Last Saturday I went to the DMV to get my address changed on my license, and decided to get my weight updated as well (my previous weight was listed as 170, which was . . . optimistic, to say the least).
As I walked out of the building holding my temporary license I was struck by two things:
1. DMV photos are never flattering and I’m no exception, but gosh darn it, look at those collarbones! And,
2. I was proud to have my weight listed at (a completely accurate) 120. I didn’t feel any twinge at all of “Oh, 120 is OK for now, but I still want to reach _____.”
I guess what I’m saying is I think I’ve reached the so-called happy weight.
This transition to maintenance has happened rather gradually, and has somewhat, I suppose, sneaked up on me. It wasn’t so much that stopped “trying” to lose weight. I bottomed out at 116 and had to work furiously to stay there, then gained some weight on vacation, but my body seems pretty happy (at the moment!) at 119-120. I’ve been eating 1450-1500 cals on average per day and running, and I think both of those are sustainable indefinitely.
I’m trying to keep in mind the things I have learned by lurking in the maintainers’ forum and reading threads from both long- and short-term maintainers: that maintenance isn’t a static situation, and that I will constantly need to avoid complacency and remain aware. I fully expect to be a calorie counter forever, and I’m OK with that; it is, after all better than the alternative!
I know I have various food and body image “issues” that may crop up from time to time, but for today I’m just going to bask in the joy of knowing that I’ve reached a milestone on this journey that I started almost 16 months ago. After a lifetime of obesity, it feels SO good to say that I’m healthy and active and feel good about my body. Yay for reaching maintenance!
According to my driver's license, I'm in maintenance!
I always love to hear it when someone's reached their "happy place"! 
