Search Results: how to lose love handles

My girlfriend and I have been dating for 4 years, 3 years long distance, recently she brought up a sort of "break-up." She doesn't want to lose me but at the same time she doesn't want to leave me. The sort of mutual agreement we came to was a set of diverging and converging paths. We both want the other to be happy, be that with or without each other.

She doesn't know if being with me is what she wants for the rest of her life, but she's absolutly thrilled with the idea of it being me, she just wants to be sure. Some background info is that we've only ever been with each other, so I understand her wanting to experience both the good and or bad that she will not being with me. So to make sure I'm the right one, she wants to have the option to see other guys.

With out a doubt we love each other and in the end we want to at the very least stay as friends. Our conversation wasn't at all argumenative or anything.

Seeing as the relationship has lasted for 4 years, we can't handle just saying, it's over, good to have you as a friend. Do any of you find it healthy to sort of take steps back toward us not being a thing, without ending it. I don't know a crude way to describe it would be an essentially open relationship, just it may become exclusive with someone else as we slowly let us simmer on the back burner.

So we'd remain "together" more or less and should either of us want to experience more with another person we can easily transition to being apart, but still stay in contact, and share our experiences as we determine if her and I will want the rest of our lives together.

I guess it's odd, until either of us choose to pursue something with someone else we just want to be able to cuddle and be close if we're ever lonely. We both love each other and want to be together, but I know she needs to grow up some more to realize, I already know what I want, but of course if her happiness lies somewhere else, I'd