Hi! I'm quite sure most on here don't remember me (I was very quiet), but I joined the site a while ago and reached my goal weight of 145 in December 2010.

A friend mentioned this site the other day, so I decided to log in. I see I haven't been to the site since November last year. Wow! The good news is it's a little under two years since I reached my goal and I've had no problem staying there!

I know there are many others who have been maintaining for much longer than I have, but if anyone needs support or has questions, I'm willing to share as much I can. Since logging in, I've realized how much I miss the site, so I'm back.

Congratulations on maintaining!

That's wonderful! Did you change anything since you hit your goal? Or did you just keep on the way you had been just eating a little more?

congrats on maintaining!

Yes! I would live to hear about what you have been doing to maintain your loss.

congrats on maintaining! A year is still a big deal. Keep up the good work!

Congratulations!! Tell us more!!

OMG, that one year of maintenance didn't sound right, so I went and looked at my old papers (where I would write down my weigh-in. I had my timeline all wrong in my original post lol. I actually met my goal weight in December 2010. So next month will be 2 years at maintenance. Ha! I feel so dumb.

Thanks, everyone! I lost the weight very slowly (at least to me). There were plenty of times that I would be jealous of others here on the site who were losing tons of weight fast. However, I realized that I had to do what works for me and just roll with it.

Because I lost slowly I didn't have to do any drastic calorie cuts. While losing, I ate 1500-1600 calories. Now I think I eat between 1900-2400 calories a day. I don't count calories though; I mostly go by portion size and make sure the foods I eat are healthy most of the time. I also don't restrict myself from eating anything. If I want it, I'll have it. I've learned it's all about balance. If I have a huge plate of bbq one day, I make sure to eat sensibly the next.

Another thing that has helped me maintain (and not beat myself up about "bad" eating) is I ask myself "what did you do healthy today?" If I can answer with something like, "I did 4 miles at the gym" or "I ate broccoli," I give myself a pat on the back and go on with my day. I've learned that it's important to not expect yourself to be perfectly on plan all the time. So my thing is as long as I can say I did at least one thing healthy for that day (and I usually challenge myself to do more healthier things than the day before), then I'm doing good.

To be honest, I think what has helped me most in maintaining is exercise. I love working out and, for me, it's what really keeps me on track. If I'm working out consistently, I don't want to ruin it by eating unhealthy, so it keeps me doing well. But if I slack up on the workouts, "bad" eating usually follows. I know people say losing weight is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise but mine is 70% exercise and 30% nutrition. As long as I'm working out (and I do a lot), I've been able to eat anything I want.

Sorry for going on so long. It's just this board was such a big motivator when I was losing, so I'd like to "pay it forward" and help others in any way I can.

Awesome!! It's so nice to hear people's maintenance stories... it gives me hope!!

We have similar stats and philosophies. I started off at 195 lbs and have been maintaining at 140 lbs, eating an average of 2,000 cals per day. I haven't eliminated a single food from my diet, but have reined in my portions (most of the time). I also find that exercise is key for me. I've yo-yoed several times in my life and this is the first time I've committed to making exercise a regular part of my life. For me it has made all the difference.

F.

Thank you Freelancemomma and Pink Sparkle! As I creep closer to my goal, I'm starting to think more about maintaining my loss. Your stories are very helpful.

I very much agree with this. That initial weight loss was pretty much all diet but it is exercise that has kept the weight off for me.

When I go on vacation or go out with friends and where the potential to eat off plan is higher, I make it a priority that I maintain my exercise regime.