How many maintainers do we have here? I lost about 30lbs and have kept it off for nearly four years so far. I'm almost beginning to feel confident that I can actually do this .

I didn't find it all that hard to lose the weight - I just kept my carbs down, and the weight went down too. Maintaining has been harder for me. I've had to spend some time tracking calories, and lots of time working on recipes and menus that are really something I can live with and that feel normal, not as if I'm "on a diet" forever. I don't eat any fake or imitation versions of anything, except for the occasional nut muffin, or ricotta pancake - but I don't use artificial sweeteners, protein powders and the rest - not because I have any evidence that they're bad for you, I just don't really like them. I'm not on a mission to stop anybody else from eating them .

Anybody else?

What motivates you now you don't have the reward of seeing the numbers on the scale keep dropping?

I'm here. I've been maintaining for a little over four years. I agree with you that maintenance is harder than weight loss. I find that I have a tendency to experiment with eating things I never messed with during weight loss. Now I'm struggling to get back down to my goal weight after gaining about 10 pounds at one point this year. I've got about 5 pounds to go.

I generally don't track my carbs or anything unless I'm doing it to post on my website. I was posting my daily menus there off and on until it got to the point that I felt like I was on a diet again.

I think it's great that you're able to avoid artificial sweeteners, Liz. I did so for most of my weight loss. Once I reached goal I wanted to start trying a lot of new dessert recipes so that I could post them on my site. I know that people like desserts and that was the one section of my site that was looking a bit empty. I suspect that was the start of the trouble I'm having now. I agree with you that a lot of low carb desserts don't really taste all that great. There are exceptions but I'd rather have some delicious savory foods than some so-so tasting low carb sweets any day.

I've been eating low carb for long enough now that this is what feels "normal" to me. Probably my biggest motivation is getting to try so many new low carb recipes. There is no end to the variety of delicious foods we can eat on low carb.

LindaSue, we've been doing this about the same length of time . I've stayed in my target area of 110-120 lbs. As long as I stay in that range, I try not to bother too much about my weight. I think relaxing about the number is part of getting out of the "diet" mindset that makes me feel a bit trapped.

I've always had more of a weakness for starchy foods than sweet ones. And I really dislike the taste of splenda. I've never been strongly enough motivated to search out sources of the more out of the ordinary sweeteners.

I did make an interesting discovery about sweet foods a couple of weeks ago. Very occasionally, I'll make some chocolate brownies, usually I use 70% chocolate, very little flour, and no sweetener. I still don't do it very often, because I struggle with portion control, and it's way more empty calories than I need! Anyway, for some reason I made the recipe using the specified amount of sugar. Of course, it was even harder than usual for me to stop at just one piece at a time, but what really amazed me was that I'd eat about three pieces and then feel utterly depressed. I mean curled up in a corner on the floor refusing to speak to anybody kind of depressed. Twice! Purely in the interests of scientific discovery, I baked another batch, this time missing out all the sugar (so it went from about 20 carbs per piece to about 5). This time, I didn't even want to eat more than one piece, but I tried two, just as a test. No reaction at all - except that I felt full and didn't need to eat again for a few hours.

All in all, it's probably a good thing I don't have a sweet tooth - I'd probably need to be locked in a padded cell . I obviously need to be pretty careful with sugar regardless of its effect on my weight.

Looking at old "fat boy" pics keeps me on the straight and narrow 100% of the time! Never wanna get back there ever again...AND WON'T!

They lose the passion in my opinion, Liz. It's not WILLPOWER as so many people have tried to attribute my maintenance to. It's what I call a steadfast resolve to make smart choices. Those choices helped me lose weight and get healthy and they've CONTINUED to help me maintain my weight and health, too! Anyone who gains back their weight after losing it took their eye off the ball. You can't do that and expect to maintain.

Absolutely! I tell people losing weight was easy...keeping it off takes MUCH MORE WORK! But it's so rewarding to be an example for others to follow.

Hello, ChrissyLizzy - yes, I can see that feeling the world is watching would motivate you to maintain your weight loss . I also agree with your comments about thinking of the changes you've made as a way of life, rather than a diet. In a way, eating low carb helped me with that, because it was a definite change in the way we were eating, rather than just trying to reduce our portions a bit, or use a bit less fat in cooking - the food was so totally different that there was no way it could just slip back to what we did before (which was mostly pasta and bread-based).

