Active Low-Carber Forums
Atkins diet and low carb discussion provided free for information only, not as medical advice.
Home Plans Tips Recipes Tools Stories Studies Products
Active Low-Carber Forums
A sugar-free zone


Welcome to the Active Low-Carber Forums.
Support for Atkins diet, Protein Power, Neanderthin (Paleo Diet), CAD/CALP, Dr. Bernstein Diabetes Solution and any other healthy low-carb diet or plan, all are welcome in our lowcarb community. Forget starvation and fad diets -- join the healthy eating crowd! You may register by clicking here, it's free!

Go Back   Active Low-Carber Forums > Main Low-Carb Diets Forums & Support > Low-Carb Support Focus Groups > Pre-Maintenance & Maintenance
User Name
Password
FAQ Members Calendar Mark Forums Read Search Gallery My P.L.A.N. Survey


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #316   ^
Old Tue, Feb-04-14, 21:04
lowcarbedd's Avatar
lowcarbedd lowcarbedd is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 893
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 169.2/137/149 Female 69inches
BF:
Progress: 159%
Default

I love these readings..thanks
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #317   ^
Old Mon, Mar-17-14, 04:10
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
Posts: 26,664
 
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
Default

Quote:
March 15, 2014

Cleaning Up the Yard: Why Weight Loss Itself is Meaningless

by Barbara Berkeley, MD


Imagine that you lived next door to a factory that was working on an automatic program and was spewing out toxic garbage.

Over time, your property had become covered with smelly, unsightly waste and each day, as you gazed out your window, you became more and more upset. Your beautiful home was ruined.

One day, you wake up with a great idea. You are going to clean up the toxic mess. You put on your gloves, mask and hip boots and you wade in-- expending many days and much sweat in the effort. Finally, you step back exhausted. Your property is clean, your house is gleaming and you are happy. You sigh and fall asleep contented.

But the next morning when you go to your window, what do you see? The factory has been spewing out toxic waste all night and your yard is a mess once again. Competely defeated, you resolve to just "live with it". And that's what you do. Until the next time.

What went wrong? You had a fundamental flaw in logic. Rather than wasting time and energy on a clean up, you needed to get a crowbar and break a window in the factory. You needed to use a flashlight to find that big switch marked "ON and OFF". And then you needed to shut the factory down.

Essentially, dieting for weight loss is nothing more than cleaning up a toxic dump. Your excess weight is the unwanted, stored stuff that your body's factory produced and couldn't get rid of. Cleaning it up is satisfying---for a moment---but doesn't do a single thing to solve the problem.

Sadly, America is obsessed with cleaning up the yard. Almost without exception, weight loss programs, books, products and remedies focus on losing pounds. That's a tragedy, because, other than giving you a fresh place to start, the clean up itself is meaningless.

Conventional wisdom (beware conventional wisdom!) says that we gain weight because we eat too much and exercise too little. But if you are looking for this switch, you are looking in the wrong place. Every overweight person knows some thin person who eats just as much as he or she does and sits on the couch all day--- yet that person never gains weight. If eating too much and moving too little is the problem, are we to say that it is only the heavy person who is gluttonous and lazy? This is the source of a great deal of the weight prejudice we experience (as in, "Why can't those fat people just push away from the table?").

Weight gain appears to be much more related to the specific ways in which our individual bodies dispose of (or store) the foods we eat. For a great many of us, the problem with excess storage runs through the insulin system and minimizing insulin production (to whatever degree we can) is the switch that stops the factory. If you have located another switching mechanism that works for you, use it. But for the majority of people I treat, disabling insulin production shuts down the problem.

To minimize insulin production, take sugars and starches out of your diet. Vastly curtail these foods: sugar, honey, syrup, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, grains and whole grains, flour, pasta, crackers, bagels, bread, cookes and cakes, chips, potatoes, hot and cold breakfast cereals, granola and anything made from corn, rice, or other grains.

If you are in the process of "cleaning up your yard", select a diet that lowers insulin. What works is any low carb diet that has total carbs of 100 grams or below per day. I recommend that your weight loss diet look very much like a diet you could follow permanently. My objection to the Atkins diet is that the very low carb requirement makes it tough to continue. In addition, I have not found that lowering carbs as much as Atkins recommends is necessary to get weight loss. Our patients do just fine on about 100 grams (or slightly more) per day. We achieve a continued low calorie count (necessary for the weight loss phase) by using liquid meal replacements and bars for part of the day. This approach is very successful, can be picked up again when weight creeps up in maintenance, or can be partially adopted as a permanent plan. Permanent maintenance diets should have lots of vegetables, some fruits and good quality animal proteins.

