So I'm only 17 pounds away from hitting my goal. I'm a fairly quick and steady loser with no stalls at all in my whole 9 months since surgery (thank you, body, for finally cooperating with me on something!!). I'm estimating I should be down to my goal weight by early November.

That's not too far off, and I want to start planning for maintenance now. Can anyone share things they wish they'd known before they went into maintenance mode, things that make it easier/harder, and how my daily life should change during that phase? I want to start preparing psychologically now so the transition won't be as bumpy.

Thanks!!

I was pretty much like you and far as steady weight loss (except I had 1 month-long stall when I was sick between weeks 6-10). At about 10 pounds before my surgeon's goal I started adding in more fat, fruit and whole grains. I also started getting a little more lax on the "Forbidden" foods like rice, bread, pasta, desserts and alcohol. Well, that was 17 pounds ago. I hit his goal and then my personal goal and kept losing. The loss has gradually gotten slower and slower, but I think I might finally be close to the end. Basically from a mental and dietary standpoint I've been in maintenance for 3 months.....my body just didn't know it . Since I'm already eating what and how much I want, I'm not really doing anything different. What kind of transitional changes are you expecting to run in to?

Edited September 14, 201412 yr by Kindle

I wanted maintenance to feel like I crossed a finish line but there was no parade or confetti. Instead maintenance has been a lot like losing phase with the exception of upping my calories by about 200 calories a day. Needless to say, it is a bit anticlimactic.