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  #1   ^
Old Sat, Oct-21-17, 19:25
dcc0455 dcc0455 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 167
 
Plan: Low Carb
Stats: 230/165/160 Male 67
BF:
Progress: 93%
Default Maintainence?

I reached my goal weight back in August, and have since been experimenting with how to move forward. I have mentioned before that I lost most of the weight with an informal low carb way of eating, but as I got closer to my goal, I found myself needing to follow a strict Atkins 72 plan to break my stall. I have tried several times to add back carbs, per the Atkins plan, but each time find myself developing cravings and over eating. While not a huge problem, it did cause me to gain a few lbs, and go back to induction to get back to my goal weight. To better understand what was going on, I have been measuring my blood glucose, using keto urine sticks, and occasionally checking blood ketones. What I have found is that even staying around 20 grams of carbs, certain foods kick me out of ketosis. Even foods that are supposedly keto friendly, like peanut butter kick me out. It takes me about 4 days, 2 days 0 carb and 2 days less than 10 grams of carbs, to get back in ketosis. It is clear to me that I was not in ketosis for most of my weight loss, so it seems obvious to say why worry about it, but I have found that what worked at 200 lbs, does not work at 155 lbs. I guess this post is just me trying to organize my thoughts, but what it seems to come down to is that I need to remain on a very limited diet to stay in ketosis, or figure out another way to avoid the over eating and weight gain if I abandon ketosis.
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  #2   ^
Old Sat, Oct-21-17, 20:20
robynsnest's Avatar
robynsnest robynsnest is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,146
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 336/286/199 Female 5'11"
BF:Losing it....
Progress: 36%
Location: Canada ay?
Default

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  #3   ^
Old Sat, Oct-21-17, 20:33
thud123's Avatar
thud123 thud123 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 7,422
 
Plan: P:E=>1 (Q3-22)
Stats: 168/100/82 Male 182cm
BF:
Progress: 79%
Default

Quote:
...but I have found that what worked at 200 lbs, does not work at 155 lbs

Very insightful. Thank you for taking time to post your observations. Balancing seated on a large exercise ball is not like balancing on a floor full of marbles. One is no harder than the other but they require different skill and practice.

It has been said the only constant is change. To deceive oneself that things are the same today as they were yesterday and will be tomorrow is to be in a dream. My hope is to wake up from that dream on a daily basis
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  #4   ^
Old Sat, Oct-21-17, 20:39
bluesinger's Avatar
bluesinger bluesinger is offline
Doing My Best
Posts: 4,924
 
Plan: LC/CancerRecovery
Stats: 170/135/130 Female 62 inches
BF:24%
Progress: 88%
Location: Nevada Desert, USA
Default

Robyn, that's a great article. I'm gonna steal it for my journal. Or maybe my signature and my journal.
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  #5   ^
Old Sat, Oct-21-17, 22:26
TucsonBill's Avatar
TucsonBill TucsonBill is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 339
 
Plan: ≤ 20 carbs & IF
Stats: 292/235/170 Male 72 Inches
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Tucson, AZ
Default

I have a very long ways to go yet and I'm still new at this but I find myself thinking about being where you are at some point, some day, and wondering how I will deal with it.

One of the things I have noticed is that on the couple of occasions when I have cheated the extra carbs turned into immediate weight gain and I understand the reasons for that. I never got kicked totally out of ketosis but my test strips went from dark purple to pink on those occasions.

My thinking is at this point that I really need to get my weight down to about 160 in ketosis if my target weight is going to be 170 when I start increasing my carbs again. I am hoping that I will be able to resist the urge to over eat. I never want to wind up being obese again.

Over the weeks I have been following this WOE I have been talking to other obese folks and hearing a lot of stories like "ya I lost over 50 pounds once" or "a couple of times I got my weight down to normal" and I'm like "Oh God no! - Don't let me be like that!"

