Hey all-

just wondering if any of you guys out there have the maintanence blues? i've been lcing since 2002 and have pretty much stayed in induction for the whole time (until now even!). i just don't know how to get out of it.. suggestions?

i also probably need to gain 5 pounds- does anyone out there have a similar experience- who also needed to gain and was it super hard to see the scale go up?

thanks!

The Atkins book lays out ideas how to go from one stage to the next based on 5 gm carb increases per week until you stabilize. I did not do an exact measuring - I just started to eat fruit with my LC meals. Then added Low Carb hot cereals for breakfast. That is about it. Now what I do is jump on the scale almost everyday to see where I am. This guides me. If I see my weight go up - I cut back on these new carbs like so much fruit. Also eat nuts and do cheat with things like beer. But always controlling it. Have maintained for 9 months now this way. Did 3.5 months induction and went straight to maintenance.

That is exactly where I am. I need to not loose anymore weight but not sure how to do it. I am getting tried of eating so much fruit.

Hamburgers are starting to call out to me. Eating low-carb normal and having a Big Mac with 41 carbs sounds about right, a large Wendy's chili is 31. I actually planned on having a Big Mac for lunch one day last week but on the way I stopped at the grocery store for a chicken leg and some fruit instead. Is it possible to have a Big Mac without the fries?

My belt is on its last hole and slowly getting looser, gotta stop loosing weight. Going up a pound or two would be healthy but I am unwilling to see the scale go any direction but down. I never thought I would be in this situation.

The Atkins theory is that you take your time adding a few carbs until you start gaining weight. That will show you your carb limit. You can then gain some weight slowly by having a few more carbs and stop it when you please by lowering it slightly below you limit. This will likely involve eating such things are bread.

Of course, reality and theory are not always the same.

That puts us right in the age old adage, you should eat healthy foods like whole grain bread. I knew that was healthier before I low-carbed and I ate white bread, why would I think I could be any different now.

I'm not even close to maintenance, but I'm pretty good at eating more carbs! First I added in lots of veges, 2 servings of fruit and almonds, peanut butter and cheese. You guys could also throw in oats, some dairy- cottage cheese, yogurt. My biggest rule is no white rice, pasta, or bread, flour, sugar, or candy.

Wish I was bored with maintenance!

yeah- i guess that makes sense. i'm going to start adding more veggies and fruit..."sigh" but its difficult

i totally understand what you mean when you say that you're unwilling to see the scale move any direction but down. that's my downfall- i'm going to try to ignore the scale and not step on it for a week..

UG!

Hi again,
I responded to your California post and did a search for other posts from you. Looks like we have even more in common, cause I'm entering pre-maintenance too! Well I was trying anyway. I started adding things like fruit and nuts like the others mentioned, but I think I did it too quickly because once I had all this variety I couldn't stop eating and thinking about food! As of this moment I'm about to eat up all the last of my boarderline goodies and then go back to induction levels of carbs for a week or so. The good advice I'v gotten from posting on this problem is to add things one thing at a time every few days and make sure they don't bring back your cravings like they did for me.

Congrats for making it to the home stretch, and Good luck!

P.S. Isn't it great for people to say you're "too skinny"!

Jamian

jamian-

thanks for the reply...glad to hear that i'm not the only one out there with pre maintanence issues. yeah, i started munching on pecans this week and well- one ounce leads to 2 leads to 3 and now i'm just gonna quit cold turkey.

i think veggies are the ticket for me since i don't get "addicted" to them like i do with nuts and other faux food like the carbolite bars and such.

hey, if you're ever in the south bay it'd be fun to get together and swap war stories =)

Pecans have been my number one staple of low-carbing since the beginning - 1.8g net carbs per quarter cup with 2.8g of fiber. You would have to eat a lot of pecans to make a difference, 2 cups is just 15g. Much more than that and they are way too expensive.

If you are going to do maintenace you need to start eating fruit like oranges, peaches, grapefruit, melons and pineapple, whole grain breads. You need to eat something like 70 to 100 g of carbs a day to maintain your weight.

Adding and adjusting slowly is good advice.