Yes, what you say in bold is the truth. Once we lose it, keeping it off is our next battle.
I think that it can be said that its actually easier to get it off than it is to keep it off. But its not impossible as so many of us here are proof of that.

I recall when I was in weight loss mode, that I felt practically hypnotized to my food plan. Nothing could deviate me from my task at hand. Now, all these years later, my focus is changed and my desire for weight loss is not as great.

I wish you, Just Jo, very long term maintenance success!! :thup:

Agree heartily with everything Judy said. I'm kind of awed now by the iron will I displayed during weight loss mode. I sat for hours with my hard-drinking, pizza and pasta eating, party animal friends and never once reached over to sample a French fry or order a small glass of wine. Hypnotized by my food plan is a great way of describing it. In maintenance the hypnosis has worn off and I have to work at maintaining focus or slide into quicksand. My weight is steady +/- a few pounds so there's no excitement anymore. Honestly, I wish I'd somehow been prepared for that.

:agree: Yes, I miss the excitement of seeing losses too! I live vicariously through other's. :lol:

You are right that He NEVER recommended levels such as I used but he did say this:

Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution
1992, 1999, 2002
p.143

“Although there is no need to count calories, they do matter. Gaining weight results from taking in more calories than you expend through exercise, thermogenesis, and other metabolic functions. Research has shown that on a controlled carbohydrate program, more calories are burned than in a low fat/high carb diet so that there is a certain metabolic advantage to the controlled carb approach. But understand that this does not give you a license to gorge.”

Dr. Atkins Super Energy Diet
1977
p.205

“If weight loss stops short of your ideal weight, even though you are producing ketones. You must conclude that the quantities within the diet are too great. The diet usually works best with just enough calories to stave off hunger. Too many people misinterpret the instructions regarding the diet as “Eat Unrestrictedly.” When they do this they will still lose weight in the beginning, which will reinforce their assurance that no heed whatever need be paid to quantities. In most cases, this practice will lead to a stalemate partway to the desired goal”.

p.205
“You may have to count calories in addition to carbohydrate. I have never said that calories don’t count, because I know of course that they do. I say that carbohydrate counts more. If your case is especially difficult, you may have to count both.

For most people, restricting carbohydrates is all that is necessary. However, there is no question that a 1500 calories 10 gram diet will take more weight off, and more quickly than a 2000 calorie-10 gram diet. So if you are having trouble losing you should cut down on your quantities, but not to the point where you where you have to put up with discomfort or hunger”

Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution
1972
p.275

“Q. Don’t calories play any role?

A. There’s no question—of course they do. A 1500-calorie, 10-gram diet will take more weight off—and more quickly—than a 2000-calorie, 10-gram diet. If the carbohydrate levels remain unchanged, then the extra caloric intake does make a difference. People who eat out of force of habit and don’t cut their quantities lose more slowly because of their high caloric intake.

If you can cut down on your quantities, you are better off to do so—but not when it gets to the point where you have to put up with discomfort or hunger.

I felt neither hunger nor discomfort at any point in this journey. I am under the care of a doctor who monitors me 4x a year and she is rather pleased with my results. I started this with no chronic diseases at all, except for being morbidly obese. I hope this explains my rational about why I went low kcal as well as low carb -- I wanted fast results and I got them without risk to my health or well being.

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Here's what I meant... sorry for the confusion:
Add approximately five to eight grams of carbohydrate daily for a week or two and analyze the results (i.e., week 1 = 10 carbs a day, week 2 or 3 = 15 carbs a day and so on). :D

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

I'm going to look into Silk Almond Coconut Blend Unsweetened it's 35 kcals per 8 oz and also 1 carb gram. Sounds yummy. :yum:

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Thanks lowcarbedd... this is a scary step but I'm mentally and physically ready to proceed!! :agree:



You are so correct, the proof will be if I can sustain the weight loss -- I feel that I will be able to, I guess we'll have to wait (or is that weight???) and see. :lol:

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Thank you Judy!! I agree, losing the weight is the easiest part of this journey and I hope to be counted among those veterans that have kept it off after x number of years. That is true success and something I have NEVER EVER achieved in the lose/gain past -- but I REFUSE to REGAIN!!

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Hi Jo - Meant to ask you: What kind of, and how much, exercise did you do while you were losing?

Jo, looking at your determination and success in losing the weight, I KNOW you can maintain too! Don't doubt yourself, you've got all the tools in place to succeed. I think maintenance is mostly an issue of not really changing your diet so much. There is never any going "back" to even a shadow of how you ate before. You can eat a few more "forbiddens" but not much. And you probably will need to weigh yourself to see how things affect you, and learn what you can and cannot eat without gains. I know for myself, I will have to be vigilant every single day because my inclination is to want bad stuff (i.e. sugar).

As I am typing at my computer, I have a stationary bike that my DH attached a platform to and I peddle as I type. Im a school teacher so I do a lot of computer work. I average about 3 hours a day peddling, granted I'm not sweating bullets but I am peddling about 3 miles an hour. On the weekends, I can be at the bike for 5-6 hours because I teach 6 different electives in a very small school and so I have to write lesson plans etc. I also knit and crochet at the bike... I'm a multi-tasker!! :lol: I started peddling because I have varicose veins real bad in my legs and peddling seems to really help the pain.

