Took the words right outta my mouth! In 2003 I lost 30 lbs, and I've been maintaining, more or less, ever since. I've had slip ups, I've gained 10 lbs back and lost it again. Life is stressful, and I can't let a bad day at work make me turn to a bottle of wine and a cheesecake to make myself feel better. This is the rest of my life, and I can never let my guard down again.

Like CountingDown said, I learned that eating frequent, small meals is a very good idea!

I learned that I don't HAVE to always hate my body. Sure, there are things I am not fond of, and I am sure there always will be, but for the most part, I actually like the way I look.

I learned the importance of counting calories and that I can't personally lose weight on solely diet or exercise - it has to be both.

I learned that diets are bad, but lifestyle changes are good. Diet pills are generally uneffective, too.

I learned that I no longer have my teenage metabolism

I learned that alcohol has an INCREDIBLY IMMENSE amount of calories.

I learned the importance of protein in developing lean muscle.

I learned that I can look just as lean (and maybe even more so) at 135 as I did at 125. Like Susan, I learned the value of weight training!

I learned that not all healthy foods taste like butt!

I learned that eating healthy at restaurants is like finding a living fish in the desert.

I learned that exercise is actually really fun. For the longest time, I hated all physical activity. AND I learned that I actually like dancing now that I'm smaller - I hated it while fat because I thought I was too jiggly to try to look sexy AND I hated it while thin because no one taught me how to dance without looking like an idiot.

I've learned that I like good food - that one piece of good dark chocolate satisfies me more than a stack of Hersey milk chocolate bars.

I've learned that exercise is not satanic.; it's OK to feel a little vain about being firm.

I've learned that three snacks between my three meals means I NEVER have to eat offered food because I'm hungry.

I've learned that hunger is not an emergency.

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Completed Beck Program-day 37. 5 to go. Keep going!

I have learned:

*I am different. I don't fit a one-size-fits-all diet, not does my body respond the way "diet professionals" and nutritionists and trainers and other experts say it should. To have any kind of success, I have to work with MY body. This means that FOR ME I can't do 6 mini meals a day: I have to stick to 3 meals a day. I can't bulk up my food with veggies: I have to have controlled portions of everything. I CANNOT tolerate sugar or white flour foods: moderation just DOESN'T work for my body. The "food guide pyramid" for my body is a death sentence: I need far more protein and far fewer carbs. It took me a long, long, long time to learn and accept these differences. Once I did, though, I stopped struggling and started making progress.

*If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the answer. Period. FOOD IS NOT THE ANSWER. Figure out what the problem is, then deal with that problem. Food won't help most problems, and will probably make me feel even worse.

I've learned that nothing beats the sense of control that I now have. No food feels that good.

I always had the sense that life was just about to spin completely out of control. So I controlled the crap out of everything in my world except the one area where it really mattered, my diet. Now that I have a greater sense of calm about what I eat, the rest seems less overwhelming and I can relax more.

I think the big drop in my blood pressure is only partly about the weight loss. The rest is the result of how much more relaxed I am everyday.

So far, I have learned...

1. it is a slippery slope to eat unhealthy for more than 1 day. Everytime I make it more than one day, it turns into a 2 week stint.

2. I don't have to have seconds to feel full. Along with that, I don't have to feel "buffet full" to be satisfied.

3. Speaking of buffets, I've learned that I cannot control myself at buffets. I am fooling myself if I say that I can eat one plate, or that I will eat the most healthy things at the buffet. btw, what healthy things???

4. If I mess up for one meal, the day isn't blown. I just have to pick myself up and get back on track.

5. I will probably have to use Fitday for the rest of my life, or at least it feels that way for now. I tend to fool myself if I am not tracking calories. What I don't know won't hurt me, right?

6. I may not be the fastest loser, but I will lose my weight eventually. I am doing the right things, I just need to tweak a few things. Patience, trooworld.

7. Once I lose my weight, I am not "immune" to gaining weight.

8. Visiting 3FC motivates me, keeps me focused on weight loss and I learn a ton of things!