Maintenance - Soft Landing or Push on?

 if I am reading your sugery date right, you are not even 10 months out? honestly, I don't see how you could possibly have a valid idea of how you look. for one thing, your body sort of re-distributes itself and for another, your mind takes awhile to catch up with reality. it does NOT accept the change as fast as your body loses.

hasn't this come up like 3 times today?

 people, when you get further out you will have NO problem gaining if that is what you want to do - don't be afraid to keep losing at this point!

 I had several goals because, honestly, I wasn't sure what I was capable of achieving.  I am still not totally sure.  I knew I wanted to lose 100 and get into the 170's.  And then normal bmi was huge.  I figured anything after that would be gravy.  Now I'm at 156, and I wear mostly 8's but lots of 6's too (cannot believe it) and my bmi is 23.7.  I still have a ways to go.  I haven't really been losing this past month, but I'm starting to shift my focus from simply losing weight to making healthy long-term decisions and exercising.  I'm at a spot now where I'm less concerned with just dropping 100 pounds, and more concerned with losing some weight and replacing some of that weightloss with muscle growth.  

I would def ask your nut/dr./surgeon about where you should be.  It's possible to experience regain, so my dr. actually recommends that you go full boar now, while you can.  You can always add back in calories later.

I can only speak from my own experience but if I were you and you don't mind staying on the diet then I would stay with it until you get to your goal or a revised goal. Things do have a way of shifting around and getting back into proportion and being only 10 months out, now is the time to get all the weight off you can while its fairly easy as its harder later. You can then make adjustments. I stayed on the plan until I got to goal and then increased my calories slowly. I actually lost more weight than planned but am at a healthy bmi that my doctor thinks is fine. some think i am too thin but i really love being this thin. I was surprised that I lost weight fairly evenly all over as I have always been "bottom heavy" and thought that would be the last to go. and not much of an exercise program either.

So to answer your question, i would not try to transition significantly to maintenance until you are closer to goal or at a revised goal. you could try some different foods as part of your plan and maybe up your calories 100 or so but I would keep in losing mode as long as possible. Your body will eventually rearrange and your image of yourself will adjust as you get used to it.   YOu are doing great!!!

And hey, my new champion border terrier is the proud father of two fat little girls.

Diane