I hit my goal almost a year ago and have stayed inside a four-pound band since. Somewhere in there I stopped treating bread like a test I was failing.
Last night was spaghetti with the family, a normal serving, and I didn't think about it again until this morning. That's really the whole change for me — the amount of carbs on my plate barely moved, but the negotiating in my head did.
Before, a slice of toast came with a small internal argument about whether I'd earned it. Now it's just toast. Protein and vegetables still anchor most meals, mostly because that's what keeps me comfortable between them, not because carbs are contraband.
I log loosely, walk after dinner when the weather cooperates, and call it done. I do notice heavier, richer carb dishes fill me up faster, so I eat them slower than I used to.
Curious how the maintenance folks here handle it — did your carb portions shrink on their own, or did you deliberately keep them in?