For those of you maintaining, can you take this short survey?

[steady]

This is normally, just not while I am traveling across the country right now...boy I can't wait to get back to nice clean and controlled eating. I love LC.

1. How many calories/day. Between 1100-1300

2. How many carbs/day. Between 30-50 (gross)

3. What is the constitution of your carbs? Tons of veggies and very limited dairy, nuts, sauces, dressings, etc.

4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do? I use walking as a mode of transportation as much as I can and then I run a minimum of 5 miles most days when life is normal.

5. How much weight did you lose total? Close to 60 in total from my highest 16 years ago to my current weight, but about 20 lbs on LC.

6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight. For about two years.

[ebonyeyz28]

1. How many calories/day - I have no idea, I don't count them.
2. How many carbs/day - Don't count them either but probably 80-100
3. What is the constitution of your carbs? (fruit, veggies, bread, etc) - Fruit, sweet potatoes, nuts, proteins and veggies. No bread, rice, pasta or treats that contain flour or sugar.
4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do? - 5-6 days per week, interval training for my cardio and total body weight training.
5. How much weight did you lose total? - 122 from my highest point, 100 on LC!!
6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight. - 5.5 years and counting! YESS!!!!!

[MLE777]

I'll answer, but you won't like some of my answers, lol

1. How many calories/day - No idea (never kept track even while losing)
2. How many carbs/day - No idea (never kept track even while losing)
3. What is the constitution of your carbs? (fruit, veggies, bread, etc) - Fruit, veggies, brown nice, oatmeal
4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do? - Almost daily. I run/walk a couple days a week. Lift weights at least 4 days a week
5. How much weight did you lose total? - 20 pounds
6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight. - 2 months (I'm a new maintainer)

[mikkimouse]

. How many calories/day - I have never counted
2. How many carbs/day - When i hit LC hard i kept my carbs below 10 a day, not im keeping them under 25 a day
3. What is the constitution of your carbs? Veggie, once a week fruit, and alot of protein.
4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do? - LOL, Me exercise? I am allergic to it, heart rate goes up, heavy breathing, LOL, I dont exercise, even when i started to loose the weight.

5. How much weight did you lose total? - 99 pounds in 13 months.
6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight. - about a year.

[RyanS]

1. How many calories/day: 1600 on Sunday (no exercise or going to work), 1800 on the other days.
2. How many carbs/day: 25g maximum, no minimum.
3. What is the constitution of your carbs? (fruit, veggies, bread, etc): Vegetables and dairy only. I eat no grains or fruit because I can't tolerate the high carb concentration.
4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do? Cardio when I feel like it, which some weeks is twice and some weeks is 5-6 times.
5. How much weight did you lose total? 22 lb. 72 lb from my high weight several years ago, but I started low-carb at 134 last December, got to 113, gained up to 130 on medication and diet slippage, and then lost 22 from there and am maintaining 108-110. I'm very small-framed so my "ideal" weight range is 105-129. I prefer the lower half to the upper half.
6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight: A couple of weeks.

[homestretch]

Originally Posted by panpan16

Thanks in advance!
I know there's a lot of variation to these answers but I hope I'll get some ballpark figures for how to maintain the weight loss. That is the key after all.
Losing is much easier, isn't it?

1. How many calories/day
2. How many carbs/day
3. What is the constitution of your carbs? (fruit, veggies, bread, etc)
4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do?
5. How much weight did you lose total?
6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight.

Krystal

1. How many calories/day
1200 some days I am higher and others lower

2. How many carbs/day
Don't count but do not eat many carbs other than veggies and fruit once in a while

3. What is the constitution of your carbs? (fruit, veggies, bread, etc)
My carbs come from veggies, a few nuts and a few servings of berries a week

4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do?
I exercise 3-5 times a week. Walk/hike (climb hills) 3-4 miles at a time. Sometimes bike and weights.

5. How much weight did you lose total?
50 pounds

6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight.
Almost 2 years (Nov.1)

[maryvit]

1. How many calories/day
1200-1400

2. How many carbs/day
20-30

3. What is the constitution of your carbs? (fruit, veggies, bread, etc)
yogurt/lc hood milk in my breakfast shake
mgd64 which is 2.4carbs/beer amount - ? I don't count 'em, just drink 'em

4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do?
swim in the summer (we have a pool)

5. How much weight did you lose total?
48 lbs as of today

6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight.
hit goal about 5 weeks ago

Krystal[/QUOTE]

[chiody]

1. How many calories/day?
Don't keep track, never have counted, but I do know I eat an enormous amount at times. Recently at the 4 Winds Casino Buffet, 6 plate full plus a sampling of many desserts (tiny, tiny, slivers). My friends were astonished I ate 2 to 3 times what they consumed. And this was the 2nd day of back to back prime rib buffets....yummy!

