Maintenance isn't easy

Maintaining your weight isn't as easy as you may think. I know when I met my goal weight back in December of '07, I had a misconception that it would be easy. Boy was I wrong. My weight has fluctuated up and down so much in the months that followed that I didn't think I'd ever get it under control. But now, almost 8 months later, I think I finally know what I need to do to keep my weight down. Here are some things I've learned:

• I will never be able to stay the same weight indefinitely. Just because I'm a woman, my hormones cause my weight to yo-yo a couple of lbs each month. So I'm happy if I can keep my weight within 2 lbs of my "normal" weight.
• I can sway from my normal healthy foods 2x a week before I will notice a weight gain. That means I can have a not-so-healthy meal like pizza and breadsticks or I can have some tasty treats like chocolate chip cookies or brownies. Roughly this will add up to about 20+ extra points so it's similar to using my weekly flex points.
• My daily maintenance points without exercise need to be around 24 pts. Everybody's is different, so it takes a while to figure it out.
• If I exercise by going to the gym, I will usually earn 3-4 AP points that can be available if I want them. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don't. It doesn't usually affect me either way.
• I need to drink at least 6 servings of water a day. The days I don't drink enough, I feel blah!
• I can go about my week without tracking my points or journaling my foods as long as I stick to following the 8 Good Healthy Guidelines. My food choices when I follow the GHG are exactly what I need in order to maintain my weight. It's when I sway from this that I start gaining again.