After losing 90 pounds since February 1, 2016, I’m now in maintenance mode. Having lost and gained weight many times over the years, I know that losing weight is one thing. Keeping it off is another — and in some ways it’s harder.

In the past, I looked at losing weight as a sprint. As in, when I get to the finish line I was done. No wonder I always gained it back! Usually almost immediately.

Why?

Because I had the “diet” mindset. Diet the verb as opposed to diet the noun. When you “go on” a diet the verb, it implies that eventually you’ll go off. How long can you eat cabbage soup and be deprived of your favorite foods? Eventually you give in to your cravings and end up back where you started, plus a few pounds. Plus you’ll feel even worse about yourself.

In contrast, diet the noun is simply what you eat. And that has to be customized for YOU. There’s no one size that fits all. It has to be made for you, based on your likes, dislikes, must haves, and can’t stands. It’s about YOU.

It took a long time but I finally got it – Click!

What it takes to lose weight is what it takes to keep it off. It has to be a way of life. A way that you can eat and exercise forever. A lifestyle.

For me that meant that nothing could be off limits. It doesn’t mean a free-for-all at any time, but I must be able to eat whatever I want. Nothing off limits. Otherwise it wouldn’t work. Eventually I figured it out.

This is a mindset change that was years in the making, but now it’s habit. It’s the way I live now. It’s not perfect, but it’s livable, which is most important! You get to enjoy your life AND achieve fitness and good health.

Maintenance is mind over matter. Once your mind is made up, it doesn’t matter what’s going on around you or what anyone else says or does. This is simply how you eat and what you do to stay fit. Period.