I'm within 11 pounds of reaching goal. Part of me is very happy, but another pessmistic part is nervous about being able to maintain. Even though low carb is the easiest "diet" I've ever been on and I've accepted that there are certain foods I must stay away from, there's still a part of me that wonders if I'll be able to stay this determined months, years down the road.

Hopefully, because most of the negative feedback is based on past experience with low fat diets when I was always waiting to eat "normally" again--and consequently gained all the weight back-- while today "low carb" is normal for me!

Still, I wonder.

judy

Hello Jude
I just read your post. I have reached my goal. It is different to when you are trying to lose. i get urges to just eat normally, but normally would mean putting the wieght back on so you have to keep going. It is such a good way of eating though. It is so much better than a bland, tastless low fat diet. If you are finding it easy and "normal" now then you will most likely continue to do so. as long as you keep the food varied and interesting. And if you have bad days dont worry, just get back on it when you can. this site is really supportive, so it will be a doddle take care Leigh

Thanks Leigh! I guess when you come right down to it, if we want to keep the weight off, there's no going back to the old way of eating. And you're so right--the food we eat now is so much more appetizing than before.

I think for me the risk is going to be in the area of convenience. These days I rarely eat anything I haven't cooked myself and that's usually something planned a day ahead. If I do go out to eat, it's never at a fast food place where I can grab something on the run--a hamburger w/o the bun just doesn't cut it. Sometimes I miss that.

But who knows....maybe society will finally get the message and restaurants will start paying attention to us. No harm in dreaming! In the meantime, Tim Hortens will have to get along without the $550 I used to spend annually for a coffee and donut every workday morning.

judy

Hello judy
I find eating out hard too. The kids are used to me taking a little container of salad, if we eat at Mc Donalds. Its hard if i go out with friends unless we go to a place that does steaks, then it is easy. I have convinced myself that a coffee with cream is just as good as a pudding mind over matter...lol
You must miss those do-nuts at times I reckon that one day there will be lots and lots of low carb stuff in the shops. Well that is my dream anyway...as well as winning the lottery.
Take care Leigh

Hi Leigh,

It's still very odd to me, but I really don't miss any of the old comfort foods--like donuts, chocolate, potato chips, ice cream, etc. I was reading another post on the forum and the woman was talking about having the "munchies" and I suddenly realized that I don't do that anymore. I'd forgotten that. I used to HAVE to have at least a big bag of chips and/or a couple chocolate bars on hand all the time.

Mind you, anyone who get in the way of my strawberries & cream these days is asking for trouble!

BTW now that you've reached your goal, do you know how many carbs you can eat without gaining? Can you handle any of the low carb substitutes, like LC bread, etc? So far, I've been able to get along with just "real" food, but I'd kind of like to add a little more variety.

judy

Hello Judy
You are lucky if you do no miss the do-nuts ect. since i got to my goal i have been tryng to stick to low carb in the week and eat normally at the weekend but it is not working (once i start to eat normally i dont want to stop )so i am going to up my carbs by 5 each week and see what happens. 25 carbs at the moment. I shall have to eat normally in my dreams .I used to have dreams where i would cheat. They were so real, that i had to check when i woke up if i had put on loads of wieght...ummm going mad...lol. How are you doing on the diet at the moment?
Did you try other diets before? I should be doing exercise but cant find any i really enjoy...do you do any? I think i lost a couple of pounds tonight at the cinema. Saw "Darkness Falls" a really scary film. Was jumping out of my seat all the time . Oh well time to go. take Care Leigh

Hi-

Just thought I'd check in on this topic. There really is no going back, but we knew that. I have to psych myself up for more exercise challenges, but when I do, I know that I can eat more carbs and NOT worry about regaining pounds. And, of course, keep up with your water consumption!!

Mostly, I don't miss bread, potatoes, etc. I miss sweet things, but have found some great low-carb substitutes, so am OK with it at least 95% of the time, tho' it is much tougher when I have a stressful period, like this week at work.

I'm still figuring out about the critical level of carbs I can tolerate. I'm hoping someday, not too far away, to be able to eat an occasional potato and may some of our wonderful local corn .

I'm just so grateful that someone besides me is interested in the maintenance phase!! Let's keep this board going, OK?

Good morning, Leigh,

The dream I had was about low carb being a big lie and all the weight came back overnight! Now that was scarey! lol

At the moment, I'm losing very slowly. I think partly because I've been lazy about planning and recording everything. I know I need to eat more vegetables, but I'm sick of green beans, brocolli and salads.

Have I been on other diets? From a teenager until I turned 50, I think I lost and gained two people, and probably spent enough money on weight watchers to buy a new car. At 50 I decided to hell with it and for the next ten years ate whatever I wanted--and gained 50 lbs.