I don't want to do all this work and then flush it down the tubes but at the same time, I don't want to think I can "never ever" eat fruit or have a slice of pie again...

*sigh*

I'm doing this hoping I can get "well" - and to me "well" means some day being able to eat at least somewhat normally without becoming obese.
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  #6   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 05:51
bluesinger's Avatar
bluesinger bluesinger is offline
Doing My Best
Posts: 4,924
 
Plan: LC/CancerRecovery
Stats: 170/135/130 Female 62 inches
BF:24%
Progress: 88%
Location: Nevada Desert, USA
Default

We have to know ourselves and sometimes it takes us decades to really accept the facts. I never fully understood until dear Gretchen Rubin put it into words and somebody here on the forum shared it. Now I recognize myself as an Abstainer, and know that has to be my way forward. It's one of those "sad but true" things.

Are you a Moderator or Abstainer?
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  #7   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 06:05
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is offline
Posts: 13,370
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

In his nerdy clinical researcher way, Dr Westman answered the question "should I increase carbs when at goal?" Just a few days ago. https://youtu.be/jEwMSEHyNhM
Not doing so now has research, staying VLC long term, is proving to be a healthy diet that has potential to avoid chronic disease, etc.
Moving to Net carbs with more "Foundation vegetables" aka "New Atkins 2010” is one possibility someone asked about...it all depends.
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  #8   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 06:34
bluesinger's Avatar
bluesinger bluesinger is offline
Doing My Best
Posts: 4,924
 
Plan: LC/CancerRecovery
Stats: 170/135/130 Female 62 inches
BF:24%
Progress: 88%
Location: Nevada Desert, USA
Default

Quote:
staying VLC long term, is proving to be a healthy diet that has potential to avoid chronic disease, etc
That's a good point. Seems that part of aging is damaged cells which don't get repaired and eventually lead to death. Drs. Fung, Westman and others now have case studies proving a reversal of conditions previously believed to be irreversible.
Quote:
At my sickest point my A1c was 12, my triglycerides 1200 and I had started to develop neuropathy – a large area where I no longer had feeling. It was numb. I was heartbroken, and believed the damage to be permanent and irreversible. (Note – This neuropathy often leads to amputations – Dr. Jason Fung)
Today I am on zero medication. I no longer have hypertension, I lost over 100 pounds. I also lift weights, and have a wonderful Lean Body Mass of 127 lbs at 5’7″, age 53 (by DEXA). My A1c just last week measured at 5.5, and my triglycerides at 90.I no longer have neuropathy in my right foot. The day I discovered it was healing was very emotional. Now it is completely healed.
Sitting next to Gary Fettke at a ketogenic dinner (that I helped cook!) in Breckenridge this last February, I told him about my healed foot. Gary is an orthopaedic surgeon who was silenced in Tasmania for helping guide his patients to a path of proper nutrition. He was frustrated with having to amputate diabetic’s limbs when he knew the disease could be easily managed with nutrition. I told Dr. Fettke I had been on the ketogenic diet just over three years, and that my foot had recently completely healed. His eyes lit up, and he smiled and said to me “Do you know how long it takes for the nerves to regrow from your spinal cord to your foot? Three years.”
The quote is taken from Brenda – Join the Party at KetoFest
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  #9   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 06:53
teaser's Avatar
teaser teaser is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 15,075
 
Plan: mostly milkfat
Stats: 190/152.4/154 Male 67inches
BF:
Progress: 104%
Location: Ontario
Default

This is also my experience, although I don't actually measure ketones. At 190 pounds a low carb diet, with no attempt to control protein and eating a bit too much peanut butter or cheese still gave me weight loss. The less I weigh, the less insulinogenic my diet seems to need to be for me to maintain, even small overindulgences in carbohydrate leave me with an increased appetite for a couple days, large overindulgences throw me off for a week.

