don't read this if you are not at goal

Hey Diane,

Glad the 1/2 pound disappeard, hopefully it is gone forever, with you socks...

I am maintianing between 140 - 145 lbs.  I never reached 140 so I don't know why I say that, but I do...

I never want to get to 145 lbs again.  I got up to 144.4 lbs but not 145.

I seem to fluctuate between 142-144, and I am getting used to that.  When I first started maintaining if I went up at all, even a fraction of a pound or god forbid a l lb, I felt like I had to immediately make a change and walk more or drink more water or eat less...

One of my biggest successes in maintenance has been to change NOTHING when I gain a bit.  It is the weirdest thing to do nothing.  I just tell myself not to do anything different or cut back on anything unless I actually reach 145 lbs.  Well, let me tell you, that feels weird and easy and scary all at the same time...  but it is sooooooooo amazing and such a releif to trust myself and my body...

I admit I hate going above 143 point anything, 144 is not acceptable, it is my true warning that 145 lbs is very close... at that point I pull back ever so slightly, and I am back down.  If I behave too much or get too busy, I start to head towards 141 point anything and I know I need to increase a few things...  

Find a range that really works for you, use it, trust it, and work with it to allow your body room to do its natural fluctuations.  It is so freeing once you get used to it.

Big hugs, oh and by the way 'socks' is a 4 letter word down here in Belize, we get quite offended it if actually gets cold enough to wear them.

So this thread has made me curious... Is your weight really steady? Because mine isn't and it's annoying as heck! I seem to be really prone to gaining and losing water weight. I vary by about 4-5 pounds easily over the course of a two week period without any real change in my fat or muscle mass.

Phew, glad to hear its maybe normal to have weight fluctuations of 4 or 5 pounds when you don't really change anything much in what you do. that was the point of my whining that started this thread - the fact that over thanksgiving i was very judicious and careful in what i ate and still gained a half pound that hung around for 4 days. i know i was overreacting but just made me feel like one spoon of stuffing and gravy was going to make me gain weight then how could i ever expect some reasonable maintenance at a somewhat steady weight. i guess every one has ups and downs and i can live with that. anyway, gotta get over the obsessing and get on with life. D

Mine is not steady. I have a 5 to 7 pound flux, but I know its going to happen and so I do not worry when it does.  I also *know* what I have been eating, so I know if what I am eating is the culprit, or if for a couple of days I only walked the dogs and did nothing else,

Or if I dove head first into the batch of home-made caramel.  :}