I’m in what people would call Maintenance Mode as it pertains to my weight. Do I still want to lose another 10 lbs or so? Yes! But it’s not with the same intensity that I had when I was initially losing weight from 312+ lbs. Now, I’m pretty happy with where I’m at with my weight and my health, but I really would like to get back to my weight happy place: 165 lbs.

Maintenance mode allows me to live a little, so to speak. If friends want to indulge in some drinks, I can join them. If a holiday or special event party has something non-Paleo that is a treat, I may have a little. Sometimes, I may take a bite or two of something that’s not on my diet, but I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at, and I’m always really good about strictly limiting what I allow myself to eat. I also make sure that it’s not an entire day or number of days that I allow myself to do this. It’s very typically a one-time deal.

The hardest part of any new lifestyle is maintenance mode. It’s easy to be very strict and to work toward a goal, but once you’re there, it’s often easy to get lax and to allow non-Paleo foods to creep in. This is why every now and then, Sherry and I do a Whole30. It’s to remind us of what portion sizes should look like, we remove foods with lots of sugar in them, and stick to pure Whole30 diets which emphasize eating the foods for their own sake and not to replace non-Whole30 compliant foods (look up SWYPO; it’s pretty funny).

While I’m in maintenance mode, I’m still working on improving my fitness and losing this pesky last 10 lbs. But last night I did enjoy some ciders, and while it led to the “Night Heating,” it’s nice to be able to have a little freedom here and there.