Felt pretty desperate last summer, because I just knew there was no way I was going back to eating low fat plastic foods and feeling hungry and resentfull all the time, especially when I knew all the weight and more was going to come back. Talk about an excersize in futility!

How did you come to try low carb? I started mostly on a whim, because my niece had lost 40 lbs--never believing it would work for me.

Actually, this WOE feels "normal" to me. The only problem is the inconveniece and constant planning ahead that's annoying. Do you really miss the high carb foods--or is it more the convenience you want on weekends?

When it comes to exercise, I'm the world's worst procrastinator. I know I'd be happy once I got started, so why do I keep saying "tomorrow, next week, soon"? I really need a few friends go with, so that we can push each other when one of us can't be bothered, but I'm surrounded with fellow procrastinators!

judy

Hmm....I was thinking about this the other day and it kind of jolted me. How will I eat during maintenance?

I know that low-carb is it for life for me. One of the reasons I low-carb is to keep raging carb addiction at bay and grains seem like to scary a prospect to entertain. Artificial sweeteners just feed my addiction. I decided that low-glycemic fruit would be it the way to go.

It's interesting thinking about maintenance. I can see myself there clearly for the first time since starting this WOL. Up to now it's been a foggy vision.

Karen

Come to think of it, in the past maintenance was always in the "if" catagory....if I reach goal (never did), if I can keep eating this way (fat chance--excuse the pun!), if I don't give in to cravings" and on and on.

This time it's a definite "when" and that's good, but still a little scarey. (Hey, isn't the unknown always a little intimidating?) Then again, maintenance isn't nearly as frightening as the desperation I felt last summer when my weight was out of control and I really believed there was no way out. Thank you, Dr. A, wherever you are!

judy

Hello
Jannie, Hmm I have to keep reminding myself to drink water. Should be easier now it is summer. We have had a couple of sunny days (good for England ...lol). I agree that we should use the maintenance site. I think that i need more support now that i am trying to keep the weight off, than i did losing it.
Yum i bet your local corn is good. I am looking forward to strawberry picking here.
I guess that you are too eh Judy?. I have spent my life doing all sorts of diets as well judy. I got to my goal with weight Watchers, but there was not much support after and i felt very alone and put the weight back on.
I also was at a point of desperation just over a year ago (it was a horrible time). My friend told me about the Atkins diet. I remember thinking, this is the last diet i will do. If it had not of worked, I dont know what i would have done.
The only problem i have is going out. I have a meal to go to with some people at work tomorrow. I find it hard to know what to order. I went to my friends 40th party on Saturday and although she provided some low carb things to eat i could not resist some of the other stuff. I need to be carefull as i have put on a couple of pounds already. I shall get it off. There are some good sweet alternatives around and i like creamed cauliflower as an alternative to mashed potatoe.
Karen it is good that you can see yourself getting to your goal. Just keep on going. What do you mean by low glycemic fruit?
Well i need to get the kids of to bed now. Take care. Happy LCing

This thread is really useful. I worry about maintenance sometimes. At the moment I'm not hungry or bothered by cravings. Will that change if I start eating a few more carbs?

I'm fairly confident I could add a bit of extra fruit without any problem, but worry that if I have any bread I'll be straight back to having toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner (complete with fluid retention & blood sugar swings). I could probably eat a bit of brown rice without sparking too many cravings, but cooking a couple of spoonsful doesn't seem very practical!

I've never dieted before, and I really don't want to yo-yo.

Fruits that have a low-impact on blood sugar levels like apples, pears, apricots or peaches. Most local and in season fruit fall into that category.

Karen

To further add to Karen's reply: "The glycemic index (or G.I.) was developed to rank foods based on their immediate effect on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrate foods that break down quickly during digestion have the highest G.I. values because the blood sugar response is fast and high. Conversely, carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose into the bloodstream, have low G.I. values. The substance that produces the greatest rise in blood sugar levels is pure glucose itself. The glycemic index of pure glucose is set at 100 and every other food ranked on a scale from 0 to 100 according to its actual effect on blood sugar levels." from the Glucose Revolution.

Now, to reply to the thread specifically.....On the one hand, I am "anxious" to reach goal, OTOH, I am in no hurry to lose these last pounds. The reason I am "anxious" is I want to get on with my life, I was stuck at a weight for 5 1/2 months, so I will know what to do in maintenance. Just do what I was doing during those 5 1/2 months. But, the other reason I am in no hurry to reach goal is that I feel the bulk of the work has been done, the last pounds will come off in due course. Good luck on your LC journey!!!