I totally understand this NOW!!
 

I feel like I had to share this little epiphany that I just had recently. I've always thought of losing weight as a "diet", just do whatever to get skinny. I want to be X weight in X months and if I don't make it then that sucks. But I realize that it's completely making over your life. I realize how all those "other" foods are treats and I feel so better not eating them all the time and realize how whenever I had a candy bar or something I didn't magically feel super-happy and joyous, just moderately happy and tugging at my belly :P
I've been reading a lot of people's stories around here and they really helped me realize I don't care if it takes me even a year to lose 30 pounds everyday weight fluctuates but if you are leading a healthy lifestyle it will generally go toward a downward trend towards your healthy weight.
My challenge is to not be afraid of upcoming plateaus, I know if I'm stuck I can change exercise/foods and even run to you guys for help :D I feel like this time its much more mental for me and I feel like I am in a better place mentally and emotionally to go on this journey through and through!!
I would love to hear other people's opinions and epiphany's as well! What was it like for you?
:carrot::carrot:

The pressure we put on ourselves is truly amazing. I can relate to the 'I want X lbs gone by Christmas or whenever' feeling. Like you I am no longer putting this pressure on myself.

What makes me laugh (well you know what I mean!) is that as the weight went on the fat didn't say to itself 'right, that's enough for this week, I'm only meant to go on 2lbs a week!'

As long as I am in the Healthy BMI range (which I'm just outside of now) then I am happy. The rest of the pounds are purely vanity ones.

I don't want to spend the rest of my life being miserable and then looking back at photos and wondering why! I got to within 5 pounds of my goal last year and still wasn't happy. Now I'm 16 pounds heavier - I'd rather be 5 pounds from goal any day!!

My attention is on to the way a food makes me feel. I like to think of nourishing my body instead of starving it.

It's great when you get that lightbulb moment, food loses its power and you're back in control.

Lou

Our brains are funny things.

I know exactly what you mean and I am 10 lb away from testing out whether I can actually do that. I have never successfully maintained in my life.

When I got down to this weight last year I got pregnant and promptly ballooned. I put on 25 lb in the first three months! Even though I know in my mind everything you just said, I still heaved a big mental sigh of relief and thought "Thank God - I can eat now!"

Obviously I wouldn't have been dieting while pregnant but a healthy weight gain in the first three months is only 4 lbs as the baby is so tiny at that point. After that I calmed down and did pretty well - I managed to put on only the recommended pound a week for most of the rest of my pregnancy (just don't mention the last two weeks).

So I am going to have to be SO careful when I do get down to my 135 not to do that again. I have been poking my nose in the maintenance forum and they suggest that the best way to maintain is to continue exactly the way as during the 'diet' - as in continue to log calories and food etc, but just to up the calorie intake by maybe 200 cals a day at first and see how that goes. If the weight still comes off, then go up another 100 or so and keep going until you find the calorie amount that works for maintenance for you.

The one thing you don't do is go into binge freefall and gobble everything in sight just because the 'diet' is over. Of course, we all KNOW that - but knowing it and doing it are two very different things.