Charles, that's a good point about knowing your safe zone. I did PP rather than Atkins, so didn't use the ladder. In fact, when I first reached my goal I didn't do anything formal, I just allowed myself to be more relaxed about things. It was only a year or so later when my weight had crept back up about five pounds, that I decided I needed to be more methodical. So I did several months of detailed journalling, and then carefully followed the recommendations for gradually moving from Intervention to Maintenance. It was a very valuable exercise for me, because it showed me not just how many carbs and calories I needed to return to in case of problems, but also the way my body reacts, so I can spot the warning signs. Like you, I don't count now - learning to eat right without counting and weighing all my food was important to me in making it a lifelong change.

Thank you all for your thoughts. It's interesting to hear how different people approach maintenance, and what works for you.

Hi All!

Ive been maintaining since May 2007. I totally agree with the Safe Harbor idea (thanks Charles!) and use it if my weight goes up by a couple of pounds. I weigh twice a week, and still use fitday. And I use my journal esp. if I start having "issues".

I also think that moderating here on the forum is a commitment that keeps me focused!

Bella

i'm here!

i'm loving maintenance and haven't had any big surprises so far since i "practiced" it along the way by cycling it with "losing" cycles.

like jimmy, i use pictures to keep myself motivated...it's why i have progress pics in my siggy...to stay grounded about my journey and to not take that progress for granted!

And what GORGEOUS pictures you have, too, Cutie Amy!

Charles said, "Foods you know, that if you eat them for a week, you can probably drop a few pounds without much fuss."

I believe he's right and this is my approach along with exercise nearly every day. I have developed an arsenal of low carb recipes I love and rely on these. If I have a delicious quiche in the refrigerator, frozen single servings of a few favorite homemade low carb casseroles stocked in the freezer, and plenty of fresh foods and vegetables on hand food becomes a no-brainer.

You really have to build it into your lifestyle.

my high point is 140. if i get to 140 and stay there for more than a couple of days, i'll cut back the carbs (or sodium) some but mostly i just hang out easily between 135 and 140.

Brand new here. I have lost 47 pounds on kimkins and have had none of the health issues others have had. I didn't lose as fast as others - I started 6-5-07, and have felt good throughout. I've reached my goal of 145 pounds and know I will need lots of help maintaining it.

I agree with Jimmy that you have to keep your eye on that ball. I've started adding more fats (never ate super lean) and protein. I'm upping my carbs, 25-30 per day, for this week and will adjust as I go. I don't want to lose any more weight but have not added any high carb foods, just increased veggies and salad so far. I look at the bread wrapper and see 25 carbs for a hot dog bun and just can't do it!!!!

I've kept my same user name as on kimkins so that I can hopefully make contact with some of the folks who moved over here. I had a thread on horses in the playpen.

I will most likely go back and forth between the two boards. I learned so much from the kimkins website. I finally understand why I had success on Stillman's in the 70's and South Beach, the first two weeks or on any low/no carb plan. I just didn't know how to keep it going. This is the first time in my adult life that I actually reached my goal.

What I have learned from kimkins, Stillman's, SBD, and LLVLC is that we have to take the information from all of our experiences and create a personal plan that works for ourselves.

Hope to find a niche here. Indy

Hey Indy,

I am SO glad you found this forum! I tried to private message you on the other forum, but they said it is "shut down". I stopped posting there last month when the you know what hit the fan! So Im the moderator of the Atkins 72 forum here, and also post on maintenance here. Feel free to pm me if you want any help!

And one suggestion- dont add in too much right away! I would proceed with caution and as you said, add in veggies but watch the grains!

Bella

Welcome to my forum, Indy! I'm so happy to see you here and wish you well as you continue down this journey to better health. Let me know if I can help you in any way and I'm on it.

Another maintainer here. Not posting much anywhere these days. Just laying low, and catching up on things in the daily life.

I lost 90 pounds over the course of a couple of years. The last 40 on KK.

I'm up a little above where I want to be, but it is my fault. I'll get back to my goal weight shortly.

Rick

Hey Rick and welcome to my forum! CONGRATS on your weight loss success and come here often for encouragement and accountability.

Hi Rick and Indy!!! So glad you are here with us...

