Maintaining it isn't that hard..

I never, ever, ever thought I'd say this - maintaining the weight loss hasn't been that hard!

No seriously.. I'm sure several of you who are reading this are thinking that its crazy.. that I didn't get well into the 300's by being easily able to maintain my weight but it hasn't been bad. I struggled hard to get the last parts off. Won't lie - it was brutal. I had to hit the gym HARD, log some serious miles and give up some foods that frankly I never should have been putting back in my mouth period. But it's been off now for a year. I'm in the 150's. I'm not skinny - never will be  and don't want to be. I'm healthy, a reasonable amount of muscle tone and frankly, I'm happy. I can run a 10k on Saturday mornings, did cartwheels on the beach on vacation in a bikini, went scuba diving in a size medium BCD and had the guy at the DMV tell me there was no way I weigh as much as 150 lbs. Score!

I want to share though with those who are getting started - there were times I struggled, weeks - heck, months - that I lost nothing, days I felt like I was never going to stop throwing up or gagging, foods that I nearly cried over seeing and not being able to have, moments I sat on the couch and refused to lift a finger, nights I ate pizza, a few bites of ice cream or some other not so healthy food options and called it a meal! I drink in moderation, work out in moderation, don't always eat the most healthy thing on the menu or make the ideal decision on snacking etc but those things - they are minor and the next decision I make is better. 

You can do it. Setbacks aren't failure and rules aren't iron clad that you can't come back from a slip up. 371 to 152. Well over half my body weight. I'm an 8, could probably be a 4-6 without all the skin. I was a 32 and sometimes that didn't even fit well. But I did it and so can you...

All the best of luck as you head towards your goals. :)

 

Great post.  Thanks for that.

Thanks for the encouraging post! I especially appreciate reading success stories from people who have started out as heavy as myself. Not taking anything away from "lightweights". Just makes me see that my own goals are definitely attainable. Great job on your amazing weight loss and maintenance! You look fantastic!

Thank you for posting this!! Extremely encouraging. I have had a pretty easy time so far, but should there will be challenges ahead, posts like this are so helpful!

YAY for taking the time to share this!!

Thanks for your post.  I'm about half way to where I want to be and feel so guilty if I eat something "bad".  So many post on here and sound like they do everything perfectly.  I sure don't, occasional pizza or a few bites of birthday cake or even some chips.  But I just try to make up for it later.  I never did well dieting.....I just am trying to learn to live and be healthy in the real world.

As long as I weigh myself everyday and make sure that I am staying at my goal weight, it is pretty easy.  I eat anything I want, just small quantities. 

Thank you! And congratulations:)

Thank you for your post tonight! I am getting ready to start my pre-op liquid diet on Sunday and I have been feeling so discouraged with the amount of weight I have to lose. Stories like your are truly inspirational to me! You look amazing!

Love the realism here!  You have no idea how much you have helped me with this post.  You achieved such a great victory and I am appreciative you took time to share.

Thanks! 

Say, just out of curiosity .. how tall are you?  I am only 5ft 1 and weigh 138 but I wear a size 10-12 bottom or a medium and a size 14 top (L).  Sigh, I bet you are taller than me, LOL.

 Good for YOU!  So happy for you.

Be careful. Many people have trouble after the 3 year mark. I am almost 5 years out and will NEVER say that maintaining is easy because to me that breeds complacency. I will stay diligent every day for the rest of my life.