What is Maintenance?

At some point, you will reach a healthy weight. Your doctor will say "Good job!" You probably will still be unhappy with what you see in the mirror--critical of stretch marks, cellulite, loose skin, etc. But you'll put on clothes and say, "At least I clean up well."

When you reach this point at which you no longer need to lose weight, what do you do? Does it make you anxious, fearful? After all, losing weight has been an ongoing project for most of us for all of our adult lives.

One solution is, of course, not to reach our target weight. We can eat the fat back on, complain that "diets never work" and "I've tried everything," and continue to live with self-hatred (the enemy we know).

Another solution is to make an active plan for what comes next--and begin enacting it now. You say you're going to travel "once you lose the weight?" It's time to buy an airline ticket. You say you're going to buy new clothes "once you lose the weight?" Go put three sets of "sloppies" in a giveaway bag and plan to purchase a nice pair of well-fitting trousers this weekend. Is your spouse/friend/boss going to love or respect you more once you are thin? Identify one problem with your relationship now and decide if you can take any steps to overcome that problem (because I guarantee you that your weight has nothing to do with it, really).

If you are afraid of the "happily ever after," then let it begin now. That way, when you reach your goal weight you'll already be in the "after" and will have nothing else to fear.