Maintenance Frustration

[sadie147]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

Sally I have done that as well...knowing i'm going to be having a couple of cocktails, i'll cut back on food, and your right, it's not a good way to think lol.

I've found that adding a bit of extra exercise when i know i'll be having a drink really seems to help me, either that day or the day after...and i guess far healthier than cutting back on food!

Sally do you eat whole grain pasta's at all, living in Italy? I recently added some back, not very often as i'm not a pasta person..but it didn't seem to cause me an issue. We now have a good selection of whole grain pastas here...Usually i'll make my husband chicken pasta alfredo, I'll have the chicken breast as my main and have a bit of pasta as a side along with veggies, so I keep the portion size down. so far so good...My biggest problem with pasta is portion size...what i consider a serving and what is actually a measured serving are quite different lol.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

You're so right about extra exercise being the healthier way to balance the extra wine!!! Once I've done my morning's exercise, I find it very hard to do any extra though...somehow, I can't get into the right mindset. I do run around a lot though, most days.

As for pasta... we can get the whole grain pasta here, but to be honest, on the rare occasions I want pasta (maybe once or twice a month), I go with either Dreamfields or shiritaki. Here, the traditional serving size is 100g. Dreamfields put a serving size at about half that. I usually have about 30/45g only... with plenty of sauce.

Although many would think that it might be hard to do Atkins here, with all the pasta and pizza and stuff (and of course, it is, quite), actually it's even harder to do low fat. Extra virgin olive oil reigns supreme here and it's used very liberally. So in that respect, Atkins is not hard... it's cool that fat is our friend! You can't do proper Italian cooking with the paltry amount of oil we Brits or you Americans cook with. Just doesn't taste right.

I reckon you've hit on a good way to keep pasta portion sizes down, by having it as an aside to your main course.

[msnicksmom]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

hello old friends! I'm so glad to still see some of you here!

I'm good. My pants started feeling tight at the beginning of the summer though. Almost exactly a year w/o regular exercise. And then when it was finally warm enough for shorts...you guessed it, none fit. Did I jump on induction THEN? No, I went shopping for new shorts, and then since I had them anyway, I went bananas on a trip to Las Vegas with my hubby, followed by a family reunion and Chicago vacation with my family. So I was up maybe 6 lbs, and now I'm up 14 from where I want to be. But I'm through all the travel and most of the drama, though there is still a touch of drama to be expected when my oldest starts school on Sept 2. So I'm back on induction, day 4 today, 3 oz straight vodka one night the only stray. Well, and haven't started exercise yet. But diet wise almost perfect. No loss but energy level and joint pain better immediately. So, wish me luck on this hopefully short journey back to health...and learning about how I let the first 6 creep back on

[sallyseachange]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

Hey there Denise! Nice to see you again!

Sorry to hear about those pesky extra 14 lbs creeping back on, but I'm sure you'll get rid of them in a jiffy.

All the very best on your journey back to great health. Do Keep us updated here, as to how you're doing.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

Just checking in here to see how everyone's doing... been a while!

I've hit a spot of trouble lately. With my hub having had a horrid time and major surgery, the worry kind of caused me to slide a little. Mainly, extra wine.

The other day, I got a new scale and to my horror found that it weighed 5 whole kilos (11 lbs) more than my old one. Yikes!
I did a few tests with various other scales including the professional one at the pharmacy (wearing same clothes and not eating, drinking or peeing between scales) and came to the conclusion that the new scale weighs definitely heavy while my old scale weighs light. The truth is in the middle.
Anyway... I'd been conscious of a bit of a gain, which is hard to quantify now, because of the scales business, but the other day, when trying on a pair of pants I haven't worn for a while, I noticed a definite extra tightness. Sheesh!

So... I'm nipping things in the bud straight away. Would like to drop about 5 to 6 lbs (even though people tell me I look fine as I am).
Have decided not to go back to induction, but to drop the wine and generally cut down a little and see where that takes me. If I don't get results, I might hit induction again, but am rather loathe to do that unless it's a dire, dire emergency.

How about you all? How're things?

[blueberrylady]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

Hi Sally. I hope your dh is doing alright now and you can get back to your normal routines because I know how upsetting major surgery can be on a diet. I had the same thing happen to me in '05 when my dh had 2 heart surgeries.

I've gained a few pounds lately too although it's due this time to just eating too much although it's still stictly Atkins. Portion control has always been my problem and I just need to knuckle down now and get it under control again. Not being able to get outside much in this cold weather is part of the trouble too.

