Honestly now, let's admitt the fact that those of us who have well over 100 lbs to lose are going to face the tedium of weight loss. I knew this was going to happen to me. I heard all the horror stories of "hitting the wall." I knew (starting at 376) that I would eventually hit this stage. But, I believe you can plan to do something unique: take the wall head on! How? Let me wax on....

After losing 80+ pounds I saw the weight loss was now down to about a pound per week. I felt a stall coming on. It was only natural. It was bound to happen. But being so large I wasn't sure I could physcologically take a stall. I was getting used to seeing the scale go down, down, down. I was determined not to allow a stall to sidetrack me. So what did I do? I went on the Atkins maintenance diet. I planned my own stall and have done so now for about 45 days. I haven't gained a pound (but neither have I lost any). That is okay. I have reintroduced some valuable complex carbs into my diet. I still have abstained from white flour, rice, potatoes and sugar. I still excercise (a must!) daily. I refrained from weighing in. REMEMBER: I planned...on purpose...not to lose weight. I just did not want to gain any.

The result? Amazing! Mentally I am stoked. I now know that maintenance will be a snap once I get down to my goal weight. Because my body has become 'trained' to my new weight I expect ketosis to kick in like gang-busters, Once it does I expect to lose the first 20-30 pounds rapidly. I know it will slow down again but being almost 50% to my goal I can handle that.

It is important to note that this is my experience. I do not recommend it to everyone or anyone. It may or may not work for you. It has for me.

Happy lo carbing!

Thanks for the personal insight.

Thanks for the knowledge and I hope it works out looks like you are doing great now!!

Hilongway2go, good job on your success so far. You explain things so well. Which got me thinking...

Being in the TDC implies patience. I know I have a lot to lose so I have steeled myself to that fact. As my mind cleared and thoughts straightened out on this WOL, I soon realized the shape I was in.

One of the best points of this WOE for me is that I am in control of my daily food choices. No longer do I have to scarf food involuntarily. I believe the LC lifestyle is what my body and mind thrives on.

Let's see, I ate low fat for a year, gained it back. I went on the stop eating diet when I was young, gained it back. It's no wonder sometimes why weight loss can be stubborn.

So, fine. If my body takes a while to lose weight, so be it. I'm headed in the right direction.

In the long run, my real prize will be a lifetime of eating what is right for me and not gaining the weight back.

You know, we do have one advantage being in the TDC. Since it takes us longer to get to goal, this truly becomes a way of life for us! Those other folks who only have 10-20 lbs to lose probably treat this more as a short term diet and may not learn it for the lifelong maintenance!

Congratulations on your weight loss and your newfound knowledge!

In the 15 months I have been low carbing, I have gone on maintenance several times for a couple of weeks when vacationing or when I was under a lot of stress. I have found that by doing that I avoid risking going totally off plan and bingeing on carbs. I have never gained weight by going on maintenance -- I just up my carbs a little by adding a few more healthy carbs (fruit, nuts, and sometimes some whole grains) and I also up the quantity of food I eat each day a little.

I've noticed that a lot of people who hit vacations or periods of stress in their life without a plan end up totally going off their eating plan. Planning occasional periods of maintenance seems much more rational to me. It also helps me know that when I do reach my goal weight I will be able to very easily maintain it.

This sounds like a good little strategy for me to keep in my back pocket - allow me to take a breather from expectations & then start fresh - but I'm now sure how to figure out how liberal to be with my carb levels. Right now I've been staying within the 20-25 carbs a day window... sometimes less, usually between 20-22 & never more than 25.... I'm just wondering how you transitioned into Maintenance - slow & planned or a little more quickly?

How do you work out how many carbs you can have? Do you work up though OWL & Pre-maintenance to figure out your carb levels?

Seeing as my weight loss is at about 2 lbs a week on average (more like 4 or 5 every 3 weeks ) & bound to slow down even more over time, it looks like it'll take quite some time to get where I'm going .... While I'd like to stay at my current levels until then, I'd like to have a back up plan as well that can help me deal with vacations, extraordinary events etc.

Thanks!
Wynter

For me, the key thing for maintaining seems to be staying away from sugar, white flour, white rice, etc. and limiting whole grains (brown rice, WASA soya crispbread, etc.) and fruit to nore more than one or two servings a day each. As long as I do that, I can eat pretty much unlimited other carbs (non-starchy vegetables, cheese and cottage cheese, etc.) and easily maintain my weight. I also need to watch the nuts, but that is mostly because of calories, I think, not carbs.

In order to lose, I need to cut out all the whole grains, keep the fruit to one serving a day (berries or melon) and -- perhaps the most important thing for me -- carefully monitor the quantities of food I eat so that I don't eat one mouthful more than necessary to keep from being hungry.

I actively exercise all the time, whether I am trying to maintain or lose.

I think that everyone has to experiment with their own body and figure out what level causes them to lose and what level causes them to maintain. For me, it is the type as well as the quantity of carbs that is important. I don't count carbs or calories, I just monitor them, so I can't give you a more precise answer than that.

Great advice, Liz. I agree, when it comes to maintenance, everyone has to figure out what works for their own body. This isn't a one size fits all plan.

As for me, I plan on eating this way for the rest of my life so I don't find it tedious at all. Since eliminating the carb cravings from my life, I no longer look at vacations, visits, or holidays, etc. as opportunities to go off plan or eat foods that I normally don't. The focus of these events has been taken off the food for me, so I just eat as I normally do, whatever the occasion, maybe w/some LC treats thrown in.

Since I don't feel deprived eating this way, I don't have to feel like a martyr when I see other people gorging themselves on all that high carb junk.

Folks...couldn't agree more. That is what has me so excited about going back on induction (day three back on induction btw).

While I was on maintenance I did not measure anything...except my weight. If my weight increased I was prepared to cut back carbs or go back on induction. But it never happened. No weight increase.

Eliminating sugar, white flour and most starches seems to be enough in keeping me away from weight gain. Then again I am a guy and work out with aerobic and anaerobic excercise plans. My metabolisim is working at peake efficiency which it never did prior to eating managed carbs.

I cannot stress the next part enough: you must...you MUST have a plan! Going on vacation will be invitation to a binge and possible destruction of your managed carb lifestyle. 'Destruction' is not a complimentary word and that is why I have used it in context. Like anything else worthwhile in life it takes a long time to accomplish and almost no effort to destroy it. Many of us in TDC are emotional creatures. We have dealt with obesity or morbid obesity for much of our lives. Compare all the heartache we have felt to the excitement of losing weight and becoming healthier. Is it worth turning our backs on that progress? Of course not! That is why we need a plan and support. If you do elect to try maintenace or a 'planned stall' make sure you know how you are going to do it and have a friend(s) you talk to about it. Also...have a sound exit strategy. If you gain weight, go back on induction or at least cut back your carbs to your CCL.

Remember, it is not how quickly you make the goal. This is not a sprint. It is a marathon.

Thanks for your perspective AND sharing it! It looks like you have gained control instead of being controlled.

Kudos on your losses so far!
Tanya

I treat myself to a low carb cookbook. Trying new recipes helps me but of course, I like to cook.