I've been introspecting a bit more about why I stay engaged in the weight-to-re-lose thread on the Maintainer's Forum even when I'm at/close to goal, and I realized the following:
1. The weekly chat thread feels too unfocused to me; I don't come here (to 3FC) in order to talk about my kids, spouse or work, I come here to get support for my mission to keep off the weight I lost. I find the atmosphere and conversation in this thread to be more on target with my needs than the chat thread, though I also read and enjoy that one.
2. It's hard to wrap my mind around the idea that I'm truly maintaining if I have weight to re-lose, even if that weight is only a few pounds. I've learned over and over how easy it is to have "weight creep," and 2 pounds regained morphs into 5 which morphs into 10 in what feels like no time at all. Since I have never been in the enviable position of being BELOW goal weight, I am perpetually in a cycle of re-losing the last x pounds; hence, feeling like I belong in the dieting rather than the maintaining group.
I guess these 2 issues together suggest that maybe if the weekly chat thread focused more on diet/exercise/psychology of maintaining, I would feel more comfortable leaving the "need to lose >5 pounds" thread. I certainly don't want people to feel they can't post about life stuff (work, pets, families), but maybe we could add in the focused-on-maintaining conversation that seems to have moved entirely to the weight loss thread?

Yoyoma: right there with you - same height, same weight.

I received an email last night informing me that I have to write proceedings for two talks I am giving at a national meeting in June. The proceedings will be (for me) a six-page paper with very rigid requirements... and they are due the same day as this wretched book chapter, Feb. 1. All I want to do today is go for a long run, make some healthy food and have a sane Sunday, in preparation for another crazy week. Instead, even an hour-long break for a short run today feels like an unacceptably long time away from the computer. I think I'm at a turning point for balancing weight/health vs. work this month, since clearly both cannot win at this level of pressure. I'm very afraid the 8-10 pounds I am up will be twice that when the dust clears.

JZJ, you can negotiate the deadline of a book chapter with the editor. Tell him/her that it's just realistic for you, and you need an extension. Guaranteed, you won't be the only one. Worst-case scenario, the editor finds another person to write the chapter (but I bet that won't happen; editors are lazy, and it's work to find a new writer).

JayZeeJay, I agree with Andrea. They will negotiate with you. Be clear and assertive and they will roll over.

OK, I'll write them right now. These editors are the highest-level people in my field and it hurts to tell them I can't make the deadline... but I need to swallow my pride and do it.

Backtracking a bit since I've been lurking -

After reading everyone's input on the one vs two threads, I had to agree that the places we can discuss the topic of weight loss are indeed few. Certainly IRL, the majority of my friends are pretty weary of it. There's a consistency here that's familiar and comfy and I would miss it if it changed. I do hope to be (someday soon) back in the camp of the irritating last few pounds, after all! And it is also very true that the pursuit requires new strategies periodically. The best ideas and experiences are here in the trenches.

I like the idea of "get back to where you once belonged" very much. I will only get "back" by going forward!

Baseline week is over. I thought I was being "gooder" (sic). Since nothing changed, I've re-fired up Lose It, and this morning bought myself a Fitbit Zip to quantify how much I don't move. Time for some recordkeeping! I gotta figure out how to fix the clock on it - I picked the wrong time zone and I'm 3 hours off.

Andrea, I think I also feel your #1 reason for preferring this thread. I also feel variant of your #2... while I've been below my current official goal weight, I've never been really felt sure I was completely satisfied with that goal weight. It was a "good enough" goal but while trying to make peace with it I've always had it in the back of my mind that I would move it lower if it seemed feasible. A #3 reason I prefer this thread is that I prefer a thread that doesn't get reset every week. A continuous thread just feels more homey to me.

So, even if I were truly at my ideal weight and acing it, I would rather be a part of a thread that is more like this one than the weekly chat thread. I do understand why folks with different levels of maintenance re-loss challenge would feel more supported by those in similar situations (same basic reason 3fc has feathers and hundred pound club), but I also feel like there needs to be enough posters in a thread for critical mass and I personally don't have an opinion on whether to segment this thread or not.

Yesterday was a bad choice for me to weigh-in since I had a preplanned event at a Rodizio. Decided to enjoy myself and figure out a plan of action today. I attended, ate all I wanted, including a cocktail and dessert, expecting to be even higher this morning. Result: 143.0, down from 145.2 yesterday(!). So, my plan of action for now is just to eat my normal WOE and weigh in more often to see if it starts to trend back down. I'm clearly above my red line, so if it doesn't start moving back down, I'll have to make adjustments. Also, I need to think about whether to move my ticker up. It hasn't stayed above my goal weight long enough to feel the need since I reached it, but this might be the time.