Whether you are contemplating weight loss, in the throes, or trying to maintain, remember that everything hinges on this: Don't assume that you have solved your problem once weight is lost. Seek the switch and pull firmly!
http://www.refusetoregain.com/2014/...eaningless.html
Reply With Quote
  #318   ^
Old Wed, Apr-02-14, 09:22
lowcarbedd's Avatar
lowcarbedd lowcarbedd is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 893
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 169.2/137/149 Female 69inches
BF:
Progress: 159%
Default

It's my experience too...that losing isn't the challenge...maintaining IS!

How long have you guys maintained?
Reply With Quote
  #319   ^
Old Sun, Apr-06-14, 04:47
Enomarb Enomarb is offline
MAINTAINING ON CALP
Posts: 4,838
 
Plan: CALP/CAHHP
Stats: 180/125/150 Female 65 in
BF:
Progress: 183%
Location: usa
Default

I like this post- thanks-
E
Reply With Quote
  #320   ^
Old Thu, Apr-10-14, 09:59
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



I've just finished reading all the postings on this thread -- thank you for sharing them!!

I'm reallllly close to starting the most difficult part of the weight loss process -- maintaining the loss -- just 2 more lbs to go. So the post above really hit home and added one thing I had not thought about and really stuck out for me:

I recommend that your weight loss diet look very much like a diet you could follow permanently.

Yep, I can live with the LC WOE I have been doing for more than 40+ weeks.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Success is not Final. Failure is not Fatal.
It’s the Courage to Continue that Counts.” Winston Churchill
Reply With Quote
  #321   ^
Old Sun, Apr-13-14, 11:59
Judynyc's Avatar
Judynyc Judynyc is offline
Attitude is a Choice
Posts: 30,111
 
Plan: No sugar, flour, wheat
Stats: 228.4/209.0/170 Female 5'6"
BF:stl/too/mch
Progress: 33%
Location: NYC
Cool

Quote:
Originally Posted by Barbara Berkley, MD)
If you are in the process of "cleaning up your yard", select a diet that lowers insulin. What works is any low carb diet that has total carbs of 100 grams or below per day. I recommend that your weight loss diet look very much like a diet you could follow permanently. My objection to the Atkins diet is that the very low carb requirement makes it tough to continue. In addition, I have not found that lowering carbs as much as Atkins recommends is necessary to get weight loss. Our patients do just fine on about 100 grams (or slightly more) per day. We achieve a continued low calorie count (necessary for the weight loss phase) by using liquid meal replacements and bars for part of the day. This approach is very successful, can be picked up again when weight creeps up in maintenance, or can be partially adopted as a permanent plan. Permanent maintenance diets should have lots of vegetables, some fruits and good quality animal proteins.

Whether you are contemplating weight loss, in the throes, or trying to maintain, remember that everything hinges on this: Don't assume that you have solved your problem once weight is lost. Seek the switch and pull firmly!

Every word that she wrote here has been my 100% experience. So to say that I agree would be a bit of an understatement.
I have been at around 100 grams of carbs since I started this 10 yrs ago. I never did go down as low as Atkins Induction requires to lose any of my weight.
While I did not do liquid meal replacements this time, I have done them in one of my past diet incarnations and failed. I need solid food and many choices to keep myself satiated. Know thyself!

I really like how she ends this post: once weight is lost, the problem is not solved...unless you keep eating the same way you did to lose it in the first place. I've been saying this since I began my maintenance more than 8 yrs. ago. I keep repeating this but it goes to deaf ears in that most people think that if 20 carb grams a day is good, less must be better .....OWL phased is there for a big reason. As long as we see this as a short term fix and not a life long way to eat....not raising carb levels will stay a fixed outcome. When I began to see that life at or below 20 grams a day would be stifling for me ( and most people), did I then see the value in the way I was eating to lose my weight.
Reply With Quote
  #322   ^
Old Sun, Apr-13-14, 14:50
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

Quote:
Originally Posted by Judynyc
Every word that she wrote here has been my 100% experience. So to say that I agree would be a bit of an understatement.
I have been at around 100 grams of carbs since I started this 10 yrs ago. I never did go down as low as Atkins Induction requires to lose any of my weight.
While I did not do liquid meal replacements this time, I have done them in one of my past diet incarnations and failed. I need solid food and many choices to keep myself satiated. Know thyself!

