At first when I read this, my brain said "Fish are friends, not food".

Huh. I dont say anything specific, but I am always giving myself pep talks about staying on plan and remembering that while I have had success on this diet, I still have a long way to go so I can't slip up etc.

I have started collecting recipes for maintenance and thinking about how I will handle it. One thing I know that keeps me on point is planning ahead and not leaving things up in the air. Knowing I have a plan for meals has taken the stress out of mealtimes for me.

I also want to prove to myself that I can keep this promise I made to get healthier this year.

I haven't been doing this long enough to have any great advice. But I do think of a TV advertisement for another weight loss program. I forget what it is, but the old/heavy woman is talking to her new/thin self. The new/thin self is thanking the old/heavy woman for finally losing the weight. So sometimes I get through a rough spot by thinking of what I want my future self to be.

I also focus on getting through one day at a time. My toughest time of any day eating-wise is night. To avoid eating anything I shouldn't, I think of how I'm going to feel the next morning when I wake up and get on the scale.

Hope that helps.

"If you don't lose weight, you will die."

It's pretty effective, and true in my case.
Keeps me on the straight and narrow!

Maui Maui Maui!! Bikini Bikini Bikini! Photos Photos Photos! :)

Social girl,
You are so right. People tell me I am starving myself as well, but i am not going to lie to you I do not tell anyone my secret. Why should I? They abuse me with terrible comments and I need to tell them? no way!!!! I tell them I eat right and I exercise, and they have negative stuff to say about that too.
f you lost friends because you were trying to get healthy then they werent your friends to begin with, thats pretty sad. I am losing them cuz I am thinner than them, they are just showing their true colors, and I have my own family, 3 kids, I dont tneed them")

LOL---Scorbett. I love Nemo!

Tailwinds--THats for Medifast and it makes me cry every time I see it. I'm not much of a crier usually...But I think its the whole 'why did you wait so long to do this' part. OMG

It's about getting healthy for the rest of my life and eating for nutrition, not to cope with emotions or stress.

I love JenRem's tag line under her name: IP is a Journey, not a Race.

I know this is the easy part-the cravings are pretty much gone, all I have to do is follow the sheet. I worry about maintenance, but I am arming myself with information and preparing for it (even though it is months away).

I watched Wuv's latest video on YouTube this morning and felt re-energized. She has such an amazing spirit-what a gift to give to others!