I was doing some long overdue tidying this morning when I came across a pile of literature from WW. Out of about 135 pages of material, there were just two pages dedicated to maintenance. The “All About Maintenance” pamphlet features a really nice picture of a woman of uncertain heritage in a red hoodie, smiling broadly, seemingly because she reached her weight goal.
The advice in the pamphlet is exactly what I got from my WW leader when I reached my goal in 2017: Add five points to your tracker. Watch the scale and make adjustments accordingly. “Tips for handling setbacks” comprised a little less than half of the text in the pamphlet and advised the reader to (1) choose an intervention weight (at which you will take some kind of action), (2) go back to weight-loss mode by subtracting those five points you added earlier, and (3) make an action plan, specifying three things that you will do differently.
“Maintenance is not as simple as adding and subtracting by five.”
Karen and I pick up where great plans like WW leave you hanging. We know maintenance is not as simple as adding and subtracting by five. In fact, there is so much to it that we are writing a book to accommodate what we have learned. We know for certain that maintenance requires continuous attention. We also know that emotion, social factors, biology, and psychology all play critical roles in whether or not you maintain your goal weight. You need some powerful strategies.
If you are finding the blog helpful, please post and let us know what you are doing to maintain. Who knows? Your comment may make its way into our Stop Losing and Win book—coming soon!
Stop Losing and Win 