This is a post from skwigg's journal on the old site.
(I don't know if I actually agree with this anymore. I eat how I eat and my weight takes care of itself. I don't change how I eat based on my weight. I also think that shutting down the fat loss chatter is important even if fat loss is the goal.)
For me, maintenance looks just like fat loss, but with more food. :-) Like the habits are the same, but the mental focus is on eating enough, not how and where to cut back. So, instead of making portions smaller and being careful to avoid extras, I make sure my portions are truly satisfying and I'm more likely to eat extras or eat on a whim than tell myself no. For example, if the boss orders pizza at work, I'm having a piece. If a cupcake shop brings in gourmet cupcakes for a commercial shoot, I will knock people out of the way to get one. If I find myself thinking about food 2 hours before dinner, I'll go ahead and eat something. I also narrow the hunger window more often than not. Sometimes I'm still hungry for awhile before meals due to logistics, but I don't deliberately watch the clock or stretch it out. I get hungry and then I eat.
So if you think of all those tips you do for fat loss - small portions, no extras, easy on the cheese, never snack, limited treats, careful with those starchy carbs, blah, blah, blah. For maintenance, I do the opposite. Not all of them every day or in huge quantities. Gaining isn't the goal. Disregarding hunger and fullness isn't the goal. But letting go of that nonstop fat loss chatter sure is the goal. If I carefully follow all the "rules" that apply to fat loss, I would continue to gradually lose fat, and I don't have any body fat to spare at this point. The fat that's left is like my favorite house guest. I don't want it to leave, so I take good care of it and make sure it's comfortable and happy. :-)
I remember Josh Hillis saying that body fat is like a stray dog, it won't stick around unless you feed it. I think that when people hit a plateau on a fat loss journey, it's because they've made their fat feel comfortable and welcome too soon. LOL Ok, I'm babbling now...