So I recently got back in the pool after 1040 weeks of rest(20 years). When I swam in college I was a middle distance swimmer and like a lot of mid/distance guys worrying about my weight was never an issue. At 6'5" i weighed a whoping 139 freshman year and 160 senior year. 12 months into my hieatus I weighed in at 215lb where I have been +/- 10lbs ever since. When I got back in to the pool 9 weeks ago I weighed 223lbs. I have never considered myself vein however the tire around my waist partially covered by my board shorts was a little embarrassing. After some gentle coaxing by my coach I bought a jammer and started a diet. I believe his words were something like, "we have one rule and that's guys have to wear drag suits or jammers, but in your case he would wave the rule until I shed 30lbs". That's how I remember it anyhow!
I set a goal of 190lbs which equates to a BMI of 18.5 and ~11% body fat. I looked around for something that would enable me to manage what I ate and how much I ate and was recommended MyFitnessPal. I have used the app religiously and have so far lost 27lbs and hope to hit my target before Christmas. Now that I am nearing my target I am worried about moving from weight loss to weight maintenance. Does anyone have any suggestions on transitioning from Weight loss to weight management and how to stay motivated. I plan on being competitive again with my swimming but want to keep the weight off but not drop to an unhealthy weight. Any help is appreciated.
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Now that I am nearing my target I am worried about moving from weight loss to weight maintenance.
That is appropriate - all the truly obese people I know have at some point, gotten their weight down, then gained that weight (plus more!) back within 2 or 3 years.
So, you're almost finished with the short and easy part of weight control - now you're in for the long, hard haul. It may sound flippant referring to what you've done so far as "short" and "easy," but I'm serious - people fail in the maintenence, not in the weight loss.
I would suggest holding off on losing the last bit for your goal - the holiday season could start a rebound and right now stabilizing your weight for a few weeks could be better than losing another pound or two.
How much you weigh in 5 weeks? No importance at all. None.
How much will you weigh in 5 years?
Next year, you could try losing maybe a pound every two weeks until you get very close to your goal - then a pound a month. Surprisingly, you won't find that a lot easier than losing the 3 or 4 pounds a week that you have been doing. What it will give you that losing faster won't is training for maintaining your weight.
Losing 3 pounds a weeks isn't at all like maintaining a low weight, but 1/2 pound a week is. Also, for me, it is a lot easier to keep motivated while I'm losing weight - even if that weight loss is only a pound a month.
I lost 9 pounds in 2011. I lost 7 pounds between January and the end of October. I'm in my holiday weight loss moratorium right now, then I plan to lose another 3 or 4 pounds next year. Even with this "continental drift" weight loss pace, I expect the danger period to be the first 2 or 3 years after I make my goal.
BTW - I'm a medical scientist (uh... sort of), but I've found the weight loss medical literature to be utter trash. Most of the studies are for 10 weeks to 6 months. That isn't really weight loss, IMO, just playing games with your weight.
"Long term" studies are for one year. WTF? That is like a 50 yard "endurance swim."
The literature is geared towards weight loss docs. Basically its "How to make tons of money keeping phat suckahs happy enough that they'll be back in a few years." This is closer to consumer fraud than it is to medicine.
Now that I am nearing my target I am worried about moving from weight loss to weight maintenance.
That is appropriate - all the truly obese people I know have at some point, gotten their weight down, then gained that weight (plus more!) back within 2 or 3 years.
So, you're almost finished with the short and easy part of weight control - now you're in for the long, hard haul. It may sound flippant referring to what you've done so far as "short" and "easy," but I'm serious - people fail in the maintenence, not in the weight loss.
I would suggest holding off on losing the last bit for your goal - the holiday season could start a rebound and right now stabilizing your weight for a few weeks could be better than losing another pound or two.
How much you weigh in 5 weeks? No importance at all. None.
How much will you weigh in 5 years?
Next year, you could try losing maybe a pound every two weeks until you get very close to your goal - then a pound a month. Surprisingly, you won't find that a lot easier than losing the 3 or 4 pounds a week that you have been doing. What it will give you that losing faster won't is training for maintaining your weight.
Losing 3 pounds a weeks isn't at all like maintaining a low weight, but 1/2 pound a week is. Also, for me, it is a lot easier to keep motivated while I'm losing weight - even if that weight loss is only a pound a month.
I lost 9 pounds in 2011. I lost 7 pounds between January and the end of October. I'm in my holiday weight loss moratorium right now, then I plan to lose another 3 or 4 pounds next year. Even with this "continental drift" weight loss pace, I expect the danger period to be the first 2 or 3 years after I make my goal.
BTW - I'm a medical scientist (uh... sort of), but I've found the weight loss medical literature to be utter trash. Most of the studies are for 10 weeks to 6 months. That isn't really weight loss, IMO, just playing games with your weight.
"Long term" studies are for one year. WTF? That is like a 50 yard "endurance swim."
The literature is geared towards weight loss docs. Basically its "How to make tons of money keeping phat suckahs happy enough that they'll be back in a few years." This is closer to consumer fraud than it is to medicine.
