Maintenance Support thread

[sadie147]

JimmieJo had the great idea of a maintenace support thread for those of us no longer in the weight loss phases of Atkins, but living our everyday lives in the world of maintenance, trying to stay at goal..and stay motivated. Just a place where maintainers can stop in occaisionally for support when we need it, give advice, or vent when we need too

I think it's a great idea and I'll be the first to start:

I reached my goal weight almost exactly a year ago, and did manage to stay at goal for several months. Gained a bit 8/9 lbs), and have lost most since. I go up and down 5 lbs, and i'm resigned to the fact that that may be a regular occurance, and that's ok. However lately i've just had a really hard time staying motivated with exercise, I've been eating too much (legal foods), just all around struggling with my mindset. I've tried aiming for different goals: bodyfat %'s, exercise goals, etc..I'm just finding it really difficult to focus now.

For those who've been in maintenace for some time..do you find you hit periods like this? What are some of the things you do to motivate yourself, or what helped you get past it?

[higgies]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

Hey Sadie!! This is a great idea!

I've been at goal for like 6-8 months or so. My problem is that I never really left the induction phase! So I'm still eating exactly what I was eating during the weight loss, just not losing at all for some weird reason! I've bounced up a little since I hit my low, but I think I needed that. I think I was a little too low for my own good.

It's dfifficult to keep motivated with your exercise. It's especially difficult for me now tha tI'm back to working a more regular job and find that I have to get the workout in during the evenings. It's so tough to get home and be tired and then go to the gym...yuck! Making it a non-negotiable part of my routine is just how I get to it. I have cut back to 3-4 days/week as opposed to 5-6 days/week.

In terms of maintaining the weight, and I do not recommend this, I find it very motivating for me to have a cheat once a month or so. This forces me to get strict again, drink my water, and get my butt to the gym. I find it also gives my system a little jolt. Perhaps eating low carb every day, your body gets acclimated to it and just doesn't lose anymore. That's probably the whole reason behind OWL and finding my ACL. Anyway...so by cheating that one time a month or so and gaining that 3lbs or so of water weight, I find some extra motivation to get back and hit the Atkins hard the following day!

[2big4mysize]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

I've been at goal for a yr and 1/2 I did all the phases and still can't believe I can eat those higher rung foods everyday and stay skinny. It is very hard not to revert back to OWl mentality.


I'm stuggling right now cause my CCLM had dropped over 70 net carbs with my exercise cut back cause of life right now.

[sadie147]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

In terms of maintaining the weight, and I do not recommend this, I find it very motivating for me to have a cheat once a month or so. This forces me to get strict again, drink my water, and get my butt to the gym. I find it also gives my system a little jolt. Perhaps eating low carb every day, your body gets acclimated to it and just doesn't lose anymore. That's probably the whole reason behind OWL and finding my ACL. Anyway...so by cheating that one time a month or so and gaining that 3lbs or so of water weight, I find some extra motivation to get back and hit the Atkins hard the following day!

I've actually considered this you know..I'm not the type of person that falls into cheats really, I could do this and go right back to my WOE, I've just become so carbphobic, it's tough to force myself. I did add back food groups in OWL but not very many like you and my carbs stay way down and my meals are pretty much the same as my weight loss too. I wish I could get past that.

I've been at goal for a yr and 1/2 I did all the phases and still can't believe I can eat those higher rung foods everyday and stay skinny. It is very hard not to revert back to OWl mentality

2big, do you mean it's tough to keep the carbs up? I actually struggle with this one. I should be adding way more grains, higher carb veggies than i do. My daily carbs are under 25 usually even though my cclm is about 50 (was about 80 when i was running ).

[mirna05]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

I thought was in manteinance not losing weight, but some day I measured myself and I was losing inches!

[BikerGoddess]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

lol, I'm fresh out of motivation, but I'd love to see what everyone else's got.

I've been on maintenance since 2003 (fooled around a bit, since my goal weight looked a bit low to me (ok, to others I trusted to tell me this sorta thing)) and up and down a bit, depending on circumstances.

My brother nearly died in 2003 and we spent a lot of time in the hospital. The stress and lack of 'legal' food cause me to gain back 20lbs from my lowest, but I was able to drop that within a month or so. Since then, have been bouncing up and down 5lbs.

I moved in with my boyfriend in Oct, and it's been a greater struggle since then. He brings me home treats (ie. shakes and brownies and cakes and chocolate) and then gets offended when I don't eat them. We've had that 'talk' a couple of times now, but just last night he brought me a slice of stollen (German Christmas cake).

I haven't joined a gym up here because I don't want to go outside and I know I'll pretty much end up not going all winter anyway. I keep finding reasons not to break out my exercise videos. It seems the only exercise I get is the half mile walk to the office, when I do go in (work from home a lot).

