You've hit that magic number at last; now what do you do? The goal is to lose the extra weight and never find it again. Unfortunately, only about of third of dieters are successful at maintaining their loss. Seasoned dieters know that keeping it off takes vigilance, and for some folks, that's more difficult than the actual weight loss. Maintaining weight loss requires continued modification of your lifestyle. If you go back to the habits that caused you to be overweight in the first place, weight gain is inevitable. Permanent weight loss calls for healthy eating and exercise routines, just like the ones you developed while you lost the weight. Many people relax their vigilance too much after they lose weight, then gain it right back. You can relax a little once you've reached your goal -- but only a little.