Many of you won't recognize me, old timers might lol.

As i’m about to hit my 3-year maintenance anniversary, i wanted to post an update as we all know that maintaining is really difficult and statistics are against us.

So… I’m about 5lbs over my goal right now (160lbs), I am NOT happy about it and I know what I need to do but I’m just too lazy right now to put in the work.

I was 5lbs under goal at this time last year (150lbs) but was getting married so had a good incentive to keep things in check lol.

It’s a daily struggle and it is very difficult, I won’t lie… I hate it! But with IP, the solution is always at my fingertips and for that, I am very grateful cause with any other diet, I probably would’ve put everything back on by now.

I haven’t been keeping in touch with the forum (I used to be very involved when I was losing weight) which I think was very detrimental.

Even when you lose the weight, the emotional/mental reasons why you were heavy to begin with are still with you and I haven’t really dealt with it.

I’m an all or nothing, 100% good or 100% bad kind of person so week-ends do me in, I always overdo it and then I do phase 1 all week. It is NOT the right way to maintain but I do what works for me for now.

I’m not posting this to discourage anyone but to show how important your state of mind will play on being able to maintain and encourage you to take the steps to resolve issues while you are losing weight.

Life is still much better then when I was heavy. And knowing what I need to do but too lazy to do it is still better than not knowing at all.

So I wish you all a great success story

Thanks for checking in! It's always nice to see someone who has successfully maintained their weight. It's inspiring!

Wow! I joined IP in January, so it's so good to meet you! Wow! Only 5 lbs up from goal in 3 years? And you lost 145 lbs???? That's AWESOME!!!! I don't care how you do it...I know lots of people who do Phase 1 days or weeks during maintenance...if it works, why not? Wow! And you look fabulous in your profile pictures from your wedding...just beautiful! Thanks for checking in. I am close to phasing off and I needed to hear about your success and also the things to look out for (emotional issues, extremes, etc.) which is so helpful to keep in mind.

I'd be thrilled if I'm maintaining as well as you are when I hit the 3 year mark. You should be proud of everything you've accomplished.

Wow wow wow! I'd say 5 lbs over the course of 3 years is nothing to scoff at! That's definitely a success story! Thank you for pointing out that while the weight may disappear, our emotions (that possibly created the aforementioned missing weight) remain unless we work on those too.

Happy Anniversary! Thank you for your post. All good points and food (heh) for thought. Congratulations on your remarkable achievement.

I'm not on my IP but I wanted to congratulate you..I think you've done amazing...Thanks for updating us-- Congrats on your weight loss

Thanks for your update, Busymomx4! Congrats on only 5 lbs... as you know life requires a maintenance RANGE as our bodies are complicated biomachines. It's great that you recognize the emotional issues around 'disordered eating' which is how we all got here in the first place, lol. Success in maintenance requires this knowledge of self! Keep on truckin' and hope you get a more comfortable handle on your Funday/P1 life.
WOOT WOOT!

Liana

Always good to read of someone's success while maintaining! WTG! I know I've still got a ways to go but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope I am as good at maintenance as you!

Busymom-
I think we are all in agreement that you should be very proud of yourself. I have done IP three times because I have put the weight back on and you have maintained. I am in maintenance right now and your story is what I need to hear. Maintenance can be done! You may not be doing it the way the program wants you to, but you are doing what makes you happy. Don't beat yourself up over indulging on the weekends. If you didn't, you might be cheating throughout the work week.

Good luck on your continued success. Thank you for checking in.

So nice to read an update from an "oldtimer." Congratulations on your success and dedication to a healthier "you."
I had lost 50 lbs. on IP in 2012. I remember at midnight 2013 thinking "I'm the size I want to be." It was the first time in 21 yrs. that weight loss was not my New Years resolution.
I found maintenance work. It took energy, it took conscious thinking, it took prepping and planning. I half hazardly did maintenance until 2014. Then WHAMMO life hit me with several horrifying life situations. I spent many nights in hospitals (in other cities). I had access to all sorts of healthy foods, downstairs at the food courts/cafeterias....I chose to eat otherwise.
I am now taking better care of myself after a difficult, heartbreaking year.
I had gained the 50 lbs back (plus 10 more) but consider myself an IP success story. Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it....but I do.
This plan works. The maintenance is definitely doable. I remember how good I felt when I was feeding my body the way it wanted to be fed. The thing is....if you don't change the way you cope or look at foods, the weight will come back, you could end up with other eating disorders or using other unhealthy methods to keep the weight off.
This may sound odd but I don't feel bad about gaining all my weight back. I coped the best way I knew how...not excusing my behaviour, but it's true. Now, during phase 1, I am consciously making an effort to figure out different coping methods for when I get to maintenance.
Thank you so much Busymom for posting...you have no idea how much I needed to read your post.

I have found that the losing part is "easy" compared to the maintaining part. I think many of us feel that way. Having been a yo-yo dieter for a good portion of my life, I found that after I lost almost 100 lbs on IP in 2012, I was committed to finally learning the trick to keeping it off. Well…I did for awhile and Heitina, like you, life got in the way and old bad habits came back. I've taken the 50+ lbs off that I gained back and have been on maintenance since the beginning of May and I do find that every day I have to think about what I am eating and WHY I am eating it. Maintenance is hard because we are no longer told what to eat and when. I am taking it as I am sure an alcoholic deals with not drinking…one day at a time and trying to work on WHY food has dictated my life for so long. I get on here and read all the posts from people who have had similar successes and struggles that I have had and reading that some of you have kept the weight off for several years is encouraging and makes me think that I can do it as long as I keep working it. I know that food will always be an issue for me and we need food to sustain ourselves, but how I use that food in my life is what I hope to learn as time progresses. I just know that I feel too darn good to keep going back to where I came from! Hang in there ladies!

It was really nice to read all of these posts today, thank you all very much.
I felt each of your stories was inspiring.

Thank you for the reality check.I totally hear you!
I lost 38 lbs in 2011 and have gained over 20 back. I'm so uncomfortable in my skin and needless to say I'm upset with myself but Im back...ready to continue this journey and NOT take my maintenance for granted this time!

Busymom, you are to be congratulated on maintaining your loss within 5 pounds! How great is that!

I lost 80 pounds on IP between June 2012-March 2013. I, too, feel like I've been successful in maintaining, but I agree that it's an ongoing struggle. I keep gaining and losing the same 10-15 pounds. I did a reboot in January and got close to my goal weight of 125 . I phased off and maintained for a couple of months. Then in May and June, gained those 12 pounds back again. Now I'm back on P1 to lose them.

I know that I never want to have to lose 80 pounds again, so I catch it and go back to P1 and take it off. I enjoy P1 - I love the pattern of eating and it's nice not to have too many choices.. When I'm "off" I feel like I need to eat those "trigger foods." I've read the books and read the posts, but that tendency to eat and gain remains with me. It just comes back on so easily.

Sorry to rant a bit, but in spite of this, I consider myself to be successful.

Regards to all!