Don't know if anyone remembers me...I was quite an active participant here a few years ago. Life has been filled with ups and downs. I've been separated for a year and a half and in the meantime, I've lost 35 pounds on the 'divorce diet'. LOL Mostly because I started smoking again and pretty much smoke and chew gum. It keeps me from crying. However, on Nov. 1st I'm moving to my new apartment and looking forward to being in a place in my life where I can quit again and start fresh...and being down from a size 18 to a 12...I don't want to gain it back.

Any suggestions?

Welcome back, techwife. Sorry your life has hit some rough spots, but you are back , take one day at a time but get started to a new you and a new life that is just waiting for you.

If you're asking for suggestions on not regaining weight I would simply tell you that calories dictate fat loss or gain so ultimately you need to control the calories you ingest one way or another.

Whether you want to follow a rules based diet like Paleo or just count calories doesn't matter so long as calories are controlled.

Ultimately maintinence comes down to finding a WOE (way of eating) that you can live with forever.

For me while I'm not at my ultimate vanity goal I've been able to maintain by restricting calories a lot during the week and loosening things up a bit on the weekends but what really matters is what is going to work for you.

I have found that moving to a new place is wonderful for weight loss. The few times I have moved, I've spent a LOT of time cleaning, organizing, moving furniture and boxes, etc. It's good exercise. Hopefully, your move will be good exercise, will help keep your mind busy and will help release some divorce aggression. LOL

Remember that this new move IS a new start. You can now do whatever you want whenever you want. The extra time you have (that you used to spend picking up his underwear off the floor and doing extra laundry) can be used to do more productive things (artsy stuff, a class, exercise) - whatever makes YOU happy.