If my topic's been discussed elsewhere, please point me to it; I couldn't find it easily with this site's search function.
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On 10/5, I was notified that I was to be laid off (while out of town on vacation, no less). Fri. 10/17 was my last day at the office (I get a nice severance package, though). This morning, on 10/19, I weigh 7 lbs less than on 10/5, eating exactly the same as before (PP Purist, 40g carbs/day), I'm under my goal weight by a few pounds, and I'm at my target BF%.

I'm working out 4-5x/week, a combo. of weight training, cardio, and stability ball work. Ironically, I'm now getting unsolicited comments *at my gym* from staff and people who've seen me there since I started working out in 4/08 about how good I look now.

Now that I'm officially in maintenance mode, I'm unsure how to prevent further weight loss while I'm under the stress of a job search. More complex carbs, e.g., chili w/ beans? More fat at meals or as a snack?

Any personal experience about dealing w/ weight loss due to stress will be appreciated.

hi-
I am sorry about your job loss and stress.

I have the opposite- I gain with stress!

I think you can experiment with different approaches to stop losing. I stayed on my plan, but to stop losing I added in more carbs. It is a YMMV issue.
E

Hi aj,
Sorry for your job loss...and stress!
Congrats on getting to Goal!

Yes, it does sound like its time for you to slowly add good carbs back into your food plan.
Did you ever follow OWL phase of Atkins?
Have you added in berries yet?
Dairy? Nuts? Any whole grain ie: steel cut oats?

Some follow SBD phase I to get into more good carbs within a plan. If you want, the "SBD phase I food lists and Meal Plan charts" are on the 1st page of my journal. FYI-SBD phase I gives you the following:
1- protein and veggies-
2- 2 cups dairy daily
3- 1 serving nuts/seeds daily
4- 2 servings beans/legumes/lentils daily- 1/3-1/2 cup is a serving
(this can be beans or lentils ie: split pea soup.)

This totals up to about 60 carbs a day IF you eat all of it. Some of us don't eat all the beans each day. I eat a bit of hummus daily and count it towards my beans.

Hope this helps!

I don't know your whole story, were you losing consistently and just lost the same with the stress of the layoff? Did the stress of the layoff increase your weight loss? Were you stalled or in very slow weight loss prior to the stress? Has the stress level decreased a bit being out of the office now? Or has it ratcheted up since you are looking for work and find that even more stressful?

Stress is a bit of a double-edged sword from what I understand. Acute stress like a job layoff can make us lose weight (or gain like Eno), but my understanding chronic stress tends to increase weight overall. I'm not sure I'd dive into increasing carbs or calories substantially on the assumption that you'll continue to lose weight because you are stressed about being out of work.

If you are concerned you are still losing too fast, I think adding a few low GI carbs is fine, as is adding the fat, but just keep an eye on it and see if the trend starts to reverse.

I hope you find a great job at more pay really soon!

Hi Valerie,

To elaborate, I thought I was done losing weight until the layoff notice. I'd been holding steady at a weight 10 lbs above goal for a few weeks. Then, boom! -- 7 lbs in two weeks just evaporated.

Judy, I've added 10g more of berries to my plan/day. I don't want any grains; they don't appeal to me, and the resulting blood sugar spike slams me to the ground like a sumo wrestler. Then come the cravings. No thanks. And I'm apparently immune from the effects of nuts. I ate a 5000 calorie bag of macadamia nuts 12 lbs ago and actually lost 2 lbs. A week ago, I scarfed down 5 oz. of pecans without any noticeable effect at all. I think Martin Levac might be partially right; without insulin to promote fat storage, my body seems to get rid of extra calories through some futile cycling mechanism.

Tonight, I had some chili with beans. That's the carbs I'm willing to add for right now, in addition to extra fat and some cheese. I'm just pissed because all the sleek clothes I bought a month ago look slightly baggy now.

I'll read some more and get a handle on this stuff. I've just never experienced this kind of stress on a LC WOE and had this happen, so I'm gently freaking out.

It must be very troubling to see weight loss when you don't want or need it. Maybe it'd be a good idea for you to have a full checkup with your doctor, get full blood work up.