I also do 20 mins of wt training 4x a week as well as walk 5 miles a day during the week (this is just at school doing my job -- so I am on my feet all day long). I have a Samsung Note 3 smart phone with the Bluetooth enabled watch that has an apps for walking/exercising etc. It's brilliant!!

But I've done A '72 a ga-zillion times before without exercising and still lost a lot of weight -- many people do. But I do it now because it makes me feel awesome and I figure at my age, it can't hurt!! :lol:

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Thanks for your words of wisdom and encouragement, CMCM, that's my plan this time around, I know I am NOT a carb eater unless I want "FAT Jo" to come back and she's not ever coming back. I know this is mental and attitude is EVERYTHING. I am not an emotional eater, so that's not going to be a "trigger" for making stupid food choices.

I'm going to share my journal entry for today (I journalize everyday) but I thought today's is spot on with what you are saying:

I have been immensely committed to this LC WOE for the past 307 days. I have not been tempted to eat those toxic killer carbs at any point during this journey (except for the “Thanksgiving Fiasco of 2013”) which is a remarkable feat in itself. I have been so dedicated to this and what it means to my self-esteem more than what it means to my health. Well I don’t/didn’t have any health issues related to being chronically morbidly obese that others suffer because of their weight, which is a blessing onto itself. I must continue to follow this LC WOE because I have put so much effort into it and I know I am mentally and physically ready to continue. I REFUSE to REGAIN!

I understand that I will never ever be able to eat carbs like “Fat Jo” use to eat, which is fine with me because I hate her and everything she represents, most importantly her lack of self-control when it came to eating. I am a control freak and as of 307 days ago, that was ONE of the few areas of my life that I could not or would not control. Now I am in complete control of my eating. “Nothing Tastes as Good as being at my Personal Weight Goal feels!!”

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Jo, thanks for sharing your journal comments. What amazes me about you is your level of near total commitment from Day 1, and your comment about not cheating or being tempted. That of course explains your immense success in many ways, and that is such a key to success that we all can learn from.

My journey has been so different. I'm a strong, committed, take-charge person so all other areas of my life, but NOT with the eating. My struggle with losing a mere 45 pounds (I'm at this since 2000) has all been one of "trying" to control my desire to eat certain foods, mostly sugar type things. I lose, I regain, I lose, I regain, I give up for periods of time. It really angers me that in 14 years I haven't dropped all that weight. If I divide that 45 pounds by 14 years, all I needed to lose was a frigging 3.22 pounds a YEAR. A YEAR!! Break it down farther and it's 0.26 pounds a MONTH over that 14 years. Yet my mindset and emotions about this stupid food didn't permit even that. So that REALLY makes me mad at myself, especially when looking at your immense success in less than one year.

Which brings me back to my belief now that MOST of weight loss is in your mind and how you think about it. And this aspect of weight loss is what I work on most, now. I know Atkins works, I know exactly "how" to do the diet and "how" to lose the weight. It's the other stuff that has always stopped me from more success. So my attitudes are what I work on now, and frankly, I'm really tired of the emotional battle. As Nike says, "JUST DO IT." And keep the emotion out of it! That's my motto.

Jo: Thanks for the response and congratulations on achieving goal weight. :)

CMCM, I agree about that "MOST of the weight loss is in your mind and how you think about it." But our society sets us up for failure -- how many ads on tv revolve around selling us food? You drive down the street and you're assaulted by fast food franchises at every corner. You get together with friends and there's usually food involved -- celebrations = foods (birthday cakes, etc). Then society's ideal body shape doesn't help the matter either.

We're addicts, pure and simple. But unlike alcoholics, or illegal drug users who can just say NO & not buy their drug of choice (I know it's not THAT simple) but we HAVE to EAT.

The "Just DO it" mentality is one I share with you. It's also one that people who have NEVER ever had a weight issue ponder about us -- how come we just don't realize we're fat and "Just Do it" meaning lose the weight. Personally, I often wonder what "their crosses to bear" are if mine is solely my weight issues?

You know CMCM, I've been yo-yoing with my weight my entire adult life... lose 100lb, gain 'em back, lose 'em gain 'em and on and on and on. I just hope and pray that this time I have broken that vicious cycle.

I think I figured out WHY I would gain and it's because once I lost the weight I thought I could go back to eating like other people -- it wasn't a WOE or a WOL it was a D.I.E.T and that was so stupid... **sigh**

Don't be so hard on yourself -- you have lost weight and kept it off and that's always a HUGE PLUS. Remember attitude is everything, so I am going to cheer you on as you continue your LC WOE journey -- hang in there you can do this!!!


Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Thanks Sereen and if you have any other questions, please ask. I just hope my journey will help others...

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Wow I've lost another pound. I'm down to 123 now. I guess it's time to up my carbs again -- which always scares the crap out of me.


Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Jo Wow I've lost another pound. I'm down to 123 now. I guess it's time to up my carbs again -- which always scares the crap out of me.

so know whatcha mean

WOW! Great job!! That is an incredible amazing loss in such a short time!!

