Last 10 pounders support & motivation

[nikki]

As I approach maintenance I have been eating more variety, more carbs, and more calories. I am working out lightly, trying to gradually regain my strength, endurance, and muscle mass which diminished while in my rapid weight loss phase. I am being very cautious on my JUDDD down days but not so much on my up days. I even had a few medium days as I had to jockey my rotation around twice in the past few weeks.

I weighed myself and measured yesterday - I am still losing weight! My measurements have gone down, as well. (I hardly ever weigh any more, maybe once a week, if that.) Now that I am in Atkins pre-maintenance, my weight loss has slowed a lot. But still, without even really trying the weight is gradually coming off. According to my ticker I still have about five pounds to go, but I am happy right where I am. Plus, since I am also trying to build muscle, I am not in a big hurry.

I am so glad I found this way of eating! Yay JUDDD!

[Kissa]

Brilliant results ladies.

[minimonkey]

Hi ladies! Well, as I approach my former goal, it is becoming pretty clear that I need to lower it... I have a ton of squishy fat that really needs to go away, and I don't think 4.4 lbs is going to do it... so, I am shooting for a goal of 95, which is actually about right for my height and frame.

That's good and bad, I suppose... means I am not as close as I thought, but it also means I will be quite a bit smaller than I realized when all is said and done.

So... hoping and praying that the recent stall has broken... onwards I go! Support and good wishes to all of you!

[julieboolie]

Thanks Pearl and Mini-LC is working thus far, at least to get me back where I was at the end of my last hcg round. We'll see if I can get past that point eventually. I did induction for 2 weeks, and am staying around 20-30g carbs/day now, which has really curbed my appetite nicely. I'm really content w/ my meals, energy and hunger . Happy to stay the course. Slow and steady will be fine w/ me.

Mni-thanks! That's my Aug. escape w. dh. Fun to dress up once in a while. Glad you're losing again, but bummer about having farther to go . You're really strong and consistent, I know you'll be there soon.

Nikki-you've done great!! and sounds like you're moving into maintenance well!!

I'm losing about 1lb/week right now. Which, given I'm close to "goal" and eating happily, I'm quite happy with . I'm adding more exercise and feel good overall. Glad that I can think much less about my diet/weight loss goals. Living life to the fullest!!

[minimonkey]

Well, slowly, the scale is inching down, and so is my body! I've been seeing more inch loss than scale loss lately, so maybe I don't need to go quite as far down the scale as I thought... that remains to be seen... but results are happening -- at a snail's pace -- but happening.

Dearly hoping I have broken through a stall and will continue to see losses for a while, but with my body, you just never know...

Nice work, Julie! So glad that you are seeing results and doing what works for you

[Kissa]

Love the new avatar minimonkey.

[Maryo]

Hello, last ten pounders. I have 12 pounds to go, but thought I'd drop in here and start thinking about pre-maintenance and maintenance. I've lost about 88 pounds, primarily on Atkins. I'm aiming for an even 100 lbs, but I may need to adjust lower when I get there. My lowest adult weight (and frankly where I thought I looked best) was 110 lbs., but I was more muscular then so I'm really a lot further from that point than it might appear. At the beginning of the year I transitioned to more of a primal/paleo way of eating, and so far it seems to be working for me. My weight is coming off at a slow crawl, but it was coming off at a slow crawl for a month or two before that, too.

I look forward to getting to know you all!

[Kissa]

Great job Maryo. Looking forward to watching the last pounds disappear.

[Pearldrop]

Welcome Maryo. Congratulations on your great weight loss so far. You're almost at your goal, I am sure you'll reach there very soon.
Please tell us more about your paleo/primal routine. What is it like a sample paleo day of yours? Do you count carbs? I am very interested in adopting primal for the maintenance in the future, so I will greatly appreciate any helpful tip you share.
Cheers.

[Maryo]

Pearl, it's mostly just eating real foods, minus the grains and sugar. It's low carb, but not as low carb as I was doing with Atkins because I've added in fruit and a lot more veggies. I'm not as die-hard as some, and every bite I put in my mouth is not organic or grass-fed, but I don't eat sugar and I don't eat grains. I'm not currently counting carbs OR calories, although I'm cognizant of what I'm eating and portion sizes. If I don't continue to lose, though, I'll start counting again. I've also cut out caffeine, dairy and artificial sweeteners, but I'm planning to add Greek yogurt back in next month.

