concerned about weight maintenance?

[chickie23]

Hey everyone, I'm thinking about starting atkins and I'm really excited. I am going to follow it through and do what I have to do. I'm concerned about the maintance part though. For all of you who have already done it and are on maintance for life(or if you know a lot about it) I would like to know if I could eat pizza and things higher in carbs maybe once a week(no more then 1800-2000 calories and of course I will be exercing that day) and then the other 6 days eat low carbs maintance. Will I still gain? I'm concerned because I do want to be able to still eat some of the foods that I enjoy, maybe once a week once I get to my goal weight.

Thanks

[Perry]

It's OK to eat a an occasional slice of pizza, a small bowl of pasta, a baked potato, etc... after you reach goal. By then you should know how your body reacts. The key is 'moderation'. Don't let it lead to 2 slices of pizza or a loaf of garlic bread!

[Betty]

I am doing maintainance, and I agree with Perry that the key is moderation. Some may be able to handle some of those foods in moderation while others may want to just stay clear because to eat them will start the cravings again and it is better not to deal with them if they cause major problems for a person. For me personally I am still staying away from those foods because I want to maintain where I am at for a year or close to it before stepping out there. I do eat more higher carb foods now in moderation, but have stayed away from the biggest ones like the pizza, potato, corn etc. I don't believe I will ever eat white bread products again. I just think the white bread foods are so unhealthy that I will most likely not eat them.
Everyone has to listen to their own body, if we listen, it will talk to us and let us know when things work and when they don't.

[BikerGoddess]

Maintenance was my biggest worry. Now, I'm no expert on it, since I've only been in it for a month, but as long as you continue to pay attention to what you eat, it's not really that difficult.

I have pizza once in awhile. But I also didn't (don't) have problems with binging. Once in awhile I'll even have full sugar desserts. But it's not a habit and I only do it when I really think I'll enjoy something - I don't waste my time on mediocre foods. Not everyone can do that, though, so you'll have to decide if you can really limit yourself on those things.

Fortunately, there are low-carb replacements for just about everything, so you can use those for treats - I think they only become problems when they become commonplace.

Laura

[chickie23]

thank you everyone for your input. I feel much better about doing this. I have one more question tho.... what is the difference from following atkins then following any other low carb diet(once u get out of induction of course). I looked at the site and they said that once you get to the maintaince for life stage(I"m pretty sure), your allowed to have 60-90 g of carbs if you are a regular exerciser. If I'm confusing you,what is the difference between a person who just decided to eat 70g of carbs a day and never started atkins Compared to a person who ate 20g of a month then upped it until they got to 70 g and kept at that limit. Is there a difference between weight gain if the person who started atkins ate more carbs then the person who just kept at 70g?

[BikerGoddess]

The only time Atkins is the same for everybody is during Induction. Whether you say you're on Atkins in Maintenance or something else, as long as you're not gaining, it doesn't really matter what you call it

The big difference is going to be how long it takes you to lose and what you learn about your body along the way. Part of the purpose of OWL is to identify trouble foods. If you just start off with a whole bunch of foods and have problems, you'll never know which one is causing it. OWL lets you add one food at a time and see how your body reacts.

The Schwartzbein Principle is very similar to Atkins, especially with the focus on health. But she starts off at Maintenance with the attitude that if you eat what's right for your body, it will heal itself and you'll arrive at your ideal weight eventually. Atkins will get you there quicker, but with much the same benefits. Plus, you get to find out how certain foods affect you.

Laura

[chickie23]

Thank you so much for ur support and replies bikergoddess! that helped a lot

[Iapetus999]

You can eat what you want on Maintenance BUT you CAN'T EVER eat certain "trigger" foods.
These are the foods that cause insatiable cravings that can last for days and throw you completely off the program.
Obviously any kind of sugary candy could do this.
I've found that citrus fruit and rice are bad for me.
Any food that leaves you hungrier than when you started is bad.
Also make sure you never "reward" yourself with food, especially hi-carb food. Even lo-carb "treats" can cause trouble.
I just stick to meat& veggies, avoid starches especially grains, and of course no sugar at all.