Close to the goal - don't stop!
 

I'm closing in on my dieting goals, and I find it so easy to think how much better I look, how I'm getting into older, smaller clothes again, etc., and I tend to want to relax my diet before I've actually hit my goals (weight goal and to see my abs again). It can be disheartening, losing the same few pounds over and over again, since I'm not as strict as when I had much more to lose.

Has anyone else experienced this, and what did you do?

I had a similar problem, and grew disheartened for a number of reasons. Then I went to a nutritionist who told me that I need to start adding junk foods back into my life. I think her reasoning was that I do this in order to lessen the power of these foods over me, but I just took it as an excuse to slack off, stop counting, and eat crap. After over a year of everyday being "the last day before I go back on plan," I had gained 100 pounds back and felt totally defeated.

I think the problem for me, as with some others, is that we convince ourselves that "dieting" is a temporary state of being, and that things will go back to "normal" afterwards- meaning you'll have more freedom to eat what you want. But I believe that in reality, many of us can't really go back to a loose, casual way of eating, because while we know very well how to diet, we don't know how to eat casually and stay healthy. Most of the maintainers I know are successful because they realized that maintenance requires a plan and attention in order for it to work; it's a long process of learning how to live and eat without an end goal to push you.

So my advice to you is to make sure you're in a good mental place to keep going, even after you reach goal. Don't let yourself get tricked by "the finish line" being the place where the work ends. You've almost moved out of one house, but you still have to move into the next one.

I definitely think it's a common thing, and while I don't have any magical answers I did want to extend an encouraging :hug:. You WILL make it to your goals. You WILL find a way. :yes:

Yup, I'm very much in the same mindset as you. As soon as I hit 132 (my next to last goal) and got to within 10 pounds of my final goal I started to become lax. Not going to the gym as often, going out to eat more, etc. One day I am fine with "taking my time" and the next I just want to find the same motivation I once had! I don't know what my problem is!! I want out of the 130's so badly I can taste it. Only problem is I am tasting foods that are just keeping me at maintenance.

I hope you - WE - find our momentum again. I'm looking forward to the responses you get here.

I've done the same thing. I reach a weight that is pretty good, but not perfect yet. I'm so thrilled about how good I look that I go out and splurge. A few weeks pass, and I maintain or maybe gain just a couple of pounds. But then I look in the mirror and I'm like, 'This is great, but it could be better.'

Sometimes, it's just easy to settle for good enough when you're close, even if it's not exactly what you want. The last few pounds are so hard to get off that it may not even seem worth it. I just try to remind myself that I want it to be over for GOOD. So I have to keep going.