Almost at goal and starting to worry about maintaining.

From what I've heard, add back about 100 cals each week or so in order for your body to slowly adjust back up. I've also heard that your body will probably gain back a couple pounds as it readjusts but it shouldn't be anything to worry about.

I'm at maintenance. Keep up with the exercise and keep eating what you have been eating...just more of it to get maintenance calories. There's no magic, it's just like losing...just more calories.

People who put the weight back on because they resume old eating habits and tend to stop exercising. They equate exercise with weight loss rather than fitness...ergo, they're not needing/wanting to lose weight so they stop exercising. Then they're somehow surprised when in combination with resuming old habits, they put weight back on.

You should continue to track, at least for a little while so that you can learn what maintenance calories look like on your plate. If you've had the pedal to the metal this whole time you'll want to increase your calories to maintenance slowly....like 100 calories per day weekly until you hit maintenance. Your metabolism has done some adaption to your calorie intake so if you just jump straight to maintenance from such a substantial deficit, you'll put some weight back on...to avoid that you up calories slowly...but really, you're supposed to slow down the closer you get to your goal to prevent this but you're already there so it's a mute point.

Know that you'll likely gain a little weight just from increasing your glycogen stores...when you were "dieting" these glycogen stores were always in a state of constantly being depleted. At maintenance, they'll be full. this isn't fat, this is just immediate energy for your body and water. A lot of people actually go a bit below their goal knowing that when they actually get to their maintenance calories they will put that little bit of weight back on with glycogen stores.

I have been maintaining for a few months and here is my story. I started out not logging my food, which resulted in me under eating out of paranoia of over eating. When I lost more weight, I started logging again. I also started paying more attention to my protein intake and started to be more serious about lifting and strength training, cutting out most of my cardio. I now have the extra calories to put in a better work out. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that I am still learning and evolving. I might have gotten the weight off, but I still have a ways to go until I can feel secure in maintenance.

A friend recommended that I join MFP as I had lost my weight and was struggling to maintain - I'm 5lb below my target! Once you reach target, go into Settings / Edit Profile / Weight Loss Goal / Maintain Weight. It will then reset your daily calories to the level you need to maintain.

I have found it extremely accurate - my weight fluctuates by 1lb either way but no more!

Congrats on your loss and good luck with manitaining