Does anyone else have this problem?

I'm getting too used to myself and too comfortable at my current weight, so I've been making excuses and slacking on working out. I honestly feel like I LOOKED better when I was ten pounds heavier, because I was exercising 7 days a week. Now I go to the gym maybe 2 times a week, and I don't act like it's mandatory anymore. I'm being lazy, and I need to remind myself that I still have weight to lose!

Any thoughts?

It's ok to decide that you've lost enough weight and to try out maintaining for a while. There's nothing wrong with your current weight. But regardless, you still need to exercise and watch your diet or you will re-gain. Simple fact.

How does this play into your old habits? Are you going to end up back where you started after a few months? If you can't maintain your old routine, find a new one that inspires you.

It's never happened to me, but I've never successfully lost weight for more than 3 months before. IMHO, this requires an honest look at yourself and why you don't want to maintain or continue losing (whichever fits your desire).

Good luck!!

I agree, I too have become complacent. I allowed myself to be less strict over the winter holidays, and in January I got back to business. However, while I'm not making awful choices, I'm coming close to my ceiling rather than my floor more often than not. I'm at 170 as of a morning weigh in today. That is where my body seems to like to be. I'm not stressing over it either. I'm not eating to gain, but apparently I'm not eating to lose...and that is fine. I am mentally gearing up for the next leg of this journey.

I totally understand what is happening and 170 is better than 200.

I became complacent around the 130s - I was happier with how I was looking & feeling there, and with the combination of holidays at Christmas/NY, a house move in January and a job change in Feb for DH, I didn't have the energy to concentrate on losing. What I did do was concentrate on not gaining, which has worked. I've lost another few pounds over the last 3 months, but it's nothing like I was losing, but then again, I'm a lot closer to my goal and I haven't be working as hard as I was when I started.

I started back with the exercise bike and the better eating again (I wasn't eating great, but my portions were much smaller which helped me not gain), and I can see a difference already, and though the scale hasn't moved tons, my measurements are going down again which makes me happy.

Just know that complacency WILL catch up with you! In the past sometimes i'd think i could get away with eating badly, because it wouldn't show up for a few months. But then all of a sudden bam it hits and there's no turning back because it's the result of weeks or months of complacency.

I was feeling the SAME way a few weeks back. Im not at goal or anything, but it was like as soon as people started noticing, it was like "OK, you're doing good, go have a treat"

I completely understand, and usually, before this amount of time usually [about 8 months now], I would slow down working out, start eating unhealthy, and officially drop off completely after that. Cycle, repeat. I KNOW I don't want to gain weight back and I know I want to lose a good 10 lbs more yet I can't talk myself into working out sometimes. I just got back from a vacation which was my primary motivation - I think I need a new motiviation b/c it's scary the idea that I might give up on myself yet again...

Do you think you're gaining anything back or just maintaining where you're at? Those are two different things of course.

yeeep. haha, i'm suffering from this right now. i'm still losing, though, and really, if you're okay or even happy with yourself, maintenance should be all that matters. slipping into old habits should be the biggest concern.

It's weird, like, I'm not gaining anything back, but I look at my body and realize I'm not as FIT as I was a few months ago. I used to hardcore workout and eat healthy 6-7 days a week, and now I hardly workout. And if I want bad food, I'll totally let myself have it. I miss the OLD me (a few months ago me) LOL.

This happened to me and has been persisting for years!
It seemed the first time around, because I had so much more weight to lose and was so miserable at that time, that I didn't want to waste a single day that could help me move toward my goal.

Now that I'm at a lower weight than I ever thought I'd be, and 'content' (rather than 'happy') with my body, that drive just isn't there anymore, even though I still want to become fitter and leaner. I've become complacent.

It's a difficult rut to get out of, isn't it? I'm not sure how well it is going to work, but right now my goal is to focus on goals that aren't necessarily "weight loss" goals. My desire to become a runner has helped me stick with an interval running program throughout the last month. I'm not sure I would still have the motivation to keep with it if my goal in mind was "lose more weight" rather than "become a runner", so I'm hoping these sorts of changes in thinking will help, and that weight loss will be a "side effect" of these other goals.

That's where I failed at maintaining, and though it took 4-5 yrs, I put it all back on. Now I have to work to lose again!

It takes work to get good at losing, and it's also work to get good at maintaining.

A.

I think you need to take a break. Forget the scale, maintain at 146 for the next few weeks and just exercise for fun, because it makes you feel great. NOT because you need to reach 130!

I think our bodies sometimes just need to stay a particular weight for a while until it feels okay about moving to a lower weight.

146 is good for your height, in terms of being overweight/BMI. So, stay there for a while, exercise for fun, eat healthy, then maybe in a month or two focus on getting to 140. Take it 5 lbs at a time until you find the weight that your body is comfortable at.

I've been like that for awhile now. Once I hit 175lbs I started to get into the "ok with my body range". I still definitely want to hit a healthy BMI (oh so close now!!) and my waist is not quite where I want it to be but beyond that I'm pretty happy. However, I have been losing more quickly lately mostly because I also reached the point where I was sick of not being at my goal weight and I wanted to hurry up and get there so I can buy lots of clothes.

I have to wonder, though... you said your liked your body better 10lbs ago. How long has it been since you changed up your exercise routine? If it's been awhile you might be losing muscle rather than fat while you've lost weight. What I'd really suggest is strength training. You'd already at a healthy weight and body recomposition can do wonders (I've posted my own experience with it here).

With strength training you don't need to be working out 7 days a week (actually that would be way too much unless you're a profession body builder!). Instead you could still build muscle 2-3x per week as long as your lifting HEAVY. Check out the New Rules of Lifting for Women. It explains everything and has routines in there.

If your happy with yourself, then maybe taking a break wouldn't be such a bad idea...I went through the same thing when I was 200 pounds. I just maintained. When I felt like I could improve my body and had the persistence to start and keep up with it, thats when I started losing again. If you have fitness goals it might be time to start working on those, as oppose to just weightloss

Sometimes we just need a break