Just curious how many of you actually lose another 5lbs after goal just as a cushion against going past goal weight?

BTW, this maintenance thing is as fun and easy as I thought it would be, the only thing, is it's hot & muggy in my neck of the woods which kills my appetite. I've cut my running back to 1-2 days/week. I've played around with weights (lower body only), but nothing serious as of yet. Been eating more "goodies" like cookies, cakes, pie, muffins, biscotti and icecream...but I'm still dropping weight.

I'm afraid that if I start really going at it (workout wise), I will virtually disappear. My mom is visiting me this week and she's going to be shocked at my new appearance. She will prolly be trying to stuff food down my throat all week, while reminding me of how pitiful and manly I look. Gotta luv mom though!

I've been dropping a bit more...my initial goal was 135, with 138 being my "redline"...now I'm down to 133 and I'd like to see how I feel around 130. I'm not in any rush to lose but I've upped my calories by a couple of hundred and I'm still losing, so I'll just see where it goes. I do like having a cushion so when my weight fluctuates up a bit I'm still in my comfort zone. I find over 138 is where I start to feel uncomfortable now.

I just do what comes naturally in terms of eating and exercise now. I'm okay with maintaining this weight, but I'm losing anyway. Very slowly- about 1/2 lb a month.

I still consider myself to be "maintaining" but if I do drop down to a lower weight, that's ok. I have a bit of wiggle room here. I'll let my body decide when it wants to stick at a weight. I figure, if I'm doing what's comfortable and I'm losing weight, that must mean my body has a few more pounds to let go of. I'm not going to eat more or exercise less just to keep it on.

Other people definitely have a hard time with my new weight. If I said "I want to lose 5-10 more pounds" some of them would be concerned. So I'm not saying that. I'm just letting my body do what it will and they probably won't even notice, it's happening so slow.

I would eventually like to lose about 5 more pounds and see if I like it there. I'm not actively trying to lose but if it happens, I won't be upset.

Sure...why the heck not. Since maintaince is so easy for you, you might as well go for it. I don;t really know why you would need "wiggle room" since from what I have read you can basically eat anything you want and not gain weight, but hey, if it's that easy, I'd say go for it!

If it was a such a simple feat for me, I'd be the lowest weight possible for a normal BMI, however it is highly difficult for me, and there is no way I could maintain any less.

Here's the kicker...what I "want" these days is completely different from what I "wanted" 60 pounds ago! I used to be/think like many of you do here..."I can't just have 1"..."this/that food will only make me want more..it's a trigger", etc., etc.

Having a skinny little 12 yr old at home who loves JUNK...made it impossible for me. So I decided to do something crazy. To LEARN to have just one. To LEARN to be surrounded by my former TRIGGER foods and FORCE myself to maintain control. I figured that this should be no different than being afraid of heights or afraid of anything (for that matter). I had to FACE MY BIGGEST FEARS HEAD ON!!! That's how I got into baking pastries, etc. Each time I made a homemade cake, cookies, etc. and only had one slice, etc., it made me stronger. Before long...I knew who was in control...I WAS...not that darn cookie! Since I made no food "off limits", this placed me in a position of further control. There is nothing I CAN'T HAVE...so guess what? The taboo is gone...and turns out...I really don't want it all that often. It's kinda like when your a kid and your mom says you ABSOLUTELY can NOT go out with this/that friend. You secretly become obsessed with doing it. When you finally disobey and go hanging out with the friend...you go overboard and stay out past curfew and/or even get into worse trouble.

Fix the mind...and the body will follow is my theory. My mind told me that I could never just have one cookie...homemade...toll house...still warm...ooooweee...goooeeeey...aaaaahhhh....

I fixed my head...now my mind tells me that I CAN have just one cookie and then my mouth follows. End result...a much appreciated and savoured cookie (usually joined by a few more).

Joy ~ I am obviously not in maintenance yet, but I surf the different threads, so I hope you don't mind my reply. I would say go for it if you feel like you want to! My goal is 165, but I will probably try to lose a bit more after I hit goal. Maybe 5-10 pounds depending on how my body feels/reacts. So, if you feel like you'd like to drop another 5 pounds, then I don't see any harm in it!

