Please keep in mind that although I can share my experiences,
no one can tell you what successful maintenance will be like for you.
It's a very individual thing.

Some people find that it's best to continue counting calories,
and they do it indefinitely. Others find that they don't need to do that,
as long as they follow certain principles for themselves.

Another thing to keep in mind is that maintenance changes…
…it doesn't stay the same forever.
What works at first may not continue to work later on.
So it's good to be flexible and not box yourself in
to having to have things just one way.

Everyone who has been obese
and then reached their maintenance level
is concerned about regaining.

As you're losing weight, consider what maintaining might look like
in terms of how you eat. For a lot of people, "I will never eat a cookie"
just isn't realistic … and neither is "I will eat cookies whenever I want."
For them, the optimal path is somewhere in between.

Don't be fooled by what online calculators tell you you can eat to maintain.
Many people regain part of their lost weight by thinking
that they “should" be able to eat at a certain calorie level
without regaining, and it turns out that this is not true for them.

Each of us has to find out for ourselves.

                       
  Something to Think About:

What's the difference between those of us
that have reached the weight goal we want to be
and those of us that have not?

Is it luck? Maybe
Is it hard work? YES
Is it vision? YES
Is it determination? YES
Is it focus? YES
Is it just circumstances? Maybe a little bit

After working hard to reach one’s weight goal,
would you start treating others as though they weren't good enough,
working hard enough, determined enough?

Or would you continue to understand
that people don't truly start moving forward
UNTIL THEY ARE TRULY READY to face their demons
and overcome their own personal recipe of life's obstacles?

Are you envious of those that are making serious progress
when you know that you are giving mediocre effort?

Are you resentful because you think some people don't have to try anymore
when they get to a certain point, and you still have to?

Do you realise that it gets harder and harder the closer you get to the end?

Life is the constant adaptation to your environment.

CONSTANT.

Not just until you get to the next rest stop.
CONSTANT. FOR EVERYONE.

No matter what point any of us are in when it comes to our struggle forward,
everyone is still pushing, worrying, trying, crawling, running, strangling,
suffocating under guilt, envious or jealous or sad, ready to collapse,
not satisfied with some result, self-conscious, lonely, misunderstood,
on the edge of giving up, starting over, moving on.

NO one is perfect.
No one has it all figured out.
No one is 100% done.
No one is completely confident.
No one has impenetrable self-esteem.

Successful people are just further ahead in some areas than others.

We are all successful.
And you can always choose to alter your own path
in pursuit of your own happiness.

 
The above article is a paraphrased portion of a post
that I really liked, from a fellow forum member.

 It so closely follows my own thinking,
that it is something that I could have written myself
...........but I didn’t.

People make an average of 200 food choices in a day.

All these decisions can deplete our limited mental "resources"
that govern our self-regulation.

That's one reason why, at the end of a hectic day, we can more easily overeat.
We lack the mental resources to say “no” to that first tempting cookie,
then of course, it is usually even harder to say "no to more of the same.

I have added another weekly recipe video to DietHobby.
You can click this link to see my low-calorie version of "Oatmeal Banana Nut Bars".
The video is located under RESOURCES, Sweet Tastes here at DietHobby.

What does normal mean?

The dictionary defines normal as:

* conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern;
* relating to average intelligence or development;
*  free from mental disorder: sane.

With regards to weight, normal is defined as
having a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9.

Many people consider the word “normal”
to mean “average”.

“Normal” is different things to different people.
Each of us have our own definition of what “normal” is.
Our viewpoint is influenced by our family and friends,
and our cultural and social background.

 The advertising media is part of our social background,
and have had a large part in shaping our concepts of “normal”
in our own lives, and the lives of our parents,
and even the lives of our grandparents and great-grandparents.

So, we tend to define “normal”
based on what we have been TOLD is normal.
The word for being not normal is “abnormal”.
The word “abnormal” simply means deviating from the normal or average,
but that word has a strongly negative connotation for most of us.

  Why is “normal” even important?
Because deep inside, most of us believe that
being “normal” is good, and
while being better than normal is good,
being “abnormal” is bad.

What is considered “normal” eating in our culture?

* Hamburgers go with french fries and a soda or milkshake.

*  Sandwiches go with potato chips and a soda.

*  Ice cream, cakes, pies, cookies. candy and other sweet desserts
should be frequently eaten as part of our normal meals;
as snacks; during social events; and especially all during holidays.

*  Chips and crackers and popcorn are acceptable between meal options
as well as excellent side dishes.

*  Cold cereals (most of which are 90%+ sugar)
are optional and suitable breakfast foods.

While dieting, those of us with weight problems
learn to eat differently than “normal” while we are losing weight.
But most of us expect to return to “normal” eating,
once we’ve achieved our goal weight.
  Unfortunately, when we do this, we regain our lost weight plus more,
and we beat ourselves up emotionally…because we aren’t “normal”.

I’ve found that in order to succeed at maintaining my large weight-loss,
it has been necessary for me to redefine normal.
My ongoing job is to establish a NEW normal.
That is what a change in lifestyle actually means.

           
Pet food is a heavily marketed area.
Now we are all supposed to be worried
about giving a "healthy lifestyle" to our pets,
and making sure they aren't "obese".

Despite the popular sentiment of cat food marketers,
and vets who are interested in the length of a pet's life
rather than the quality of the that pet's life,
Here's where I draw a personal line.

 I accept I have to diet my whole life..
...and call it a "healthy lifestyle", ....
but to make my cat do it along with me is just sick.
Making my cat diet is NOT part of my Dieting Hobby.

For those who are following my “Ask Grandma” videos
click to see my latest one: “I Like My Best Friend's Boyfriend”
which is located in DietHobby under RESOURCES, Videos, Ask Grandma.