[Carolfromfl]

Hello Everyone! I am new here having been invited by Meg, Jack, and others to join this forum. I have just become a Lifetime Member of Weight Watchers as of this past Thursday, June 24th. Although I only had to lose 25 pounds,it took me a solid year to take this weight off and now I pray I can keep it off. I played the yo yo game for the past 6 months especially trying to lose those last five pounds. It was hard, and so many times I wanted to throw in the towel. I am 5'6" tall, 139 pounds, medium-small build so this is a pretty good weight for me. I might try to get to 135, my personal goal. In the meantime, I am panicky that I will gain this lost weight back. Guess I don't have the confidence in myself. I do exercise, I power walk and jog(combination of both) for an hour every morning, provided the weather is good. It usually is OK in Florida in the mornings, so I make sure I go early before the thunderstorms start up! Matter of fact, I have already gone for my daily jog today!

I have gone down 4 pants and dress sizes, so that is very exciting to me. I am in the process of now getting rid of all of my "big" clothes. I have been told never to hold onto these big clothes. By cleaning out the closet, I am more apt to keep the weight off. I sure hope so.

Have a great day, and thanks so much for inviting me to your forum.
Carol

[Meg]

Hi Carol and welcome to Maintainers! (but no one needs to wait for an invitation — all are welcome! )

You CAN keep the weight off for the rest of your life — believe it! Look at our Karen (MrsJim) — she’s lost well over 100 pounds and kept it off for almost 15 years. And she tells us that maintenance gets easier over time (I’m starting to believe her ).

I can so identify with how you’re feeling right now because it was the same for me after I hit goal. I would lie awake at night and be irrationally afraid that I’d wake up 100 pounds heavier the next day. Or I’d worry that I’d keep doing everything right and I’d gain the weight back, regardless. But my confidence began to build as I went along and discovered that I could keep the scale in the same place just by following my usual daily routine.

The key to long-term success that I — and I think everyone else here — have discovered is to just keep doing what you did to lose the weight. Maintenance looks an awful lot like losing for me — I eat the same food, plan my meals in advance, exercise as much etc. All the things that I did to get to goal are the things that keep me here (and trust me, I plan to stay here for the rest of my life!).

I definitely agree on getting rid of all the big clothes EXCEPT for one pair of pants or one outfit. It’s good to be able to pull that out when you might be feeling down just to remember how far you’ve come. And shopping for a whole new wardrobe is a great reward for all that hard work!

We’re glad you’re here -- feel free to ask any questions or post any topics that you’re wondering about.

[wife2abadge]

Welcome Carol!! I'm pretty new here myself, but I know what you mean. I don't quite consider myself a maintainer yet because I'd really like to lose 5 more pounds, but I like to read the posts here. I've lost 47 pounds and maintained 32 of that for 21 years (my highest weight was when I was 18), losing the rest within the past year. As Meg said, maintenance looks a lot like what you did to lose the weight. Have you read the book Thin For Life? It really helps you see what sort of lifestyle you have to lead to maintain a weight loss for a long period of time.

[Carolfromfl]

Thanks Meg and wife2abadge for all the GOOD advice you both gave me. I appreciate it, and I will continue on the same path as I have all along. That is, watching my food intake, continuing exercising, and getting my water in everyday. Just knowing I have support from "friends" like both of you is encouraging in itself. I guess the main reason I get worried over maintaining is because this is soooo important to me to NEVER AGAIN gain those lost pounds back!! It feels so good to lose, and my self-esteem is higher than it has been in years.

No, I have never read the book Thin For Life. I would love to buy it. Could you please tell me where to get it, and who the author is? Thanks a lot.

Talk to you all soon-
Carol

[Meg]

Carol -- I think that the support from 3FC is a big reason why I've been able to keep the weight off for 2+ years now. Here I can interact with people who are successfully maintaining large (and small) weight losses -- a place where we can discuss all sort of issues about which most people don't have a clue! Sadly, in my real life, most of the people I've met (except Jack) who have lost a lot of weight turn around and put it right back on again. But I'm with you: this is soooo important to me to NEVER AGAIN gain those lost pounds back!!

Thin For Life is written by Anne Fletcher. It's available through Amazon and probably most major bookstores. Here's a more detailed description of it: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34678

We're glad you're here!

[Carolfromfl]

Meg,
I just read your summary on Thin For Life, and I think I will order it today on Amazon. It seems interesting, and maybe this book will help me gain confidence to realize I can and will keep the weight off. Plus, I see you have reread the book. I am sure I will refer back to this book on more than one occasion!!

I just got back from my hour long jog/power walk. This is my "thinking time" and an opportunity to access how far I have come. I am hoping that after a few months of maintaining my weight, or possibly even losing those last 4 pounds (personal goal), that I will realize that I CAN and WILL KEEP THOSE LOST POUNDS OFF FOREVER!!!

I, like you, Meg, know many friends and acquaintances that have lost mega pounds only to turn around and regain it all, and then some. I don't want this to happen to me. With my determination to hang in there, I know it can be done.

Thanks for listening. Keep in touch-
Carol