My "thin" friends never put this much energy into their food thinking. If they gain a few pounds over a holiday, they just ease up a bit or run a few extra miles and back to normal they go.

So I can see how easily you can get complacent. You probably get tired of thinking about it all the time. I wonder if this is how sober alcoholics feel? Every day they need to make a decision. It never becomes second nature, alas.

And the truth is, just because weight comes off, doesn't mean life's issues are solved. People still die, jobs can suck, bills pile up, etc ...But it's one less thing on the list to deal with, so that's a plus.