Yoyo dieter :-(

Im not sure this will work for you but I have to count calories. It has been effective. I have a target calorie count of 1600 to 2000 calories a day. But I do slip up some days and it has become harder to lose weight after having lost 25lbs....but good luck...

I was in your situation before but since I started counting calories & upping my metabolism by doing more weight lifting exercises, so far I'm able to maintain my loss. Cardio has its place but definitely won't do wonders for your metabolism unless you accompany it with weight lifting. In fact the reason why you don't maintain the loss is because you are losing muscle when you are in a calorie deficit & we know that muscle is our body's most efficient fat burner so that is why we have to build it or preserve it through weight lifting. When I say weight lifting I don't mean lifting those tiny pink 2 lb dumbbells, I mean a weight heavy enough to challenge your muscles but still safe enough for your body to manage. However for this workout, I suggest talking to an expert since I know you had surgeries.

As for foods, eat lots of protein, healthy fats & fibrous carbs.

Hi Paula, I too consider myself a yo-yoer. I began my weight loss journey in 2007 at 220 pounds, and lost 75 pounds in 14 months. However, I have been bouncing up and down within 10 pounds of this loss for well over 3 years now. On a good note, I've maintained the 65 pound loss for 4 years now, so I like to consider that a success!

I'm here on MFP now to drop the 10 pounds, plus some additional, to hit an all time personal best... I wish I could offer advice on staying focused once you reach your goal weight, but I can only offer some ideas that have helped me along my journey.

Exercise.

I think walking is fantastic! I recently bought a Fitbit and I have increased my walking, stairs, general activity, exponentially! A friend of mine, who is a Marathon Maniac, and a member of the 50 States Marathon Club, turned me on to it. Although I like running marathons as well, I'm not always training... I tend to go in sputs, and just revving up general activity makes a huge impact in daily calorie burn. I usually have a daily 300 calorie adjustment from my Fitbit (I have it synced to my account here) just from my normal daily activities. Though, the Fitbit encourages me to be more active, hence, more calorie burn.

Other exercise ideas (of course, you need to do activities YOU enjoy!)
swimming, yoga, hot yoga, workout dvds at home, you tube exercise videos, Insanity (dvds), gym membership and classes, nordic walking group, tennis club, dance classes (pole dancing?), tai chi, tae kwan do, crossfit (I haven't seen it here, only in the States), Forest Fit, weight lifting, circuit training, HIIT training, etc., etc....

But I can tell you, from my personal observations, you can workout all you want, and burn massive amounts of calories, but it won't make much of a difference if your diet isn't in order.

Diet, nutrition.
This is really how I've been able to maintain the 65 pound weight loss for the past 4 years. I completely overhauled my eating. Granted, I was living in the States at the time, but it still holds true here:
- no more fried fast foods. I stopped getting dinner at the drive-thru and started cooking at home.
- increase green vegetables. Kale and spinach, romaine lettuce, etc. (Spinach smoothies)
- discover the spice combinations that make your favorite vegetables taste incredible!
- moderation with the treats, mine are wine and chocolate.

This is a process, and I'm still a process in the making, so I'm still traveling this journey as well. I'd love to know what others are doing to break free of yoyo dieting.

Best of luck to all!! Happy MFPing!!