WoW!!! Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment and a remarkable milestone.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I will store what you wrote in my brain and do my best to remember it and put it all into play when my time comes. I am so fortunate to have "bumped" into you here at 3FC. I get to reap the benefits of your vast widom and experience.
I do think it's kind of sad though that us reduced obese will always have a harder time maintaining and remaining a normal weight then the rest of the world. It's unfortunate, but you have proved not insurmountable.
I have no doubt come 1 year from now you WILL be celebrating anniversary number 6 and then of course numbers 7 and 8 and so on........
Meg, I simply cannot believe how quickly 5 years have flown by. Shortly after joining 3FC I remember reading your post about your 2 year anniversary! You are amazing and inspiring and I'm so happy for you. Congratulations on five wonderful years of maintenance. I know the years have not been "easy," but not only have you learned the sometimes exhausting, sometimes exhilerating lessons of maintenance, you have shared your knowledge with all of us and delivered invaluable information to us humorously, intelligently and selflessly every step of the way. Thank you, Meg! Happy Mother's Day.
Congrats Meg! Five years is a big maintenance milestone, and now the statistics show that you are indeed more likely to be "Thin for Life". Thanks for sharing your experience and insight.
Congratulations Meg, Big Thanks for sharing this with all of us. I have learned so much from you and the other maintainers here. It helps so much. I have zero regret and like you , I know that I have to maintain this wt. loss and am willing to work at it for life. Knowing that you and the others are doing it too, gives me added incentive. It sure is a hard lesson to learn, but I know now that I can't eat like when I was obese or I'll be obese again. Without a doubt, if I hadn't found this group, my wt. loss success/maintenance would have been a very short story. I'm quickly approaching my very First yr. of maintenance (in 1.5 months) and I am ecstatic. I've lost a lot of weight before and I've never maintained it this long before. I credit YOU mainly for this success.
Congratulations and Thank You. It is impressive what you have accomplished and your words will help motivate others. I know that there are a lot of people who struggle to maintain (I met one just yesterday at the deli). Your wisdom has helped countless people and will continue to help us!
I'm delurking to thank you for sharing. It's because of you that I have started to think like a maintainer now in the middle of the process. I'm also starting to give myself credit for maintaining the pounds gone. You are a wonderful example! Thank you!!
Congratulations for getting to this 5 year anniversary. Reading your posts about maintaining have been such a lesson and an eyeopener for me. The first one that sticks in my mind is your four year anniversary post last year. (I think I have that right.) You were recovering from an injury and had been unable to exercise as much as usual, and you posted of how difficult that year had been. It was such an eyeopener for me. I had mistakently assumed that once someone gets to maintenance they get to eat whatever they want to and maintaining that weight would be easier. I was already planning my first maintenance meal. I remember actually feeling disappointment because that’s not what would happen. (Thank heavens I found 3FC!!) Your willingness to share your story has helped so many people and I count myself as one of them.
Plus a heartfelt thank you for being who you are and giving so much of yourself to us that we can learn from you. I don't know where I would be without 3FC.
Thanks meg, I lurk here, and really should provide more input. But after reading your post, I've found that I just have to reply. I've been maintaining since September 2006, and I don't think I could have done it without the 3FC maintenance forum.
I see myself in almost all of your posts. I was 224lbs, and am now down to 148 or so. However, like you, I have found that since being here - it is no different than what it took to get here! I find I have to do exactly what I did (but maybe have a few extra calories) to maintain. It's a constant battle, and I plan every day. I find that I'm eating to my "diet" more than 4 out of 7 days a week.
I find that your posts keep me grounded, and able to answer those niggling questions in my head of "now I'm here, why can't I maintain?". Thanks Meg, and other members. You're wonderful support for lurkers like me.
Today Is My Fifth Anniversary!
Congratulations for getting to this 5 year anniversary. Reading your posts about maintaining have been such a lesson and an eyeopener for me. The first one that sticks in my mind is your four year anniversary post last year. (I think I have that right.) You were recovering from an injury and had been unable to exercise as much as usual, and you posted of how difficult that year had been. It was such an eyeopener for me. I had mistakently assumed that once someone gets to maintenance they get to eat whatever they want to and maintaining that weight would be easier. I was already planning my first maintenance meal. 
