how do you start maintaining?

I just stop tracking but continue to weight myself every week to make sure im not gaining

I'm just two pounds away from goal. I plan to increase my calories by 100 for a week, then another 100 for the next week, and so on until I find maintenance. It may take 1-2 months to do so. Then I think I'll still continue to log for awhile to get accustomed to what my maintenance eating/portions really look like. And I know for sure that I will weigh myself every day for the rest of my life. I lost 50 pounds about 10 years ago, and I kept it off easily for 7 years. It was only when I stopped weighing daily that my weight started to creep up.

I would ramp up. It makes the transition easier. Some people do it in 100 calorie increments. I just adjusted my weight loss goal from 1 lb/week to 1/2 lb/week when I was within 5 lbs of my goal, then straight to maintenance.

This is what I have found.. maintenance is near impossible. What I mean is, when you lift a lot of the restrictions you had, your scale is going to fluctuate enough to make you worry. I gave myself a range. If I went outside it, back on the diet.. down near the low end, I let myself eat. What fun is hitting your goal if you can't enjoy the fruits of your labor. Just weigh, and know where you stand.

I went about going into maintenance a little quicker than I probably should've. I was eating at about a 500-700 calorie deficit (1800-2000 cals) and when I wanted to stop losing weight, I began eating at what MFP said would be my maintenance (2500-3000 cals) the next week and have been maintaining there for the past 7 months. If that didn't stop the weight loss, I was going to continue to increase until it did stop. At first I weighed myself just about everyday just to make sure I wasn't losing or gaining, but once my weight flat-lined, I eased off a bit

Nowadays, I eat around 2500 cals, with a bit more on heavy activity days and weigh myself once a week or so. I find maintenance a hell of a lot easier than losing because not only do you get to eat more, you can be much more lax with how much you do eat.

I just entered maintenance before the holidays. Bumped up my calorie goal, but have blown straight past it nearly every day. So far, weight is staying right at goal weight. Will probably bump down the goal for a week or two in mid January, then will "play" with the amounts to keep within a five pound range of goal weight.

Looking forward to hearing how others plan to begin their maintenance.

When you get to the weight you want to be at, do you just adjust your goals on mfp and immediately start eating your maintenance calories? Or how does it work? I don't have far to go, so i'm wondering how it works. Thanks for the help!

That's what I did - yes.

I had already had it set on lowest loss amount, 1/2 pound a week so it wasn't a lot different, only upped my calories by just over 100.

I still weigh aprox weekly and track calories as before (except 2 days over NYE) - I am giving myself a range of 1.5 kg either side of my ideal weight - if I reach over or under that ,I will re adjust.
have maintained within this range since September.

Once I lost twenty pounds, which was my initial goal, I changed my goals from losing 1 pound/week to 0.5/week until I lost ten more pounds. Then I changed my calories to maintenance calories. I found it to be pretty easy and a smooth transition.

I would also have a weight range that you feel comfortable being in. For example, do not stop at 140 pounds and obsess at staying there. Instead, say something like, "I'm okay being between 138-142." Or something like that.

Also, I pay attention to weekly calories. I was doing 5:2 and went to 6:1. I move my calories around a lot. So I'll be under one day and then I'll be more than 1,000 over on a day like today. ;-P