I've Maintained THREE years...and counting! :)

I do log my exercise regularly but haven't logged my food in quite awhile. I was SO dilligent during those 16 months it took me to lose the weight..I weighed meat, measured every tbsp of ketchup or coffee creamer, etc..that now I can eyeball pretty well. And I eat well so that I feel fueled. I don't get hungry often!! And I exercise a lot so that I can enjoy life and get out there for a girls night out or a date or something..and not worry.

I gave myself a leeway as well. Honestly, I never weigh. I refuse to be a slave to the scale. I did the first few months after my son was born..because I gained like 30 lbs of pregnancy weight..but that was gone pretty fast! I don't consider maintenance to be exactly to a t what your weight was when you hit goal. I think there have been times I've been a little below it and maybe a little above. I go by how my clothes feel! As long as I can comfortably get into my size 6's, I'm fine! If they start feeling tight..I just do my thing for a week or two (what I know how to do!! lol!)..and I'm fine. And this works for me. The key is figuring out what will work for you and doing it. Everyone is different!

Good luck!! :flowerforyou:
-Tam

Thanks Tam, thats sounds really great, and just how I want to be! I agree that you do really know when things are getting a bit tighter, so the trick is also knowing the small adjustments needed to get back on track. Your story gives me a lot of hope that it is possible to lose the weight, maintain the 'new me' and not be a scale/calorie counting slave forever. Woot woot!

It's the only way I felt I could do this forever. To 1. Not try to know everything over night and gradually ease into this...and 2. Educate myself to the point I didn't have to be a slave to ANYTHING again. Honestly, it really is just about being sensible. And also, portions. I think that's the biggest problem. It's not exactly what you're eating (though I do feel a thousand times better when I eat to fuel my body and eat healthy)....but how much of it! It's so good to get that under control!