The Maintenance Appreciation Thread

I have been "maintaining" for about six months even though I still have a little left to lose to get to the place I want to be. It absolutely takes effort. It absolutely makes me question, again, the range I set for myself to consider my maintenance range. For example, I just lost the SAME two pounds I lost three days ago. And ten days ago. And two weeks ago.... Good news is my ten-day average, my two-week trend, and my four week trend are all at least slightly down, or at least flat. That's maintenance, right?




The three month trend looks like an elevation profile of a hike over a couple of mountains, and I'm over the peak and on the way down even if still 300 feet (three pounds) up from where I started. The six month trend looks kind of like the three month trend, but it just started a little higher, and I'm only 200 feet above the trailhead. That's STILL maintenance!




The one year trend is really interesting. Pretty steady decrease until mid August. After that, it's been up in down from mid August to the end of November where it was back where it was in mid August, then a couple other little deviations up and ultimately back down. Another interesting bit; since mid August, my trending weight has consistently and without any exception been within a five-pound range centered about five pounds over my ultimate goal weight. I've been in what looks like classic maintenance, but it's just a little heavier than my goal range. That trend since July sure looks like maintenance.



I have been questioning my ultimate goal range since I set it. It's lower than my initial goal range, and maybe my first guess was right, because I'm pretty much there. So, am I going to revise my goals up to meet what I look like I'm achieving? Well, no. Not yet anyway. I still think I can get to where I want and maintain there. Do I consider myself in maintenance already? Yes I do. Do I still want to get to my goal and maintain THERE? Does a one-legged duck swim in a circle?

I had my weight off 5 years,40 lbs, dont get complacent like I did, I gained 25 lbs last year. Got the flu, scales got off 10 lbs, thought I was 10 lbs heavier and was 20 lbs up, so got mad , gained another 5. Depressing year, after the flu and adult children stress, I couldn't stop eating. Got straight in July and lost it again, thank goodness! This time I looked at the emotional side of eating, like what was eating me?

I lent my food scale to a family whose kid was doing a science fair project that required mass measurements. My eyeballing is for *kitten* but I figured I'd try anyway. After a month they still had my damn food scale and I started to feel a little fluffy (I don't weigh. I just go but clothes-fit) so I bought another scale and I'm working on getting the fluff off. Shouldn't take long. But I'm still pissed off about it.

Was nice to go out last night and eat what I wanted, wings, beer, sweet potato fries and I even split a desert with a friend. I didn’t over eat more than I was hungry for, ate a salad for lunch knowing I wanted to go out for dinner. It’s not an all the time thing and I’m glad for that but was genuinely nice to finally NOT feel guilty for eating.

Having the knowledge to make it fit in my weekly calories and not be the beginning of a spiral downhill.

To trust myself that I finally have this under control is a big thing for me.