2. How many carbs/day?
Not very many, though NOT a zero carb follower. Did that once many moons ago with the Atkins...resultant ketosis and wt. loss.

3. What is the constitution of your carbs? (fruit, veggies, bread, etc)
Lot's of dark greens, spinach, Chinese greens (ong toy, gai lon), tofu (firm, fresh soymilk), nuts (Vitamixed almonds turned to butter my fav., some walnuts/pistachio/macademia in limited amounts. Tomato's, bell peppers, onions, bean sprouts, avacado's in limited amounts. Eggs, half/half, cheese with wine of course (limited to about twice/yr. when on vacation). And a small sampling of fresh fruits on special occasions (like after a hard, long, hot, bike ride). Carry a emergency almond Trader Joe's granola bar just in case of a hypoglycemic attack.

4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do?
Cycling a lot, way over 10,000 miles / yr. OK, I am a little nuts!

5. How much weight did you lose total?
~65 pounds from my highest since diagnosed Type 2 diabetic

6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight?
Have really never had a GOAL wt. as my indicators are BS levels and overall health condition. For the last 19.75 yrs. hovered around 195-225lbs according to MD's charts. The last yr. or so dropped very quickly to the 160 lb. area with the VLC change (didn't weigh myself till I dropped significantly).

[Blood Sugar 101]

Folks,

I notice a lot of people who are posting about maintaining have maintained for a very short time. It's important to recognize that you aren't really maintaining until you have kept your weight stable for a year or more.

The period when you start maintaining really needs its own name, as it is the most difficult phase of dieting and the first year or so after you lose weight the time when it is easiest to run into serious problems.

Personally I feel like significant weight loss is a lot like a cancer diagnosis in that you shouldn't draw any conclusions about being safe until you are 5 years in.

This isn't in any way to disparage the achievements of those who have got to the end of the weight loss phase, but to warn people reading this that to ensure their own success they should pay the most attention to the people who have maintained for long periods because the techniques they use are proven.

If you take maintenance advice from people who have only maintained for a few months or a year or so you may end up following a strategy that doesn't work well long term.

It fascinates me that there are a zillion diet books but NO books about maintenance. Especially since the data suggest very strongly that no matter what book-described diet people follow most of them fail to maintain.

Maintenance is very different from weight loss and requires a different mindset, understanding of our individual physiologies, and different motivations, because you don't get the reinforcement of weekly improvement, new clothing sizes, etc but you have to work HARDER controlling what you eat in many ways.

[homestretch]

Originally Posted by Blood Sugar 101

Folks,

I notice a lot of people who are posting about maintaining have maintained for a very short time. It's important to recognize that you aren't really maintaining until you have kept your weight stable for a year or more.

The period when you start maintaining really needs its own name, as it is the most difficult phase of dieting and the first year or so after you lose weight the time when it is easiest to run into serious problems.

Personally I feel like significant weight loss is a lot like a cancer diagnosis in that you shouldn't draw any conclusions about being safe until you are 5 years in.

This isn't in any way to disparage the achievements of those who have got to the end of the weight loss phase, but to warn people reading this that to ensure their own success they should pay the most attention to the people who have maintained for long periods because the techniques they use are proven.

If you take maintenance advice from people who have only maintained for a few months or a year or so you may end up following a strategy that doesn't work well long term.

It fascinates me that there are a zillion diet books but NO books about maintenance. Especially since the data suggest very strongly that no matter what book-described diet people follow most of them fail to maintain.

Maintenance is very different from weight loss and requires a different mindset, understanding of our individual physiologies, and different motivations, because you don't get the reinforcement of weekly improvement, new clothing sizes, etc but you have to work HARDER controlling what you eat in many ways.

There is an excellent book on maintaining, "Thin for Life" by Ann Fletcher. She interviewed people who lost weight and kept it off. Their methods vary greatly and it is a wonderful book.

[Blood Sugar 101]

I will have to have a look at that book. Thanks!

[BackcountryBabe]

This is an awesome post! I was just thinking about what folks are doing to maintain, for how long, etc. I was going to post my own question but checked over here first and found this. It is very inspirational. I've been reading too many posts where people say that are starting yet again and i started to wonder if anyone keeps the weight off and keeps their eating behavior straight for any significant time. Thanks for all your responses. It is wonderful to see! Congrats to everyone!

[eclipse]

Here we go with my details :

1. How many calories/day : 1400 to 1600
2. How many carbs/day : Not sure depends on office tiffin.
3. What is the constitution of your carbs? (fruit, veggies, bread, etc) : Bread & fruit
4. Do you exercise and if so, how often and what do you do? Running 3 km.
5. How much weight did you lose total? 10kg so far
6. How long have you been maintaining your goal weight. 3 months i guess.