I'm 5'6" and around 125, but I still see a few more globs of fat on my legs I wouldnt mind getting rid of. Im supposed to be on maintenance now but Im scared to death of gaining the weight back. I just read that I shouldnt be eating so much fat now, and I should up my carbs. The thing is..Ive grown to LOVE all my meats and low carb food! The yummy burgers and steaks. Oh so good! So do I really have to lower my fat intake? The only thing I like really is cottage cheese. And I love the Keto Shakes (well Ive only tried the egg nog so far..). Is it really that big of a deal that I lower my fat and up the carbs? I saw I should be eating more greens. So today I had *french fries* and 2 salads (with lunch and dinner). I repeat I am SOOO scared of gaining the weight back! Even an ounce Im terrified. Anyone else feel like this? And can someone tell me if I have to change how I eat? Thanks so much I know im being paranoid and all....be gentle.

it took me a long time to get used to the fact that i didn,t need to lose more weight.i did alter my diet by decresing the fat and upping the carbs. i eat between 30 and 50 c-grams a day now,if i have more one day i cut back the next although i now don,t count religiously.i do eat cottage cheese now and some other l-f products but thats because i like them. i just watch the carbs.i found maintainance terrifying at first, as like you i didn,t know what to eat.i still eat more fat than on a normal diet but not as much as i did when c-gs where at 20 to 30.it took me about 3 months to get used to it with a lot of trial and error.i still get weighed 2 to 3 times a week and if the scales show movement in any direction i adjust my diet accordingly.i never added high carb products back in my diet ie:bread, pasta,potatoes etc, i don,t think i could handle them,after all, they were the foods that caused me to gain weight in the first place.i upped my carbs by adding peanut butter, nuts and seeds and more salads and berries.
hope this helps.

christine
maintainance for 3 years next month.

Just wanted to say thanks for writing back, I feel better knowing someone else went through similar feelings. Im having a hard time finding things to up my carbs, that have less fat. Cottage cheese is the only 1 so far. Ill add some nuts as snacks in place of the cheese/meat rollups I usually have. Ill also borrow my gmas digital scale and weigh every other day. Oh those scales scare me! Thanks again.

Hi There,

I know how you feel. I've been dieting for many years, and it was pretty much always successful in losing...except I would gain it back when I tried to eat "normal".

The exciting thing for me about low carbing is, I never really felt like I was dieting because I wasn't hungry. Although I craved certain sweets and treats, I always found I was able to eat something (at a party, say, or a special event). If it was "bring a dish", I took something I could eat (ham rolls with cream cheese and almonds, deviled eggs, cheese treats I make with hot sausage, cheese and olives, or some other tasty low carb treat that I like to eat).

My maintenance plan is probably too simple for most people...but it is working for me. I have been maintaining since February. I eat 2 low carb meals per day, and then at night (usually) I have my reward meal. I have allowed myself dessert, bread, starches and fruit during this time (I try to keep it fairly balanced). I stick pretty well to the hour time limit, and I'm not hungry during the rest of the evening. I occasionally have a diet pop, a glass of wine, or a low carb snack (pretty rarely).


I weigh each morning at the same time...and so far I haven't gone above the 5 pounds I let myself play with. I have continued this on vacation, visiting friends and again at parties. When I come back home, I face the scale the next morning and if it is up, I stick to very low carbs. So far I haven't had too big a bout with "hunger", and I've never gained more than 3 pounds (even when I went away and didn't face the scale for a week)...and I lost them within a day or two. It is very different from my maintenance when I dieted before.

Many people in this forum work very hard at counting carbs, some even count calories, and weigh things...I need to keep it simple. So far I'm glad this is working for me...as my husband says if I weigh every day, it can't get too far out of hand.

Good luck to you! Find what works for you and keep doing it!

Hugs,
Donna

Querida Corazon,
I'd be very cautious about using french fries as your way of adding in carbs. If you want to maintain, it's much better to add in the carbs by eating lots more non-starchy vegetables. And if you add grains, you're better off adding whole grains, such as brown rice, and whole grain bread with no white flour....and in small quantities.

Even though you're adding in carbs, you still want to control your insulin reaction, since insulin is what lays on the fat, causes the cravings and launches some of us into the spiral of doom.