Love this!!! You deserve your name "joyfulloser" You embraced it and found the joy in it.

I wouldn't try to be the lowest weight possible for BMI... that sounds scary. BMI is just plain wrong for a lot of people, IMO. If I was... it would be 127 I think? YIKES on my frame, I'd have to lose all my awesome muscle to get there.

Well whatever you do, I'm sure you'll find the joy in it!!!

Where does it end? That's the question I have asked many times of folks who reach their goal weight and then want to lose "just 5 pounds more" and then more... and then more...

So--joyfull--where does it end?

Jay

Thanks K8yk...when I started this journey...I didn't want to be GIVEN A FISH...I wanted to LEARN TO FISH!

JayEll - Yunno...I thought about this. Cuz...the old joyful would not be happy til she disappeared. But this time...I was happy with my reflection at 165...anything after that lost was just gravy and I didn't feel pressure to lose it. So you can imagine that now (with a bare bones bodyfat %) I'm not tryin to disappear!

I guess what I'm tryin to say is that I'm different now. I actually appreciate my own beauty. I love my reflection now. Really...Tyra Banks got nuthin' on meh! Well...she's a few inches taller! Seriously...I'm ok with me...for the first time in my life. I was always had a slender/athletic physique, but never appreciated it. Never was happy with what I saw in the mirror. Always focused on any little imperfection and bipassed all the things that were right with me.

Guess it took me 44 yrs to figure out that if I EVER got my high school bod back...to APPRECIATE IT. Well...I got it back (actually a lil' better IMHO) and I TOTALLY APPRECIATE IT...stretchmarks and all! That said...5 lbs will not make or break me. Hope that answers your question.

I personally like having a 5 lb range my comfy zone is really 140-145, but when I was there I always secretly wanted to be 135-140, and I know if I was there I would have secretly wanted to be 130-135, so yes where does it end. Gaining 10 back has really humbled me and I've learned the number on the scale just doesn't matter, it's how you feel and how your pants fit. And honestly my pants don't fit much differently now then they did 10 lbs ago.

So rock on girl do what feels right to you!

[/QUOTE]LOL...So I'm confused. If that one cookie that your newly "fixed head" tells you that you can have is enough, then why is it "usually joined by a few more"?

(Sorry my keyboard froze up before I could finish my last post.)

Joyful, I am very happy that you lost your weight and that you are finding maintaince so joyfully easy. Seriously, that is great and I'm sure you will become the envy of 3FC when people realize just how incredibly simple it is for you....BUT...Please, PLEASE don't insinuate that those of us who find maintaince difficult and mundane need to "fix" our heads. You know, I don't think I'm broken. I think that I have addiction issues just like any druggie or alcoholic might have, (I am also an ex heavy drinker). No matter how much I think I can have a drink and stop...I know that in time I WILL NOT be able to stop at one. If I would start to drink again, even in moderation, eventually I will say WTF and get hammered....It's my chemistry. It is the same...(No worse) with sugary carbs.

I might be able to have a cookie today but eventually the cookie does (and has on numerous occasions) WIN. I fight it every day. It's not just a simple mind over matter for some of us. Some of us are truly addicted to sugary crap, and have to abstain as much as possible. No ifs, ands or buts. That is the way some of us "fix our heads".

Serious food for thought...........

The maintenance journey is different for each person and we all have to find our own 'mojo' and stick with it. What works for me might not work for you and vice versa and we have to be careful not to imply that my way is the RIGHT way or your way is the RIGHT way.......

Lorie- You are exactly correct with people and carbs. I know the carb lovers will come out but really, when have I ever seen protein, fat, or veggies pushed in the front of an aisle at a restaraunt or store. Cookies, brownies, candies, chips, sodas, sweet breads, for some grains that are "pure" are troublesome too. This is not by accident or some quirk of fate but a physical response to this particular stimuli. How one copes varies of course but that diabetes is a world wide problem points to a universal reaction. I recently read an article about the rapid rise of diabetes in China and the effect of medical costs on their GDP. BTW, weight gain is only one result of eating these foods. There are many others, which varies from person to person. I know this first hand.