Hi. I can't really relate to the idea of gaining on purpose, but for me it's more like getting just plain burned out on having to be careful about every damn morsel going into my mouth. Other life circumstances certainly contribute to this - shift work, finances, social events, holidays, other health problems, etc. And of course, since the rest of the world is completely screwed up about food, we're ALWAYS swimming upstream.

Losing the weight initially is sort of like moving into a fantastic new home. But then maintenance is like keeping it clean. You still like your home, but it's not so romantic wiping the toilet and mopping the floors. Yet it has to be done, or else your nice new home turns back into the one you left and didn't like.

You have to find ways of making things quick, easy and fairly painless... whether you're talking about keeping your house clean, or maintaining your weight loss.