So,

I've decided to dip my toes in maintenance.

After my Fitness Assessment yesterday which showed that I am within the recommended body fat percentage for my age and gender and well into the "Normal" BMI range... I think it's time to stop being so hard on myself.

Also, I took the advice from the trainer I saw yesterday quite seriously. That I need to be cautious at this point in my weight and body composition (fat to lean mass ratio) not to lose weight for the sake of losing weight and actually lose muscle instead of fat. That it's much more important for me to lose body fat percentage than it is "pounds". Essentially... if I'm going to keep trying to lose weight I need to make sure the weight I'm losing is fat, not muscle.

So you know what?

I'm in the healthy ranges all around - I don't need to lose anymore weight... I think it's time to get used to being one size for a while.

And because I've been in weight loss mode for a year, I know it's going to be hard to adjust to consuming more calories - so I won't be surprised if these last 4-5 lbs I've been wanting to lose come off during the first few months of maintenance.

So... there you have it! After a year of good hard work... I'm at goal weight. Wow.

It's going to be such a mental switch to allow myself a few hundred more calories everyday and to not feel "guilty" when I eat 1500 calories.

I'm also going to try eating back more of my exercise calories than I normally do (I usually don't eat back any more than 2-300). Just to see how that goes.

Yahoo!

It's so strange to me... I'm going to have to get used to maintaining!