#Myth

Once I lose the weight, it’ll be easy to keep it off. #Myth

As I watched Biggest Loser for the first time ever the other day (thanks Netflix) a contestant said “I’ve lost 200lbs in my life”. No he wasn’t 200lbs lighter than he once was, he was actually at his heaviest weight ever. What he meant is he had dieted before and lost 25lbs once, 50lbs another time, 30lbs another time but he always gained it back (and then some). Dieting is hard. Maintenance isn’t easy.

One thing I did when I started losing weight was call my dieting a “lifestyle change”. The entire time I was petrified of gaining the weight back (maintenance scared the heck out of me), so I knew this had to be a “lifestyle change” instead of a diet. I have two phases of my “lifestyle change” – lose mode and maintenance mode. 

I was in “lose mode” for 7 months. In those 7 months I lost 83lbs. After that I went into “maintenance mode” and lost 2lbs in the first two months because I was being very careful about not gaining weight. Since then I still have to be careful about what I eat. I eat a lot of salads, fruits and yogurt. I also exercise (run) regularly. I love what I eat normally, but sometimes I get off track. I'll go out to eat and indulge in one too many rolls or a couple too many beers. Maintenance still scares me (6 months in!). It's not all easy, once the weight comes off... but believe me, it's worth it!