I also thought, lately, on how I can make my maintenance less time and
emotion consuming.

My conclusion was that the less attention I am able to pay to my
diet/exercise, while at the same being able to maintain weight, the
better. So I found an exercise routine that became a habit for me, and
instead of counting calories etc, I simply eyeball my portions and
watch my weight. It all saves a lot of time. However dull weight
maintenance is, being  fat is even duller. I am stuck having to
be on a diet forever.

i

I keep thinking how my BP and cholesterol are going to shoot
back up and I'm going to have to spend $1500 a year on drugs
if I stop exercising.  Or how I'm going to have to start
spending money on pain killers for my arthritis.  Or how I'm
going to have to spend money on osteoporosis drugs and
dementia drugs in the future.  Or how I'm possibly going to
get cancer again.  Or how I'm going to get more migraines and
have more insomnia like I did before I started exercising
this month.  Or how my heart is going to weaken and stop on
me, between the valvular weakness and my BP and cholesterol
problems.  And then I wouldn't get to see my nieces and
nephews grow up.  And I would have to spend more on drugs
than on food every month.  And some months I would have to
choose between electricity and drugs.  And how the drugs
wouldn't be making me healthy at all, just staving off the
heart attack a little.  

Then I go out and walk two miles or spend half an hour doing Tae Bo.

Sports performance is my main motivator, though in my case the sport
is weightlifting :-).  I also really love being able to run and jump
and stuff like that -- makes me feel younger than my almost-56 years.

Also, because I compete in lifting, and because it is done by weight
class, there's also a more direct incentive to watch my weight, so I
can stay in the weight class I want to be in.

Chris
262/159/ (holding in 152-165 weight class)

I'm not at maintained yet... However, here are a few things that motivate me
to keep up with my WOL:

-I just feel so much better overall!
-My knee, back and neck pain have been greatly reduced with the 70+ lbs I've
lost thus far.
-It is great being more flexible.
-I comfortably fit sitting on average sized furniture, airplanes, movie
theaters.
-I don't feel embarrassed to be seen in public.
-It helps with my job since I do make sales calls to customers.  I feel more
confident when putting on a presentation.  It is fun to see customers I
haven't seen in months and see their shock at my metamorphosis.
-All positions of sex are better, and I am enjoying new positions!
-Even though I am married, I am enjoying the extra attention I am getting
from men.  I notice that I get much more door opening, eye contact and small
talk from them then I used to.
-I no longer own any clothes that are too small for me!  Not 1 item... I am
going shopping this weekend since I've been fitting pretty steady in 14/16
for a couple of months now.
-I don't want to die from all of the health issues associated with obesity.
I want to spend the rest of my life healthy.
-I love how muscular my legs, arms and shoulders are looking and feeling.
-It is great that I don't get as winded during or after cardio anymore.

I could go on for days....  DON'T GIVE UP, WHATEVER YOU DO!

284/212/199/???

My motivations come from health and athletic ability - and definitely some
vanity.  I like having a very low resting HR and low normal BP.  Being able
to move around as I can now.  I never could have taken this rock climbing
class before.

My weight lifting has improved my running times.  Now I like lifting because
I'm getting noticeably stronger. I still can't jump high enough when playing
the net in volleyball, but I can finally serve overhand :)

Jenn

I'm a long way from maintenance, but this WOE/WOL never was, and I
hope never will be, motivated by vanity.

My motivators are health and quality of life.

Kasey
365/288/???