I am inspired by you all

[dita]

Hello Maintainers,

My name is Sarah and i'm from the UK, i just wanted to say i have been reading and following your posts for the a while now (only recently registered) and wanted to say how inspired i am by you all. I am currently losing weight, i have lost 33 pounds so far, still have another 38 to go to get to my goal of about 140.
In my heart, i didn't think maintenance of weight loss was possible. I had lost and gained the same weight for years and kid of accepted that i was always going to be big (read a lot of fat acceptance book). I found a link to this website and realised that with hard work and determintation it is possible, thanks to you lot i have really pushed myself to start execise, something that used to fill me with dread. I now regularly do a 40 min cardio workout most days and a 30 min bike ride. It's only baby steps but i feel a whole lot better for it....i know if i hadn't have found your site i would have carried on dieting but not taken regular execise. I'm so glad i did, you have showed me the importance of it.
I still have a way to go to reach goal but i know i will get there and stay there (you have probably read that a thousand times but i know i really, really mean it)

THanks again and i hope to be joining you soon,

Sarah
U.K

[JayEll]

dita (Sarah)!

Happy to have you join in!

Jay

[Glory87]

I was a 20 year yo yo dieter myself until I realized that temporary solutions don't lead to permanent success. Once I realized I couldn't diet and stop anymore, everything got a lot easier.

[kittycat40]

Originally Posted by Glory87

I was a 20 year yo yo dieter myself until I realized that temporary solutions don't lead to permanent success. Once I realized I couldn't diet and stop anymore, everything got a lot easier.

A similar experience for me. I have my one year maintenance anniversary this upcoming August I am at this point confident that I wll make it to the year and with great diligence and mindfullness, hopefully much much longer...

When I accepted that I needed to end certain eating patterns I really did have a little mourning to do. Very Very Very worth it

[CountingDown]

As often happens, sign my name to Glory's post.

Same for me. I finally STOPPED dieting and lost the weight through permanently changing my lifestyle.

Congratulations on finding 3FC. The maintainers here ARE wonderful folk. I really could not have traveled this journey without them. They are so inspiring and wise and FUN!

[fiberlover]

I love this forum, even though I don't have as much time now to take part in it as I did before, but it is a comfort knowing it is always here!

[rockinrobin]

I'm thrilled that you've found this place. It's a huge boon to have these fine maintainer's on our side. SO valuable.

For me, it was also huge to switch my mindset from *diet* (something I dreaded) to *permanently changing my eating habits*. That temporary diet thing always messed me up. Even though I knew the permanent was a lot longer, it still seemed more attractive to me. Because once I realized and accepted that it NEEDED to be permanent, that's when a whole new world opened up to me. That's when I realized if this thing is going to be forever, well then, I had best find foods that I LOVE and a way to make this whole thing "work".

Stick around. The information and support is top notch.

[Mel]

Congratulations on your journey and welcome! I was a yo-yo dieter also for years until this last and FINAL lifestyle change.

When we first started this forum, none of us had much experience with maintenance, and honestly, there weren't many resources either online or out in the real world talking about maintenance. For me, finding a few other people who had reached goal and the realized that it had to be for life, was the key to my maintenance success.

Hard work...but SO worth it!

Mel

[bargoo]

I was another who lost and regained , over and over. I could lose but couldn't maiaitain that loss. I have learned from this forum that it is possible and I have been at goal for 18 months.