What did you really hate?

Well, I have managed to shake off those few pounds I put on over Christmas - phew! I'm very relieved about that as, otherwise, I'm not feeling terribly good about things right now.

I read Diane's entry from last week about maintenance and she quotes a very frightening statistic. The one which tells us that "95% of people who lose weight will gain it back within two years". Yes, I've seen this before and, going by my past history, I can see that this is spot on... after all, I've been one of those statistics too many times before.

Although I still have some lbs to lose before I get to my 'ideal' weight, I am moving closer to the stage where the weight loss part of my journey will be over and I face a whole new learning curve, that of keeping the weight off - so Diane's post was very timely.

I have to admit that the idea of maintenance scares me quite a lot. OK, I've come a long way, but feel it would be all too easy for me to become complacent about where I am now. All too easy for the pounds to begin creep back on and for my hard-won current fitness levels to creep out of the door. I don't know if it's the time of year (for this read post-Christmas slump) but, reading around, it seems I'm not alone in having lost a bit of my enthusiasm and get-up-and-go.

What really worries me is that my resolve and motivation levels seem to have plummeted since the positive mood of my post at the start of the year. Sure, it's been icy and snowy here and I'm fighting a delightful bug which makes me feel a good 15% to 20% below par, even now, and will not allow me to stay warm... whatever I do (as I write I'm bundled up like Nanook of the North!). Athough I haven't eaten horribly badly it hasn't truly been weight loss eating either. As for the exercise... oh dear, what a wimp. No excuses hold water. I'm just not really looking after myself at the moment. This has got to change - fast!

Thinking about strategies to a) lose the remaining flab, b) keep it off and c) get my fitness levels back up where I'd like them, and to quote dear old Baldrick, it's time for a 'cunning plan'.

I've read about the things people hate (or hated) about being overweight in many posts over the years. Pondering these has prompted me look back at the things which made me unhappy when I was at my heaviest... and why making the change and losing weight has been such a very positive thing.

So here goes, to remind myself about what each of these things were and take note because, by recognising and remembering why they were so hard to live with, they should stand as a firm reminder of why it is so important that the weight I've shed stays off - permanently!

I think I may just pin this on my wardrobe door.... maybe with a photo or two of the way things were.

You can see the picture a bit bigger if you click on it (I hope) so, in no particular order...