Thanks Molly, it's been an interesting journey!!

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Last May 2013 = 265#
 

I was just writing in my journal this morning, that usually this time of the year for the past 14, I'd start motivating myself to lose the tonnage -- what with the end of school year and all. Last year at the end of May, I weighed 265 lbs and yo-yoed around until I got my act together 5 July and really committed 100% to becoming a healthier, happier and thinner me!!

Get started, entrenched into eating LC during summer break, return to school 20-30 lbs lighter and continue until I made my personal goal weight.

And I'm telling myself, HOLY HANNAH, I don't have to do that this summer, I just have to reap the bennies of being 123 lbs and stay the course. I am mentally so tuned to staying LC that even the thought of eating carb crap makes me ill. :D

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Monday 19 May 2014
 

I have no delusions of ever eating crappy carbs again -- that's why I've been chronically morbidly obese my entire life. I'm a recovering carb addict and I have portion control issues. I can't say STOP. I've yo-yo dieted so much throughout my life that you'd think I'd have hung myself with all the string...

Today is the beginning of week 46 of my 100% commitment to following this WOL and I have not had a craving for any of those toxic, poisonous, insidious, killer carbs in all that time (well, except for the 3-day Thanksgiving Fiasco of 2013).

CARBS = killers because they kill the best parts of me: my health, happiness and self-esteem.

I soooo get this!

It's taken me until this time around the LC dance floor to finally figure it out, lowcarbedd. I wish I knew what "clicked" really clicked back in July to take this seriously... if I knew, I could bottle it and make millions... The revelation and I guess the self-talk to myself that I will never be a "carb-eater" came later. I finally had a reality check with myself.


Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

28 May 2014: Update
 

May 1- 13 = 124 lbs
May 14 - today (28 May) = 123

Today is Day 14 (2 weeks) without weight loss!

I think I've found my maintenance threshold for daily kcals and carbs which are 1200-1400 kcals and 11-13 carbs.

From 265 to 123 lbs
 

I cannot explain how overjoyed I am to have met and exceeded my personal weight goal. Originally, my goal was to weigh 150 lbs (I have never weighed this as an adult) and I achieved that in 6 months. Then I was looking at the BMI charts and it said:
Height: 5 feet, 4 inches & Weight: 150 pounds

Your BMI is 25.7, indicating your weight is in the Overweight category for adults of your height.

For your height, a normal weight range would be from 108 to 145 pounds.

And I’m thinking to myself, well dang girl, let’s lose some more instead of starting maintenance. My second goal was 140. When I reached that on 2 February 2014, I decided that 130 had a nice ring to it. I reached 130 lbs on 10 March 2014.

I then decided that I would lose a few more pounds for tweaking the maintenance part of this life-long journey. It would be nice if I had a 10-pound cushion. But I’ll settle for 123 lbs for right now. My life-long goal is to never ever go above 130 lbs.

Congratulations Jo!
 

What a great accomplishment! I am so happy for you. I hope that this time next year I will have accomplished the same. Thank you for your inspiration!

Thanks Gaga!! It's been a very interesting journey so far! I figure if I can do it, anyone can!! Wishing you heartfelt success on your personal LC WOE journey!

Jo, I'm so excited and happy for you, and I know exactly how you must feel! I want to tell you again, reading your initial posts about your weight loss really really inspired me to imitate what you were doing, and it is working wonderfully well for me too, so THANK YOU! I finally got my head solidly in the space of knowing what to do and doing it. In 30 days I've dropped 7.4 pounds, which is better than I've ever done. Your experience has showed me exactly what I needed to do to get my own weight loss going, after years of trying to figure out the "magic formula" for myself. It has turned out to be the same as yours: A72, really low carbs, and fairly low calories most of the time. Most important was how your journey showed me that if you do this the right way and get your head on straight about what to do, this works wonderfully well. So now I know my carb level for losing, and I can't wait until I'm at goal because I now know and BELIEVE it is going to happen by the end of this summer! I was never able to set a goal time before, either, and now I can!

Also....I've adopted your SEAL motto, it works! :)

Thanks for this, Carole!! I keep trying to tell people how wonderful A '72 is and how it really WORKS. It's so simple IF you are willing to follow the plan as written -- w/o cheats. I know I've modified the plan to fit my needs (i.e., low kcals) but I've done this so often, I can quote you the acceptable food list for induction in my sleep and tell you where hidden carbs are...

I had an epiphany the other day thinking about this being almost a year of doing LC WOE the right way. I think I understand why I never really took it seriously. This is going to sound like insanity, but it's gospel. I knew if I gained the weight, I could always fall back to the TRIED and TRUE A '72 (oh my gosh that rhymed). It really has worked for me every single time I've done it -- without exception. A '72 works 100% of the time for me, but I failed to follow it 100% of the time by refusing or ignoring or goodness knows why, doing the last most important step: maintenance.

But I GET IT now -- wow it's taken decades, but I finally figured it out. Okay so I'm a slow learner... :)

You know Carole, I am over here :cheer: cheering you onward and downward... if I can do this, anyone can!!! :)