Ep 14: Why Maintenance is a Skill (and How to Master it)

Mastering Maintenance

Weight loss maintenance is the most overlooked skill in your weight loss journey, yet it's the one that determines your long-term success. After maintaining a 30kg weight loss for 25 years, I'm sharing the exact strategies that helped me master weight maintenance and avoid the yo-yo diet cycle that traps 95% of dieters.

In this episode, I break down the fundamental difference between weight loss and weight maintenance phases, revealing why most people struggle to keep weight off permanently. You'll discover my proven 95/5 rule for weight loss and the game-changing 80/20 approach for sustainable weight maintenance.

Whether you're currently losing weight on a low carb diet, struggling with weight regain, or planning your long-term weight management strategy, this episode provides the roadmap for lasting weight loss success without the constant diet mentality.

What You'll Learn

• Why weight maintenance is a completely different skill from weight loss and requires its own strategy
• The 95/5 rule for successful weight loss and when to apply strict adherence to your eating plan
• My proven 80/20 maintenance formula that's kept me at my goal weight for 25 years
• How to create a sustainable buffer zone for weight fluctuations during maintenance
• The critical weekend strategies that make or break your weight loss progress
• When and how to reintroduce higher carb foods during the maintenance phase
• How to handle alcohol, social eating, and special occasions while maintaining your weight
• The importance of daily weighing and progress monitoring for long-term success
• Why thinking about maintenance before starting weight loss prevents future weight regain
• How to transition from strict weight loss mode back to maintenance when needed

Key Moments

The Maintenance Reality Check I share why maintenance is actually harder than weight loss - it's less exciting, requires consistent habits, and involves navigating holidays and social situations while maintaining new behaviors. After losing 30kg in one year, I had to learn an entirely new set of skills to keep it off.

The 95/5 vs 80/20 Rule Explained Weight loss requires 95% adherence to your low carb eating plan with 5% flexibility for treats. Weight maintenance operates on 80/20 - staying low carb 80% of the time with 20% flexibility for higher carb foods, alcohol, and social eating.

Why Most Diets Fail Long-Term I explain why temporary diet approaches lead to weight regain and why you must ask yourself: "Can I realistically follow this way of eating forever?" Whatever you do to lose weight, you must continue doing to some degree to maintain results.

Weekend Success Strategies Weekends are make-or-break for weight loss success. I share my client strategy of creating weekend food plans, especially for eating out situations, with the goal of weighing the same Monday as Friday.

The Low Carb Maintenance Advantage Why low carb eating (keeping carbs under 50g daily) makes maintenance easier - you're eating real food, never hungry, and can maintain stable insulin levels for continued fat burning.

Creating Your Maintenance Buffer Zone I recommend a 2kg buffer zone rather than trying to stay at an exact weight. Your body naturally fluctuates due to hormones, fluid changes, and inflammation - planning for this keeps you mentally strong during maintenance.

Reintroducing Foods Strategically During maintenance, start with real foods like fruits and starchy vegetables (potato, pumpkin) rather than processed foods. Test how your body responds while monitoring your weight within your bu