Just hit 1,000 days of logging in MFP, including 22 months maintaining!
I've just hit 1,000 days of logging my calories in My Fitness Pal and have actually been needing a bit of accountability, so I thought I'd make a post about it. I'm 25, 5'6", and went from ~200lbs in September 2018 to, currently, a little over 140lbs. Here's my graph.
What I did to lose the weight: I started with 1,700 calories/day and cut down to one can of soda per day (soda was my no.1 vice). The first 2 weeks were so hard. I had a constant headache from significantly reducing my sugar intake and stomach pains from eating less. But I got through it and it only got easier. Eventually I went down to 1,500 cal/day and, for the last 10lbs, 1,200. I exercised occasionally but not a lot. My progress was 99% diet.
What I did to maintain the weight: My initial goal was 150lbs, but I adjusted it once I got there because I wanted to give myself a bit of a buffer. Once I reached 140lbs, I went back up to 1,500 and then 1,700 cal/day. A few months into maintenance, I also started exercising 4-5 times/week, some light strength training and a tiny bit of cardio.
Since then, I haven't fluctuated more than a few pounds. As you can see on my graph, my weight has gone up slightly 2 times during maintenance. The first was at the beginning of lockdown, when I lost access to the fitness center where I used to work out and became a lot more sedentary. I adjusted my calories down a bit and the pounds came off.
The second time is now. I started trending up a bit in winter (I'm always more sedentary in winter), but I haven't gone back down yet because, where I live, Brood X of 17-year cicadas is currently out and active and it's not pleasant to go outside. But they're starting to thin out and my office has reopened for employees to go back to work in person if we want to, which means I can start going back to the fitness center there. I think I'll go in a few times this week and restart my exercise routine.
Overall, maintenance has been easier than I thought it would be. It requires accountability and keeping up the same habits I used to lose the weight, including counting calories and weighing myself daily, but by now they're just that: habits. Like brushing my teeth or balancing my budget. It's an inconvenience sometimes but I know I have to do it because the results are worth it.
My advice to anyone starting out on their journey would be that consistency is key. It's okay and normal to slip up sometimes, but as long as the days when you hit your goal are more frequent than the days when you don't, you'll get there.
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