When I started maintanence it was all very cumbersome and overwhelming to me. Even though I was still "losing" I pretty much started trying to figure it out in July and called it "offical" goal in November. So I guess depending on how you look at it I've been at it about 3-6 months. And I'm feeling like now I finally "get it". I still struggle with overeating and binging at times, but I'm ok with and I know how to react and recover. I'm comfortable how the scale behaves when I do overeat or binge and what happens during TOM or if I eat out. I have all the tools I need if the scale starts moving in the wrong direction either way and I know what to do. And even when I can't do what needs to be done because my emotions are in the way, I can recognize that and get control.

I'm now in a new stage, I guess you could say I'm working on my figure with weight training and experimenting with a cleaner diet, but maintenance none the less. When long term maintainers told me that it would take a year for my body to settle in and that things would keep shifting and tightening/shrinking, they weren't kidding. Which is so exciting, because I wasn't too thrilled with my "goal" body and I can't wait to see what another 6 months of weight training and eating clean will do for me.

So anyway, I thought it would be nice to give the newer maintainers, of which I'm one of them, an idea of what the learning curve is, to ensure them maintenance isn't this scary thing, we all will "get" it eventually, but just as with weight loss it just takes time.

I started maintenance around November also. And yes, I feel like I "get it" now too. I seem to gain and lose the same two pounds repeatedly. When I'm on the low end 134-135, I might splurge a little bit more......when I see 137-138 I cut back for a day or two and it goes right back down. The numbers don't scare me anymore because I feel pretty confident about knowing what to do. I don't see 137 and think "Oh no, tomorrow I might be up by 20 pounds" like I did before LOL

It's a GOOD feeling

As I mentioned in another thread, I don't want to jinx myself but I seem to have "gotten" maintenance pretty quickly. The only real difference has been raising my daily calories from 1400 to 1700, which I've done over the course of several weeks.

I have not been "perfect", food-wise; I've had a few mini-binges and one real binge, but my accounting method (keeping track of when I go over my daily allotment and considering it a "calorie debt" to be paid off) seems to work really well for me as a way to allow freedom with an incentive not to go overboard. I'm not saying that it would work for everyone, but for me it seems to provide a remarkably good balance.

I know that there are people who are successful in maintenance for awhile but experience setbacks later--I hope I'll be ready for them if and when they come.

I've been maintaining for about 6.5 months, and I don't feel like I "get" it at all, lol. I know for a fact that I understand it. I understand the concept of eating approximately the same amount of calories that my body burns and doing so consistantly. I understand that I need to be aware of what I'm eating (calorie counting), otherwise I'll regain. I understand the concepts, the theories, but I don't feel like I've completely gotten in the groove of applying them. I think I've been fairly candid with my blunders on here. A few short periods of throwing my plan completely out the window (on trips and such), binges, and even falling into a binge/restrict pattern.

I'm not disappointed in myself for these things, on the contrary, I'm just as proud of all of my maintenance achievements as I was my weight loss achievements. What I consider to be maintenance achievements ARE the screw ups...at least the fact that I quickly recognized that I was screwing up and have gotten back on track. In know way do I believe that I'm perfect, I don't even aspire to be. So with the knowledge that I will screw up on staying on plan probably many times down the road, all I can hope and strive for is that I react swiftly and appropriately to get back where I need to be.

I'm not sure if I'll ever "get" maintenance. I know exactly what foods to eat, how to track them, how to keep myself fed and satisfied, how to exercise. I am content doing these things and they have integrated into my life as mostly habit. But even still, I wouldn't trust myself to be on cruise control and keep up with these habits. At least for now, I am always vigilant, and even a bit paranoid, about holding onto maintenance habits for dear life.

But see Megan, I think your post just proves exactly how much you do "get it" especially when it comes to your specific maintenace plan/issues.

I agree....I didn't mean that I just go with the flow now and hope it all works. I do just what you do. I have alot of good and an occasional bad day, but I know to how to jump back in and "fix" things when I screw up. To me, thats what it means to "get it"