unintentional maintenance

I had surgery almost a year and a half ago, in April of 2011.  I started at 310.  Lost very consistently for nine months with fairly good losses each month, losing 130 lbs in that time.  Then it slowed down dramatically and I was losing a little each month. 

In April of 2012, at my one year mark, I hit 172 and was down 138 lbs.

My original goal was 180-185, which at one time seemed unattainable :)

For the past five months, I've hovered in the 169-172 range.  (I hit 166 for like five minutes in August.)

So whether I consider myself in maintenance or not, I'm sure behaving like I am!  Part of me thinks I should be happy to be fairly easily maintaining my weight.  And maybe I'm just hanging out here, gathering my resources, for my last push to 155-160, which is where I'd like to be.  I don't seem to be MAKING that push just yet ... but I think it's still in me.  I am eating a healthy diet of things that are good for me.  I am walking at lunch during the week, and biking with my husband on weekends.   My life has changed in so many ways!   But to get this last bit off is going to take some serious work.  Lowering calories and carbs and upping exercise.  Hopefully I'll get in gear and get 'er done SOON :)

 Id say you're in maintenance..and WELCOME! Now it comes down to how WILLING are you to fight to get farther.

Sounds to me like you are happy with how you are eating, your activity level etc...I would just enjoy the happiness and keep working at it gradually and see where you end up..but Im from the old Brandilynn school of maintenance. Below is *my* opinion on the subject..but MANY others will tell you to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT for those last 10,20,30, 40  whatever pounds. 

FOR ME I did this to end the lifetime of serial dieting and feeling like a failure. So I found acceptance with myself at a higher # then many on this forum would be ok with. 

Best of luck with whatever you decide..it was a struggle for me as well..but luckly my husband 2 kids and enough life issues to fill a book got in the way of me worrying too much about white knuckling my way from a size 8 to a size 6 or 4. 

Good luck!

Welcome! There is nothing wrong with maintaining for a bit while gathering yourself up for the final push if that's what you want to do.. many roads and all that- the important part is to just maintain.

One thing I may suggest from someone who frankly was just a little shocked (though I shouldn't have been) to see what a difference it makes- just add one day of really intense weight lifting.. while you are just hanging out maintaining and enjoying your new healthier you. It's such a little amount of time involved, but at least for me, done correctly.. it's made a huge difference in the way my body is functioning on the same (or higher) intake. I am active, but I do no "formal" workouts per-se and never have..

If you are a reader and don't mind- read the book Body by Science.. that's what I'm doing. Kind of a self-experiment, and so far.. it's working wonderfully. I know me, and I won't spend hours lifting like I used to.. but I can commit to 20mins once a week and staying on the straight & narrow with my eating (that's a lifetime deal for me), easy peasy. 

Bek and INGirl,

Thanks for your thoughts.  Part of me is pretty content here -- size 10, and can squeeze into an 8.   I've lost almost 90% of my extra weight, I think.  There's another part of me that really would like to hit 155 (I would need to lose 14 lbs) to be able to say I lost half my body weight :)

And if I've lost 140, heck, what's another 15?  Should be a cakewalk, right?  But it's harder now than it was before!

Bek, my goals, like yours, are health and wellness more than a particular size/weight.  I need to keep that in mind.  If that is my measure, I'm in a good place :)

INGirl, I will pick up the book you recommend.  I have some 4-lb weights that I sometimes do some bicep curls with; but I've never thought about "real" weight lifting.  But my arms sure could use some shaping and I'd love the metabolic burst.

Thanks :)

 See I just refuse to say I am a 10, and I shop at this local thrift store and hunt and hiunt untilI find the biggest GD size 8's my ass can squeeze into...see you just have a shopping problem!!! ;)

You will find your way...I believe it is completely obtainable..it really just comes down to how bad you want it...

LOL hunting for the bigges GD size 8 you can find, love it!

Wow!! you have really done well. I stopped losing between year 1 and year 2. Maintained pretty much the same weight throughout that year, then a little before year 2, the weight started coming off again. I lost another 8 lb, and was definitely not trying to. I am not really sure why, but I think it had to do with adjusting to my new lifestyle, and a new eating style, and different muscle mass, and that all takes a good bit of time. It did for me. I seemed to want to try everything, but then after that wore off, and I was able to see which foods were the best for my own tolerance, etc. I was able to finally adjust the quantity of food, and not feel at all deprived. I really thought I was going to level off at a size 8-10, I wore them for a year or so, but I can wear very few of my 10s now. I try to buy size 6 now, or it is usually too big for me.
You'll get there. Take it at a comfortable pace for you, I think that the slower you lose that last little bit, the easier it is to stay down there. That's just my own opinion tho.

SAME thing happened to me! Stop fighting and start living Maintenance, which for me is 1000c and 1 hr exercise daily. Who Knew???