I am at the point where I am about 5-10 lbs above where I actually want to end up. Every time I get to this point, I want to throw in the towel and go back to my old eating habits. And every time I gain back the 10 I've just lost. I REALLY want to lose the last 5-10 lbs, but I really don't want to diet! Nothing about me wants to diet, except when I am looking in the mirror.

Has anyone dealt with this, and if so, what did you do to try to overcome? How do you go from a lifestyle of dieting to just maintaining healthy eating? And how do you stay focussed for those last few pounds?

Thanks for your help!!!

i count my calories, it gives me the freedom to eat what i want in moderation. to me a diet is something that you do temperarily then quit and gain back every ounce binging on foods that have been forbidden! counting cals is the start of a lifestyle change!

I haven't dealt with it yet, but I'm hoping to in the next few months. I want to stop the program I'm on right now (Medifast) 5-10 lbs before I hit goal and then use sensible eating and lots of exercise to get off the last 5-10 lbs, so hopefully it becomes a lifelong way of living.

Well, I think your title says it all. Don't diet, because diets don't work. Just work toward a healthier lifestyle. Something that can permanently stick. Continue to make better choices. If you count calories, maybe have a night out once in a while where you up them for the day, but get back on plan the next day. And just remember that the work is not over once you reach your goal or get closer to goal. I've found it actually gets harder, because your body wants to fight to hang on to those last pounds. Good luck to you!

Hi Greenfish - I started out in Dec. 2009 and my only goal was to get healthy for my grandkids. I have lost weight before when my clothes got too tight so I knew how to eat less and move more.

But this time I just wanted my insides to be healthy so I started reading all about nutrition and fittness. I kept coming across all the lists of super foods that are good for your health and disease prevention. They are mostly all the fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy and the omega -3 items like fish, nuts, and olive oil. That's what I eat everyday. I don't count calories. I joined a gym, started exercise and strength training and so far this plan has worked for me.

I just when to the doctor lately and he said all my data looked great. The weight loss was just icing on the cake for me! My point in this long story is I am certainly not on a diet - this is my new life and I'm loving it.

Good Luck to you!

I agree 100%. I can’t imagine my life spinning around counting every calorie I eat…this is not the life stile I want. With that said, I did lost weight by counting calories and then just stick with healthy choices and listening my body…”intuitive eating” it’s call.

I think you can find help in book “I can make you thin” by Paul McKenna. I was following his 4 golden rules for 9 years and was ably to maintain my weight and don’t diet and never feel hungry. Then some big not so happy events happened and I turned to food for comfort and support and gained 14-16 lb in one year.

Now I am back on truck with my intuitive eating and I am losing weight very slow, 1 lb in 1-2 weeks, but the best part of it, I am not gaining weight, I am not hungry and I don’t count calories or carbs…I feel free. Good luck !

Thank you all so much. I just have a minute to post before I hit a class at the gym. But, your suggestions and encouragement are helpful. I see it is all about changing my mind set! That is a big job, but so many on here have done it so I know it is possible.

I could have wrote your post word for word. For the last year and a half, I've been bouncing between 125 and 114. I go up, take it down, hit 114, then go up. Ideally ( I am very short) at 114 I need to lose about 10 more pounds. But I spend all my time taking the 10 pounds I keep putting on back off, and can't get any further. I sabotoge myself for some reason, eat poorly for a bit, then get back on the wagon. I don't know why. Lately, Saturdays have been more of a cheat day, and from eating poor foods I can gain 5 pounds. (I know a lot is water) And it takes me all week for my body to regulate, and Saturday I do it again, so I never go down. Sigh. After taking off so much weight, I don't know why mentally I'm blocking myself from the true goal. So know that you are not alone with this! We just need to break that barrier.

It's definitely not about diet but a lifestyle... You can calorie count, carb count, whatever works for you in the very long run, but it has to be long term...

I'm planning on treating maintenance like an adventure. A time to stop focusing on the scale and concentrate on my fitness and healthy eating goals. I plan to work on maintenance as hard as I did on weight loss.

I'm going to echo what motivated chickie said ... it's a really good idea to have other goals.