How the Heck Am I Going to Keep this Weight Off?

[mom2zeke]

I have been LC for 11 years, maintaining a decent loss for most of that time (80-90ish pounds since 2002). Since March I've been working to get to my ultimate goal weight--150 pounds using nutritional ketosis. I hit that weight on 8/27/12! Today is day 8 of maintenance and I thought I'd journal my experience here.

For more of my story it's in these threads:

Nutritional Ketosis Thread

Hitting Goal

My goals for the foreseeable future are:

• Stay in nutritional ketosis (NK)
• Keeping my weight at 150--and while dipping under a bit is okay, I don't want to go over by more than 2 pounds.
• Change body composition (more muscle/less fat)
• Weigh daily and record my food, blood glucose, and blood ketones.
• Use nutrient timing within my maintenance ratios to facilitate change in body composition

My minimum exercise goals are:

• Walk from the bus to work M-F (3+ miles)
• Double step up the 9 flights of stairs at work 1x/day M-F
• Kettlebell class 2x/week

I will not lie to myself, the NK thread, or this journal about how much I eat, how much I exercise, or what my numbers are.

I love having a routine and this whole maintenance thing has knocked me out of my routine. I also need to be able to do maintenance and live my life. I love seeing friends and going out and having (LC) cocktails and wine. I really want to make this work and I hope that be recording everything and being accountable here I can make this happen!!

[mom2zeke]

Yesterday my (maintenance) intake was:
Protein: 129.9 (20%)
Carbs: 19.4 (5%)
Fat: 216.8 (77%)
Alcohol: 9.3 (0%)
Calories: 2601
This morning:
Weight: 149.4 (up .2)
Ketones: 1.5
Blood Glucose: 93

My goal for food right now is:
Calories: 1800
Protein: 70-90g
Carbs: 20-30g
Fat: Balance of calories

As you can see, I was way above my goal for protein and fat.

Why I think I went over:

• Novel, delicious food (we had smoked ribs, hadn't had them in years, they are delicious)
• TOM approaching
• Undisciplined maintenance (thoughts in head: you've made it to goal you can indulge a little!)

Strategies to stop this from happening in the future:

• Don't eat ribs
• Measure out portion before starting and absolutely no seconds (or thirds)
• Don't prepare portion control problem foods right before and during TOM

I'm still slightly under my goal weight and registering in NK. I am going to eat a "normal" day for me today.

[mom2zeke]

I'm not having a great day today...

I know that right before TOM my hunger shoots through the roof.
I know that weight loss causes metabolic changes that increase hunger.

This knowledge did not keep me from eating 600 fat calories as a snack this afternoon. If I eat my planned dinner my whole day is kiboshed! I don't know if mentally I can skip dinner.

This day on top of yesterday? What the heck? I haven't felt this out of control of my eating in a long time.

[manders]

Hey girl.

I hope you don't mind me commenting in here. Just wanted to say that I love the format you've created for this journal. I love the honesty with us and yourself!

Keep on keepin' on!

[mom2zeke]

Thanks so much for stopping by Mandy! And I'm very happy that you commented.

I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I need to be brutally honest. I don't think I have a chance of maintaining without it.

[mom2zeke]

Well after my 600 calorie fat snack it turned out that I wasn't actually hungry for dinner. So yesterday wasn't such a bad day after all (at least in terms of meeting my goals).

Yesterday my (maintenance) intake was:
Protein: 47.9 (10%)
Carbs: 18.4 (4%)
Fat: 179.5 (88%)
Alcohol: 0 (0%)
Calories: 1831
This morning:
Weight: 148.2 (down 1.2)
Ketones: 1.8
Blood Glucose: 83

So low on protein, which is not great, but otherwise pretty good.

I was totally freaked out yesterday afternoon that I would never get satiated and would just keep on eating until I was fat again. Definitely PMS talking.

Today is back to work after a 3 day weekend. It's going to be an insanely busy day, but it will kind of be nice to be back in my normal routine.

[mom2zeke]

Busy day at work yesterday and then a very stressful evening. Really, anything to do with my ex is stressful, but when it involves one of my kids it's even worse. I'm a little calmer right now but I'm waiting for a call back from my lawyer. I did talk to my mom who gave me some sage advice and at least a short-term plan to alleviate the problem.

Yesterday my (maintenance) intake was:
Protein: 79.9 (18%)
Carbs: 19.9 (5%)
Fat: 153.1 (78%)
Alcohol: 0 (0%)
Calories: 1758
This morning:
Weight: 150 (up 1.8)
Ketones: 1.1
Blood Glucose: 88

Almost perfectly on target for intake. TOM should be here any time so it's not suprising that I'm up in weight slightly. Interestingly my BG has been higher in maintenance than it was when I was losing. Perhaps the higher calories and protein? I'll keep an eye on it.