I really like how she ends this post: once weight is lost, the problem is not solved...unless you keep eating the same way you did to lose it in the first place. I've been saying this since I began my maintenance more than 8 yrs. ago. I keep repeating this but it goes to deaf ears in that most people think that if 20 carb grams a day is good, less must be better .....OWL phased is there for a big reason. As long as we see this as a short term fix and not a life long way to eat....not raising carb levels will stay a fixed outcome. When I began to see that life at or below 20 grams a day would be stifling for me ( and most people), did I then see the value in the way I was eating to lose my weight.


Wow Judy you are one of my heroes on here -- for having lost a huge amount of weight and kept it off for so many years! Like your quote says Attitude is a Choice and so is the WOE we follow. I WILL be counted among those who have lost the weight and kept it off for years!! Do you like my positive attitude? Because I truly believe that attitude is everything!!

Wishing all of us continued SUCCESS in our LC WOE journeys!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Success is not Final. Failure is not Fatal.
It’s the Courage to Continue that Counts.” Winston Churchill
Reply With Quote
  #323   ^
Old Sun, Apr-13-14, 15:22
Judynyc's Avatar
Judynyc Judynyc is offline
Attitude is a Choice
Posts: 30,111
 
Plan: No sugar, flour, wheat
Stats: 228.4/209.0/170 Female 5'6"
BF:stl/too/mch
Progress: 33%
Location: NYC
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Just Jo
Wow Judy you are one of my heroes on here -- for having lost a huge amount of weight and kept it off for so many years! Like your quote says Attitude is a Choice and so is the WOE we follow. I WILL be counted among those who have lost the weight and kept it off for years!! Do you like my positive attitude? Because I truly believe that attitude is everything!!

Wishing all of us continued SUCCESS in our LC WOE journeys!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Success is not Final. Failure is not Fatal.
It’s the Courage to Continue that Counts.” Winston Churchill

Welcome and big congrats to you on your weight loss success!
Yes, I do like your attitude! It'll carry you far.
Reply With Quote
  #324   ^
Old Mon, Jun-02-14, 10:21
Judynyc's Avatar
Judynyc Judynyc is offline
Attitude is a Choice
Posts: 30,111
 
Plan: No sugar, flour, wheat
Stats: 228.4/209.0/170 Female 5'6"
BF:stl/too/mch
Progress: 33%
Location: NYC
Default Diet Deterioration: How to Pull Out of It

http://www.refusetoregain.com/2014/...-out-of-it.html

June 01, 2014
Diet Deterioration: How to Pull Out of It
by Barbara Berkeley, MD - -

Quote:
Diet Deterioration: How to Pull Out of It
The things that keep us healthy and fit feel so good when we do them. So why do we always find ourselves returning to bad habits and struggling with our resolve?

There are a number of reasons.

First, we are inextricably intertwined with our culture. Unknown-2
We swim in it, breathe it and are fully surrounded by it. Unfortunately for those who want to stay healthy, our culture does not promote health. Instead, it does everything it can to co-opt it. Worse, the attractions of our culture appeal to powerful pleasure centers. While it feels great to finish a three mile run, it feels just as great (and takes alot less effort) to watch the entire season of House of Cards in one sitting. Believe me, I know! Similarly, it's hard to make a pleasure comparison between a virtuous piece of grilled chicken and a brownie smothered in ice cream and hot fudge.

Second, we are creatures of limited attention span. That short-burst focus has been further reinforced by a world that packages itself in "bites". I don't know about you, but I find that I am increasingly losing my ability to pay attention to longer passages of reading and that I incessantly surf the web and flip channels on TV rather than settling on one thing. This cultivated impatience translates into a more general desire for constant hits of new experience, and eating lean and clean is the antithesis of this. Apart from the fact that we lose focus on what we eat, we are also seduced by the desire to chase new food experiences.