I suppose, outwardly, it doesn't show that I'm having problems hanging on, but it's getting pretty depressing in my head

Laura

[jimmie 48]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

thanks for starting this sadiejen. we have been chatting about our sturggles for some time now.
higgies, thank for the come back on the pm and for searching this out.

i would like to say i disappeared from her earlier becuase i was doing exercise. that's sorta like cleaning the house before the maid shows up. lol i wasn't exercising.

i have acrually reached goal a couple of times through different circumstances. this last time seemed to stick. every day now i am somewhere between 120 and 122. just like sadie, i don't have a problem with carbs any more. i have eaten this way for so long that i just don't think about it any more. i don't crave cake or pancakes, even the atkins pancakes and muffins have no hold over me. if i exercise 45 minutes to an hour 5 days a week i can eat 50 or 60 carbs without a problem.

no laura, there is no extra motivation here. i didn't join the challenge this time around because i thought i would be gone so much of the time. i have gone downhill from there. it's not that i can't do it, i just plain don't want to. i have been in this funk for weeks now. and to be quiet honest, the reason all this came up was because sadie looked at a post and sent a pm. the only one to do so. so much time is spent on newbies and those getting to onederland that many of the folks who get to goal are overlooked.

what do i have to do to get motivated? i discussed with myself that maybe setting another goal like at 115. sadie has thought the same and then we both think, what happens if we get there? the same thing? no motivation?
i think part of my problem is i have no one to be accountable to. jack isn't here, i'm not in a challenge.

higgies, if i had to gain a few pounds by eating "off plan" i think it would make me sick. i'm geared all differnet now.

how in the world do i get myself going? i just don't feel like it and i know at least sadie feels this too.

[BikerGoddess]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

Well, it may not be motivation, but it is good to hear I'm not the only one who's worn out by it all. I mean, who wants to start a post saying "I'm feeling mediocre today"? My clothes still fit, so it's not like I *have* to do something. I just feel blah, so I mostly stick with ******** about my boyfriend... lol

Thanks for starting this thread, Sadie. I think we'll probably get more company as the holidays near and we don't have weight loss to focus on.

Laura

P.S. I think I'll do some lunges and situps, just to say I did something

[jimmie 48]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

see, laura, the blah part of me says "why" to your p.s.

i have to say too, that i think it might be worse if your a mod, admin or hostess. i think the masses just expect us to be on with the progam, no problems, no worries, at goal and life is great. it isn't.

so, laura is going to do a liitle.
sadie, what about you?
higgies?
me? i don't know. time will tell. i don't feel like it right now, that's for sure.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

we have focused on weight loss for so long it is hard not toi say I can I saw I conquered what is next cause maintaining isn't a positive challenge it is running like heck from our former selves. That is why exercise is so important.

Because the gym doesn't have an adult daycare I can't go lift at the gym and I'm not about to be stupid and lift in the house without a spotter or rick Mother playing with them and injuring herself so i gave up my BFL program and I really really miss it. I'm negotiating with my sibs to build a gym with the machines in the basement and hire somebody to watch her while I worek out.

We need to find something else in our lives to focus that energy and drive we put into doing Atkins that wiill be a positive force in our lives and still make us need to do our Atkins. For me it was lifting more and getting my time for the 5K under 30 min. For Betty it is running her first marathon. Health issues for diabetics give then poissitve reinforcement every 3 months with the A1c test. So what you guys see on the horizon as your positive motivating force that will need your Atkins to be good and give you something to work for?

[2big4mysize]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

So Jimmie what in your community is going on that could motivate you to exercise? And charity walks or runs you feel strong about?

[jimmie 48]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

charity walk? does running my butt off in the church kitchen count? i am not doing that yet but it will happen soon enough.

no running. nada, i have to live with these knees and i have never been a runner.
so, i guess the answer is i am not checking into either one of those. the interest isn't there so it isn't going to motivate me.

i don't know what to do. getting off of here would be a start. would you agree with that?

[Perry]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

At goal now for over 18 months. I just eat moderately, basically low-carb (with an occasional treat thrown in) and exercise 2-3 times per week. I don't let daily (even weekly) weight fluctuations bother me. My body likes where I'm at and more importantly so does my wife. I check in here occasionally to see how folks are getting along and am pleased to see so many paying it forward.

[jimmie 48]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

perrybobman! so good to see you! good timing too.

so i take it that the 2 or 3 times a week is keeping you at just the right spot. not gaining not losing, just right. how long do you work out? 1/2 hour or hour? my problem is i just don't have any get up and go.

yes, alot paying it forward and more and more in journals and stats is surviving. miss you, man.

[Perry]

Re: Maintenance Support thread

30 minutes, Jo. Keeps me on the straight and narrow! I also wish the 'get up' was there. It's just habit right now. Helps having a home gym and treadmill.

Missing you too.