Hi-
this is a great discussion. Thanks.

I've been maintaining for 13 years. This is how I have to eat to maintain my HEALTH. I really believe the research that insulin and inflammation are the issues behind lots of health problems as well as being fat. So I have a lot of motivation to stay OP. I just feel BETTER eating LC.I feel NORMAL. For me, maintaining is work on a daily basis. Some days are easier than others, and being able to plan helps me a lot. In our society, carbs are everywhere. It's easy to get food when you are traveling, or when you are working- but that 'easy' food is usually carbs. And there is such an expectation that you should and will use food to meet emotional needs- movies and tv shows and commercials and ads show women eating ice cream and chocolate when they are sad/happy/angry/lonely/stressed/depressed. Food is also how we celebrate, have fun and mark occasions. And the food is typically carbs and sugar. So it takes vigilance and effort for me to stay OP. There are no foods I crave, but for me carb creep or feeling deprived are danger signs. I am very sensitive to alcohol- and I love a drink or a glass of wine- and sugar. I have to set limits of these to be OP. But I made a decision that this is how I eat and take care of me. I don't go off plan. This is it.
I was amazed and afraid when I lost the weight. It seemed too good to be true- and I was afraid I'd wake up one day and it would "stop working". I didn't feel comfortable in my body- bones were sticking out in ways I wasn't used to having them. Clothing fit- and I could walk into any store and find lots of clothes- amazing. But it was like a joke- I'd go to a rack of size 8 or 10 and pick out the one thing that was size 16! I somehow found my old size. I didn't know what looked good (still not sure!) and still tend to be most comfortable in larger clothing. Things that are too tight (that actually fit!) are very uncomfortable for me, emotionally not just physically.
I learned SO MUCH from this site- and used dry brushing for my skin and both cardio and strength training to firm up. My skin and body shape continued to evolve as I lost the weight and for at least a year after losing all the weight. Those strange bones just became normal, my body felt 'right', some lumps just went away while others stayed, and as I've gotten older gravity has also shifted some things lower.
People commenting on my weight/weight loss/body have always made me very uncomfortable, so it's nice that after 13 years most people don't say anything. It's really amusing to me when I meet someone new or have a friend who never knew me as fat if they say something like "you have always been naturally thin"- WHAT?? I still don't think of myself as thin, but now I think of my body as 'normal' and 'healthy' and ME.
That being said- I LOVE this WOL. I am so grateful that I found LC, that I trusted myself and not my doctors, that I found this site, and that there is now so much available to support LC/LCHF eating. YouTube lectures by major researchers and clinicians, websites like DIET DOCTOR, podcasts, medical journal articles and books by authors like Gary Taubes have been game changers for me. My motivation is my health, and I'm in it for the long term. My eating LC is making an investment in me, my health and my future.
I can't really tell you what your journey will be like, or what you will experience, but I am so glad to be here. Thank you for restarting this thread. And congratulations on figuring out what your body needs to thrive. I wish you only the best!