Maintaining weight and conrol

I don't worry about holidays or occasions....a day is just a day...it's immaterial to the big picture.

When I was first losing and also in early stages of maintenance, I logged like it was a religious ritual, very consistent. (I wanted to be sure I really knew what my true maintenance calorie level was, so good data was important t me.)

Even then, I ate pretty indulgently on holidays and a few other special occasions, just tried to estimate it realistically.

Now (year 5+ of maintenance), I don't always log those days, but still indulge. Honestly, the rare way-over-maintenance day just doesn't seem to have the much impact. There'll be a water-weight/digestive-fullness bump on the scale for a few days to a week, but it drifts away in a few days to a week . . . as long as it's a holiDAY, not a holiMONTH.

If the scale starts to creep gradually upward over time (which is how true fat regain looks, for me), I know how to make it creep back down, but adopting a slight calorie deficit for a while. The more time goes on, the more un-stressed I am about how things will work out. I pretty much trust the process. No question that's a little more difficult at first!