You know that old line about how quitting smoking is easy - I've done it a dozen times? I am starting to feel that way about weight loss.

I think of myself as experienced at weight loss, even though I'm staring down the barrel of a hundred more pounds to lose, because I have lost significant amounts of weight (~40 pounds) twice before.

Unfortunately, when I started this time around I weighed more than I had before either of those periods of loss. That's right, folks, I'd put it all back and then some. So that experience of mine is missing a key component.

I'm sure many of you have been there too. How many times have you tried before? And I don't mean those attempts that last a day or two and crumble at the first close encounter with a donut. I mean real sustained attempts of months or even longer, where you've gotten a significant fraction of the way to your goal before losing your way.

What are you doing differently this time to avoid being waylaid? That's what I'm starting to think about as the months stretch on and that voice in my head starts to whisper at me about those previous attempts.

I'm focusing on the simplicity of my plan. I am taking a Rabbi Hillel approach to weight loss: "Eat less and exercise more; all the rest is commentary." By this I mean that eating less and exercising more over a sustained period of time is all I need to do to lose weight; everything else is just the strategies and tactics I use to achieve those ends. Every time I am tempted to waver, I remind myself of this simple plan. Eat less. Exercise more. What could be easier?

I'm hoping it sticks this time. What about you?

I've been fortunate to not have gained it all back.

I gained 100 pounds with my first pregnancy (180 to a delivery weight of 280, ouch). At my 6 week check up, I was still 260 pounds. By the time I got pregnant with my second daughter, I had slimmed down to 216. Held steady, skimmed 215 right before I got pregnant with my third, continued to hold steady...then ballooned up to 255. Since I was 5 pounds away from "gaining it all back," I took action.

So, thusfar, I've been lucky...vigilant, actually, to give myself credit. I've only done the yo-yo once. I'm not counting all those times I lost 5 to 10 pounds for a high school dance and gained it back after the fact. Even during this last pregnancy (number 4!), when I hit 251 in my 9th month for a gain of 26 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight within 6 weeks. The "weight" was actually "baby + baby goods" not fat.

I'm following very strict Atkins induction until I hit 195 pounds. Then, I'm switching to Pollan's Manifesto - Eat food. Not too much. Mostly vegetables. A very restrictive, low-carb plan just isn't realistic for me in the long term. Real food, though...I can do REAL food. Processed foods are just so bad for us, in general. I'll be happy to switch from "enriched whole-grain white bread", which is a contradiction in terms, to bread I make myself with stone-ground whole-wheat, bran and rye. The latter just tastes better anyway.

I lost around 30 pounds a couple years ago...I stayed on track for several months, worked out, ate really well, felt good, looked better and then...who knows? I just quit doing it and of course gained most of it back.

I think I've learned my lesson, finally. I've always said things like "I want to lose 20 pounds by so-and-so's birthday" or "I want to be able to wear shorts and be comfortable this summer!"...and then those events come to pass and I'm still miserable and thinking, "Wow, that time went by fast, I could have actually lost some weight and been happier by now!"

There is a Christmas party at work in a little over a month...I would LOVE to be down to a 14 by then...I'm kinda close, I can feel it! I keep reminding myself that it will be worth it...so far so good!

Good luck girl!

I have lost and regained, too many times. This time I followed the advice of long time maintainers . They told me they kept it off by doing the same thing they did to lose it !!! What a revelation !!! It works . I have 22 months at maintainence . In the past I would usually start regaining at about a year. I plan to never do that again. Planning is the key and a small inconvenience to having to start all over again.

I'm in the same boat. I actually lose weight every year--anywhere between 20lbs to 80lbs (this year). Have never really figured out how to keep it off although I have every intention to every time.

I kind of take it day by day. I'll try my best to maintain as long as I can. In part I do that by switching up diets every couple of months or type of workouts. That keeps me more focused. But at some point my desire to eat the "bad things" in excess quantities will/may be greater than my desire to be healthy. But good news is I know I can lose it again if I want to.

Yes, yes, me too! I yo-yo'd many times over the years. I could lose weight, only to slowly start to regain it almost as soon as I got to "goal", whatever that was at the time. It finally sunk in that this was a forever thing. I can't "go on" and then "go off" a diet. It has to be a lifestyle that I can live with, forever. If I start to backslide, I can't ignore it, I have to take corrective actions. I'm coming up on almost 2 years in maintenance now and planning for many, many more.

