Scarey Stuff
Hi There,
I know how you feel. I've been dieting for many years, and it was pretty much always successful in losing...except I would gain it back when I tried to eat "normal".
The exciting thing for me about low carbing is, I never really felt like I was dieting because I wasn't hungry. Although I craved certain sweets and treats, I always found I was able to eat something (at a party, say, or a special event). If it was "bring a dish", I took something I could eat (ham rolls with cream cheese and almonds, deviled eggs, cheese treats I make with hot sausage, cheese and olives, or some other tasty low carb treat that I like to eat).
My maintenance plan is probably too simple for most people...but it is working for me. I have been maintaining since February. I eat 2 low carb meals per day, and then at night (usually) I have my reward meal. I have allowed myself dessert, bread, starches and fruit during this time (I try to keep it fairly balanced). I stick pretty well to the hour time limit, and I'm not hungry during the rest of the evening. I occasionally have a diet pop, a glass of wine, or a low carb snack (pretty rarely).
I weigh each morning at the same time...and so far I haven't gone above the 5 pounds I let myself play with. I have continued this on vacation, visiting friends and again at parties. When I come back home, I face the scale the next morning and if it is up, I stick to very low carbs. So far I haven't had too big a bout with "hunger", and I've never gained more than 3 pounds (even when I went away and didn't face the scale for a week)...and I lost them within a day or two. It is very different from my maintenance when I dieted before.
Many people in this forum work very hard at counting carbs, some even count calories, and weigh things...I need to keep it simple. So far I'm glad this is working for me...as my husband says if I weigh every day, it can't get too far out of hand.
Good luck to you! Find what works for you and keep doing it!
Hugs,
Donna
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