Here's what I ate today, and this is fairly typical:

B: 2 scrambled eggs and 3 pieces of bacon

S: a couple strawberries

L: leftover pulled pork served with sauteed onions and peppers (sauteed in coconut oil) and half an avocado's worth of guacamole

S: half an apple

D: more leftovers - pork roast diced and sauteed in sesame oil with cabbage, mushrooms, onions, garlic and zucchini

I'm finding primal to be pretty easy to stick with - I can eat foods I like and I'm enjoying not counting the carbs or calories.

[Pearldrop]

Thanks a lot for the info Maryo, that sounds pretty similar to a typical day in Atkin's OWL minus the apple. Although it sounds like a pleasing plan, lacking of sweeteners must be a challenge. But, I guess fruits are doing the trick for the sweet tooth.
I would suggest you to prepare your own yogurt at home, instead of store-bought Greek yogurt. It is very easy and completely free of additives. For the first time you need 2 tbsp organic yogurt (as starter) per each liter of organic milk you use. Here is how I prepare: Just heat the milk up to 185F and let it cool down to 110F, stir the starter yogurt and milk into a clean glass container. Turn on the oven light (inside the oven) and place the container (open lid) just next to the light. Close the oven door and let your yogurt be ready in 12 hours. I prefer leaving it overnight, it is great to have fresh yogurt ready for breakfast.
It has lower carbs than store-bought ones, as well since there are no added sugar or starch and bacteria feeds on lactose which makes the end product less carby.
For the next batches, you can just use your homemade yogurt as starter.

[nikki]

Life has been really busy lately. Thought I'd check in and say, I WAS still 3 pounds from goal.

I've been weight training, adding muscle and getting fit (which was my goal, rather than getting "skinny"). My body is still visibly changing, plus everything is getting firmer. I can feel my heart and muscles getting stronger every day. Clearly I have been adding muscle, which means I must still be losing fat, since my weight has stayed the same. So the fact that there are a measly three pounds left to goal isn't bothering me.

Because of this, I have revised my goal. I am still in Atkins pre-mainentance, doing weight training and trying to find my critical carbohydrate level for maintenance (CCLM) - for a "forever" lifestyle of low carb. It will be a while before I stabilize into a "maintaining" physical fitness groove and a decent carb level for a permanent WOE. But it seems clear that my body likes this weight, hovering between 115 - 120. I feel great, I like the way I look, and I am getting fit and strong. So I am going to call it: GOAL!

It's been a great journey, friends.

[Kissa]

Nikki, good to see you here, as well as over in JUDDD. We are loving Goal!!!! I am happily maintaining under goal by 2, 3 o 4 pounds most days, and have been since before Christmas.

[Maryo]

Congratulations, Nikki!

[garnet10]

Well, I'm thinking at this point I have about 10 pounds to lose, but the final number may change when I get there.

I am finishing an "interruption" from hCG today, and I'm kind of dreading restarting the VLCD because I recently spent 10 whole days at a weight I was formerly at for years, broken only by doing a 3 day Fat Fast, only to regain right back to that stable weight within a few days of eating P3 (low carb) style.

I'll be reading through this whole thread--if hCG does not work for my last 10 or so, I'm very interested to see how others have done it.

Thanks for being here!

[Kissa]

Garnet, you are right to look into this carefully, maintenance is always a challenge and finding a way to eat that makes you happy and life reasonably easy.

[Pearldrop]

It became very quiet here
How are you all doing, ladies?
Please do share your maintenance secrets and tricks to surprise your metabolism into not gaining weight as we need such things when we use the same diet for a long time.
I am looking forward to hearing from you all.
Cheers.

[kittycitygirl]

Still in that 10 pound range

[Tilly]

Unfortunately, I go in and out of goal. But since I am at the gym 6 days a week, I keep close tabs on my weight by weighing myself daily (no scale at home and theirs is very accurate). So when I see myself going up I think about what I have been eating and try to cut it out.

I went on the web site of the LC cruise where they list the speakers and their power points (I appreciate that they shared!). One person, and I forget who it was, said when this gain happens to go back on strict induction for 3 or 4 days. I think that is what I need. And to me, that is doable instead of two weeks.

