Can't get myself into maintenance mindset.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I shouldn't have read this. I am reading the end of the book before I have finished reading the middle! AUGH! Please tell me you all are just kidding and this is a joke. Just a bad dream going bad? I don't want to count calories forever. I like this diet because it is working, however, I've been grumbling the entire time. I am not a person of discipline for long extended periods of time. Here's a question. Can you maintain w/o watching your calories and then when you gain five pounds, go back on the calorie count? I'm thinking that would be ok to do. Or am I totally off my rocker?

Oh, no! Don't be upset! That was the opposite of what I intended with the post. I completely understand your desire to not have to continue logging ALL THE DAMN TIME, but from what I understand, it can be pretty detrimental to your health to yo-yo...that might just be for extreme weight swings, though. 5 lbs might not be so bad...

I don't think there's anything wrong with just monitoring your weight and adjusting if needed.

The problem a lot of people have (and the problem I've had in the past) is that they stop monitoring their weight at all. Or when they do notice it's going up they don't do anything about it.

macchiatto

To the OP: I think if you've been very disciplined and feeling a bit deprived, it's easy to just 'let go'. That is one reason that being relaxed about eating flexibly within your limits is important. It really is life.

Get back on the horse. You can do it. As others have said, it's not that hard. Find food you love. Build activities into your life you enjoy. Find a balance.

I agree. This has happened to me numerous times. I'm gradually learning over time, for me it has taken lots of trial and error to figure out the habits, mindsets, intake levels, etc., that work for me for maintenance mode.