Andrea, I get what you are saying, but I feel like I need to point out that the reason the weekly chat thread no longer has as much content about weight maintenance is because all the folks who were talking about it moved that content over here. There is certainly no rule that the chat thread can't talk about maintenance -- in fact, if you read through it, you'll find about as much about weight maintenance there as you do about non-weight stuff here.

As for weekly vs not weekly, the weekly chat has been a monthly chat in the past, or other things.

Honestly, I just don't feel like there are any threads here right now that are meeting my current need and I think maybe Shannon at least is feeling the same way. So maybe the solution is that I will go ahead and start a third thread. It wouldn't be a replacement for this one, but a supplement to it.

I sucked it up and went swimming, finally. Though we had a high-yardage, low rest workout, it was heavy on drills (much needed after the holiday hiatus). 3650 yds in 90 minutes. I think I may have found the perfect post-workout refuel (for me) - 8oz of fresh grass-fed raw whole milk. It was nice getting home and not feeling like a total zombie!

Fitbit is now on proper time and syncing nicely with LoseIt. I have a lot of work to do before I get to the 10000 recommended steps, apparently! I do like Fitbit's graph of *when* the steps were taken; I clearly sit still for far too long at a time. If sitting is the new smoking ...

Jessica, I can't imagine anyone objecting to a supplement thread. If it's what you need ... well, that's what we do, right? Support? Go for it! It's like opening a special project file, not derailing the whole culture of the forum. Those who feel the same pull will join you; hopefully it will be a temporary thing and when we're back to our short-string yo-yos, it will be easier to recapture the "maintenance mindset".

Go for it, Jessica!

I for one will also do my part by trying to post more maintenance stuff on the weekly chat.

My weight was down yesterday to 142.4 and today to 140.8 (!). But I think I was dehydrated this morning (dry, scratchy throat). I'm not sure why I I had such a huge spike recently, but it was an effective wake-up call.

I had a bit of a spike. The two close holidays of Christmas and New Years did me in (as they usually do). I was only up 2 or 3 pounds but I'm back down now. Still need to tackle a few more!

Jessica - I'm good with a supplement thread, but as my absence the last few days probably shows, I'm getting kicked at work and that it going to continue through the end of March when I have a small vacation, and then back on again at a higher dead run pace through the end of August. I'll make a commitment to try to chat more in all threads, including any supplement we try for. Are you thinking a chat, or somewhere like we used to do where we post food, exercise and rant for the day? There is still an exercise thread though, right?

Becky - I got a Fitbit Surge this week that I finally got set up. I'll look for you to add as a friend if you want.

And anyone else with a Fitbit who wants to friend me, please let me know.

Andrea - I totally get how you feel about the chat. This one is more specific and less, well, chatty.

JZJ - hope the negotiation works.

Okay, weight focus status for me today. I'm trying to feel better about myself - DH has been sick since Monday a week ago, and just started to feel better yesterday. We had DSS all weekend, so I was on point for everything for both boys all weekend long. I did manage to work out Sat & Sun, but haven't been able to fit any in with work Monday and Tuesday. I worked from home today and thought I would be able to workout over 'lunch', but instead I've been pinned in this chair since 8:45 and am about to have to go pick up DSS from school, and will return to the downhill slide of homework, dinner, bath, bed. Not sure if I will make time today or not either, and I'm ANNOYED. have the new Fitbit Surge set up, hope that it can replace all my devices, but as the HR is a little off I may still end up with a chest strap for exercise. Food has been better the last five days, still having serious sugar cravings. But, baby steps are still steps.

Thanks for being here, guys.

Shannon Do what you can when you can. A little baby step is still better than a big fat butt on the couch!

I am now phobic about stepping on the scale. The holidays are over and I feel like I need a number to start from but I really don't want to find out either. I haven't put on an unbelievable amount of weight but I'm feeling overwhelmed by winter, the dog, possible jury duty, DH's ongoing job saga, my physical decline (two major smacks in two months is not good), lack of sleep, guilt at not looking after my own pets properly, etc. etc. etc. Just average middle-age stuff but it all gets to be a bit much sometimes.

Having to diet on top of it all is

Dagmar AND