Maintenance Strategies

[sophiethecat]

I am in the maintenance stage at 145# although I am going to try to drop a little lower (but not gonna try TOO hard It's no big deal as I'm happy where I'm at, but I know I can also go a little lower to have more wiggle room through the 140s and I know I can be in the low 140s and look good, not too thin).

Anyway, for now I intend to stay at my calorie range of 1700-1800 on UD, and thinking I will keep shooting for 600 or less on DD BUT give myself the room to go up to 700 if I need it.

I was also thinking about another thing I could do, and that is to not count the calories of veggies anymore...

I mean as long as they are either raw or not cooked in something that added calories. Of course I would count any dressings or dips. I mean not count things like lettuce, celery, green pepper, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. Maybe carrot? I'm not sure there because they are sweet. I would also count potatoes. I consider them carbier than a lot of other ones.

But those other veggies have the fiber going for them and if I didn't have to count veggies at all I would for sure be eating more of them - especially on DD. Probably A LOT more on DD.

So what do you think of this? And just going along with the idea that one was going to do this, what veggies would you be sure to add to the calorie count, and what ones would you be sure to not count?

I'm talking about doing this for maintenance of course.

Thanks

Edited to add - I wouldn't want to mess with the success of the DD and gene activation so it's not like I'd go nuts on eating bagfuls of veggies, but I could see adding about 100 calories of veggies by having a couple big salads (instead of one), putting more veggies in omelettes, having green beans and canned veggies, snacking on more raw cauliflower and broccoli, etc. on either/or UD & DD.

But maybe veggies can't be considered "free foods" so let me know what you think.

Also if you have any other ideas for maintenance.

[Beeb]

I don't count some things anymore, either. If I put a piece of onion on my sandwich I don't count it on UDs but I will on DDs. A little over on the lettuce, no big deal, but as you say I do count all the dressings, and other things where I feel calories will add up if I don't.

With JUDDD the freedom is a wonderful thing, as long as we don't abuse it or forget to add those calories that in the end WILL really matter.

I don't think veggie calories matter that much and besides I don't think anyone has ever gotten over weight by just eating veggies!

[SoHappy]

The most important thing I do to maintain is to weigh every single morning.

Overall, I choose to eat at a higher carb level than a lot of folks here do, and I feel marvelous at that higher carb level, and I love-love-love my foods at that higher carb level, but I also know that I have to pay attention to my weight level every single day.

I give myself five pounds tops above my preferred weight, just for the rare time when events and circumstances conspire to cause me to retain a lot of water weight within a very short period of time.

But in actuality, if I get to be even three pounds over my preferred weight, I lower and really work the Down Days tightly. So my DDs are in the 500 to 700 calorie range usually, but my Up Days are rarely below 2200 and go up, sometimes way up, from there.

I could lower the UD calories I allow myself and allow myself higher calories on DDs that way, but I prefer to do lower DDs in exchange for some far out UDs.

I certainly don't always, but I can easily consume 900 calories for an UD breakfast, so you can see that I may need a lot of calories that day to cover my lunch and my supper. And then my evening snack!

But then there are UDs where I'm a lot closer to 1900 calories too, so.....

Like I said, I weigh every single morning and work my day accordingly! I let the morning weigh-in dictate how tight or how generous I can be with myself that day.