Rick... welcome back to the NEW AND IMPROVED Maintenance school LOL

Indy - so glad you're here, and I second what Bella said, just take it slow and start w/ veggies before other things... That's my main filler now, I usually eat a big ole salad first thing and then my protein/fat, and I'm totally satisfied!

Welcome!!!!

Christin

Hi,

I "posted" a couple of hours ago but somehow I lost it I am so glad to have found some of my favorite people here. The old stomping grounds just haven't been the same. I have missed the kindness, knowledge and experience of those who blazed the trail for us "younguns".

Since this is the maintenance thread, excuse me if I display my nerves I deliberately upped my carbs yesterday to aproximately 28. I added cauliflower and Dannon non-fat/no sugar blueberry yogurt. By the end of the day I was around 850 calories. Needless to say, I was nearly shrieking this morning when I got on the scale and had gained a pound and a half!! It was really hard not to beat up on myself. I am hoping that what happened was me popping out of ketosis. Tell me if I am wrong, but the weight loss should return after a few days with slightly higher carb levels. I feel like I have just pitched off my kind and gentle horse and am staring up his long legs wondering if I'll ever get back in the saddle.

One reaction I've had is to jump right back into ketosis. That won't help me. At 5'9" and 145 I really don't need to lose any more weight. My seat bones were grinding into the saddle when I rode Saturday.

One of my posts when I hit my goal was titled "frozen in the headlights" and that is exactly what I am feeling. I am afraid to move but afraid to stand still. I know this is only the second day I've been working on maintenance but I am so afraid of blowing it.

For the cauliflower, I made a sauce of 2 TBs of blue cheese crumbles and 1 Tbs of Smart Balance margarine. I melted them together and dipped the cauliflower in it. Heavenly. One thing I have noticed which I think is good is that things like blue cheese, peanut butter taste out of this world, send shivers down my spine. The blueberry yogurt was just ok - nothing to write home about. Interesting.

I hope this one posts.

Indy

Christin - Glad you are feeling better. Hope you are fully recovered soon.

I remember back when I first started Atkins that dinner would go like this.

1. Drink a glass of water.
2. Make salad for dinner and prepare rest of dinner for cooking.
3. Sit down and eat salad. Clean table and put salad dishes in dishwasher.
4. Cook the main course. Drink another glass of water.
5. Eat main course.

This would spread the meal out over a longer period of time. I would have a hard time finishing the food as I was no longer hungry. I did much the same on KK except I was doing K/E, so no salad.

Indy - Don't worry about the scale. When I first hit maintenance I quit weighing everyday. Then eventually, just once a week. I mostly go by how my clothes fit, not what the scale says. Scales confirms what I feel.

Maintenance is a much longer journey than your weight loss, and things will take time to get in order and become part of your everyday thinking.

Rick

I like that ritual/routine for eating dinner, Rick! THANKS for sharing!

Indy

How many carbs were you eating each day before maintenance? I have found that if I have a few days of more food or higher carbs that my body now naturally wants less the day or two after. But when I reached goal I added too much in too fast, and my weight started to turn up instead of down! So I added one food in at a time, and took days off in between so as not to shock my system too much. Think gradual!

Let us know how it goes...

And hi to Rick also!

Bella

Hi Bella,

I was faithful about staying under 20 carbs a day for the whole time I was in weight loss. I usually stayed around 13-15 per day. When I got to 150 lbs - five pounds above goal, I started adding a few and would be at 18-22. Now I am staying at under 30 for this week.

My biggest luxury is a glass of merlot once or twice a week. I'm having one now. Today was the day from hell. I found out last night that I was WAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY overdrawn at the bank. (Nearly threw up!!! ) My dh had paid the summer tax bill and I thought he paid $365. We have a split summer/winter bill. It was $1,365. Gaaack. I broke my favorite necklace at work and had to attend a lecture that nearly bored me to tears, plus the admins did not count the number of employees correctly and about 100 of us sat on the floor. Fortunately, I was able to fix the bank problem with the help of the bank personnel, found a chair after being on the floor for an hour, a dear friend who hand sews and creates tiny bears said she would fix my necklace - no sweat and I took my sore stiff joints out of the meeting and came home. The other good thing that happened was that I was back down to 145 this morning. With the bank trouble, I had no time for lunch. The nice thing about low carb is that I can go all day without eating and not feel stressed about it. I came home and fixed a mini casserole - 2 cups cauliflower, 3 oz turkey ham and 2 tbs blue cheese. Now I am contentedly full.

