Twenty Months!!

Today marks 20 months since I reached my goal. I am so happy to report that I am still in my goal range and still in my size 6 jeans! For me, as fabulous as it was to reach my goal (and trust me, it was FABULOUS!!), heading to the two-year mark of maintaining is even MORE fabulous! Statistics were definitely not on my side, as >85% of people who lose weight gain it all back, and often gain additional weight. That statistic scared me. I had spent over two decades failing miserably at every dieting attempt, so there wasn't a lot of reason to think that I could successfully keep the weight off.

So what was different this time? First of all, I carefully followed the Take Shape for Life/Medifast Transition plan to gradually recalibrate my metabolism as I slowly reintroduced other foods back into my diet. Instead of going out and celebrating my weight loss with a hot fudge sundae, I took a deep breath, gave a prayer of thanksgiving, and kept focused on the next step I needed to take. In maintenance, which I have NOT done perfectly (and won't ever do this 100% perfectly 100% of the time), I still incorporate 5-6 small meals a day, and 2-3 of these meals are usually Medifast meals. I try to plan ahead, and if I know I'm going to be having a heavier dinner, I'll eat an extra Medifast meal or two to "save my calories" for the evening. What I don't do is skip meals or not eat during the day in preparation for that meal.

I also carefully monitor my weight, both on the scale and in my clothes. If the scale blips up beyond my goal range or my jeans start feeling snug, I bring the gain to an immediate stop by cutting back on my calories, picking up an extra Medifast meal or two for a few days until the scale is back down and my jeans feel good again.

I also shifted my focus from solving a problem - obesity and began to focus on truly creating a healthy, vibrant life. That is an ongoing journey and it keeps me focused forward. I'm currently re-reading "Dr. A's Habits of Health" which was written by Take Shape for Life's medical director and co-founder, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen (fabulous book, by the way, and I highly recommend it!). Early in the book he challenges us to ask a couple of key questions, including: 1) Is my health improving every day? and 2) Are my daily habits creating greater health and vibrancy, or are they draining my battery and putting me on an accelerating path toward disease? These are great questions for us to ask ourselves on a regular basis, and if we're honest and don't like the answer we give, we can change direction.

Part of making sure that my daily habits are moving me towards optimal health means that regular exercise, the bane of my existence, is now a part of my life. Some days I really enjoy it and other days I don't, but it really doesn't matter if I like it or not, because it's essential if I want to live a longer, healthier life.

Almost two years into maintenance, it has come down to making choices every day that support what I really want. Again, I don't make stellar choices every single day, but I stay focused on what I want and when I find myself starting to wander off the path, I make the correction needed to keep me moving forward.

Those choices aren't always easy, but knowing what's really important to me makes it easier. The choices you need to make today may not be easy, so focus on what you really want, then choose wisely :-)