Third, the ongoing process of living means that we get older each day. With aging there is the increasingly strong desire to give in and to some degree...give up. What's the point of it all, we may think? Why not just enjoy each day? Sometimes it's hard to remember that enjoying each day depends more and more on our ability to get around, think clearly, and stay independent.

Fourth, turning ourselves around seems to get increasingly more difficult with each attempt. Weight that fell off effortlessly ten years ago now seems determined to stay firmly affixed to our mid-section. Who has the will? Who has the patience?

The answer: You do.

If your dedication to a particular diet or to your plan to stay healthy has started a downhill slide--even if you've fallen off the cliff entirely--- it's possible to regroup.

Start by remembering that losing weight and/or living in a healthier space is a life's work, not a one- time accomplishment. I think that we too often lose sight of this fact, fixating way too much on a size or scale number. Instead, think about slowly moving forward in a way that allows you to develop a belief system about your particular view of health. That system won't be the same for everyone and doesn't need to be. What's important is that you're thinking about what works for you, refining it, and constantly trying to move toward it. I love the following analogy (shared with me by a psychologist who counsels families): Think of the way an airplane moves toward it's destination. Because of the winds that buffet it, the airplane is constantly moving this way or that way off course, but it makes corrections that bring it back into line and, eventually, lands where it intended. Images-2

Are you ready for a course correction? Some ideas to think about:

1. Flex your mental muscle. The winds that blew you off course are strong ones, therefore the effort at steering back in the right direction has to involve strength. Your mind likes to forget the basic fact of weight loss: it is a controlled form of starvation. This is not the case for weight maintenance (which is the reason you've forgotten about it). To return to weight loss, revisit your chosen diet plan and rededicate yourself to following all plan rules, 100% of the time. Ok, we know you won't be perfect, but you really need to try for perfection if you want to get weight loss.

2. Make it interesting again. If you've strayed, chances are it's because the process has gotten boring. Give it an injection of interest by thinking of it as an exciting and complex science project. Unknown-3

Keep records every day and set small goals as well as larger ones. Do a daily project review so that you can take a look at what worked and what failed. Set strategies to correct failures or to avoid situations that get you in trouble. Try taking a selfie once a week in the same place in your house. Wear gym clothes or something else that shows your true size. Keep a notebook and post your pictures as well as your comments. For fitness goals, I suggest getting involved in something that allows you to see progress. I'm a big fan of Couch to 5K programs and I currently like the "Get Running" app which can be dowloaded to your smart phone. Create your own blog via sites like Wordpress or Typepad and chronicle your journey.

3. Pick the right moment. Remember jumping rope as a child? Two kids spun the rope while you attempted to jump in. If the rhythm wasn't exactly right, the rope would wind up around your ankles and you'd have to try again. It's the same with gettig back in diet or wellness rhythm. Don't force it. Wait for a time when you have got a plan in place and the opportunity to execute it. Yes, you may be going on a cruise in a month and think it would be nice to be smaller, but the cruise will probably wind up putting everything back on. Again, your goal is to progress toward your destination long-term, not to make multiple separate forays that just wind you back up where you started.

So what constitutes the right moment? Only you know the answer, but here are some elements that are useful to have in place:
• Minimal food distractions in the near future (weddings, parties, vacations)
•A home situation that allows for simpler cooking. (Maybe the kids are at camp or your husband is on a business trip. Maybe your family is ready to agree to simpler meals for awhile)
•Partner or family on board. You can't do this when those around you are ignoring your efforts or trying to sway you. Discuss your plans with the family and get their buy in.
•A feeling of true motivation. Pick the moment when your motivation has peaked again.
•Homework done regarding plans for eating and exercise. Don't start up again until you have a schedule, both for how you will eat and what you will be doing physically.
•Ready to announce. Are you ready to tell people you are back on the quest? Announcing your intentions helps you to stay true to plan and is suggested. If you feel that you are not ready to put your efforts out there, maybe you are not really sure of your commitment.

4. Erase the failure tape. One of my tennis coaches is fond of reminding her students to "shake it off" when they've hit a bad shot. That shot is gone and it can only hurt you if you bring it with you into the next play. So forget about your backsliding. Everyone who tries to be healthier in this crazy world takes backward steps. Be proud that you are among those who are trying to make a change. You are so much smarter than most! Forget failures and move forward.