Tonight I'm going to try a little nutrient timing with my kettlebell class. I'm going to have coffee and coconut cream when I get home from work and then wait for my dinner until after class but within the one hour window. I'll see how it goes.

[mom2zeke]

Yesterday was a rush after work dealing with my DS and getting off to kettlebell class.

I did decide to try nutrient timing eating a my dinner within an hour after my kettlebell class. I even added 1/4 cup of blueberries to dinner to up my carbs a bit.

Saturday morning at 7:30 is the hydrostatic body fat test. Kettlebell class is at 8 and I'm not supposed to eat before the test, so I will again be eating breakfast within the one hour window after my workout. I am so curious what the results of the test will be.

Yesterday my (maintenance) intake was:
Protein: 88.8 (19%)
Carbs: 25.1 (5%)
Fat: 156.5 (78%)
Alcohol: 0 (0%)
Calories: 1843
This morning: Weight: 150.2 (up .2)
Ketones: 1.5
Blood Glucose: 80

So right on target with my goals. I'm still in nutritional ketosis and while my weight is up .2 I'm not a bit concerned.

I really do find that work days are the easiest for me to stick to plan. Weekends with their unstructured time, alcohol, and socializing are always a challenge.

[mom2zeke]

This morning's stats:
Yesterday my (maintenance) intake was:
Protein: 89.7 (20%)
Carbs: 24.7 (5%)
Fat: 151.2 (78%)
Alcohol: 0 (0%)
Calories: 1793
This morning:
Weight: 150.8 (up .6)
Ketones: 1.6
Blood Glucose: 73

Once again right on target and my weight is creeping up. I'm not too worried. TOM is late and I'm sure that's a big factor.

Weekends are always a challenge. I am already thinking about what I want to eat, whether or not I'll have some cocktails, etc. I want to be able to let loose on the weekends, but not at the expense of my loss. It's a tough balance. I find that my weekend plan is usually too restrictive and that always backfires!

Dinner tonight is burgers, veggies, and no cocktails! DH and I have to be up early for our dunk test before kettlebell class.

I'm trying to come up with something fun to do over the weekend. We have lots of chores, but it would be nice to do something a little different.

[mom2zeke]

Okay, I'm cheating and copying two of my posts from the NK challenge thread here. Part of my reason for this journal is to be able to check back in the future and see how/what I was doing and the NK thread is too large for me to actually find these posts.

Yesterday my (maintenance) intake was:
Protein: 88.1 (16%)
Carbs: 24.9 (4%)
Fat: 205.6 (82%)
Alcohol: 0 (0%)
Calories: 2258
This morning:
Weight: 151.6 (up .8)
Ketones: 1.5
Blood Glucose: 85

I am up another .8 this morning but I am not surprised! I can feel TOM coming on--I am puffy. I was hungry last night and had some fat treats (mascarpone cheese, 2 fat bombs) which raised my fat and calories for the day. Surprisingly it did not seem to effect ketosis (I thought it might push it a bit higher?), I'm still at 1.5.

This morning is my body fat test. Perhaps not the greatest time to take this test while I'm retaining water. I can't eat before the test and I have kettlebell class right after. So I'll be eating breakfast within the 1 hour window after class.

I finally had my hydrostatic body fat test this morning before kettlebells. I had to wear a swim cap because I am getting my hair colored this morning and it can't be wet so some air was trapped under the cap and may have thrown the test slightly off. I am also puffy from PMS (up almost 2 pounds) so that may also have effected the test.

That being said, my BF% was 26.3%! I am actually very happy with that number. According to this chart that Rebecca originally posted I am in the fit to athletic category for my age. My current goal was 25% BF (based on my scale which was giving me ~30% BF) but I think I'm going to lower my goal to 20% BF. I am giving myself a long time to get there, but I would be interested to see what that looked like.

So my new protein range for my goal BF% is 72-120--not much different than before. I plan on keeping carbs below 30 and on the kettlebell days eating my largest protein/carb meal of the day within the one hour window.

[zay]

Hi Kristn just found this. Wow, looks like you are doing a really good job tracking everything...I'm impressed! I actually just got my BG monitor (from all the talk from Jimmy) and am testing daily. I'm very much overweight but happy to say I'm in the low 90's everyday.
I've not been too successful with low carbing lately. I'm down as you can see about 30 lbs. since late fall. Things could be better. Like I said earlier I've been listening to Jimmy's shows and am finally convinced Low low carbs are actually healthy and is a very good plan for me. I love his show and all of his guests. Awesome.
Anyway, thanks again for your links.
Have a good Sunday. I'll be checking in with you again soon! Take good care. ..me too PMS... sure does change things mentally physically etc. I like normal!

[Doggygirl]

Hi Kristn! I just now saw your journal. Congrats again on all of your successes - including the now known BF% success!

