Originally Posted by midwife:

I am looking forward to the 3FC book. Is there a section on maintenance?

THANKS! Yes, there is a chapter on maintenance :)

Though to be honest, I'm not a maintainer myself, and sincerely regret not spending as much time in here learning from the rest of you. Sometimes good behavior rubs off, so maybe I should be rubbing elbows with you guys, lol.

We wish you would! I love that chicken with the running shoes on .... Oh and I like reading your posts too ;)

Ditto what Susan said. :D

Catherine 11 KIDS!! YOU are a :angel: ... What a beautiful family though, you should be proud...

I am not a maintainer-in fact I lost 25 lbs before my wedding last year and since my wedding last April I have gained every pound back. I just weighed myself for the first time today, I am on day three of phase one south beach (how i lost the weight the first time) and I am excercising-I feel like the wedding was a great motivation for my hubby and I (we both lost-and he has since gained back his 30 lbs) I guess we never thought about what to do after we lost the weight.

We went to Tahiti on our honeymoon and all bets were off, we had been so strict for so long, we didn't want to think about food or diet, the problem was 2 weeks of that and we came home to COMPLACENCY! We stopped working out and did our own version of south beach-phase two during the week and all bets were off Sat-Sun...but Sat and Sunday turned into Friday and Monday and soon enough we were eating poorly more than eating right, and not exercising!

My problem is goal related, before we went to Disneyland last September, I decided to "do South Beach" for one month all phase one so I could eat what I wanted at Disneyland....that backfired, while I was slimmer for the trip, I quickly gained back..so I have been up and down all year, until I stopped weighing myself and gave up-I kept telling myself, I won't gain all the weight back...as I slowly crept from my size 8 back to a 12. Before I knew it...boom, I was fat again!!!!! All that work for nothing! My husband is depressed about his weight as I am about mine.

I guess I just needed to vent. It seems when we vent to each other, I want to scream, keep positive! We can do it! But inside I am doubting myself. Can I do it? Does maintaining mean I will never eat the desserts I crave? Or can I have them every once in awhile? Does Maintenance mean a lifetime of "having to think about it" all the time?? I feel like food has become my enemy....also phase one makes you loopy-no carbs including fruit is just nuts!

I have been reading all thse posts-last year I was avid in the South beach recipe forums but not ONCE did I ever come to the maintenance forums-which i think was my downfall. I guess I just feel lost to have t start all over again and THEN start maintaining-had I not screwed up the maintenance in the first place, I'd still be in my bikini this summer and have a pair of shorts that actually fit and looked good!

Hi and welcome to Maintainers! :wave: Definitely stick around this time!

OK, the past is history - you can't change what's happened and you've learned some important lessons. You know that you can do lose the weight, since you've done it before! And THIS time you're going to keep it off forever. :D

Maintenance means treats - once in a while. Maintenance means thinking about food - but it becomes second nature. You know how everyone talks about how this has to be a lifestyle? Thoughtful eating and exercise will become second nature to you - it will be part of the background of your life. And the rewards will be so great that you'll never be tempted to go back.

Don't beat yourself up or worry about 'what ifs'. Today is a new day and a fresh start. One day at a time and soon you'll be back in those cute little shorts. :)

BTW. getting DH on board is going to make it so much easier for the both of you!

Best of luck to you and we hope to be hearing lots more from you. :hug:

Thank you Meg for the words of encouragement! After I wrote this my husband and I talked about how we need to do more outside activities because the gym gets tiresome and we want to find things to do together- and he agreed-I will keep you updated on my progress and keep those shorts in mind when i go to the gym today!

I'm not maintaining yet, but I'm trying to learn the Maintenance Mindset NOW -- I want to minimize the struggles in that transition...

What a great thread....I seem to have hit the complacency a little early...I haven't even made it to goal yet..:mad: I'm going to chew on the thoughts above. (Hopefully instead of chewing on something else...) wyellen is right - we should all be checking out the insights of the maintainers. Good Stuff to be had here. THANKS!!

Gina and Wyellen- I've read both of your posts and you've got great insights to share yourselves. Please stick around! :)

It's like being invited to sit with the cool kids.. :carrot: YAY!

:rofl:

I've never been one of the cool kids in my life! :lol3:

Meg - you definitely are now!!

Originally Posted by chick_in_the_hat:
It's like being invited to sit with the cool kids.. YAY!

Gina -- OMG, you are SO right, that's exactly how I feel!! :)

And Gina, wow, 100 pounds lost -- FANTASTIC!!!!

I'm starting to think I'm going to get there myself oneday.

:cool: = Meg