Maintenance is a choice!

I have already written how it all started, and how I finally got my life under control. What I haven't talked about is how maintaining my weight has been just as hard for me as losing all the weight in the first place. When I first reached my goal weight I was ecstatic, thinking everything was going to be so easy and perfect now. Boy was I wrong! Within six months of reaching my goal I was up 7lbs. I realized I needed another wake up call.  Just because I reached my goal weight it didn't mean I could stop working hard. Here are a few things I have learned in the last year of attempting to maintain:

Just because you are at your goal does not mean you can stop counting calories. I realized this after I  gained the weight back.  Just because I am finally at a healthy weight it doesn't give me the excuse to binge eat.  Calories in are calories in, and 3500 calories worth of unneeded food still equals one pound of fat.  It is easier to see how many unneeded calories I eat when I am logging my food daily.  It helps me stay focused and on track.

Never stop exercising. Once you stop exercising it is hard to get back on track.  I have found that doing things I love makes exercising more enjoyable.  Lately I have been going on more hikes, walking the dog for longer periods of time and running.  These are all things I love so I never dread doing them. I am thinking about mixing in some weight training but need to find a fun way to do it.

Always set new goals for yourself! This doesn't mean you need to set new weight loss goals.  You can set any kind of goal you want.  I am thinking about setting some exercise goals.  Making sure I run at least 20 miles a week and walk the dog 6 days a week.  I also have a goal of only stepping on the scale once a week, this goal is to keep myself sane.  Weighing myself everyday just makes me crazy.  I know weight fluctuates daily, no need to stress myself out over it.

Always keep moving forward. Just because you are at your goal weight does not mean that all of your problems are solved.  I still have many hard days where I am having self doubt.  I am still self conscious but the only thing I can do is to keep moving forward.  Keep looking at the positives and continue my path to a healthy life.  It will never be easy but it really is worth it.

Maintenance is not just handed to you, it is a choice.  I have to choose to keep working out, I have to choose to eat healthy, I have to choose to stay fit.  I can not go back to my old habits ever.  I have to realize they are just as unhealthy to me now as they were when I was classified as morbidly obese. So now I choose to maintain my weight. I choose to stay fit and healthy.  I will maintain my weight for the rest of my life because I want to live a long and happy life.