DG

[mom2zeke]

Originally Posted by zay

Hi Kristn just found this. Wow, looks like you are doing a really good job tracking everything...I'm impressed! I actually just got my BG monitor (from all the talk from Jimmy) and am testing daily. I'm very much overweight but happy to say I'm in the low 90's everyday.
I've not been too successful with low carbing lately. I'm down as you can see about 30 lbs. since late fall. Things could be better. Like I said earlier I've been listening to Jimmy's shows and am finally convinced Low low carbs are actually healthy and is a very good plan for me. I love his show and all of his guests. Awesome.
Anyway, thanks again for your links.
Have a good Sunday. I'll be checking in with you again soon! Take good care. ..me too PMS... sure does change things mentally physically etc. I like normal!

Hi Zay,
I'm glad you stopped by. I think that some of us just need really low carbs. I feel best and have the most energy when they're low and I'm in ketosis.

I really do believe that the key to success is just sticking with the plan no matter how long it takes or how discouraged you get. This WOE works, but only if you stick with it even when you mess up or aren't losing for a bit.

And yes, PMS changes everything! I am so glad TOM finally arrived today. In a few days the hormone poisoning with be gone and I'll be back to normal.

[mom2zeke]

Originally Posted by Doggygirl

Hi Kristn! I just now saw your journal. Congrats again on all of your successes - including the now known BF% success!

DG

Hey DG--thanks for stopping by!

I need to make this work and the journal is part of the plan.

It's great to have success, but just as great to see others working through their barriers and making progress towards their goals. You have done such a great job taming the sugarcarbie monster! Every day that you make good choices you are on your way to success and goal!

[mom2zeke]

Posting here for posterity:

Yesterday my (maintenance) intake was:
Protein: 86.6 (18%)
Carbs: 16.6 (4%)
Fat: 136.7 (65%)
Alcohol: 27.1 (13.8%)
Calories: 1879
This morning:
Weight: 151 (down .6)
Ketones: .9
Blood Glucose: 87

I would like my ketones to be in the 1.5 to 3 range, but .9 is okay. The combo of alcohol and a lower than normal fat dinner may be the culprit. Also, I didn't have my usual CO fat bomb yesterday as I ran out on Friday. I made some more today for the upcoming week.

Ultimately I want to be building muscle and losing fat at a 1:1 ratio. I'm not sure if this is actually possible.

Today DH and I unloaded 2 cubic yards of bark into our yard. I believe I'm getting stronger and fitter because the shoveling, carting, and raking didn't even feel like much of a chore. I am tired, but that may be partly due to TOM.

The yard is actually looking pretty good. Not like those beautiful landscaped yards mind you, but the weeds are gone, the shrubs are trimmed, and the lawn is mowed and edged. DH and I really should not be homeowners. We are completely not handy and don't have much motivation to do things like yard work, maintenance, and house work. Only complete embarrassment and potential humiliation keep us doing these things. We also love our neighbors and would hate for them to resent us for not keeping things up. I honestly can't wait to eventually sell this place and move into a condo or townhouse. Of course, I will then miss the neighbors.

[zay]

Originally Posted by mom2zeke

I am so glad TOM finally arrived today. In a few days the hormone poisoning with be gone and I'll be back to normal.

for me too! haha.

Thanks so much for your reply to me!

Have a great week!

[Buffy45]

Hi Kristn, just stopped by to read your journal. Did you keep one while you were losing on NK? Would be interested in reading that as well

[mom2zeke]

Originally Posted by Buffy45

Hi Kristn, just stopped by to read your journal. Did you keep one while you were losing on NK? Would be interested in reading that as well

Hi Buffy! I was just posting on the NK thread while I was losing. It wasn't quite as massive as it is now.

[Buffy45]

Kristn, there were some suggestions on starting a new thread each month/week, or something like that. What are your thoughts? I just go to the last page so it isn't a big deal one way or the other.

[mom2zeke]

Hi Buffy,
I think it's a good idea, but I'm not sure how to implement it. The thread has taken on a life of its own!!

[mom2zeke]

Okay, a little catch up journaling of my NK maintenance experiment:

9/10/12 Post
Yesterday (9/9/12) my (maintenance) intake was:
Protein: 71.3 (16%)
Carbs: 27.7 (5%)
Fat: 161.7 (80%)
Alcohol: 0 (0%)
Calories: 1818
This morning (9/10/12):
Weight: 150.6 (down .4)
Ketones: 1.3
Blood Glucose: 74


9/11/12 Post
Yesterday (9/10/12) my (maintenance) intake was:
Protein: 82.9 (18%)
Carbs: 25.7 (4%)
Fat: 155.9 (77%)
Alcohol: 0 (0%)
Calories: 1816
This morning (9/11/12):
Weight: 150.6 (no change)
Ketones: 1.0
Blood Glucose: 89

Not much to report in terms of eating. I'm staying on plan. Ketones seem to be okay, but not great. I'd really like to be over 1.5, but my weight seems to be holding pretty steady. TOM is in full force so I can't complain about the scale right now.

