I'm 1/2 lb away from my goal and I just am not thrilled with the results (bodywise). This, despite working out 5-6 x week! I set my weight goal with my pre-marriage, pre-kids weight in mind. My family feels I've become "obsessive" about losing weight. Anyone have the same feeling once reaching goal???

I reached my initial goal of 54 kg over a year ago. That too was my pre marriage, pre children weight. I was not entirely happy with that weight this time though (seemed to be carrying more around the midsection). I finally reduced my goal to 50kg which I am not far off reaching. I still have a tummy though even though it is getting smaller and smaller all the time.

I am keen to get to maintenance as I am sick of the focus on losing weight all the time. My husband thinks I am obsessed with weight loss too. I personally would like to spend my time thinking, doing and reading about more interesting things than diets and exercise.

A great thing about low carb though is that I am not always thinking about food between meals. I have pretty much lost interest in high carb foods as they don't make me feel good when I eat them. Most also taste horribly sweet these days and give me horrible bloat.

thanks for sympathizing, trisha!

You're absolutely right about the midsection area-that too is where my trouble is (lower belly)! I agree that I'm pretty tired of fretting over carbs & calories though. And although I'm pretty adept at keeping those within target, would like to increase carbs in order to add more variety. I'm afraid of adding more carbs for fear I'll gain and am not sure how to do that whole thing with finding your ideal/max carb intake

Hi Happymom2,

I haven't done it myself yet but have you tried just increasing one food up 5 carbs a week as Atkins mentions in his book. You could try those carbs a little lower on the glycaemic index first then try others later. Maybe with doing babysteps here it won't be so scary and it will be easier for you to keep control over what you are eating. (NOTE: I need to do this too!)

The latter is something I need to learn as I tend to go from one extreme to another and I certainly don't recommend that you do that as that is a sure way to get unstuck.

I have heard that Pilates is good for our midsections (it strengthens our core muscles). My SIL is a Yogapilates instructor and she now looks longer and leaner.(she has literally 'grown' in height). I have borrowed a tape from the library and hope to start the exercises today.

There have also been some threads on the forum about a product called conjugated linoleic acid which apparently does wonders for belly fat (check the thread on this in the Schwarzbein forum as it contains some good links).

I think my skin on my tum is a bit loose too (I got really big with my two pregnancies and my girls are only 14 months apart in age) and I am thinking skin brushing might help that too.

Let us know how you go.

Yes, I can totally relate on the near obsession. It's tough, but we have to trust ourselves that we know enough to just maintain. We also have to be realistic about what happens to our bodies as we age. I'm not 13 anymore, and I have to remind myself of that every single day.

I'm no expert, but I'd tend to think that fretting over half a pound is bordering on obsessive. If your family is noticing it, it sounds like it could be becoming a problem. Try to let go. There are healthier, more productive ways to express control in your life.

Take care...

(edit: ) Oh, and one more small point: if you were at that low weight on a low fat diet, you probably had insufficient muscle mass. Now that you eat properly, your body actually has the muscle that it's supposed to have, so it's not fair to compare "then" to "now".

What is skin brushing!?!?

My family thinks I am obsessive, too, but that is how we got this far.

My husband is getting tired of my low-carbing. I think he thought that when I reached goal, I would celebrate by buying fancy bakery breads every day (his favorite.) Instead, my first move on maintenance was to bring back fruit (my favorite.) He wants a bread-eating buddy.

I've explained this WOL to my family many times - but still get asked -when will you be able to eat "normal"?? They just don't get it!

I gained about 2 lbs this week due to TOM??(hopefully just that) but also did start adding the 5 carbs I've been afraid of. It may not have been a good idea considering the time of month but I've had the munchies...see what happens next week - wish me luck!

Skin brushing is where you use a natural bristle brush which you can buy at health food stores here and I presume elsewhere too. You brush the body with strokes towards the heart eg up arms and legs. The abdomen you brush in a clock wise direction. From memory you avoid the face and breasts. There are some threads in the forum on this topic if you do a search (sorry I don't know how to do links).

It is excellent for exfoliating dead skin cells, for the circulation and for the lymphatic system. People have mentioned it is good for firming up the skin and helping get rid of cellulite.

I hope that information helps explain the practice.

Thanks for the info Trisha-

Skin brushing is a new concept to me too/ I'd never heard of it before, but it does sound interesting and I'll be looking into it! (because I definitely need some firming up)

Let me just add a quick thumbs up for Pilates. It does indeed transform the body. I've used the Pilates for Dummies DVD after researching things for a bit. I've got CFIDS and so cannot commit to any classes. It took me close to a month to be able to get through a whole "basic" routine, due to lack of energy, but even in that time I noticed a tremendous change. (Check Karen's journal for another entheusiastic booster)

COlin