I get grouchy when feeling deprived and want to stuff. All in my head, I know, but there it is.

[Pearldrop]

Originally Posted by kittycitygirl

Still in that 10 pound range

Kitty, you're sooo close to the goal. Only 5 more lbs to go. It is even less in metric (2.27 kg).

[Pearldrop]

Originally Posted by Tilly

Unfortunately, I go in and out of goal.

Same here, Tilly.
One week I am above the goal then I go below for the next couple of days.
After I reached goal in December, I decreased number of days in gym to 3-4 times a week from 6 times. And I started using HWC in my coffee and tea (around 3-4 tbsp a day). Also, I increased the amount of fiber I take (isphagula husk), started using some butter with my eggs, eating some nuts (a handful of almond and hazelnut) and unsalted sunflower seeds. These are the only changes I made and I still don't eat starches/sugar. But I gain weight. Do you think any of these changes has caused the weight gain?
I am so frustrated. I don't know what to do. Did you try this 3-4 days of induction thing? I wonder if it stabilizes the weight.
I am going to the gym everyday this week to see what will happen. Maybe I should try the induction, too.

[Tilly]

Originally Posted by Pearldrop

Same here, Tilly.
One week I am above the goal then I go below for the next couple of days.
After I reached goal in December, I decreased number of days in gym to 3-4 times a week from 6 times. And I started using HWC in my coffee and tea (around 3-4 tbsp a day). Also, I increased the amount of fiber I take (isphagula husk), started using some butter with my eggs, eating some nuts (a handful of almond and hazelnut) and unsalted sunflower seeds. These are the only changes I made and I still don't eat starches/sugar. But I gain weight. Do you think any of these changes has caused the weight gain?
I am so frustrated. I don't know what to do. Did you try this 3-4 days of induction thing? I wonder if it stabilizes the weight.
I am going to the gym everyday this week to see what will happen. Maybe I should try the induction, too.

No, I have not tried the induction 3 -4 days. I went out last night and knew I would be having some wine, so I ate a slice of LC cheesecake for lunch (yum!) and then could not find something LC on the menu except a salad, so had the salad. Weird they already had dressing on it, but was the best of anything on the menu except not going to pay $25 for the a la carte fish. Never heard of dressing being prepoured on the salad. Oh well, not a place I would go to again, too far out of my way. So today back down in weight.

If I would guess from what you have listed and these are things I have to not use, is the nuts, especially sunflower seeds. Check the carbs on those, I think they are higher than almonds. And I have given up the HWC in the tea (don't drink coffee) and use spray butter, not real except in baking. I remember another speaker's power points (not sure which one) from the LC cruise and they did mention popping nuts, to be careful of. And that is one thing I have been doing, eating almonds like potato chips so trying to avoid them. My hardest time in eating (or NOT) is right before dinner. I want to snack snack snack!

I still go to the gym 6 days a week. sigh, why is keeping weight off so hard?????!!!!! Don't get me wrong about the gym, I like going, friends there and sure helps with daily stresses, but guess it is just one thing I like to do, EAT! ha ha!

[Jonahsafta]

I think fluctuating is normal..exasperating but normal...Im not sure how much fluctuation is normal vs. a real honest to goodness gain...I have watched the daily weighing thread..OhMyGOsH the fluctuations would drive me batty if I weighed that often...but the fluctuations appear to be normal....
Maybe a better question is how much change in weight can be attributed to simple normal weight change during the week, vs. what is "time to reign it in' fluctuations."

jMhO

165/151.2/148

[Pearldrop]

Originally Posted by Tilly

If I would guess from what you have listed and these are things I have to not use, is the nuts, especially sunflower seeds. Check the carbs on those, I think they are higher than almonds. And I have given up the HWC in the tea (don't drink coffee) and use spray butter, not real except in baking. I remember another speaker's power points (not sure which one) from the LC cruise and they did mention popping nuts, to be careful of. And that is one thing I have been doing, eating almonds like potato chips so trying to avoid them. My hardest time in eating (or NOT) is right before dinner. I want to snack snack snack!

Thanks Tilly. I will eliminate sunflower seeds for a whole week to see what's up. Then eliminate one by one of what you've suggested might be the reason. Fingers crossed, hope it will be resolved soon.

