Hi y'all! I am a 43 year old SAHM to a 5 1/2 year old girl and a 4 year old boy. I am almost to my goal weight (again!) and I would love to join you here. I have been reading some of the stickied threads and I am informed and inspired by your stories.

I got to my goal weight a couple of years ago and even stayed there for about a year, but gained back about 35 pounds last year (while still going to the gym every day - ay caramba!). I have lost about 30 of them since the beginning of the year by calorie counting and daily exercise. I lift weights three days a week and spin three days a week, with some running, elliptical, and stair mill thrown in.

It seems that I am really good at losing weight, but have no idea how to maintain it. I like the way I look and feel now, and I don't want to fall back into old habits!

WardHog and you've definitely come to the right place. Just like you, most of us are very good at losing weight and very bad at keeping it off. The Maintainers forum is kind of a group brainstorm about maintenance strategies and the kind of stuff no one ever talks about, like what happens once you reach goal. So stick around with us, post away about your challenges, and we'll all muddle through together.

Congratulations on a great loss! Welcome to maintenance. You can do it , you have the right attitude. I lost my weight by calorie counting and am still counting calories to maintain that loss.

Thanks for the welcomes.

Do you get burned out on calorie counting? I find that I kind of slack off, start having extra snacks ... stop weighing myself ... it's a vicious cycle!

And I noticed that a lot of maintainers have a "red line" weight. I want to have one, but I am having a hard time deciding what it should be. How did you pick your red line weight?

I have a redline weight, but I find I can easily ignore it when stressed. I find having redline clothing more helpful for me. Once a few of my more fitted pieces start getting too tight it's time to adjust my eating. This has been especially helpful recently since we are moving and my scale is in a box for the next month.

I lost my weight through calorie counting and I still count when I can, but I have slacked off at times. Those times are always when a few pounds creep back on. It is frustrating, but we've got to be strong, right? That's why I love 3fc, it keeps me going when my motivation is low. I love the support I get here.

Whoo hoo Wardhog, congrats on being so close to goal! I can't wait to join you!

I haven;t gotten tired of calorie counting, but I am tired of having to shop at the fat ladies shop, I'm tired of having to buy unattractive, more expensive clothing just to get something to fit. I am tired of huffing and puffing when trying to climb a flight of stairs. I am tired of being FAT.....I'll take calorie counting any day.

I have a red line weight and, so far at least, I haven't ignored it. When I hit the red line, I drop my calories back down until I'm below it again. My red line is the top of my acceptable weight range. I'd like my weight be between 114 to 118 lbs. I'm comfortable with how I look when my weight is in that range and I'm also comfortable with my lifestyle and what I can eat to stay in the that range. I'd love to weigh less than 114, but not enough to make the lifestyle changes that would be necessary to maintain it. At the same time, I don't like how I look when my weight is above 118. I don't like it enough that I am willing to make the lifestyle changes necessary to keep my weight below 118. So that's how I came up with my red line.

I also never allow myself to stop weighing myself, unless I'm on vacation or a business trip and a scale isn't available to me. If I've eaten off plan, I still need to get on the scale and accept the number I see, no matter how bad it is. I feel like not weighing myself is one of the first steps to gaining the weight back. Also, seeing the number on the scale is a good way of reminding myself that I control it--when I eat off plan, my weight goes up, when I eat on plan, my weight goes down. It's all up to me.

There are definitely days where I wish I didn't have to count calories and could just eat whatever I want. I also know that it's not the act of counting and logging my food that is the problem; it's that doing this forces me to acknowledge the amount of calories I am consuming. I know that if I stopped counting calories, it would be a way of lying to myself about how many calories I was actually eating. And, if I eat whatever I want, I'm going to gain back the weight that I lost pretty quickly. So I continue to weigh, measure, count, and log everything I eat. Because, in the end, I really really like how I look, how I feel, and what I can do now. I like it more than I want to eat whatever I want.

It's like going to work every day. There are lots of days where I don't want to do that either, but I keep doing it because I'm not independently wealthy and I want to have money more than I want to not work. There are other jobs I could have that would pay more, but I would be too unhappy doing them to pursue those careers. And there are jobs that I might enjoy more but that would pay a lot less, so much less that I would have to sacrifice too many of the other things about my life that I enjoy.

It's all about choices--you choose the weight that you can feel good about but that also allows you to have a lifestyle you are happy with.

Thanks for your post, Barbara. You make a lot of sense, and give me lots to think about.

Hi Wardhog, welcome to the forum! This place is full of very kind and wise people. I've considered myself in maintenance since March 2005, but regained a total of 13 lbs. above my red line, slowly, from 2006-07, and am now just as slowly taking it off. My red line was 140, and I'm trying to pay attention, literally, to each pound as I go down, and how my pants fit as I go. When I fit into all of my pants again, that will be my red line! I think Barbara has given you some good advice as well. Learning to listen to my body, and not let myself give into that "it's a special occasion" eating mentality for every single birthday, holiday, party...etc. etc. is still something I struggle with. Ideally once I get below my red line, when I hit it I will go back to basics, eat clean and exercise, until I get back below it each time.

As Meg said, I often feel like I'm just muddling through this. But I'm glad that I have such wonderful company! Hope to "see" you around often.

Ward, I popped over to maintenance for some advice and was glad to see a familiar face. I too am only 1 pound away from goal and I'm rather scared to death. Hang in there we can do this together!!