Firehair, White Queen of the Indians Would Never Fear Maintenance…
But I do. Every time I sneak into the Living Maintenance forum (on 3FatChicks.com) I get chills. Most of the good people in that forum claim that maintenance is harder than losing weight (check out this thread for some good maintenance topic reads.) Seriously? I thought the only thing harder than losing weight would be climbing Everest without oxygen. Or possibly trying to find scripted shows on television while avoiding reality-show hell (stop inflicting the Lohans on me, please, I beg you!). Hence my fears. And of course while I’ve lost weight many times before, I’ve got a big, fat FAIL grade in the maintenance column. I keep trying to mentally prepare myself to recognize potential pitfalls. Will I lose motivation? Will I screw up my good habits? Will I get complacent? Will I have to repeat this whole process? Will I sit down on the couch with a giant bag of Ruffles and never get up again? I really need to stay focused on the fact that the changes I’ve made are permanent. I’m not “on a diet” and there is no “going off the diet”. As a binge eater, I will always have a dysfunctional relationship with food that I will need to manage in order to stay healthy and be happy. So while maybe Firehair, White Queen of the Indians needn’t worry about eating too much yucca or corn and outgrowing her hot little buckskin number, I do. And I always will.
MMMM… ruffles. Sorry… I blanked there for a minute!! I believe maintence is the hardest part. Which is why I think i am scared of it. there is something that is keeping me away from losing the weight I want and I keep sabatoging my efforts. That is probably one of the main things. “what do you mean I can’t go back to eating whatever I want?!” It is scary!!
Hey, is that Indian behind the fair Firehair checking out her butt?
Can’t wait to get to your stage of the game, scary as it is. Keep fighting the good fight!
So, if I can’t manage to lose the weight…do I have any hope of managing maintenance. Yeah….maintenance terrifies me.
You can do it! I’m so far away from maintenance right now but I get the fear. However you’re such a positive influence and inspiration to so many that when you need some help there will be tons of people lined up to tell you to get off the damn couch and out on the street running!
Just keep doing what you’re already doing. Piece of cake, right?
Seriously, you have made some very healthy lifestyle changes. Focus on the behaviors and they won’t let you down.
I’m proud of you! (even when I stare at your ticker jealously—and I say to myself, “Don’t be jealous….she has been 100% on plan and running like 6 miles a day. When I do that, then my ticker shall also behave thusly.”)
Firehair would never eat those vegan Oreos. I think she’s in your head, and that’s the important thing. Maintenance is like weight loss, it’s one step at a time. This is not crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope, this is just you, still walking. Still on that journey. There’s more learning, but you can learn.
I don’t fear maint since I seem to have been here for over a year! WOuld rather have lost, but that is just not happening right now. May have to learn to accept that this is it.