I changed the my style of eating. I lost about 34-35lbs 3 years ago and never gained more than 5-6lbs.
I watch out if I see that I'm gaining weight I try to lose it as soon as possible.
Also I took out fatty foods from my diet completely. I don't eat fast food (maybe once a year if I crave it), fried or anything that has too much fat/oil. After a while my stomach adjusted to my diet and now whenever I eat heavy oily food my stomach gives me a hard time.
I control my portions.
I try to eat whole wheat pasta and whole grain bread.
I eat tons of veggies and fruit.
I eat lean proteins like chicken breast or fish.
Well the point is after losing the weight you/we can never go back to our old style of eating. Its almost like being on a diet for a life time in order to keep the weight away.
I'm not saying you can never a fries, burgers or cakes and chocolate.
We just need to control the amount of what we are eating.

This is how I keep/kept the weight away.

This is my third time but I think that it's going to be my last, not because I've discovered a major well of self-discipline but because I'm getting old and my knees have gotten even older.

This time has been easier because I know that it's possible; the first time almost felt like a fluke, the second time I thought maybe I only had it in me to do it once but this time I know that it's something that I'm capable of.

Additionally, I've taken away my choice about exercise. I've got two large dogs and if they aren't walked for a couple of hours a day they start howling and annoy my neighbours. Most evening I think 'I'll take tonight off' and when I do they start up with their noise.

This time I am not on a diet. I made changes that I can sustain for life. I found an exercise that I enjoy. I have less than 10 pounds to go to goal and I really don't mind how long it will take me to get there because I can't see my lifestyle being any different when I get there. I am still planning on eating the same things in the same quantities and exercising the same. I honestly don't think things are going to change much other than I may if I am lucky drop one size between now and then. I know its all cliche but this is for life, there is no end to this "diet".

Yes, lost many, many times before. Once I lost 40 lbs. Another time 70. Both times I ended up gaining it all back and then some.

What is different this time? My answer has already been given above.

MAINTENANCE. This is a new word in my weight-loss vocabulary list.

I am maintaining my loss by doing the very things that allowed me to lose the weight.

This is indeed a journey and a lifestyle change - not a diet. Thus, I made no change that I am not prepared to do for the rest of my life.

Gotta tell ya - it is very freeing and exciting to finally KNOW that I will not have to lose weight again. And that knowledge is worth every single change that I made on this journey!

I've lost significant amounts 3 or 4 times before. This is definitely the slowest my loss has ever been, but its also the most I have lost. I think finding something you can stick to permanently is the key.

Thanks for the comments, folks.

I've always known, intellectually, that what I was doing needed to be a permanent change, not something I did until I hit goal. I am not sure that awareness is going to make the difference this time.

****, I'm not sure anything is going to make the difference this time - I just have to wait and see. But keeping it simple, I hope will be the key for me. Eat less, exercise more - there are no rules for me to break, nothing that's "off my diet" so I can't psych myself into giving up if I fall off the wagon for a day or a week or a month. Just eat less and exercise more. I'm hoping that's all I need.

I do lots of reading from the Maintainers here. Also, I am looking at weightloss like paying bills or keeping friends, keeping house, etc. How do I keep my bills paid? I go to work every day. How do I keep a friend? By being a friend day in and day out. How do I keep my house picked up? By cleaning some every day.

Does this mean I will NEVER play hookie from work? Does this mean I will never let down a friend? Does this mean my house always stay clean? Nope, it doesn't. The path may be curvy or rocky along the way but yep, I'm gonna 'git her 'dun.

This is my very first time losing a significant amount of weight, usually I would tell myself I was dieting and only sorta watched what I was eating and then I would give up when I didn't lose weight super fast.

I am terrified I will gain the weight back. I picked a plan that I could sustain for the rest of my life, but I hear so many stories of people gaining all of their weight (and then some). I'm just so scared something will "snap" within me and BAM the weight will be back on :-(

This is my third time losing real amounts of weight, sticking with it for more than a week. So frustrating! I hope that this is it. I have been able to stick with it into the school year, which in the past has been when I've given up. so things are looking up!