Hello!

I started here at age 56, and went from a 22W to a size 4, where I’ve maintained for three years or so.

I was everything you said, except for needing an extender on planes, though I was pushing the very limits of the seatbelt, for sure.

Don’t blame it on age. That’s the easy way out. I’m not a unicorn. If I can do it, you can do it. It basically comes down to being mindful via weighing and logging and moving.

My diary is open. As you can see, I seldom say “no” to anything.

I have days with huge fails, but I pick myself right back up again and carry on. I’m living testament to the fact that if you do err once in a while, you’re still able to maintain.

I say “yes” to the occasional night or day of fun and enjoyment (Super Bowl Sunday, bunco night the other night). I say yes to daily desserts, going out to restaurants occasionally (I do love a good gyro or chicken shawarma! And both are relatively low calorie 👍🏻)

I say yes to planning (my food diary is already pre-logged through most of next week, right down to snacks, coffee and tea).

Going to the grocery store with a full belly and a plan in place (ie shopping list for those prelogged days) prevents me from loading up on junk food or unintentional purchases.

I say yes to scheduling regular workouts on my calendar and then building my schedule around them. I have the apps for both my yoga studio and gym on my phone so I can easily register a week in advance.

I say yes to walking the dog. It’s good for him and good for me. (Granted, it’s 29 degrees here this morning. Ugh! But we’ll bundle up and do it anyway. Say yes to that, too!)

How bad do you want this? There’s a learning curve, but getting involved in these community boards, asking questions, reading success stories and NSV (non scale victories) threads 1,000% helped me keep going. Check the sticky threads at the top of each board for help getting up and running and don’t hesitate to ask questions.

In to second what @springlering62 said, except I started at age 59, class 1 obese, and have been maintaining in a healthy weight range for around 7 years since losing. The improved quality of life is utterly worth it in so many ways, and it was simpler (in terms of methods) than I'd ever dreamed (though not psychologically easy every single second of course - but manageable). I could kick myself for not doing it years earlier, TBH.

Perfection every day is not essential. Pretty good, on average, on the majority of days . . . that'll get you there, with patience and persistence. If something doesn't work for you, try something different. Thinking about how to make the process easier, rather than faster. Patience and persistence pay off.

There's lots of good stuff in the Community here, and helpful folks (with a lot of diverse opinions and communication styles, so it does get a little lively sometimes!).

If you enjoy Springlering's engaging communication style as much as I do, you might like this thread where where she talks about helping her husband get started on MFP and health improvement. It's kind of like a fun travelogue of weight/health management, explaining lots of the things folks need to know. Located here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10841733/at-goal-successfully-maintaining-so-why-am-i-doing-this-all-over-again/p1

I'm cheering for you to succeed: Best wishes!

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10841733/at-goal-successfully-maintaining-so-why-am-i-doing-this-all-over-again/p1