Maintenance questions

[deneen]

Hey all, :wiggle:

I've been doing Atkin's maintenance for the last several months (since reaching goal at 139). I dropped several more pounds (to 135) and have stayed at 135 consistently. I weighed myself yesterday and lo-and-behold! I am at 133. Perhaps the 135 was a plateau of sorts (I was that weight for a long time in high school/college).

Anyway, I was just wondering about those of the rest of you in maintenance. What have your experiences been? Have you been consistent? Some weight gain? More weight loss? Have you been having a hard time? Easy time? Thanks for your input!

~Kelly Deneen

[Enomarb]

Hi Kelly-
I am also in maintenance, and am having a similar experience. I had stopped at 150, but as CALP is a life plan I have been staying on program but not trying to lose. Then after about a month I weighed in at 145. I think my body is finding it's own level, setpoint, whatever. (Dr. Schwartzbein says you will lose until your body is at the right weight for you.)
For me, this is really a life plan, and I am focused on eating this way for life.

[Kathy54]

Hi I too am under goal and have been for several months now, with out trying to lose it. But this weight feels good, so I don't plan on regaining. I think what happens is you sometimes just don't eat enough to maintain a goal weight, with out realizing it. I think that is how I lost the extra anyhow. :>)

Kathy

[wefrf]

Hi

I too am below my goal but mostly because I never thought it was possible for me to reach this weight again. I used to be this weight all the time 10 years ago or so but have experienced that middle-age gain. But I don't want to go any lower.

As I said in another post (a different topic) I am finding maintenance easy EXCEPT I haven't stayed out of ketosis. I am in ketosis more often than I am out. I feel better in ketosis (not bloated) and maintenance is easy so it is hard to get out and stay out. I would like to know if being in and out of ketosis all the time as part of a maintenance program is a problem or ok.

Also I weigh daily and adjust calories or carbs as needed. My carbs are usually anywhere from 35 - 60 but probably mostly around 45 and my calories are usually around 1500 - 1800. I also still use fitday most days so I don't get too far off track. I have been low carbing just a little over 7 months so I don't feel totally comfortable guess-etimating yet.

My weakest part is the exercise. I do it in spurts and haven't really been doing anything since before Christmas. Altho I do think it is very important and necessary to good health. So I need to work on that.

I would love to hear about the way others manage their maintenance and thoughts on ketsosis.

[Kathy54]

thoughts on ketsosis.


Well I bought one bottle of those expensive little devils, used 3/4 of it then just have not bothered, I quit them months before reaching my goal.

I really think they are not necessary. Eat and drink what one is suppose to on this woe and it will work just fine. :agree:

KAthy

[Kristine]

Hi Deneen - congrats on getting to your goal! :Party: I generally stay within the same 5 lb range. Winter has been tough because I have SAD and have no energy, and all I want to do is cheat. :( That's a challenge, but other than that, the rest of the year, I stay in my buffer zone with minimal effort.

Wefrf, I know I go in and out of ketosis, too. To my knowledge, it's not harmful. :thup: CKDers do it to the extreme, so I doubt going in and out randomly in LC maintenance is a problem.

[Anleigh]

I have not tested myself for ketosis in several months but sometimes I think I am in and out of it. I continued to lose quite a bit of weight after reaching my original goal. I've made a real effort to slow it down and have lost a pound since the first of the year. I am now at 94 lbs. I have also uped my exercise program after the first of the year. I can eat about 1500-1800 calories a day and 70 carbs and do fine as long as I am exercising. It is getting so hard to find clothes to fit; especially pants. I have found myself shopping in the girls department and my last few pairs of pants have come from there.

[caverjen]

My weight has been in the same 5# range for almost 2 years now. I'm under my goal weight right now, but it wouldn't bother me to gain weight if my body fat stayed in my goal range.

Jen

[Kathy54]

Hey that is awesome Jen, that you have kept at that for 2 years !!! always great to see someone succeed, good on you gal!

[Frederick]

Hi Kelly,

Congratulations on not only reaching goal, but also maintaining it the past several months.

I’ve been on Maintenance for about 6 months now. For me, this is certainly the most difficult aspect of the diet compared to OWL, which I thought was quite simple and easy. The past 6 months of maintenance has been interesting. What I mean by that is my constantly being tempted by the foods I had restrained from indulging in during OWL. I appreciate that while many here have no issues with foreswearing off these decadent foods for eternity, I wasn’t up to the task.

After a taste of ice cream, chocolate, real pizza, and a burger with actual buns the cherished memories of how good these foods tasted came flooding back. Just my personal opinion, but I think chocolates were never meant to be sugar-free, that pizzas were meant to be on a floured crust, and burgers/sandwiches are meant to be served on bread. The most precarious stage for me during Maintenance was incorporating these foods into my diet after having abstained from them for such a long time. Dealing with the fear of gaining back added pounds can be disconcerting, but when I compared it to the other possibility of never eating them again—it appeared a necessary, even, essential risk.

Now, 6 months later, my weight has stabilized from 145 – 150, fluctuating within normal parameters, as it should. Once you figure out what sort of foods you can eat that is commensurate with your goal weight and lifestyle, then Maintenance becomes a breeze. In my view, you should take some time and find out what that ideal “eating level” is for you.

With kindest regards,

Frederick

[mem2]

My original goal was 107 and I reached that in 1999, but I had so much trouble maintaining that, so I raised it 5 lb to 112. I still struggle to keep it no more than 3 pounds over my goal. I would really like to stay at about 107. My downfall is sweets and nuts. I must continue to stay alert. I am still using fitday and when I put it all down I am more likely to control it. I think I go into ketosis sometimes when I do a lot of exercise, but I haven't checked it for a long time. Strange how things work sometimes. Week before last I was careful and exercised 6 1/2 hrs in 7 days and lost 4 pounds. The next week I exercised 7 hrs in 7 days and gained a pound. This past week I exercised about 2 1/2 hours and lost that pound. I guess it was muscle that I had gained when I did all that exercise. Sometimes I really want to stop thinking about it and just live, but I know if I go unconscious, I will gain and I won't take a chance on that. I am very pleased that I have kept my weight within range for 4 years. I stay humble for I know I am just 1 binge away from losing all the headway I have gained and as they say, "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels."