You are at a time with NS to change habits in your life and make long term changes that will keep your weight steady after you stop your program. I am going to share what happened to me and how I am able to keep off 137 pounds now for three years. 

NS really helped me get my body back in balance and eating right.  I was so very ill when I started this diet and 265 pounds from medications compounding my already overweight body.  The one thing that that illness did for me that I was never able to do for myself in the past, was put losing weight not as the priority in myself but secondary. Because of that, I learned how to make peace with food. If my body didn't hold up, really didn't matter what went in my mouth. So over the two and a half years that I had to do NS three or four months at a time, I was able to find out I could maintain. I could not be impatient and say I want this all off now, because there was no choice medically I could not do it. So cycling as I had done in the past, was broken. I was able to retrain my portions and start eating healthy again. Actually more than I ate before. I would have told you I had no metabolism, but I had trained my metabolism to "fat trap." I was really good at it. NS balance started that ball rolling the right way. When you are really sick, you eat what you can to get well. So there was going to be no more plunging into low calories. I was able to get rid of the constant worry about what did I weigh and what did the scale say, because that was the least of my problems. Magical thinking, self sabottage and shooting myself in the foot all gave way to my maintenance.

So how do I stay the same weight. Here are my hard and fast rules:

1. I won't ever gain or lose five pounds again in my life.

2. I know my calorie limit where I do not gain weight. I stay within that limit no matter what the day is. (holidays included)

3. I will exercise 3 to 6 days a week for an hour a day for the rest of my life.

4. I fill a half a gallon or gallon pitcher of water in the morning and it has to be gone by 6 pm. (not pouring it down the drain, drinking of course!)

5. I have one good friend, two family members and my personal love interest who know to let me know if they see me acting in a way that I should reexamine my eating behaviors. These people are with me often and have cart blanche to say. .. hey ..do you really want to do that.

6. I still half or 1/3 everything in a restaurant. I ask a date if they mind splitting a dinner with me. . They are all too big. And I do always order a dessert to share. I have a three bite dessert rule.. This way I never say no to anything. First bite is "wow this is good." Second bite is I'm really enjoying this. Third bite is "I am so happy I got this, I am really going to enjoy this last bite." Then that is it. It will be there again if I want it.

7. Make sure meat is baked, broiled, blackened, boiled, broiled is your best friend. Three ounces of meat is the size of your palm. If you are out, that is what you should be eating. Potato one serving is a 1/3 cup or 1/3 potato(plain). Veges unlimited. Fruits always good! Bread baskets are just evil!

Remember if you are not going to eat a bread basket. Ask the server not to bring it. They have to throw that food out! So I ask them to only bring enough for who I am with.

8. Love yourself always.

9. Forgive yourself readily.

10. Give up perfectionism.

11. Reading labels, measuring serving sizes, using a low glycemic carb list, measuring will be a way of life. It is important. It will keep you thin.

12. Remember to take time for that most important person to keep stress at bay and pamper yourself or just take care of yourself. .

13.  Journal your food forever!

Cheri