It makes sense to be more rather than less sensitive to the fattening effects of insulin once you've lost weight, at the heavier body weight we're likely to be more insulin resistant. The lower the body weight you're trying to maintain, the lower insulin might need to be.
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  #10   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 08:15
TucsonBill's Avatar
TucsonBill TucsonBill is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 339
 
Plan: ≤ 20 carbs & IF
Stats: 292/235/170 Male 72 Inches
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Tucson, AZ
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by bluesinger
We have to know ourselves and sometimes it takes us decades to really accept the facts. I never fully understood until dear Gretchen Rubin put it into words and somebody here on the forum shared it. Now I recognize myself as an Abstainer, and know that has to be my way forward. It's one of those "sad but true" things.

Are you a Moderator or Abstainer?


Interesting article. I guess I really wont know if which I am until I reach my goal.

As the concept relates to smoking, I've been there and done that. Prior attempts at quitting failed because I convinced myself I could just "cut down" or "smoke occasionally" and eventually lost my determination. This time around I believe it worked because I have completely sworn off smoking, (been over 6 weeks now).

Carbs are a little different than smoking. I am not convinced that carbs are poison for everyone, (maybe for some people they are). I have a lot of fruit trees I have nurtured and cared for over the years and I'm not going to give up my idea of getting "well" until I know for sure. Hopefully, when it comes to carbs, I can one day be a moderator.
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  #11   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 08:18
khrussva's Avatar
khrussva khrussva is offline
Say NO to Diabetes!
Posts: 8,671
 
Plan: My own - < 30 net carbs
Stats: 440/228/210 Male 5' 11"
BF:Energy Unleashed
Progress: 92%
Location: Central Virginia - USA
Default

Awesome post, Bluesinger. Congratulations. I got close to what I consider my ideal weight last year and decided to call it good. I entered maintenance. Even though I stayed LC, it hasn't been smooth sailing. Weight creep set in and I'm back in weight loss mode. Apparently, I still have more to learn about myself and this WOE. Thank you for the inspiration and for sharing your journey with all of us here on this forum. I hope to follow in your footsteps and one day make maintenance stick.
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  #12   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 11:00
Just Jo's Avatar
Just Jo Just Jo is offline
A'72 Lifer Hard Core
Posts: 15,566
 
Plan: A'72 Induction Lifer + IF
Stats: 265/114/130 Female 5'4"
BF:Not so much now!
Progress: 112%
Location: South Central New Mexico
Default

dcc, HUGE CONGRATS on reaching your goal weight!

I've had to stay at A '72 Induction level carbs to maintain my weight loss. Wish I could eat more, but like you, if I do, I get cravings so I don't.

Dr. A said this when asked about the amount of carbs to maintain weight loss in A '72 on page 263:
Quote:
The best decision is probably to stay pretty much on the very low carbohydrate diet on which you lost; only now you can feel free to deviate in small ways.
Wishing you continued success on your journey to better HEALTH and congrats again!
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  #13   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 11:32
teaser's Avatar
teaser teaser is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 15,075
 
Plan: mostly milkfat
Stats: 190/152.4/154 Male 67inches
BF:
Progress: 104%
Location: Ontario
Default

I love that quote. I know lots of people do good with the carb ladder, most of what I learned from it was that I'm one of those people who should probably stay off the darned thing.
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  #14   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 17:01
dcc0455 dcc0455 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 167
 
Plan: Low Carb
Stats: 230/165/160 Male 67
BF:
Progress: 93%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by robynsnest


Thanks for the link. Interesting read.
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  #15   ^
Old Sun, Oct-22-17, 17:02
dcc0455 dcc0455 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 167
 
Plan: Low Carb
Stats: 230/165/160 Male 67
BF:
Progress: 93%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by thud123
It has been said the only constant is change. To deceive oneself that things are the same today as they were yesterday and will be tomorrow is to be in a dream. My hope is to wake up from that dream on a daily basis


Nice quote. Is that yours?
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