5. Make it fun and don't take it all so seriously. This should be about enjoying life more, not less. Search out the experiences that make you laugh and be sure to laugh at yourself too. Images-4 (Note to myself: My really bad tennis playing this year is an example of something that is completely unimportant in the larger scheme of things. Me? Playing singles against 30 year olds? It's a laugh and a hoot no matter what the score.) Ha!
Reply With Quote
  #325   ^
Old Tue, Jun-03-14, 04:48
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

Quote:
Originally Posted by Judynyc
http://www.refusetoregain.com/2014/...-out-of-it.html

June 01, 2014
Diet Deterioration: How to Pull Out of It
by Barbara Berkeley, MD - -


Thanks for sharing that Judy. Wow I love the "things to think about" section, especially these because I have already pondered these same ideas and will adapt them to my LC WOE lifestyle:

To return to weight loss, revisit your chosen diet plan and rededicate yourself to following all plan rules, 100% of the time. Ok, we know you won't be perfect, but you really need to try for perfection if you want to get weight loss.

Keep records every day and set small goals as well as larger ones. Do a daily project review so that you can take a look at what worked and what failed. Set strategies to correct failures or to avoid situations that get you in trouble.

Erase the failure tape.
Reply With Quote
  #326   ^
Old Wed, Jun-04-14, 16:48
Enomarb Enomarb is offline
MAINTAINING ON CALP
Posts: 4,838
 
Plan: CALP/CAHHP
Stats: 180/125/150 Female 65 in
BF:
Progress: 183%
Location: usa
Default

thanks for posting this- great.
E
Reply With Quote
  #327   ^
Old Mon, Jun-09-14, 10:01
Judynyc's Avatar
Judynyc Judynyc is offline
Attitude is a Choice
Posts: 30,111
 
Plan: No sugar, flour, wheat
Stats: 228.4/209.0/170 Female 5'6"
BF:stl/too/mch
Progress: 33%
Location: NYC
Default Just Another Ten Pounds" or How to Know When Your Weight Loss is Over -

"Just Another Ten Pounds" or How to Know When Your Weight Loss is Over -


http://www.refusetoregain.com/2014/...ss-is-over.html

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Berkley
Patients who undergo psychoanalysis engage with their psychiatrists on an intense basis, often for years. When the time comes for treatment to end, the therapist initiates a "termination phase": a time period that allows for examination of what has been accomplished and prepares the patient for separation. Here is a bit about termination from a psychiatry website:


"Most experienced psychotherapists are trained to start the termination process early — far earlier than most clients are probably used to or even comfortable with. Some therapists may start talking about it as far out as 10 or 12 sessions from the end (especially for longer-term therapy). This is a good thing. It gives you time to get comfortable with the idea..."

Weight loss practitioners could learn a thing or two from the psychotherapists. The decision to end weight loss is a complicated one and could benefit from a "termination phase". Rarely is there a natural conclusion to the process.

Here's what I find to be usual. The dieter, despite losing large amounts of weight, is not happy with the ultimate outcome. In our practice, patients move from active weight loss into what we call maintenance. At that point, our expectation is that the patient will stabilize at the weight they've reached. Often, it takes months for me to negotiate this transition simply because the patient is unwilling to give up his or her dream of losing "just another ten pounds". They generally use the same language, "I'd really like to lose another ten" or "I'd really like to get down just one more size". But despite the fact that they'd really like to do it, they often can't make it happen. This is just the reality. Unknown-4

When should we be happy with the weight we've lost and when should we push on for more? Here are a few thoughts on the subject:
•Most of us make the assumption that weight loss has an obvious end point. This may be a size or a scale number, but coupled with this goal is the belief that weight loss will bring physical happiness. In reality, the end of weight loss still leaves us with an imperfect body. Even the best and strongest weight loss never creates perfection.
•As weight loss continues, the body puts the brakes on. This is an ancient response that is intended to keep you from starving to death. If calories go down, the body simply responds by going into an efficiency mode and burning fewer calories on daily activities than it normally would. Eventually, the body can equilibrate to run on the calories you are giving it--even though you are dieting-- without losing more weight. We call this a "plateau" and it happens at varying times for different people. For women, a plateau often occurs at around 30 pounds of loss.
•Breaking through a plateau is possible but only if you get as tough as you can about following your diet rules 100%. Adding exercise at this point may help, as long as you do not depart from the diet at the same time.
•A JAMA study in 2005 showed that when 160 dieters were randomly assigned to varying diets the mean weight loss at one year was about 5 pounds. Dieters who have achieved weight losses in the 20 to 100 pound range generally don't appreciate how rare they are. These results are spectacular and should be applauded. Instead, we are often unhappy about not losing more.
•In my experience---and this is strictly anecdotal---the percent of people who hit a plateau and go on to successfully lose that last ten pounds or that one more dress size is about 10%. Once a dieter has been on a plateau for a month or more, they seem generally unable to get more loss. I'm not sure of the cause of this but my guess would be that it is a combination of bodily signals that prompt re-feeding and burn out with dieting.

