My husband asked me today, "will I have to be on this diet the rest of my life? What happens when I'm at goal and how do I not regain?"

Great question. I am on round 3 and hoping to find the answer/formula this time. There are several folks on here who have dropped incredible amounts of weight and kept it off for years, so I am sure their collective wisdom will pour into this thread.

Truthfully, I think the answer is you can not go back to eating like you were before. I like to think that does not mean you can not eat most of the foods you enjoyed before, but that you will need to reduce the quantity and frequency with which you eat them, and be much more protein/fat focused in your diet. Atkins does have a maintenance plan that allows more carbs once you reach your target weight.

I am just about where I want to be and am trying to move to maintenance now. I am experimenting adding carbs, and will see how it goes. OK, I am through, as a 2-time loser, spouting my unproven nonsense. Time to sit back and read the advice of those that have been long term successes.

simple answer from me, that seems obvious , is do not return to your previous way of eating. this is not a diet, it’s a different way of thinking. it’s a change of mind.

Agree with Thud's advice. I wondered about this years ago when I first started low carb, as I was so used to the garbage that I ate and thought tasted good. Over time, and not too long, I realized that I really liked healthy protein and vegetables containing fewer carbs. There is so much opportunity for variety, that it's not repetitive and you become aware that this diet change is really delicious. I prefer how I eat now, and on the rare occasion that I eat something that I used to think I liked, it's a disappointment. Yes, your tastes change along with this lifestyle change, so you typically stop missing the old, unhealthy way of eating.

I changed the way I eat over 15 years ago and I have never looked back. I eat now pretty much as I ate then. I consider this way of eating as a gift I give myself not a deprivation. I am literally half the size I used to be and have resolved a multitude of health issues. Why would I ever go back to a way of eating that made me fat and sick? I enjoy the way I eat and am not tempted by the foods I no longer eat.

What Thud said.

I've been Keto since it was called original Atkins Induction and will probably never go back to my old way of eating.

I find keto made me lose weight, and at 74 I am on zero prescriptions and the doc says I have the heart and circulation system of a 50 year old.

Why would I want to change?

I can't think of a reason.

Bob

I read two things into this question, one good and one perhaps less so.

The good thing is that if he's asking what happens when he reaches goal, as opposed to if, then that's an encouraging sign that he really believes he can get there one day.

However, it also sounds like he may still be hoping that it's just a temporary thing, that he only needs to be on it for as long as it takes to reach goal. Perhaps he's still missing something from his old routine and would love to give it another shot someday.

He may actually find that with enough discipline, he might be able to tolerate the odd treat now and then. Some people are more than capable of moderating such habits so they don't spiral back out of control again.

I however, am sadly not one of those people. For me, it still only takes one or two bad choices to reflect badly on the scales, and I've been maintaining a 100lb+ loss now for almost four years. I can't be a moderator, so I have to be an abstainer.

The only way he'll know for sure is if he tries a few things at that point to see what happens. But before then, it may be wise to brace for the likelihood that he won't be able to get away with very much else.

This is a lifetime choice for me. One thing I'll share is how I get my motivation many times - from books. Check out the low-carb books thread. Being a voracious reader helps me keep abreast on the benefits of this way of living. Eating. Sleeping. Exercising. The healthy trinity.

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Hi Jewels. I agree with the other posts, but maybe it depends on your DH's situation. Is he fairly slim and healthy, just trying to lose a few vanity pounds? Or is he experiencing other problems related to poor diet besides obesity? High blood pressure, T2 diabetes, AKA metabolic syndrome; acid reflux, gut trouble, arthritis... ?

(My answer would be the same as above - do what you always did, get what you always got - but the "intensity" with which we want or need to adhere varies. Some folks can improve their health and lose weight just by cutting back on the obvious junk, others have to be very strict.)

If you give us a bit more info, people in a similar situation can probably give some more tips. Good luck; keep us posted.

That LC book thread has almost 250 posts now! 😄 I should not recommend books have not read yet, but Dr Westman's new book, co-written with Amy Berger, appears it will include How to proceed after reaching goal. In his recent video conversations, he talks about the New book's focus. Conversations with Dr. Westman videos:
https://www.youtube.com/c/AdaptYourLife/videos


END YOUR CARB CONFUSION” takes you from carb confusion to carb confidence with a 3 phase plan on how to control your carbohydrate intake according to your specific goals.

If u can get a copy of DANDR......

As a person heard goal, add back small amounts of carbs to slow loss. Usually when reach goal, your current found is the maintenance food.

Go back to high carb and the weight will pile on. Cattle are fed grain to fatten them up.

Fasting can also be used to support health.

It will vary.

Maybe once or twice a year I might start hankering for something way off plan. So I give in, buy enough of that offplan stuff for a couple of days. Then I eat it all in about an hour and it reminds me why I can't have that in my diet.

Confession: I write this with macaroni on my breath. More macaroni than I'd intended to eat. Fortunately it costs almost nothing, so won't matter when I've thrown it on the fire. Wait a moment.

Okay, I'm good.

Works for me--because I don't want it that often, and when I do I generally I can't wait to get back to low carb. I want to eat more of that carby junk, when I'm eating it, the appetite's there--but I didn't enjoy that macaroni and cheese nearly as much as I would have a cheese omelet, which I would have been satisfied with less of.

Analogies are made to alcohol. I'm not a carboholic--if i eat carbs, I won't be constantly craving them for months, and have trouble stopping. I'm more like a binge drinker--somebody who tends to overdrink maybe for social reasons on the weekend etc. but could care less whether I see a drop of booze the rest of the week. But it only works this way for me with carbs because I have an alternative diet that I'm drawn to. I think that's key. There was a study a bit back comparing Atkins to Ornish and a few other diets. This was by the book, people were given one of the earlier Atkins books and one of Ornish's, followed it best they could, and Atkins had a clear advantage. A few years later, same researcher did a goody-two shoes version--best low fat versus 'best' low carb--so instead of being told to spread cream cheese on bacon if they bloody well pleased, people were told to eat steamed salmon steaks with asparagus tips and a little olive oil. The advantage of low carb disappeared in that study. Christopher Gardner was the lead author on both studies. If you want to replace a habitual diet with a new one--helps to go with food the person likes as much or better than what they were eating before.

Many will point out that heavy cream is not ideal diet food, even in low carb. And it's not. But if the alternative to a bit of heavy cream and a handful of raspberries is standard supermarket icecream--if that's what people are going to default to--it makes sense to give some leeway. Your Atkins diet shouldn't seem like a straitjacket, if it does maybe some tweaking is in order. Not do I have to eat low carb all my life? But what do I have to do so low carb is what I'd rather eat all my life?

You're all making some very good points. But for me, these probably sum it up best:







But this one sums up the diet phase itself, as well as maintenance:



I really like how your post shows the difference between doing a "healthy" version of LC, and LC that you can actually stick to - steamed salmon, asparagus tips, and a little bit of olive oil? The ONLY difference between that and a calorie counting diet is the lack of added carbs. I'd feel like I was starving within an hour. But give me a nice big juicy bunless burger (made from at least 15% fat ground beef), some cheese melted over it, a good schmear of mayo, plus some mustard, and maybe some sauteed mushrooms or dill pickles on top of that burger, with some veggies on the side, and I'm good for hours.

I can relate to this!

I'm sorry for not replying sooner. I've been pretty sick. I read through your comments pretty fast and want to reread them in the morning. It's after 3:00am and need to get to bed. BTW thanks to everyone. I'll answer your questions..