I reached goal a little while ago, now I just need to stay here! I have never lost befor so I do not how hard staying about goal is, but I guess I still should stay away from grabing candy bars while waiting in line at the store, and prlby should stay with splenda instead fo sugar and all... I guess have not quite figured out a mantiance plan yet. One thing I did do is get rid of all my fat cloths.. that way I know if I gained it back by they way my "skinny" cloths fit and I can not cheat that!

Congratulations on a job well done. Best of luck to you in the future.

WTG Vydor, and welcome to maintenance!!

WTG! *high five*

Yes - get rid of your 'fat' clothes. Take them to the Salvation Army so someone else can benefit from them. Then treat yourself to some new flattering clothes.

The only tricky thing about maintenance is not having a goal; not getting that 'reward' of seeing weight come off. Mentally, it helps me to take the word maintenance literally, like the way you perform maintenance on your home, your car, or other things of value that naturally deteriorate if we don't take care of them. It's a job that's never finished.

Good luck!

Yea, Vydor! You and I have both lost 35 pounds. I have not found it difficult to keep it off and have lost a few extra pounds here and there since reaching goal several months ago. I have continued strength training and cardio and am focusing on adding muscle and losing a little more body fat.

I also felt somewhat lost on deciding what to add or change for maintenance. I eat more fruit and nuts (even apple slices on a salad). Pumpkin, spaghetti squash, and sweet potato are healthy, flexible, moderate carb foods. Some people add brown rice, oatmeal, and whole grain breads as well. I used to sneak a french fry or two, but I find I no longer miss potatoes. Wow! Likewise I have almost stopped eating low carb bread and bagels (though I do enjoy low carb wraps).

I also eat more flax products such as hot cereal and waffle mix and I have been experiementing with the new CarbQuick bake mix. Last night I even made cinnamon buns -- talk about feeling guilty! My latest effort to add carbs is a Tri-O-Plex oatmeal/peanut butter bar about an hour and a half before heavy strength training. I think my carb consumption was still too low for much muscle gain. The bars have 30 - 40 grams of carbs.

When dining out, I am more willing to try sauces or foods I might have avoided while actively losing. I suspect my cells are not as insulin resistant as they once were, but I do not wish to push things too far. Besides, I believe there are real health benefits and slower aging that come with continued low carb eating.

Congratulations and welcome to maintenance, Vydor!

Congratulations Vyder!!

Good stuff

Kathy