Success with maintenance?

Well it depends what you classify as gaining minimal weight. Holiday in Cyprus +3 in 11 days came off, gained on my honeymoon 3 months later +3.5 pounds but that came off and I got back to my goal for Christmas which i had off 12 days off work gained 5 pounds!!! Lost some of that so currently only sitting 3 pounds above my goal weight and intend to get back to my goal in a couple of weeks.

I have set myself the limit that if I ever gain over 7 pounds above my goal whether it be holidays or whatever then I am starting to get out of control again and need to be back on losing mode rather than maintenance.

Totally agree with the fitness - I run 5 times a week minimum. Every other day on holidays.

I really think this it the key, to have a set weight that is your alarm weight, at which you know you need to get yourself back on track. For me, I go by how my clothes fit. Right now, my pants are tight so I know I need to get back on track and lose a few pounds/tone up a bit. I do this rather than go out and buy bigger pants.

I met my goal in Sept 2012, went on the maintenance setting, and actually lost a further 6 pounds on maintenance! Over Christmas followed by a week in Cuba, I gained back 5 pounds - but have lost those 5 pounds in a week of clean eating and drinking lots of water - so it must have been bloating from excess alcohol and the plane flights.

I just keep the same schedule of a 3-4 km run each day, always taking the stairs, and logging every bite on MFP. No banned foods - and I usually include a glass of wine with supper every night. I think it's the exercise that is the key.

Mega pats on the back to everyone who is successfully maintaining - it's just as much diligence as the weight loss itself!

I started in Jan. of 2011 at about 155. My goal is 140 and I've gone off myfitnesspal 3 times and not counted calories. Every time, I gained about 7 lbs back (over 2-3 months) before I went back on. I guess I'll have to log calories for life then. I am down to 143 right now.

I started maintaining, or attempting to maintain Nov 9, 2012. I hit my goal weight of 135. Today, I am 130 lbs.. so yes, I am maintaining but no, cause I am still losing. I leave the caloric intake that I am eating at 1400-1600 cause it is ok, for me to take it down a few more pounds. I am sure that I am going to need 3-5 pounds of room for error, so I am still in the learning phase of maintaining. I am happy with what I eat now, I am very careful when we dine out, but still enjoy my meal and I use MFP every day.
This tool, is going to be essential to making sure I eat the right foods to keep myself at a healthy weight. Prior to MFP, I was eating healthy but had no idea I was intaking way too much calcium and not nearly enough protein. I have since made adjustments and I feel much better. My thought would be, that if in one full year from the day you began maintenance you are still at your goal weight or below, you have succeeded. I hope to be one of those successful people. I WILL be one of those successful people. The gain weight lose weight game has got to stop.

I have been able to maintain my same 122 pound weight loss for about 8 months now. The key for me is you can never go back to some foods. They are gone forever. You have to wrap you head around that from the beginning. No pizza, soda and fast food for me.

good deal! For me it is soda, fried foods, and fast food! Good to hear someone else believes this! I will have pizza occaisonally as a cheat meal, but quality pizza!

I'll be in maintenance mode soon, and... have been there before, but not with MFP. The same 15-20 lbs of "suitcase weight" I've gained and lost for over 20 years.

Maintenance is not as much "fun" as losing, b/c you don't get that thrill of seeing your ticker move or dropping a size.

With MFP I feel like I finally have the tool I need to maintain: logging both food and activity. There is a lot of wisdom in these replies but what it comes down to is that each meal and each day is a decision, a choice= same as it is when you're in the losing phase.

Started loosing October 2011. Health has been my motivation. Reach goal the end of April 2012. I just hit 450 days in a row logging. Cholesterol and blood sugar control are my goals now. Have other health issues and don't want any other problems than I can help. October 2012 had my annual doctor visit, will results were good, but with the changes in diet and wait loss not as good as I expected. I've made addition changes sine. I'm still maintaining, but motivation to keep going has been very hard. Keep setting new goals for myself. Had a stomach virus for 2 weeks. I started insanity workouts 3 weeks before which helped boost my motivation. 2 weeks being sick sending me back to day 1 insanity made motivation hard again. I have the deep down desire not. To give up, but it's becoming difficult.

Maintenance is not as much "fun" as losing, b/c you don't get that thrill of seeing your ticker move or dropping a size.

This is why I recommend that people create a fitness goal other than a number on a scale. That's no fun at all. While it's a great accomplishment you're not going to pat yourself on the back or brag to friends that "I'm the same weight as last year."

Find something fun that's challenging that you can't quite do yet. Maybe you want to do more push ups or perhaps you want to run in a race. It could just be something like "I want to hike in the Rocky Mountains." Whatever it is if it's health related and something that takes work you'll find that you're doing the right things for reasons other than just weighing the same and that can be really motivating and fun.

I lost 30+ lbs nearly 30 years ago, and aside from pregnancy, I've kept it off within 5 lbs. How? Everyone needs to find what works for them, but for me:

1. I weigh every single day unless I'm sick, out of town, etc.
2. I never let my weight go more than 5 lbs over my happy weight. Once it reaches this limit, I scale back my eating.

Having MFP is a terrific tool for maintainers. Wish I had it over the years!

I agree with the poster who said it's about loving the new lifestyle more than the old. I was thinking about that this morning when I pushed myself out the door and to the gym. Sure, I could skip a day every now and then, but I love the results of my discipline so much more than the results I got when I was slacking off!