Next week will be my sixth week of maintaining goal weight through Weight Watchers at Work. I have lost 60 pounds (52 through WW) since my 50th birthday last September, when I decided to become the person I wanted to be for the rest of my life: a thinking, learning, creative person well into my nineties. That meant increasing my life expectancy by losing weight.

Still, there are days when I battle the cravings big time. (Does it ever go away?) Sometimes I don't win. Most times I do by repeating whatever mantra works that day:

"Nothing tastes as good as wearing a size medium, fitted, button-down jacket feels."

"Nothing tastes as good as picking clothes off the rack and knowing they'll fit, returning them only because they're too big, feels."

"Nothing tastes as good as seeing a gigantic four-pound zucchini, and knowing I've lost fifteen of them, feels."

What's the mantra that keeps you going? It may help others. Share them here!

"You can have that on__________, when you have planned to have it." If I don't schedule in treats that I love, I end up eating it when the urge overwhelms me and then I overindulge. I try to schedule treats around special events and keep in mind that in days gone by treats were rare and only for special occasions. I have been saving up for my son's birthday, which is today. I get to have a little slice of cake and a small portion of ice cream. It calls for some self control, but I don't feel deprived if I allow scheduled treats.

I have to admit, I only have one child at home now and he is sixteen (today)! It is easier to diet for me because none of us crave sweets and my husband likes to have chips around, which I can stay out of. When my kids were younger it was very hard to stay out of all those goodies that we no longer have on hand.

Sheri

"I will never go back."

"I can do ALL things through Him, who strengthens me"

First of all, congratulations on your weight loss and I hope you will come and join us over at the Maintainer's Forum.

I rely lots and lots on "self-talk" and mantras to get me through.

Like you, I DO love and OFTEN use "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels".

I often repeat over and over again, "No BLT's" That would be bites, licks and tastes - thank you Meg for that one.

I constanly tell myelf that certain things "are not worth it". That they will be over with in seconds and that I most certainly CAN do without it.

I often get frustrated when im not losing fast so this little quote keeps me grounded.

"The elevator to success is broken, Youll have to take the stairs one step at a time."

I've got a few, and they run through my head at various times:

**Do you want (place craving here), or do you want to climb Airport Mesa? (In Sedona...it's one of my goals)

**Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Maintaining is hard. Pick your hard. (Someone here has that in their signature and it's stuck with me.)

**Just keep swimming....just keep swimming (From "Finding Nemo". It encourages me to keep doing what I'm doing.)

**If things don't change, how will anything change?

There are a few more...I'll add them as I remember them.

Mine is similar to Redhead I am's:

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've already got!

and

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're probably right

Lou

"What would a healthy person do?"

"If I really want the (fav.food here) I'll have have it tomorrow" -Suprisingly, this one really works for me. Of course, tomorrow rarely comes.

Ditto.

Dripping water can eat through stone.

Lots of little changes can accomplish a large goal.

I actually got one yesterday, on someone's signature right here on 3FC. It went along the lines of -

"When the pain of being overweight is greater than the pain of losing weight, you will change."

When I was losing weight I used to tell myself (over and over again)

"It's not an option."

Basically... don't give yourself 'choices', just do what you have to do. This worked when I wanted to eat something that I didn't really need, and wasn't good for me. It also worked when I didn't feel like exercising. Basically I knew that this was something that I would just have to get used to doing for the rest of my life, so I may as well get used to it. It still works now, four years and 8 months later.

same here Redheaded -

**Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Maintaining is hard. Pick your hard.

I saw this on someone's signature also, and love it too!