Since then, I've gone up a little and down a little, but I've never approached my former weight. But I've also never reverted to my pre-Dx habits, when I couldn't stand to see food wasted.

If I went to a restaurant and my dining companion didn't finish the meal, I'd finish mine and then I'd finish theirs as well. Can't waste food. If dinner came with rolls and butter and dessert. I'd eat them all. Gotta get my money's worth.

One time my brother went to a Chinese restaurant and the waiter came over and asked him how his sister was doing. He was stunned. He and I had eaten there about 3 years before. He asked why they remembered me. They said they'd never seen anyone so small eat so much, and they'd been talking about it ever since. (I'd finished my dinner and then finished what he couldn't eat. Those were the days before doggy bags were common.)

But those days are gone forever. If I go to a restaurant and my dining companion can't finish the meal, that's their problem, not mine. If dinner comes with rolls and butter and dessert, I'll ask them not to bring those things. I'm losing a little value, but it's better than losing my toes. Sometimes I ask for extra low-carb vegetable instead of dessert.

Yes, it might be nice to be a thin person, but I'm not a thin person, and my situation is certainly better than that of a lot of other people in the world who are thin because they can't afford enough food, or who are thin because there's a famine in their area.

So I think keeping the weight off requires first, acceptance of reality and second, acting on that acceptance. There are a lot of delicious foods I can still eat. I just eat a lot less of them.

I sometimes think the exercise habits of those who keep the weight off are a result, not a cause, of the weight loss. When you're thinner, it's easier to exercise, so you do more of it. If you manage to stay thin, you'll keep on exercising.

When I was at my maximal weight, I had difficulty climbing my steep pastures to check the fence at the top. I thought I was just getting old. But when I lost the weight, I could go up there effortlessly, and I wondered why I'd had so much trouble before. The view at the top is spectacular, and this inspires me to climb that hill when it's easy to do.

Even if the exercise doesn't burn a lot of calories, it has other benefits. It's good for the heart. If you're out hiking or playing tennis or biking or whatever you enjoy, you're not standing in front of the refrigerator. And if you get pleasure from the exercise, you can reward yourself by taking time for the activity instead of wanting to reward yourself with a banana split.

So I think that in order to keep that weight off one needs to (1) Accept the reality that you'll never be a naturally thin person, (2) Act on that acceptance in your dietary habits, and (3) be Active for the pleasure you get from moving your healthier body. AAA. I wonder if we could get free towing services while we're at it.