Those of you who are maintenance and succeeding with it, what is your approximate daily carb count? I was looking for a snack at the do-everything-for-you gas station and could not find any snacks that I was willing to eat. Nuts were the only thing available that were not sugar filled. I just didn't want to use 10-15 carbs on nuts even though they would have been a healthy snack.

Jimmy, Is the playpen open to new topics? Over at the other site, I had a playpen thread for horse owners and lovers. It is a major focus for me and so many people are trying to lose weight to get safely back in the saddle AND not stress their horses. Thanks

Indy48

Hi Indy,

Sorry about your rotten luck lately. But at least you didn't use food as a crutch to get through it! So hooray to you for that!!

I'm a "Kimkins Girl" too. I lost the last of my weight with Kimkins, and have been at goal since August. I've moved up a few pounds, and pretty much stayed right there.

You have to remember that the word "carbohydrate" has two parts. The second being "hydrate". When you move back to eating carbs, they're going to nourish you, but they're also going to hold on to water.

Think logically about it ... If you upped your carbs by 8 grams for one day only, could you have possibly gained 2 lbs of fat? The answer to that is no. So your 2 lb gain was most definitely water.

It's really hard ... believe me I know it is ... to begin to feel comfortable in your new body. I still have problems with body image now, and I believe I am just now beginning to overcome the fear of food that I developed while on Kimkins. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not criticizing KK. I also lost my weight on KK, and don't have any of the ugly side effects that others have reported.

But after hitting goal, I was so afraid to begin eating normally again. But I did. I started slowly, and am now up to about 40 grams of carbs per day. I also exercise for about 30 mins per day (it's so much easier at this weight!)

So I think you need to just take your time with it. Add carbs and fat back, and don't be afraid of a few pounds added. It's going to happen. And if you're vigilant in watching (scale) and posting (fitday), you'll be fine.

Good luck, and hope this helps!

Margarita

Hi Margarita, Rick, Bella, Christin and Jimmy,

Thanks so much for the welcome and advice.

Margarita, You articulated my thoughts and fears exactly. Relaxing the tight hold on what I eat is so hard, but I am doing it. I am tracking everything on fitday. Thanks for the tip on "hydrate". I never thought of it that way before. I knew I'd gain a bit but was really worried about it. I love the way I look and feel. Who knew bone structure could be so exciting - I HAVE bones I bought a treadmill a couple of weeks ago and have been doing 30 minutes at 3mph. I'll increase that over time.

Rick, The water before you eat makes a huge difference My system is so unused to larger salads and bigger portions of veggies that after a good sized salad I DO NOT need Smooth Move tea for a few days. I will try to break the scale habit but it will be hard. I think I need the early warning it gives. If my clothes started tightening up, I would go into panic mode!!

Christin, Hope all is going well with you. Your ideas on maintenance have been a big help. I know I must be patient and not overreact to gain or additional loss.

Bella, So many of your thoughts on body image have really helped. I have some new pictures that I took on my son's 21st birthday and I had no idea how thin I had gotten. The "always fat" thinking is outtahere!

Jimmy, I appreciate the open attitudes on this site. Kimkins made it possible for me to lose the weight that has plagued me all my life, but everyone has to make adjustments to suit their own body chemistry. That must be acceptable. My fullblood sister cannot do any type of low carb. She starts her day with one egg, a bowl of oatmeal, toast and a piece of fruit. Low carb makes her ill. So strange.

Have a great day! Indy

Hey Indy and everyone else... sorry I've been kinda MIA lately. This week has been so weird for me with EVERYTHING that has been going on. (If you're following the KK saga you know what I'm talking about).

Indy - I think you are doing great and you have the right ideas. One of the most important things I think that I learned in transitioning was to take it slow and don't freak out.

We are all different as I think that we have learned over and over and can tollerate different things. I think that maybe this is why there is no one clear cut set guideline for maintenance about you must eat this and this... but really it is a journey and learning process all on its own. Maintenance is so much more personal than a diet program is. We have to tweak and up and down and add and subtract and it is HARD learning your "sweet spot." But, I think that successful maintenance comes to those who want it bad enough to be patient and really work hard at it.