So when should you consider being happy with the result you've achieved? And when should you stop being unhappy that you haven't achieved the perfect result?
•If you are within 10 to 20 pounds of where you hoped to be, but you're stuck,
•If you are trying to get to "normal" weight range on a BMI chart, but can't do it (never a good goal in my mind), but you're at a size you can certainly live with.
•If you've improved medical conditions that were related to your weight and feel alot better but can't seem to lose any more.
•If you've lost sigificantly (10% or greater weight loss) but continuing to diet is causing you to feel badly about yourself and is leading to increasing frustration.

Remember that losing weight should be primarily about health. It is only peripherally about appearance. We reverse this order routinely and that's an error.

In short, if you've had a reasonable weight loss and you find yourself stuck on a plateau for a month or more, consider rewarding yourself for having nailed a month of maintenance. Lower your expectations and raise your self praise. Do this by working on maintaining your weight loss and developing a sense of pride about having lost what you did. If it is impossible to give up your "ten more pounds" dream, shift the dream into a different focus. Put yourself into maintenance with the idea of resting for awhile. Let your body recuperate from its efforts but do that without backsliding. Pick a time in the future when you will make another concerted effort to finish the job, recognizing that the effort will have to involve a tough re-focus. If future efforts fail to work, be awed and amazed at your ability to stay at the weight you achieved. Learning how to maintain is the true skill and the most difficult one. Shift away from scale and size numbers and turn your attention toward creating a diet that fuels your body naturally and efficiently. Make this your next project and your lifelong goal.
Reply With Quote
  #328   ^
Old Mon, Jun-09-14, 16:43
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

Quote:
Originally Posted by Judynyc
"Just Another Ten Pounds" or How to Know When Your Weight Loss is Over -


http://www.refusetoregain.com/2014/...ss-is-over.html



Here's the part of the article that really spoke to me:

In short, if you've had a reasonable weight loss and you find yourself stuck on a plateau for a month or more, consider rewarding yourself for having nailed a month of maintenance.


Hallelujah!!! That's exactly what I have accomplished! I am almost 27 days without a gain or loss -- so I am now in maintenance!! It's really freeing to know that. So my maintenance threshold for daily kcals is <1400 and 10-12 carbs.
Reply With Quote
  #329   ^
Old Sat, Jun-21-14, 07:56
Judynyc's Avatar
Judynyc Judynyc is offline
Attitude is a Choice
Posts: 30,111
 
Plan: No sugar, flour, wheat
Stats: 228.4/209.0/170 Female 5'6"
BF:stl/too/mch
Progress: 33%
Location: NYC
Default Are You a White Knuckle Maintainer? Tips for Letting Go

June 21, 2014



Are You a White Knuckle Maintainer? Tips for Letting Go



Quote:
Originally Posted by Barbara Berkeley, MD

The debate continues and probably always will. Is regain inevitable after weight loss? Does our body inevitably sabotage efforts to keep weight stable? Is the only way to avoid this "fat fate" a jaw clenching, moment to moment fixation on every habit and morsel? Are all maintainers clinging to a cliff by their fingernails ready to plunge as the result of a single tremor, a momentary gust of wind?

Dr. Rudolph Leibel of Columbia University is perhaps the major bearer of bad news in this regard. His research over many years suggests that the body mounts a relentless campaign to regain weight once we've lost it. At a recent obesity conference, Leibel discussed this evidence. Obesity doctors (like Yoni Freedhoff whose comments are linked within the article I've referenced) and successful maintainers responded. All of us have seen successful maintenance and we know that it is possible. Regain is certainly not inevitable.