Atkins for Life is a worthwhile read and will give you a good understanding of what kinds of carbs to add back in.

I think that the reason some people go off Atkins and gain a lot of weight is because the "white" stuff, like potatoes, white bread, white rice, etc. have SOOOO many carbs. Once you add them back, you're adding a LOT of carbs. There are no foods that lie between moderately carby (most non-starchy veggies) and hugely carby (the white stuff). So it's easier to stay within prudent limits if you just forgo the white stuff.

But the good news for me on maintenance is that bread and cake just don't taste as good as they used to!

Has anyone else experienced this?

Yes, we are all afraid of gaining the weight back and have to stay on our toes at all times with this way of eating. I am beginning to get a little more comfortable with my food choices staying away from sugar, white rice and flour products as well as high carb veggies and high carb fruits. I have increased my carbs by experimenting with more lowcarb items such as making a few recipes I was afraid of before as well as something as a lowcarb cheesecake. You really can eat well and not miss a thing.

Donna - would you say your are following "The Carb Addicts" diet? I have been thinking about looking more into it. Your way of eating is one I've been thinking about experimenting with.

Hi Anleigh,

Good to hear from you. I am still watching my carbs and staying within my 5 pound limit. As of today I am 43 pounds lighter than on October 2, 2002. I wanted to lose 35 pounds but got into low carbing and hung on to lose 45. I now allow myself a few carbs here and there... but I weigh daily and I have tried to stick to the Carb Addicts for the most part. If I find myself creeping up I do the CAD strictly (watching the one hour, no or few snacks and 2 meals low carb).

I don't know that this way of eating works for everyone...but it is the BEST for me! I have lost hundreds (literally) of pounds over the years...and always gained some or all of it back.

Good luck to you. I hope whatever you do, you do it with dedication and enjoyment.

Sincerely,
Donna

i am really scared about this whole thing....i had a couple of splurges over the holidays--went back to 20carbs/day, and the scale (as of this morning) was STILL creeping up! i had been doing 20/day for the entire week, but went just a "little" off at breakfast on Sunday--what could be going on? i really seemed to think that i could immediately lose a pound or two, but evidently not so! do any of you guys have any tips for me? i will NOT gain one more pound...it just can't happen! i am fighting to keep this all under control and in perspective, but i'm not being very patient, i guess!

sjkling , Do you work out at all?

Donna - Thanks for your reply. I'm going to read the CAD and see if I think it might be something worth trying. I'm a full fledged carb addict and just really hate to think about spending the rest of my life without enjoying some of my favorite foods ever now and then. I know that being able to control carbs once you eat them (the bad ones) has got to be the trick to doing CAD. But then I think, control is what this whole WOE is about.

Dear Anleigh:
If you are going to get a book, I'd recomend the Carb Addicts Life Plan (CALP), as it's newer than CAD and I think it's clearer. I have been doing CALP for 6 months, and am trying to maintain/let my body get to where it wants to be. I am also really scared that this is too good to last, but I'm hanging in there. I also eat my RM at night, but have added in a diet drink or wine or a snack too.

I too am scared of gaining back weight, but I know I have to up my carbs because I don't want to lose any more. How much did your all's weights fluctuate during this period, and do you weigh everyday?

Most of all though I think I am scared of that hungry, empty feeling when not in ketosis. I suppose ketosis was my security blanket. How do you all cope with this? Do you consume more calories AND carbs? or are you still in light ketosis? My family keeps telling me that ketosis is a horrible thing, but I really don't believe them, based on what I've read so far.

believe - I don't think permanent ketosis would be good for you. Maybe there really isn't anything about it that would harm you but the thing is you need to find a eating plan that you can enjoy and not have to worry so much. I agree, Maintenance is hard but at the same time there is so much more you can eat and enjoy. I'm LOVING it more everyday.

Yeah, I know I have to leave my "security blanket" of ketosis soon, and it's a little scary, but it's what I need to do. I do enjoy eating LC, and that's probably the worst part- I liked what/how I ate a little too much, got comfortable and never upped my carbs. But, after reading what you and the other maintainers post, I have psyched myself up for the more varied and less restrictive phase of maintenance where I can relax and LC as a way of life.