I started counting calories last October, and went from 263 to 230 by April, then plataued. I ate an average of 2,150 calories per day at first, then took it down to 2,050.
I decided when I plateaued to stop dieting and just maintain for the summer. Which I successfully did! I stayed right between 128 and 132 from May through October.
Now I'm dieting again, going for the next big chunk. I've been counting calories for three weeks, eating an average of 1950 with a zigzag pattern, and I'm down 4 pounds already! Yaay!
I expect this time around to be a lot harder, but I think I'm ready for the fight. When I get to another plateau I'll reassess and see if I think I'm up to taking my calories down another 100 per day, or if I think it will be best to maintain it for six months then go again.
If I can get into a size 16 with a little room to spare, I think I may just stop. With my frame, and weight history as a teen/young adult, I'm not sure I'll ever be smaller than that, but who knows?
I'm very dedicated to spending the rest of my life doing "Intuitive Eating" techniques to maintain, along with a "red line" of +5 lbs that will trigger calorie counting dieting again until I'm back in control. On another thread in the Maintenance board, someone quoted that maintenance is "yo-yo dieting on a very short string." Ha! I like that.
Well, I'm just thrilled that even though it's November and not last July, I still met my first "mini" goal of 226 lbs.
Keep working hard and again, GREAT JOB! 