However it would be foolish to assert that maintenance is not difficult. Virtually every successful maintainer I know, including those who respond to this blog, are highly controlled in their eating habits. This is a necessity when we live in a world which surrounds us with opportunities to eat badly. In a world where anything is possible and everything is offered, a strong moral compass must guide our behavior. We've created a similar situation in the food environment and navigating that environment requires a clear sense of course and direction.

But it is my observation that those who succeed in maintenance long term are the ones who have learned to relax into the practice. Most of us start out with the "white knuckle", teeth gritting approach. We try so hard, feel so challenged, and often have the sense that we are continually dodging a bullet. White knuckling through something can get you over the hump in the short term (like public speaking, or running the last half mile in a race), but it is unlikely to provide a long term success. And when you do let yourself slip, all that built up tension is likely to lead to a monumental fall.

The best outcome is one in which your maintenance behaviors become second nature and preferable, not forced. How to get there?

1. Accept the fact that learning maintenance takes time. Be patient. What you are looking for is habit building. So each day, think of working on ways to make yourself happy within the diet and fitness framework you've chosen. Do NOT try to adopt behaviors that you truly don't enjoy. Work on finding substitutions for the fat-promoting things you used to eat and do. Be flexible and try many different solutions. When you notice that you are going back to the same newly created behavior repeatedly, it's because you've formed a habit and you are enjoying it. Continue with that behavior and look for others that need changing.

2. Develop a touchstone. Have some mantra, or something about yourself that re-aligns you each day, reminds you of how far you've come and inspires you to keep going. This should be something that makes you feel very good. This can be a set of before and after pictures that you keep someplace you can see them each morning. Maybe you couldn't wear shorts or a certain favorite type of clothing prior to weight loss. It might be good to keep that clothing on the outside of your closet to remind you that you now can. You might develop a brief self-affirmation...but make it something positive rather than an assignment. So instead of exhorting yourself to stay healthy or stay on track, for example, perhaps you might thank yourself daily for the great sense of relief you feel each day when you are are healthier and are remaining at a manageable weight.

3. Become an expert in you. Weight issues suffer from the input of too many "experts" including me and people like me. You can learn from others, but don't take any of it as gospel. Your task throughout a life of maintenance and health will be to sift through the "stuff" and extract the gold. The formula that works for you will have similarities to those adopted by others, but won't be the same. Don't be pushed around by those vociferous voices on the internet or the meaningless blather in women's magazines. No one can know more about your particular responses to food and weight gain than you do. So start collecting data on yourself. Figure out in detail what foods you are susceptible to and which trigger appetite and/or disable your resolve to eat better. Weigh yourself daily during maintenance so that you get to the point where you can accurately predict what you will weigh each morning before you ever step on the scale. In a short time, you will learn what factors boost weight for you. They may include eating after 8 pm, drinking alcohol with meals, eating salty things, or slight increases in carb consumption (like adding back some grains, potatoes, rice or bread). You will also learn what factors decrease weight. They may include eating most of your food at lunch and just having a small bite at dinner, decreasing a particular source of extra carbs (I gain weight from grapes in certain seasons for example), or exercising in the evening.

4. Stop thinking about dieting and start thinking more about the creative process of working on your individual food choices. If you keep moving forward, you will be adding new pieces and discarding some old ones. You will be learning new things and storing away that knowledge for the future. You will be observing the things that trip up others and seeing the potholes before you fall into them. But one thing you will NOT be, is perfect all the time. Think more about enjoying your growing expertise and less about the times you mess up.

5. Stop being so serious. Laugh at yourself more and criticize yourself less.

6. Applaud yourself. The vast majority of dieters never, ever become maintainers. If you are struggling with maintenance it's because you are one of the rare number who has actually managed to lose weight successfully. It's true that the real challenge begins with the end of weight loss, but you are ready for the learning process and strong enough to negotiate the bumps along the way. Trust in your own smarts!




- See more at: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2014/...h.ftM4zHDO.dpuf
Reply With Quote
  #330   ^
Old Sun, Jun-22-14, 04:10
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

Quote:
Originally Posted by Judynyc
June 21, 2014



Are You a White Knuckle Maintainer? Tips for Letting Go



- See more at: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2014/...h.ftM4zHDO.dpuf


Wow, thanks once again Judy for sharing a most eye-opening article!!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 19:46.


Copyright © 2000-2024 Active Low-Carber Forums @ forum.lowcarber.org
Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.