Hi there! Well, I've been fighting the last few pounds for a long time. I started my journey in January 2011 - just by exercise (lots of fitness classes at the Y) and diet (WW Online). I dropped a lot in the first few months, went on some great vacations - gained a bit and then dropped that right away upon returning home.
I was stuck at 160 from Nov 2011 until Nov 2012 (I'm not kidding). I didn't follow my eating plan all that closely, but continued exercising and was able to maintain a 70 lbs weight loss. Now, I'm moving downward again. Still have 10, maybe 15 (we'll see how I feel when I lose that 10!!) to go.
I think the things that have kept me going are: first, my exercise program. I take classes at the gym and I've made friends with a lot of other people there, so it motivates me to go regularly. Also, I allow myself splurges all the time! For me, nothing is off limits, I just work really hard to manage the amounts I eat. I used to go into Whole Foods and get an entire bag of cookies from their cookie bar (OMG, so good). Now - I will go in and pick ONE cookie. I found that when I tried to force myself to not get any, I would go nuts and get 10! Now, I pick the "best one" and I enjoy the heck out of it.
Also - practice, practice, practice. I had to practice turning food down. I had to practice saying no. I had to practice forgiving myself when I went overboard. I had to practice treating every minute like a fresh start.
For me, it's just about making it routine rather than trying to muster the motivation to continue. After spending a year at the same weight and not giving up, I'm pretty darned proud of myself! So allow yourself to be proud of all your progress. Remember the way you used to feel about yourself before you lost the weight. Look at yourself in the mirror and be happy with where you are right now. I realized that even at 160, if I never lost another pound, I was still really happy with myself. Alternately, if I gained the weight back, I would NOT be happy with myself. Maintaining became more important than losing.
Hang in there & good luck!
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