I'm regaining.

I haven't wanted to make this post because I don't want to have to do the work to stop the regain. But **** that. I'm gaining weight and I will stop it now. I maintained at 123-127 for a few months after hitting my goal, but have been seeing my weight creep up for a couple of months now. I promised myself that I would never leave the 120s, but today I'm 131lb. No. Just no. What I am doing is not working. I've let carbs back in the form of dark chocolate, leaving the rice on sushi, fruit and granola and have let grazing get out of control. NO MORE chocolate, nuts, rice, fruit or granola until I'm back in the low 120s. I will eat protein/fat primarily, drink lots of water, and go back to intermittent fasting. I should be back where I want to be by mid-June if not sooner. This is my precious body, I love being slim and I am NOT giving that up.

Don't beat yourself up too much you've recognized where you're going wrong and are trying to fix. You're only a year out so still trying to find a balance on what you can eat for maintenance. I don't know about the intermittent fasting, but others might be able to weigh in on that.

You've already received some good advice, I'd suggest you go back and take a look.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/6031649/Am-I-giving-u p-too-soon

"I eat whatever I want in whatever amounts and I don't measure or track" is a recipe for regain.

I knew what I was doing was not working when I made that post but I wasn't ready to change. Now I'm ready.

Good. Some people post about regain, ask for help, ignore the help, and repeat this cycle over and over and over again. Those are the people who gain it all back.

That won't be me, no way. I'm going to be the badass on OH at goal for 10 years and giving good advice to newbies :)

Losing weight is the easy part. Maintaining is so much harder.

Many of us have to give up things like chocolate, nuts, fruit, granola, and rice because we do not know how to eat things like this in moderation.

Sad but true

I also wanted to add that for a lot of us -- and I am speaking of myself! -- it takes SO LITTLE for me to begin to gain. Even if I eat things like nuts, rice, granola, etc in moderation -- I will put on weight like a pig getting ready for the county fair.

It seems so unfair, but the less you weigh, the less you can eat. That's the cruel hidden secret of WL -- and I suspect, part of why so many suffer considerable regain.

It is so hard to maintain! I'm exactly one year ahead of you (3/28/16), and have been completely in maintenance for almost 17 months. I follow a lot of "rules" to stay focused and even with that I am bouncing around at about 2 pounds higher in my range than I was 4 months ago so I am trying to bring it back down. I do the following always:

1. Weigh or measure everything I eat
2. Track everything (the good and the bad). Just knowing where my calories are already and how much I have left will sometimes stop a craving
3. Weigh myself daily EVEN when I know it will be up - I feel like a reset button has been pressed each time: "here I am and I know what I need to do for the next day or two (or more) if my weight is up over the prior day"
4. Drink constantly EXCEPT for 30-60 minutes after meals
5. Participate daily on 2 OH menu threads where I post my plan for the day, and also in a maintenance group where we talk about what is going on, our struggles and our wins. I also attend an in-person support group monthly.
6. Plan for my meals but also for snacks at my most dangerous times of day (late afternoon and late evening). I plan for meals and snacks that are satisfying and filling and fit into my plan
7. Get a protein based appetizer if possible or a meal when I go out to eat and try to stick to my usual portion, taking the rest home. I substitute good veggies for side dishes instead of getting rice or French fries. If I am more hungry than usual I eat more protein (not more of the side)
8. When I do eat something not on plan (or more than usual), I don't beat myself up over it. I just weigh the next morning and adjust for it for the next few days
9. When I am at a time like now where I have crept up more than I'm comfortable with, I try to go as high-protein/low-carb as possible because eating that way fills me up and keeps my calories down.
10. I chew a lot of gum when I have a craving
11. I drink a lot of coffee (really satisfies me)

Why do I do all of the above? Because I have lost weight in the past countless times, sometimes going to goal and losing as much as 50-60 pounds, but I always immediately started regaining and ended up at a higher weight than before. My life was constant gain, feeling fat, and being on a diet. I know I could gain again, because I could eat plenty of cookies, donuts, etc. to get me back up there. So instead, I have my "rules" as listed above which are working for me. I have NEVER maintained before in the 40 years of cyclical dieting and regain, but now I have maintained for almost 17 months.

You say you now have the desire, so figure out what "rules" will work for you and stick to them. It is a job, but one well worth it.

Good luck - you haven't gained much: You can do this!