Anyone at goal, maintaining a loss of over 100 lbs?

[Quest]

I'd be interested in hearing about people who have lost 100 pounds or more (or even slightly less :) ), reached goal, and maintained for a year or so. Anyone like that on the forum? I know there are a few out there who have lost over 100 and reached goal in the past year (Its the Woooo, KristyC, UptheHill), but is there anyone who has been maintaining longer?

One reason I ask (aside from general curiosity) is that there are quite a few folks in the TDC who seem to be stalling out well before they reach goal, even though they have good habits. It is quite a conundrum for some people and it would be good to hear from some who have gone all the way to goal.

[UpTheHill]

Lively thread, Diane!

Where is everyone????

Lynda

[Quest]

Hi Lynda,
I started this thread partly to test a hunch that although I've seen many people on the forum pass the point of 100 points lost, most of them are still at least 20-30 pounds from their goal (and often significantly more) and then they plateau. You are an obvious exception. I was hoping there were more exceptions out there who would contribute to the thread.

[mio1996]

I have been maintaining at least 2 years now, I think. I never had a specific goal when I was losing, but when I stopped losing at 190 pounds I suddenly realized I was happy with my weight. Before that I was happy for some time around 235 pounds but knew I was no where close to my ideal weight. That was also before I actually became indoctrinated by an organized lc plan. Before that I just stuck to meat and vegetables, even some rice and potatoes (still had hypoglycemia which led to constant cheating, which probably caused the 235 pound maintenance for so long, about 2 years). The ketogenic diet I now follow allowed me to lose the rest with relatively few cheats.

Trully though, I have never had a stall while I was on plan. The only breaks in weight loss for me occured during periods of cheating. Now, the only time I gain a few pounds is when I cheat (I allow a buffer zone of 5 to 10 pounds since a man my size can easily fluctuate that much daily due to changes in water and/or sodium consumption).

Unfortunately, though, I must say that staying faithful is much harder now that I am at goal. It's almost as if the body is begging for more carbs so it can trigger a fat buildup. With carbs though, any more than ketogenic levels prompt uncontrollable binge eating (the kind of eating I did almost every day before low-carb). It must be some residue of the metabolic disorder that caused my obesity to begin with, I suppose.

Even though there are negatives for me to this WOL, I am more impressed with it every day. There is no doubt in my mind that lc has cured or drastically improved for me:

hypoglycemia
constant fatigue
depression
obsessive-compulsive disorder
joint pain--knees, knuckles, ankles
bowel function irregularites (won't go into specifics there :))
abdominal gas and bloating
winter illnesses
excess libito

The list goes on and on. It gets longer with time.

IMHO a big reason for the stalls is the use of frankenfoods and/or even small amounts of wheat or other grains, and for some people even very low carb dairy products. For many people the focus shifts from eating right to seeing how far we can go "without absolutely violating the rules of the diet," as doctor Atkins said. For many people, adding in many of foods on the Atkins carb ladder is just too close to violating the rules. Of course the plan from which I have built my personal plan is Neanderthin, so with me there is an inherant distrust for many agricultural foods, even if they are lc.

So they may have good habits by Atkins standards, but maybe not by their body's standards :)

I don't know if this is the kind of post you were expecting, but it is my lc testimony. Good luck with your quest, Quest!

[Quest]

That was a great post Mio! So you lost 60 pounds following a lower carb diet that didn't follow a specific plan. You maintained that for about two years. Then you discovered Neanderthin and ate in a more strictly ketogenic diet, allowing you to lose another 45 pounds relatively easily. You've maintained this for 2 years, but it can be a struggle to keep away from carbs which might trigger binges.

I think that's very helpful. I also appreciate your comment about people on Atkins who are trying to push the limits of the diet--technically in compliance but adding so much that they sabotage themselves.

[MsTwacky]

I loved what MIO was saying also!! I wish he had a journal.

Funny how not many people answered this thread. I'm curious to see the changes one has to have with the relationship with food at maintenance also.

[Quest]

It's a pretty demanding thread...looking for people who lost 100 pounds, hit goal, and kept it off for a year....there aren't many, I'm sure.

[MsTwacky]

Quest you are pretty darn close to hitting that goal!! Congratulations!!

[IvannaBFit]

Perhaps some people set goal weights too low.

[Quest]

Perhaps some people set goal weights too low.

I'm sure that's true, but this thread is directed at people who do need to lose 100 pounds.

Ms. Twacky, thanks for the compliment. It is hard for me to believe I have lost 85 pounds, especially since in recent months I've found it difficult to continue to lose. That's why I'm especially interested in people like Mio who lost a large amount of weight, maintained that for a while, then were able to start losing again.

[MsTwacky]

Quest,

I think Mio has a point in the sense that he didn't treat this as a diet and made a commitment to a healthy lifestyle change. Yet he says that anything higher than ketogenic eating causes binge eating.

Usually what I see is that cheats cause stalls and certain food make us crave more. If we truly eliminate those fcarby foods and eat healthy meals within a normal calorie range, the weight will EVENTUALLY come off.

Also I saw a show about cosmetic surgery and sometimes it's not that we need to lose anymore weight but some of us have stretched out skin and that can also be a portion of weight that doesn't seem to be coming off. One lady had lost 160 lbs and had about 10 lbs of skin just hanging.