This week was my 1 year anniversary since beginning my weight loss journey. I started on the Kimkins program on October 2, 2006. I look back over the last year and am FLOORED at all that has happened in my life. Ya know those personality tests that ask you where do you see yourself in the next year, 5 years, 10 years? I would NEVER in a MILLION years have pictured myself where I am today.

As hard as losing the weight was, learning to live like this has been incredible. Sorry guys.. but girl analogy here... for those of you with kiddos you'll relate to this I think... We all know having a baby is HARD work... but it's just the beginning. After that initial peaceful moment of joy right after the birth... coming home from the hospital that realization hits you that your work has just begun. Then you have to start worrying about all the things that you will need to know, to learn, to adjust etc. to raise this child up in the best way you possibly can. Maintenance is learning to raise your "child" your baby that you worked so hard for, up correctly. You can't just say... ok I did the work... I got it... now back to life as normal. Taking care of a maintenance body is like raising a child... you tend to it, listen to it, and learn to give it the best care you possibly can...

Oh such a weekend Oldest ds had a bad car accident Friday night when he was on his way home for a big family party. Fortunately, he wasn't too far from school and was able to get friends to give him a ride home. He is ok, shook up badly and the car is most likely totalled. He stopped at a stop sign, looked both directions but didn't really "see" to the left. He pulled out and the car that hit him sheared off the front of the car. This is the third accident in five years that he has been in where the vehicle was totalled. He has walked or limped away from all. I think a tank with roll bars is next. This is the first time he was given a ticket and he is such a conscientious, careful and wonderful son. I am so blessed that all we have lost is a bunch of metal. That is soooo replaceable.

Friday night before I got the news of the accident, I went on a chocolate binge. It happened and I survived it. What is interesting is how sick I felt on Sunday. Saturday was a good day, work, horses, nap and a party. I stayed on the low carb plan all day Saturday. On Sunday I felt the chocolate/sugar hit big time, no energy, no mental focus, achey and slightly nauseous. Too bad it didn't happen when in mid attack; that'd teach me!!! I walked two miles on the tread mill Sunday afternoon and felt much better. My energy is back for the most part today. It is amazing how much those nasty carbs can mess us up. At least the trigger wasn't the stress of ds nearly getting killed. Halloween really should be outlawed because of candy.

Charles, the safe harbor ideas sure works for me. After being mugged by the chocolate candy, I went straight back to that safe harbor, very reassuring.

Still learning and still maintaining.[B]


PS Hershey's has a sugar free chocolate syrup but it has sugar alcohols in it. boo I'll have to look for Davinici's.

Ouch! Glad to hear your son is ok!!

Sounds like you picked yourself up again- good for you! We all have to do that sometimes...

Bella

Hi Everyone! Just checking in.... how's maintenance going for ya??

I've been very busy lately with my new job and life et al...

Maintenance is going ok though, I'm still staying steady and exercising regularly. Sorry not much more of a post, but what's going on in your lives right now??

Take care!

Christin

I'm still struggling to get rid of about 5-6 pounds. My weight has no trouble going up but it doesn't seem to want to go back down. I never used to have this problem and I think what happened is that I indulged in sweet treats one too many times and now my body is rebelling. It used to only take me a couple days to lose after an indulgence and now it takes months. What this has taught me is that I can never have sugar again ever. Each time I indulge, my weight ends up a little higher than the last time. No treat is worth this aggravation.

I'm also up a few pounds from where I like to be. I'm at 120 (5' 2") so it's not terrible, but I've crept up 10 lbs over the last 20 months, so I need to make some adjustments. In the months before that, I'd been going down about 1/2 lb per month, and wanted to avoid going below 110. I don't mind the normal day to day wobbles, but I'd like to be able to get rid of these longer term drifts.

Anyway, for now it seems it's time to tighten up a bit on the carbs. My husband has regained quite a lot over the last year, so both of us are ready to clean up our acts. In his case, things were going very well until we had to spend two months of last winter hanging around hospital wards while his mother was dying. For him, it sparked a round of comfort eating. For me, it left me feeling totally drained and exhausted for several months - and I'm at the pre-menopausal stage where stress throws my hormones completely out of whack. Anyway, it's nearly a year since we had the phone call telling us MIL had been taken to hospital, and though our reactions were quite different, we both seem to be reaching a point where we're ready to make some changes now.