I do not post often, but this week marks eight years since I started this chapter. My highest weight was 438, and my weekly average now sits around 172. I still weigh daily and focus on a seven-day average, which keeps one salty meal from shaping my mood. I went from a 4XL in tops to a medium in most brands, and I can walk 8,000 steps without needing a bench. Maintenance has not been linear. The past two years have mostly been Sunday meal prep, protein at breakfast, evening walks, and monthly photos. Some weeks the scale drifts up three or four pounds, and I return to those basics instead of panicking. I share this for anyone who needs the long view. For those further along, what small habit helps you stay steady when life gets busy?
Nearly a decade on, keeping my weekly average near 170
Congratulations on eight years—that kind of consistency is remarkable. One thing that helped me was keeping a monthly calendar view: I wrote my seven-day average in the corner of each day and only highlighted shifts of more than two pounds from the previous month. It made plateaus feel like data rather than failure. Did your weekly average become more stable as you got closer to maintenance, or did it require even more patience?
Hi, I’m brand new here—literally week one—and this is so encouraging. I’ve been nervous that daily weighing would mess with my head, so the seven-day average idea is new to me. I started a tiny note on my phone with just my weekly average and one non-scale win, like taking the stairs without stopping. Do you find the weekly average does the emotional heavy lifting now, or do you still need the daily number? And how do you handle vacation weeks? Sorry for the nervous questions.
Hi, and thank you for sharing this—eight years is honestly inspiring to me as someone on day 4. I’m trying the daily-weigh plus seven-day-average thing after years of avoiding the scale. Quick rookie question: do you track a rolling seven-day average, or a fixed Monday–Sunday week? I started a little paper chart, but I’m not sure if I should compare each day to the prior seven or only look at weekly totals. Also, did your average ever stall for a couple weeks even when your habits were steady, and if so, what helped you not panic? Sorry if that’s too many questions—just nervous and trying to build a routine that lasts.
I also live off the weekly average—it’s the only way I don’t spiral over restaurant sodium. One thing that
The 7-day average is the right instrument. What’s your trigger band? I use a 3-lb/10-day rule: if the trend crosses it, I audit protein, fiber, sleep, steps before changing anything else. After eight years, do you still log intake daily, or just spot-check? That’s my weak point in maintenance—logging stops feeling necessary until clothes get snug.
I hit goal a couple years back and still weigh most mornings, but the thing that finally made maintenance feel sane was setting a 5-lb buffer: under, business as usual; over for 10 days, I go back to logging meals and walking after dinner. Do you have a drift rule like that, or do you just watch the 7
Eight years at a stable 7-day average after a 260+ lb loss is the part that gets me. Do you still track intake, or have you shifted to a rough protein/fiber floor and let the weekly average arbitrate? I’m about 3 years in, daily weigher too, but I added monthly waist and resting HR because the scale alone gets noisy with lifting/glycogen. Curious what your “early warning” threshold is—like 3–4 lbs above your weekly baseline—before you tighten things up?
Congrats on eight years. My kids left the nest around the same time I started walking the greenway every morning, and I swear by a “boring dinners” rotation—sheet pan chicken, lentil soup, giant salad—so cooking doesn’t become a whole decision. One weird anchor: I kept a single old 3XL sweatshirt. I don’t wear it, but every few months I try it on just to feel the difference. Do you still have a piece of your heaviest-day clothing, or did you let yours go?
Congratulations on eight years. What I’m curious about is how you tell a real drift from ordinary noise when the weekly average moves. I’m not in maintenance yet, but I’ve started pairing my seven-day weight average with a monthly waist measurement and a simple strength goal—two sessions weekly—so I have another signal if the scale stalls after a salty weekend or a new workout. Do you keep any non-scale markers, like a specific waist number, a clothing fit check, or a monthly average, that would prompt you to tighten things up? That extra context helps me stay calm and consistent.
Not to be contrarian, but after the first couple years my weight trendline got boring while my body kept changing. I started logging a monthly navel waist and a 28-day median step count in the same spreadsheet. Saw a 3-week scale plateau where waist dropped 1.25 in and work shirt fit changed before the scale moved. That kept me from tweaking anything. Do you track any non-scale trendline, or does the 7-day average still tell the whole story for you?
grats on 8 years, thats wild. my final boss is the 1am queue snack raid. i finally found a soda swap that stuck: lime seltzer in a can i only crak when im queued, plus a pickle spear if i want crunch. dumb
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