[Mel]

It wasn't until I joined 3FC that the concept of "maintaining" crossed my mind. I knew I couldn't go back to what used to be normal- that didn't feel good or taste good anymore. Like Glory, I had to invent a new normal for me. My lifestyle isn't what everyone would chose, but I'm fine with the way I eat and exercise and have maintained for about 5 1/2 years now. I had one 10 pound blip that took me forever to get rid of again- now I have a "line in the sand" weight and crossing it just isn't worth the effort.

The real key is lifestyle change, as several posters have said. If you don't like what you are doing, you aren't going to stick with it. If you equate healthy eating and exercise with deprivation it's near impossible to maintain for very long. The way I live now is no different that when I was in the losing phase. I eat about 200 calories more, and don't worry about the once-a-month treat meals. But even the treat meals are vastly different from 7 years ago.

The mental shift is the hardest part. We all know what we should do

Mel

[Robin41]

I gave maintenance a try back in 1994 after losing a ton of weight. I was pathetic. Without a goal I was lost. For some reason it didn't occur to me that weighing the same every week could be a goal.

I can't even remember the last time I wasn't going up or down.

[rockinrobin]

Originally Posted by Robin41

For some reason it didn't occur to me that weighing the same every week could be a goal.

Robin, I love this statement. It's just so clever.

This maintenance stuff is all new to me. All of my adult life, I'm 43 now, I went up and up and up. I pretty much knew when I started this particular journey that any changes I had to make would have to be PERMENANT ones. That I would have to change my eating habits forever and ever, not just for the losing portion of the journey. When I found 3FC and peeked around, my thoughts about maintenance were cemented. It's no different then losing, save a couple of hundred extra calories per day of food. THAT was a bit of a disappointment. I thought I'd get to eat a little more then that in order to maintain, but that's just not the case. How I eat and exercise may appear extreme to others, but like has been said, this is "my normal". It's what I do. But quite frankly, having barely begun maintenance, I won't feel comfortable till I get many more months and years of maintaining under my belt. Not til then will I consider myself a true "maintainer".

[petra65]

I can relate to this conversation. I have lost relatively large amounts of weight several times-50 or 60 lbs only to gain a big chunk back. I always seem to get side tracked some how. I never quite get to the maintanence stage. I must say that every time I do this, I seem to learn something new about myself and my eating habits. My big revelation last time is that I am addicted to refined sugar and boy is that absolutely true! Once again, I gave in and started eating sugar again and I was off to the races just like an alcoholic. I could eat a whole bag of cookies in one sitting if I allow them in the house. One is too many and a thousand is never enough. Hard to admit that something so silly can have that kind of power over you but it does. Makes me have more empathy for people with alcohol and drug addiction.

[veggielover]

Originally Posted by almostheaven

eating rabbit food constantly and never straying...I couldn't live like that.

hehehe, love that, "rabbit food" teehee