Tonight it's out with the girls. I had a stressful day both at work and dealing with my lawyer about my ex. It will be nice to relax with my girlfriends. I won't be able to track my intake as closely as usual, but I've already scoped out the menu and I think I know what I'm going to order.

[mom2zeke]

I haven't posted in a few days. My eating and ketones have been right on target. But life has been crazy and my cortisol has been through the roof. I think it's effected my BG which was pretty high in the am for a few days. Yesterday was much less stressful and BG was back to normal.

I am suspicious that the cortisol has effected my thyroid too. All of a sudden I am dragging in the afternoons and my ankles are swelling. If this persists I will go get a blood draw and see my endo next week. I really hope that it's just transient.

I seem to be able to stay steadily right around 150 eating 1800 to 2000 calories a day while staying in NK. Hopefully I will see positive changes in my body composition. I am definitely getting stronger, going up in weight in kettlebells and doing more and stronger hard-style push ups!!

I am rereading The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance for clues to changing body composition and gaining strength. The more I think about it, the more I think the TNT diet isn't the right direction for me. I'm sticking with the Performance book for now!

[Buffy45]

[zay]

Hey there Kristin!
Good going on maintaining. Glad things are less stressful for you.
Funny I am swelling in my ankles as well. I chalked it up to a lot of sitting. I'm doing a lot of studying.
Well, this is my opportunity to thank you for all you are putting into this website with the NK information....much appreciated!! Have a great weekend!

[mom2zeke]

Thanks for stopping by Buffy and Zay! It looks like you guys are doing great on this crazy moderate protein plan so far. And from your join dates on this site you've been around as long as I have!

[Buffy45]

Originally Posted by mom2zeke

Thanks for stopping by Buffy and Zay! It looks like you guys are doing great on this crazy moderate protein plan so far. And from your join dates on this site you've been around as long as I have!

I want to keep up with your maintainence Kritn, your NK thread was what convinced me to come back to LC.

[mom2zeke]

Buffy--I'm so glad that my NK thread helped you to get get losing! When I started NK it was like being back when I first started Atkins. I would get on the scale and be shocked that I had lost weight. And it kept coming off. I really never thought I'd be at this weight and be maintaining. Monday will be 3 weeks and the last week of that was TOM.

[mom2zeke]

It's day 18 of maintenance! This morning I was 150.2 with ketones of .7. I don't know how to feel about the ketones. I am definitely in the .5-3 range, but on the graph in the performance book 1.5-3 seemed to be the "ideal range." I am testing in the morning so it should be the lowest time of the day. But I like seeing the number over 1. I think that I like the mental image of accessing my fat for fuel.

DH and I did a kettlebell workout today. When we do our own it's never a intense as the classes, but it feels good to get the bells out and get moving.

We're going out with friends for Mexican food tonight. My plan is grilled steak of some kind with sour cream and guacamole--pass on the rice and beans.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Weekends always throw me off. I eat more, I have less control over my food, and I often have some alcohol. At least I'm not gaining!

[zay]

Have a nice time tonight Kristin! And congrats on reaching 18 days of maintaining your ideal weight. Your health is thanking you. Are your feet still swollen? Mine are better today and I think it is because of the sitting and studying so much yesterday.

I wanted to ask you if you know the difference between the coconut cream versus the coconut oil? I'm asking about nutrition of both. ..Are they equally nutritious and beneficial?

Hope you don't mind putting this in your journal. If so, just tell me and I won't ask questions here...really no hurt feelings.

(hugs!)

[mom2zeke]

Hi Zay! I don't mind at all.

My feet aren't swollen today. I think you might be right about the sitting. I do much less on the weekends!

Coconut oil is 100% fat while the coconut cream has fat, carbs, and protein in it.

The nutrition information on the carton of coconut cream has 95 calories, 10g of fat, 2 grams of carbs, and 1 grams of protein per 1/4 cup. That's 24 calories, 2.5g fat, .5g carb, and .25g protein per tablespoon. I use 2 Tbs per "cup" of coffee (large commuter mug).

Coconut oil has 117 calories and 13.6 g of fat per Tbs.

The fat in both comes from the same source, coconut, so it has the MCTs that everyone likes for ketosis.

I like to get a bit more bang for my buck and spread the coconut cream calories and fat between much more coffee throughout the day. I can have 1/2 cup of coconut cream throughout the day for the same fat and calories as 2 tbs of coconut oil.

Also, I like the flavor of coconut cream more. I use coconut oil in cooking and fat bombs, but I wouldn't just drink it straight or in coffee. That's my thinking on the matter. Other people use it differently and like the oil in their coffee.