I believe this forum would benefit by having a thread for those in maintenance. Now it's kind of hit and miss, finding the J of somebody who's "declared." What do you think? Is it too much pressure? I guess people could falsely pretend, but the BS meter is pretty strong here. ;)

Congratulations, barb712. Milestones are helpful for me. Every one of them.

I would love to have an active maintenance thread to go to where we can check in on each other, give support, compare notes, etc. Not just posting numbers but sharing experiences.

Exactly! However, there are some people who thrive with the kind of security posting numbers brings. I'm not one of them, but I understand that we all have different needs. Maybe that's why the Admins haven't set up a Maintenance thread.

We'll just have to be satisfied with our own. :)

For now I'll just say that holding firm during the "Happy Holidays" will be my single-minded goal. Get through to the New Year without carbage collection.

There is a maintenance forum:

https://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdi...25&daysprune=-1

and this thread which was a general check in:

https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthr...9&page=13&pp=15

This was a good one, as well...

https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthr...79&page=1&pp=15

bluesinger - Yes, me too, holding steady during the holidays is my focus as well. So far, so good - but we're just getting started!

cshepard - thanks - It would be good to revive some of these threads!

It's been a long time since I visited here. I started the thread at a lower weight than this old body wanted. My goal now is to stay at 140.

Maintenance is hard, and the older the body gets the harder maintenance becomes.

I now wear my Fitbit tracker on my left ankle to record all steps. Most days I hit close to 10K. Twice a week Yoga classes-1.5 hours. Strict adherence to LCHF eating. I had to give up most dairy because I was prone to overeating it.


Still in excellent health with no pain, no apparent disease and excellent mobility. I'm even enrolled in a college course and doing volunteer work for a local Women's Shelter called Safe Nest.

Life is as good as it can be under the circumstances.
75 is on the horizon.

Health is so important as we get older, well done on how you are managing yours.
I used to think it was inevitable that we would lose weight as we got (frailer) :rolleyes: . Seems that's not always the case. Guess following your example, eating properly and keeping as active as possible should be my aim.

I weighed this morning and am still on track. True, I revised my goal weight upward a bit, but I'm comfortable with that. Maintaining is easier after 2+ years, but I know enough to avoid complaisance. I can easily gain 20 lbs in a very short amount of time.

Happy Maintenance!

Glad you are back.

The year passed like a blink.

Happy new year

Happy New Year Glenda, Arielle, and everyone! Just checking in. The year did fly by. I'm still maintaining around 202 for many months now. My original goal was 199 - close enough! Maybe someday, but my body seems to be comfortable here as does the rest of me.

This past summer and fall have been fraught with activity (and stress), and staying on track was more of a challenge, but I realize a lot of good habits come naturally now. Still takes focus and determination and staying honest with myself.

Again, wishing you a happy, healthy, and successful New Year. It's a comfort and help to be in such good company here.

We all need to find our "sweet spot" for maintenance. Forget what the weight charts and doctors say because they don't have to do the work. We do the work and it ain't easy.

2020 can be a good year because attitude is everything.

The whole world has changed since I last posted here in January. We had high hopes for 2020. Oh well.

I've left Facebook, but only recently. Before I did I saw posts from people who eat SAD. During the lockdown they've been moaning about all the weight they're gaining. Meanwhile, they continue their "eating ways." I kept to my Plan and did well until this month. Maybe it's because it's my birthday month or maybe I'm just tired of going against the grain of the world all of the time.

The day before yesterday I gave in and had some white rice and veg with cream and sugar. (apologies for the food porn) I got right back on Plan but it will take my body time for the blood ketones to go back up.

The world as we knew it appears to be gone forever and I'm 75. Is there really a point for me?

I'll keep on keeping on as long as I can hold out.

Still maintaining.

To me, the world has gotten progressively stranger for quite some time ... the social distancing and staying home has really been not a far stretch from what I enjoy. Bah humbug. :) I've lost another 3-6 lb (depending on the day) since January, maintaining well at 196-199. There are days where I do crave fruit and starchy foods - I believe it has to do with a medication I've been on since last winter - and I give in sometimes, but happily my staple foods are rotisserie chicken and bagged salad. I eat a lot of that, and it balances things out. I have to keep myself in check but generally am doing well. Hope everyone else is, too.

Hi barb, glad you are holding thru these strange times. I am the only person in my social group who has lost weight through all this. Everyone else "found" ten pounds. Sounds like you have things worked out. WOndering if they could change your meds to something that wouldnt mess with cravings, but sometimes it is what it is. Just wanted to say it is inspiring to see someone making maintenance work. I am ot there yet but the thought of it is making me very nervous as I expect it is in many ways the toughest part since there is nothing to get excited about on the scale and no "progress" per se.

There is nothing to fear. By the time you get to maintenance, all the good food choices, habits and routines you learned along the way are ingrained. I think the hardest part of maintenance, at least for me, is finding others to compare notes with. The maintainers don't post much. It's a lot less exciting to say "I'm eating the same old thing and weigh the same old amount" - kind of anticlimactic. But it gives me happy butterflies and great self-confidence and a sense of achievement to realize that since this same time last year, I have not only maintained but peeled off another 5-6 lb just doing the same-o same-o. After years of searching for the answer, I'm living it.

About the medication: It works so fantastically for me with no side effects and I don't want to change it. The carb cravings are the worst thing that should ever happen! I deal with them successfully by including some naturally sweet or starchy foods that satisfy me and cause no ill effect. There are some foods I know I can never touch because I overeat them or they make me sick or painful in the long run, and just thinking about how awful they make me feel is motivation enough to X them off my list.