Close to goal/relapse
 

I lost 26lbs several years ago and for the most part have been able to maintain it. My goal is to loose about 10 to 15lbs more but when I get to a particular point something always happens and I get off program and gain about 5lbs. I know that I stress eat and I suppose it's something in my brain saying you have done so well it's ok to cheat or reward yourself a bit. This time I gained 10lbs before I put the brakes on and got back on program. Its fairly easy get back to that "15lbs to go point" but never below that.

Anyhow, just frustrated a bit.
:)

For some when they LC it changes the ratio of fat to muscle. Meaning that the numbers don't have the same meaning they had the whole time before LC. When I was thin when younger I weighed less than 110lbs. On LC I lost to 128 lb and stuck there for a year. I wanted to lose more but when I thought about it I was now much more muscular and probably increased bone mass. I was only 1 size larger than when I was in high school.

I think waist size and bodyfat measurements become better barometers for us than a number on the scale.

One little thing that's helped me with stress is Meditainment. I noticed that after a meditation my sometimes high blood pressure becomes slightly low.

https://www.meditainment.com/

JustJeff, I'm not sure there is any magic formula, but what worked for me was changing things up. In my case, I had stalled for a couple months within 15 lbs of my goal. I had been eating a general low carb plan. I bought the original Atkins book from 1972 and followed that plan. Within a short time, I lost that last 15 lbs. I'm not telling you to start an Atkins 72 program, or adopt a completely new way of eating, but I am saying that making a change could be what you need. Good luck.

Hi Jeff.
here's something positive: you see the pattern. And - you always rein it in before you get too far back to the starting weight. Those are great things!

Maybe you can mix it up a bit rather than try to be perfect?

I'm not sure how that would look for you. For me, when i hit that time when things are hard (and "something happens") I make it my goal to experiment with maintenance for a while. Not to lose any more weight.

I spend this whole last summer (3 months) during some stressful times and some travel times practicing "maintaining." I did not lose an ounce for three months. For me that meant eating LOTS if i wanted (but on plan) or indulging in SLIGHTLY off plan ways once-in-a-while (for example, one week i had one slice of pizza; one week i had ONE beer three times; one week I had sliced fruit dipped in dark chocolate twice.)

I know for some people those things might trigger craving and falling off plan for the long term. But for me i was so scared that I would not be able to maintain (ie: add a few more carbs and still keep the weight off) that this helped me get through the hard times. Once I face-planted into cheezies 5 days in a row and I went back on induction for a week.

My point is that instead of berating yourself for being "off your diet" - maybe take a few weeks to eat on a different level (if you do Atkins) or a few more carbs (maybe 50 - 60 if you are usually under 30). See what happens physically but also emotionally. Maybe your body needs to rest at a lower weight before it can go lower. I think that is what happens to me. Lose ten pounds, then rest there for 3 months. Then tweak it back, and start losing again.

I hope this is helpful. You are not alone.

I,ve done that same thing more times than I can count. What changed for me this time was I decided that not matter what challenge showed itself I was not going to stop until I hit goal this time. Big hugs from here and remember you can do this.

You have already had good advice. Jeff, I am only adding a question...if your goal weight is a realistic one? that seems light for a man of your height. Are you healthy and fit? Sadly, we all age. Was that your high school weight? What does that "number on a scale" mean to you if you feel good? Maybe it would be better to focus on another type of goal rather than that frustrating measure of our gravity pull on earth.

Maybe "eat to lose" is the wrong mindset for you now. Maybe you should "eat to maintain" instead. Often, that turns into settling into a good weight for you.

This isn't a spreadsheet. You don't just subtract carbs and lose pounds. There's meal timing, actually understanding hunger signs, changing macros, eliminating problem foods, and so many other things that will get you to your goal.

Diet has a lot of moving parts, and I find things don't stay the same from beginning to end :(

Basically the closer one is to goal, the harder it is to actually get/stay there. Like the analogy of the Hare and the Tortoise (Zeno's Paradox.)

Thanks for all the great comments.

Happy new year!

I think I weighed 120 when I graduated high school. Lol, that's too skinny. I worked at a restaurant when I was younger and drank lots of good beer. A few years later I was up to 186.

Dr Ted Naiman,(GP in Issaquah, WA) and many other doctors and studies, like the simple waist half height metric. https://www.dietdoctor.com/simple-w...lth-measurement

That picks up the visceral fat and metabolic syndrome that leads to disease better than BMI. None of the measures is perfect but that darn scale the worst of alll for different body builds.
Best wishes for a healthy New Year! http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...31&page=3&pp=15