35 down, 26.2 to go!

I feel fantastic today: After 3 months and 14 days, I finally hit 165 pounds! So where do I go from here (besides Macy's and Banana Republic)? My plan is to ease into weight-maintenance mode by following these steps:

1. In the first week, add 464 calories to my daily budget. This is a little more than half the 839 calories I've had to cut out of my diet over the past three months. This increases my baseline daily allowance to 1,927.
2. In the second week, add the remaining 375 calories to reach my full weight-maintenance budget of 2,302.
3. In the third week, track my food but don't strictly count calories until the end of the day. This will make sure I have a feel for the amount of food I need to eat in order to maintain my weight.
4. In the fourth week and beyond, go off the calorie counter completely!

I can now start checking the scale weekly instead of daily. Now that I've spent three months understanding the implications of what I eat, I'll be able to adjust my diet in the future if I ever gain weight. Of course, since I'll be more mindful of my eating habits from here on out, any extra pounds will be minimal and any diet change will be a "course correction" instead of a U-turn.

Here's to a new, healthier life!