Maintenance Support For Summer, 2012 Goalies

I reached my goal of 145 pounds this month and would like to share and interact with folks who are learning to eat for maintenance instead of weight loss.

Now, I am very good at weight loss. I've lost hundreds of pounds over the years. I've not been so good at maintenance since those pounds always came back and brought friends to stay. Anyone got tips they'd like to share?

My band was far too tight to allow eating enough for maintenance (some days it was hard to drink enough water) so last week my doc removed .75 cc. Oh, the feel of water sliding easily down my throat was wonderful! But eating was still highly restricted so I returned. Dr. Beckstedt explained that it is easier to adjust the band up than it is to adjust the band down and so decided to remove one cc. I almost freaked- I am terrified of regaining the weight. He will be gone next week so I have two weeks to work through life with little restriction.

On one hand, I think this will be good for me, allowing my stomach to relax following a bout of gastroenteritis that caused tightening and giving me a taste of life without strict restriction after 2.5 years of banding. I'm practicing awareness of good nutrition and I am so excited about the prospect of being able to eat a good salad tomorrow after so many many months of having lettuce get caught no matter how well I chewed the stuff.

BUT...

There's that underlying sense of panic that I might revert to old habits and go into one of those blind fugues where I eat everything in sight without being hungry or even wanting to binge. My medical insurance supplies me with access to a nurse who calls me once a month and goes over my health concerns with me. I can also contact her whenever I need some guidance or support. I spoke with her today and what a blessing to have her there. I am also considering reestablishing contact with my in-town counselor for a couple of months to get me through the transition period. Beginning this thread is my third measure and I hope it might help others as well. My fourth measure is to begin blogging regularly, something I have never done, but which I hope will help me keep myself in line.

For those of you who've been maintaining a while: What have been your greatest challenges and how have you dealt with them? What have been your greatest triumphs? What advice/caveats do you have for those just entering this phase of their lives?

For maintenance newbies like me: What strategies do you have in place to help you cope with maintenance issues? What are your fears and goals?

Thanks to everyone who chooses to become part of this thread.

Shoshanna