How do you all feel about Hass avocados? They are said to be very beneficial because of fiber, good fats, and protein they contain. 1/2 an avocado has around 3 grams of net carbs. I have been eating 1/2 an avocado in my tuna salad almost everyday. Do you think it may be the reason?

My DH read a book called "The Wheat Belly" a while ago and he eliminated wheat all together since then. He lost some weight in a month although he has not been exercising at all.
He suggested that I should give it a try but I didn't so far since I was so in love with my "cheat day" wheaty-goodies. But I started last Friday, most probably will see the results after 3-4 weeks.
I will keep you guys updated on the results.

jMhO, my fluctuations are quite high (~6 lbs) so I am a bit worried. :S

[julieboolie]

Hello last 10'ers!! Glad to see more activity here . Good to know we're all working on finishing up this war!!

Pearl- a 6lb swing on your little frame is a lot. Are you 3lbs above your goal weight for a few days, then 3 below? I give myself a few lbs of window too. Tell us more about your "cheat" day? Is that a full out carb fest? Do you then go back to LC and work your way back down? I think the key to all of it is staying on top of it. When we ignore the scale for too long, we pay for it. You're doing a good job and your diligence will pay off

An update on my "maintenance" -
I did a round of hhcg in Feb/March. I lost my last 10 (plus a few extras) to pass my original goal and got down to 148 - always dreamed of being in the 140's! Fun!! Felt great and was quite happy. I stabilized well, and was pretty happy ranging anywhere from 146-150 for several months.

Then I added back exercise. I decided to the C25K program again. Wanted the schedule and challenge. I was doing well w/ the running, but the scale was climbing. It was quite a fight to stay near 150. I was hovering about 152 with the running. I came to the realization that I really hated to run. I was improving, but I dreaded the workout. I was not going to keep up w. it after the program ended, so why was I pursuing something I didn't like? So, I went back to what I do like - weight lifting. I still do some running/cardio, but I do HIIT cardio now, and about 30 min tops for that. I did a fun Zumba class the other day which I also enjoyed. So, I'm happily working out, and once I lose the rest of this vacation weight, I will be trying to climb the carb ladder (more slowly) and see where I can maintain.

I just got home from a fun week in Utah. We hiked, biked and swam all week. Pretty intense hiking and climbing, but also lots of eating!! I gained 10 lbs , which is pretty typical for me. But, now that I'm home and eating LC again, I'm back down 7 of them already.

I wanted to maintain around 148. I was up to 151 when I left, way up to 161 when I got home, and down to 154 today.

Some of the scale fluctuation for me from exercise. I'm doing much more weight lifting now, and also keeping some cardio in there. I play softball on Monday nights and try to do the gym 2-3 times on top of that. I feel great! The scale and my clothing isn't reflecting much of a change (yet) but I know I'm doing good stuff for my body. I like feeling strong and can see muscles already .

Have you guys heard of RRARF or RBTI? I've been researching these a bit. It's about metabolism healing after dieting (which I've been doing for 20+ years, unfortunately). It's pretty radical, and scary, but involves resting more, eating a LOT more (carbs!!) and allowing your body's metabolism to pick up. My body temps are consistently low. I attributed that all to being hypothyroid, but that is treated now (partially successfully), and my temps are still in the low 97's. It's something I'm looking into at this point .

Keep fighting the good fight girls!!

[girondet]

Hi, I think my metabolism has healed a lot after 3 years of lc and I can now eat a lot more carbs than I used to without gaining and still keep my blood sugar low enough too. I have to live grain and dairy free, but I do eat some fruit daily. I have been hypothyroid for many years and I too keep a low temp that I think I'm just stuck with.

I take walks for exercise and do yoga. Otherwise not that much. I'm still refining my macronutrients, but it does look like I benefit from changing things up a bit from time to time. Lately I've been increasing my protein by a lot some days.

[Pearldrop]

Originally Posted by julieboolie

Hello last 10'ers!! Glad to see more activity here . Good to know we're all working on finishing up this war!!

