and how to fix it. I had a daily habit metric to "eat well" but that was much more complex and mentally taxing, so I simplified it to "track your weight" which is just a minute of concrete simple investment every morning. Of course, weight isn't the only thing that matters, but if mostly you're eating healthy and quantity is the only issue then it's a useful metric to track.

petesergeant 3y ago
I can tell you how heavy I was on almost every day since 2009. Hasn’t helped.
- s1artibartfast 3y ago
  I think it was proposed as a strategy to keep the weight off, not loose it.
  - throwanem 3y ago
    It's both. You get to thinking about whether that extra slice you want but don't need is worth changing the trend, and it starts giving you the habit of 'nah'. Granted, this works well for me both because I know how often I can indulge myself and get away with it, and because I'm fairly vain about how I look. No idea if results are likely to be the same for someone not sharing both traits, but I've shed and kept off close to 20% of the 281lb I topped out at during the pandemic, which at least corroborates that this can support both reduction and maintenance.
bruce511 3y ago
I suspect one strategy won't work for everyone, but it certainly works for me as a motivator. Or to put it another way, when I weigh regularly my weight trends down, when I don't it trends up. Of course it goes without saying that standing on the scale has no direct impact on my weight. What I eat, and how much of it I eat, is the crucial factor. (I exercise 4 days a week as part of my regular schedule.) When it comes to "what" it will vary for everyone. For me it's limiting sugar (not eliminating, just being aware, and keeping that down when I can) and also limiting carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes. Again I've not gone for elimination, but just greatly reduced that good group. I eat very little restaurant good, and practically zero fast food, so that likely also plays a part. The important thing is to change slowly to something thats a new norm that's sustainable in the long run. It's not a diet in the sense that im not going hungry. It's just replacing one food with another so that I get more of grid and less of that. I love bread, potatoes, and chocolate. So I get those every few days. Just perhaps in more moderation than before, and not with every meal. I'm losing about a pound every 2 weeks which seems nicely balanced.
seer 3y ago
I never understood why “weight” is such a strong proxy to “fitness” in the popular mind. I usually don’t care how much I weigh, as long as I look fit. Building muscle increases your weight, but makes you look better and be healthier. Also muscle burns more calories to maintain, so you can eat more. Some of my friends who are fitness buffs track weight too but seek “gainz” not weight lossesss… I guess BMI is slightly better but not that great. I hope people come up with a better stat that encourages us to be “healthier” instead of lighter.
- rpmisms 3y ago
  Bodyfat percentage is usually a good indicator, but an even better one is what percentage of your bodyweight you can deadlift. A healthy adult should be able to deadlift their bodyweight. A fit adult: 1.5x. 2x is the line for really being strong (or thin and strong!)
  - seer 3y ago
    While probably a very good indicator, I refuse to deadlift out of principle. You have to be _really_ careful especially as you get more fit, as one mistake and you just wreck yourself for life. And I’m not particularly risk averse (went on a motorbike ride in the mountains of vietnam last year). Just don’t see the gainz from that particular exercise worth the risks.
    - Kirby64 3y ago
      Sounds like you’re buying into fear mongering on deadlifts, frankly. You do have to have good form, but it’s not some insurmountable task. And a singular injury is extremely unlikely to ruin your back forever. There’s also multiple variations or techniques to make them safer. RDLs, using a lifting belt, lighter weight and more reps, to name a few.
    - rpmisms 3y ago
      I love motorcycling too, but I'm cautious. As long as you build your strength carefully and lift with good technique, you'll not injure yourself. Same principles apply. Know what you're doing, have good fundamentals, and don't take unnecessary risks.

petesergeant 3y ago

I can tell you how heavy I was on almost every day since 2009. Hasn’t helped.

s1artibartfast 3y ago
I think it was proposed as a strategy to keep the weight off, not loose it.
- throwanem 3y ago
  It's both. You get to thinking about whether that extra slice you want but don't need is worth changing the trend, and it starts giving you the habit of 'nah'. Granted, this works well for me both because I know how often I can indulge myself and get away with it, and because I'm fairly vain about how I look. No idea if results are likely to be the same for someone not sharing both traits, but I've shed and kept off close to 20% of the 281lb I topped out at during the pandemic, which at least corroborates that this can support both reduction and maintenance.

bruce511 3y ago

I suspect one strategy won't work for everyone, but it certainly works for me as a motivator. Or to put it another way, when I weigh regularly my weight trends down, when I don't it trends up. Of course it goes without saying that standing on the scale has no direct impact on my weight. What I eat, and how much of it I eat, is the crucial factor. (I exercise 4 days a week as part of my regular schedule.) When it comes to "what" it will vary for everyone. For me it's limiting sugar (not eliminating, just being aware, and keeping that down when I can) and also limiting carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes. Again I've not gone for elimination, but just greatly reduced that good group. I eat very little restaurant good, and practically zero fast food, so that likely also plays a part. The important thing is to change slowly to something thats a new norm that's sustainable in the long run. It's not a diet in the sense that im not going hungry. It's just replacing one food with another so that I get more of grid and less of that. I love bread, potatoes, and chocolate. So I get those every few days. Just perhaps in more moderation than before, and not with every meal. I'm losing about a pound every 2 weeks which seems nicely balanced.

seer 3y ago

I never understood why “weight” is such a strong proxy to “fitness” in the popular mind. I usually don’t care how much I weigh, as long as I look fit. Building muscle increases your weight, but makes you look better and be healthier. Also muscle burns more calories to maintain, so you can eat more. Some of my friends who are fitness buffs track weight too but seek “gainz” not weight lossesss… I guess BMI is slightly better but not that great. I hope people come up with a better stat that encourages us to be “healthier” instead of lighter.

rpmisms 3y ago
Bodyfat percentage is usually a good indicator, but an even better one is what percentage of your bodyweight you can deadlift. A healthy adult should be able to deadlift their bodyweight. A fit adult: 1.5x. 2x is the line for really being strong (or thin and strong!)
- seer 3y ago
  While probably a very good indicator, I refuse to deadlift out of principle. You have to be _really_ careful especially as you get more fit, as one mistake and you just wreck yourself for life. And I’m not particularly risk averse (went on a motorbike ride in the mountains of vietnam last year). Just don’t see the gainz from that particular exercise worth the risks.
  - Kirby64 3y ago
    Sounds like you’re buying into fear mongering on deadlifts, frankly. You do have to have good form, but it’s not some insurmountable task. And a singular injury is extremely unlikely to ruin your back forever. There’s also multiple variations or techniques to make them safer. RDLs, using a lifting belt, lighter weight and more reps, to name a few.
  - rpmisms 3y ago
    I love motorcycling too, but I'm cautious. As long as you build your strength carefully and lift with good technique, you'll not injure yourself. Same principles apply. Know what you're doing, have good fundamentals, and don't take unnecessary risks.