I'm sitting at my desk doing work, and it just hit me: I've been around this weight range for just over 2 years now! While I've struggled with repeatedly gaining/losing 5-15 lbs within this range , and would like to lose another 30-35 lbs overall, I've successfully kept off the other 116 lbs for these past 2 years!
Congratulations for keeping it off -- that's the part people often forget to appreciate, because our "dieting culture" is so focused on the process of getting it off.
If you haven't been really conscious of the passage of time, that's a good thing, isn't it? It means it's just part of living and thus maybe it's more likely to continue for two more years ... and two more years beyond that.
For me, I don't remember how many years have passed anymore, but I do know that at times, it's still a struggle. Let's call it short intervals of struggling, followed by longer intervals of automatic behaviors.
Sometimes I feel I have some understanding of alcoholics, though. Often it seems to me that it wouldn't take much for me to lapse.
Congratulations for keeping it off -- that's the part people often forget to appreciate, because our "dieting culture" is so focused on the process of getting it off.
If you haven't been really conscious of the passage of time, that's a good thing, isn't it? It means it's just part of living and thus maybe it's more likely to continue for two more years ... and two more years beyond that.
For me, I don't remember how many years have passed anymore, but I do know that at times, it's still a struggle. Let's call it short intervals of struggling, followed by longer intervals of automatic behaviors.
Sometimes I feel I have some understanding of alcoholics, though. Often it seems to me that it wouldn't take much for me to lapse.
Yep, I hear ya! I often wonder how parallel food-addiction and food abuse is to substance abuse..
2 years ago, I was still on the "I want to lose the final 30 lbs" train, so maintenance wasn't initially on my radar. Over time, though, most of my attention became diverted to losing and gaining the same 5-15 lbs repeatedly. During that, there were periods when I realized I'd been maintaining, but I hadn't realized how long it'd been altogether due to my distraction.
I'm ready to lose a little bit more now (dip my toes into the 160s)...
I get the addiction metaphor. It certainly doesn't take much off-plan behavior to set me in the wrong direction. Bumps in the road conspire to disrupt my good intentions.
Whoa, I've been living maintenance!
While I've struggled with repeatedly gaining/losing 5-15 lbs within this range 
, and would like to lose another 30-35 lbs overall, I've successfully kept off the other 116 lbs for these past 2 years! 
That's great, belovedspirit!