Pearl- a 6lb swing on your little frame is a lot. Are you 3lbs above your goal weight for a few days, then 3 below? I give myself a few lbs of window too. Tell us more about your "cheat" day? Is that a full out carb fest? Do you then go back to LC and work your way back down? I think the key to all of it is staying on top of it. When we ignore the scale for too long, we pay for it. You're doing a good job and your diligence will pay off

Thanks a lot Julie. My weight swings between 119-125 with no apparent reason. I can fit my clothes the same way only, my tummy is swollen. I started eliminating foods with seeds and nuts today and will not consume them for a month to see if they are the trouble-makers.
Also, I went back to increased exercise schedule I used to follow before making to the goal, 6-7 times a week (50 mins high intensity cardio + 10 mins free weights).
I am also planning to have 2 or 3 high protein - very low carb days before my dive trip on Friday. I don't want to have a swollen tummy in the presence of a wetsuit
My cheat-Fridays were "eat whatever you were craving for", mostly cracked wheat, cereals, pasta, pastries, etc. But I didn't eat wheat for the past week and my cravings became less. My DH says they will be gone all together and I will feel great once the wheat toxins are out of my system.
Cheat day starts with the time I wake up and lasts until the bed time. It is around 12-13 hours. Afterwards, I go back to carbs<30 grams, no fruits regimen.
Starting from today, my cheat days are to consume mostly fruits and some complex carbs (legumes, rice, etc).
The lbs I gain on a cheat day goes off after 2-3 days.
You're right, weighing oneself frequently is very important. Another important thing to do is weighing at the same time with same clothes everyday.
I do that even if I am afraid to see the change the day after a cheat day.

You're doing great too. It's amazing to have such good buddies in this road.

[Tilly]

Originally Posted by Pearldrop

Thanks Tilly. I will eliminate sunflower seeds for a whole week to see what's up. Then eliminate one by one of what you've suggested might be the reason. Fingers crossed, hope it will be resolved soon.

How do you all feel about Hass avocados? They are said to be very beneficial because of fiber, good fats, and protein they contain. 1/2 an avocado has around 3 grams of net carbs. I have been eating 1/2 an avocado in my tuna salad almost everyday. Do you think it may be the reason?

My DH read a book called "The Wheat Belly" a while ago and he eliminated wheat all together since then. He lost some weight in a month although he has not been exercising at all.
He suggested that I should give it a try but I didn't so far since I was so in love with my "cheat day" wheaty-goodies. But I started last Friday, most probably will see the results after 3-4 weeks.
I will keep you guys updated on the results.

jMhO, my fluctuations are quite high (~6 lbs) so I am a bit worried. :S

Just an fyi, one of the power points said men lose more easily than women. I have seen that time and again, so poo on them/men for it being so easy, but it is what it is for us. Just curious what is your cheat day? What do you cheat on? For me, too much great LC food I don't need to cheat on nonLC foods. Back down yesterday and today within an acceptable range. Still want to get off 3 more to feel good. Really would love to lose 10 to feel great but that might or might not happen, ha! Enjoying my wine a the moment.

[Pearldrop]

Originally Posted by Tilly

Just curious what is your cheat day? What do you cheat on?

For this, please see my message above, I described it there.
I have been doing these cheat days since March 2011, actually this is how I broke my 3 months stall. A cheat day per week works by confusing your metabolism and not letting it get used to the diet so that your weight loss won't be stalled.
It is more than satisfying cravings. Some doctors say that one should have a cheat day and eat higher carb foods even if they don't have any cravings.

This is the second day without seeds&nuts. It is kinda hard. I miss my munchies. I will keep missing'em for the next month. Hope it will worth.

Congrats on your weight loss

[TBipp]

My Maintenance secret is to use intermittent fasting (IF) one or two days a week. I do this by skipping dinner. As soon as I started with IF, my maintenance weight stabilized. Also, I noticed that the next morning I have boundless energy! If I become hungry in the evening, I have a cup of chicken broth. I have always enjoyed breakfast so did not want to skip breakfast which is another IF method. From what I have read, IF is not a good strategy for those that have had eating disorders in the past. The idea is to let your digestive system rest or "give it a break." It is recommended that the period without eating be about 18-19 hours, which can include sleep time. With LC eating, I feel IF is easier as there are no crashes from roller coasting blood sugar.

With the IF, I can indulge in low carb treats and have an occasional (1-2 times per week) dinner out with no 2-3 pound gain.