When I turned 40 it hit me hard! I decided to make a change that would help me feel healthier, look better and actually be healthy. No thinking about it or deciding whether I should try, I just did it with no preparation. I decided I would only eat whole natural foods, no processed foods and count my calories and fat intake. I enjoyed the fruits and veggies so much that I stuck with it. Ten months later I dropped a total of 65 lbs. No big effort required. I loved the food and am maintaining my weight for 4 mo. now eating the same way with lots of excersise, which i love doing! I have never felt better, even at 18! My hair got thicker, my nails grow fast, I have too much energy and I haven't gotten sick since before I started. This is the way to go for life! I would love to hear from people trying to maintain their weight loss and any ideas for making a bit easier. Counting calories and fat is getting old and I would like not to do it anymore but still keep the weight off.

WTG on deciding on a healthy lifestyle!

Did you find the change difficult at first? I'm trying to get my "healthy" back and it seems so hard this time around.

Hey

I am a nearly 5 year maintainer and I don't count calories super carefully anymore, but I still estimate every day. It doesn't take much time or seem like that much of a burden.

Congrats on your weight loss and welcome to the maintainer's forum!

I didn't have that much weight to lose but I had some bad eating habits to change. I did most of that and feel a whole lot better physically.

As for the calories I just estimate every day (even though technically I'm still not at goal) and I fluctuate within a 4 lb. range.

If I can ever get serious enough to lose the "final 5" then I imagine I'll have to keep much closer tabs on the calories for awhile.

Dagmar

fruitlady - good for you!!

I can relate: when I turned 40 I decided to get my tubes tied and lose 25 pounds. At age 41 I started running, and at 42 ran a marathon. Just please DON'T do what I did and backslide -- I allowed myself to get out of control for a couple of years (stopped running, stopped watching what I ate, regained the weight), and then spent a whole year losing that 25 pounds again plus the 15 extra that jumped aboard for the ride.

This time, I've kept it off for going on 2 years. I'm still watching, still counting, and still weighing and still exercising. I don't have to be quite as militant in maintenance, but I do pretty much the same as I did to lose the weight in the first place. The only difference is that now I can have the occasional meal or day "off" and if I slip and re-gain a few pounds, then I go back to weight-loss mode to correct. The habits get built-in after awhile so they don't seem so much of a chore. I turned 50 last month, so my 50's goal is to keep on maintaining!

We're not getting older -- we're getting better!

Good for you! Good for you.

You sound so happy with your new life. Why would you want to change anything? Sounds like you eat the right foods in the right proportions and that it all seems fairly simple for you? Why fix what ain't broke?

Counting calories getting old? Come now. I'm pretty certain how well you're feeling isn't getting old, right? The energy, nails, hair, etc....

I eat the same things over and over again. One of a few different breakfasts. One of several different lunches. One of a bunch of dinners. All interchangeable with similar calorie counts. Same with my snacks too. My calorie counting has already been done for me. Ez-sheazy.

This has not been difficult at all. BEFORE, NOT DOING this, not tracking my calories, not being mindful of my eating - now THAT was difficult. Not the neglect itself, but what the results of that neglect brought about.

I don't find this a burden or a hardship. I find it a joy and a pleasure. I ENJOY this lifestyle. I plan on doing lots of things for life and never stopping - showering, brushing my teeth, maintaining my household, the laundry, managing my money - good eating and exercise is no different. These are the things that increase the quality and hopefully the length of my life.

on maintaining your loss!

I'm with the others - counting calories is DEFINITELY worth the effort.

I've found - like Glory - that I can count in my head. I weigh myself daily, and if I find myself moving upward, I start weighing, measuring, and logging those calories until I'm back in my "zone".

I don't mind counting calories one little bit - it has been a life-saver for me. And the time spent doing it? Well, it sure beats the alternative!

Oh, and MBN is right - I'm happier and healthier than I've been in years. And, I'm more than a decade older than you are

thanks everyone! You guys are right, I shouldn't be minding the calorie counting one bit. Along with the natural whole foods, It has really worked for me and it's what I'll have to do to maintain my weight loss. It's worth it! I will continue to count cal. + fat grams and weigh myself every day to stay on track. I guess I was feeling sick of thinking about food and everything that I put in my mouth. It's on my mind all day. I'm not a naturally skinny person and never was. thanks for all your great advice!

for me, I eat a lot of the same foods everyday, so it really gets easier. For example, I have 3 favorite breakfasts I eat 95% of the time, I dont have to really think about calorie counting.