OK so now what?
 

Well I am so close to my goal but after looking more at certain things (i.e. the mirror) I decided that I still need to work on a few "lbs".

What I want to know is if you keep losing say a lb a week, will you keep losing that for ever or close to it if you remain at the current level of carb intake? I am trying to decide whether I should stay on the pseudo maintenance level of carbs I am currently on that allows me to lose some weight, albeit slowly, or if I should go back to say induction and try to reach my new goal as fast as possible?

Anyone here that has reached their goal or darn close to it? What have you done to settle in? If when you reached your goal you realized you needed some more work, did you just remain on your current plan or went back to basics, tried tested and true induction phase and all?

I just started to reintroduce fruits in my diet and I must admit I had totally forgotten what I was missing. Who needs dessert when you have blue berries with cream?

Anyhow it pretty much sucks when you thought you reached your goal and then realize you are far from it... DOH! Heck I even started my journal today 4 months into this and realized I am doing everything pretty much ass-backwards LOL.
Take care all
Claudius

I vote for eating the same way you are right now until you reach your goal. :thup:

>>"Who needs dessert when you have blue berries with cream?"

Amen, brother! :thup: Last week, bluebs were buy-1-get-1-free at my grocery store. :yum:


Feel free to drop by the Maintenance Club. There are some threads there you'd probably find helpful. :cool:

Thanks Kristine! Exactly what I was looking for.

I haven't reached my goal -- but I've become quite happy with my success so far (in the mirror as well :) ). From my understanding, when you're within 10lbs of your goal weight, it's a good idea to go into phase2. Basically adding 5grams of carbs a week (or longer if you feel you need to) until you stop losing. Then just stay at the carb level that gives you continued weight loss, albeit, slower. At least this way this WOL becomes easier to live with, and you can still lose weight. I have also read that guys tend to have a much higher tolerance to carbs and can consume quite a bit before it affects their insulin level. I don't know how much of that part is true -- but I'd say give it a shot. You can follow induction of course, but experience and much reading on the topic says that you'll slow down anyway as your body adjusts... so why not try phase2 and enjoy your foods while realizing your level of tolerance!

I don't know if you've checked this site out, but it may help you in your decision.... http://atkins.com/howto/phase2.html

I am mostly doing cardio right now, but once I get within 50 lbs of my goal I plan on starting this lifting plan to help define and cut.

I'd keep with it where you are at. I tossed around with the idea of going back to induction for a while just to get to goal quicker - but for some reason the whole denial aspect of it makes it feel like a crash diet, and I really feel like that's not where I am at any more. Plus, once you are used to things like blueberries and cream it is so hard to go back!!

According to the book - when you get closer to your goal, you MSUT move on. IT is important to follow through ALL the stagfes of atkins in order to reach lifetime maintenance.

I would suggest you move on to the next stage and change your exercise.

Those loose bits may not be fat, but untoned muscle.
Start weight training and something like pilates to tone up rather than loose more weight.


And no, you will not lose 1 lb a week forever, it will eventually slow and stop whne your body decideds it's at a healthy weight.

Stay where you are at.... you need to get used to this NWOL. It is much better to lose the weight much more slowly that going for a quick fix. Be patient, remember the weight did not show up this quickly either. Wishing you great success!

And with only a few pounds to lose there is not a real likelihood of induction working for you the same way it did when you had many pounds to lose.
When my weight loss slowed down I was already lower than I thought I could be! So I gave myself some leeway now and then, and decided to see what would happen.
Impatience is rarely a good thing.

Hi Cladius,

I can relate. I have been so damn impatient to lose this weight! I reccomend sticking with what you're doing now, and losing those last pounds slowly.

I actually got impatient and cut my carbs back to Induction levels, and things were going very slow. In Jan, I reinducted for two weeks, and since have been adding carbs in according to the ladder. I find I'm actually losing really well again with a bit higher carbs.

Plus I'm happier with the variety, and less stress from worrying about every little carb.
K.

Remember a few things:

!. there is a great thread on here somewhere about how it can take 6 months afte ryou reach goal for the weight to redistribute. Until then you could have skinny areas and chunky areas

2. Loose saggy skin can look like fat in some places and losing more weight won't help it go away. Time, good hydration, exercise and massage can help.

3. It may take toning more then additional weight loss. Hitting a gym and incorperating weights in can make for a more sleek tight look at the same weight.

Rememebr too that slow is good. Atkins says the slower you lose those last 10 pounds the more likely you are to keep them off. It also means less saggy skin and stretch marks. Just have patience and work on a way you can eat for life. The last few pounds will come off in time.

Also
Uses and Abuses of Induction
http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-370312.html

warns continually going back to induction levels can make you more resistant over time.

I don't think the Uses and Abuses of Induction apply in this case. In the article, Dr. A. cautions against feeling free to cheat on weekends and then go back on Induction.

Atkins himself advocated cutting back a few carbs whenever you felt like you needed to curb cravings, and/or lose pounds that have crept up.

I don't think it would terrible or against plan for Cladius to cut back a bit if he wants. But, in the interests of long-term success, I would vote for moving slowly through the stages of pre-maintenanc and maintenance as DANDR outlines.

At least that's the pep talk I give myself when I get the urge to cut back and speed things up. :read2:

I really think OWL/Pre-maintenance is harder than Induction.

K.

I've changed my goal weight so many times! Firstly i was aiming for 170lbs... still wasn't happy... 160lbs... still wasn't happy... nearly 150lbs still not happy... not going to be happy till i can see my 6pack without flexing :)

Do you lift weights? It really helps! :D you may want to try CKD too

You said "I am trying to decide whether I should stay on the pseudo maintenance level of carbs I am currently on that allows me to lose some weight, albeit slowly, or if I should go back to say induction and try to reach my new goal as fast as possible?"

Isn't there some middle ground? You don't have to go all the way back to induction levels to give your weight loss a shove. I added some fruit, as you did, as I was closing in on my goal, but other than that, I kept pushing until I reached my goal and saved the "stages" for afterwards. Those slow-down stages come at the very time that you are getting the most impatient. Backing off on the weightloss when the goal was within my grasp? No way! I'm closing in on a year of maintenance -- it's not as hard as they would have you believe.