I'm still using my old scales because I'm afraid of exactly what you're going through with your new one. I hope you soon come to terms with it. Good luck!

[sallyseachange]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

Thanks Nyna... and yes, hub is doing very well now, thank goodness . Sorry to hear yours (and you) went through something similar.

I definitely hear you on the cold weather thing... it can really hamper things. Over here it's been pretty frigid these last few days too, with masses of rain also. Ugh!

Stick with your old scale as long as you can! Changing is so depressing, even if it's only a number and the "reality" of our weight is the same.
I only changed mine as it had got to the point that I'd have to step on and off the darn thing about ten times and then take an average!

[knicknack]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

I hear ya on the surgery. I hope your hubby is feeling better. I completely just failed massively at even trying to be good about what I ate when I got my surgery (december 18th) and am now not fitting into my clothes after a few weeks of immobility. It's amazing how that happens. I can not WAIT til I can swim again. I feel like a big pile of yuckiness.

I'm sure i'll be back here soon hopping back on the induction bandwagon. I'm not going to do it just yet since I've gone and gotten a spot of pneumonia to go along with my knee surgery and I think trying to go on a diet my not be the best plan right now. I need all the energy I can get. However, I am going to try to add a lot more protein to my diet, which I started today. I didn't really realize how hard it is to get protein when you're not able to cook. Geez.

hope everyone is doing well!

[sallyseachange]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

Sorry to hear about your knee surgery and pneumonia Knicknack. When these things happen, especially just before the holidays, it so often puts a spanner in the works. I'm sure you'll be moving in the right direction just as soon as you get back on the programme. Hope you feel well enough to do that very soon.

I've managed to maintain over the holidays, but now really want to knuckle down and lose even just a couple of lbs... been promising myself forever, but haven't had the right mindset. Can't use hub as an excuse this time as he's so much better (phew!)... I guess the holidays and my wobbliness are to blame.
No wine as of tonight... that's a promise!!!

[knicknack]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

Yep! I started by cutting the Junk Food a couple of days ago. Then I added more protein yesterday. I'm trying to take small steps since doing anything major seems like SUCH a huge hassle to me right now. Everything just takes so long to do when you're on crutches, much less when you're so tired! So, no junk food, more protein. I figure we'll work on the rest in small doses too and work my way up to being back on the program! Pasta and rice are somewhat central to my eating right now sadly, since I can make a big thing of chicken and rice and just eat it all week. But, that's just an excuse at this point - when I first had my surgery it made sense, but I can get about much more easily now so I should be able to start eating more properly. Of course, I can't grocery shop still so it's still somewhat difficult. I think I'm going to go order some meats and cheeses right now actually - that'll be my next step: changing my snacks to low carb snacks.

Normally I just go in cold turkey but I just don't think I can do it right now. No point in beating myself up over it though, I'll just do it in small steps and I'll get there! Off to order food! I wish they had low carb prepared meals at the delivery service that I'm using, but sadly they do not.

I'm really glad to hear that your hubby is doing better! Surgery really takes it all out of you. Anyone who tells you differently is misremembering, that's my new opinion. :P Or they're just lying to make you feel better!

[sadie147]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

Sorry to hear about your knee surgery...but glad to hear your starting to get back on track slowly with the eating. Doing it gradually at a time like this will probably be much easier.

I went completely off track over the holidays for the first time..I mean completely lol. If it had carbs, I ate it for about 2 weeks straight! No idea why...After 4+years...

I gained a couple of pounds maybe, but the worst part was how I looked and felt, my skin acted up and I hate alot of stomach issues, even my heartburn came back.

If the foods I'd eaten had been carbier veggies etc it probably wouldn't have been so bad, but alot of it was chololate cookies etc..I think that's why it had such an effect.

I started induction again last week for the first time in years! It hasn't been easy, and I miss my wholegrain toast in the morning, but the difference was almost instant. My skin has cleared up, and I feel so much better.

Now I have to get back on track with exercise, Did 3-2mile runs last week, and some pilates..so I'm off to a good start.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

Sadie... it's odd... I very nearly fell right off track these hols, and understand completely how easy it is to do after a few years (nearly as long as you) of "being good" or relatively good. Maybe we get a little complacent, or is it that we just want to give ourselves the satisfaction (so called) of eating in a socially normal way once again... like getting it out of our systems for once and for all. Well, at least that's how my weakening felt this year. I think if my weight had been at the low end of my comfort zone, I would've caved. Only my extra couple of lbs stopped me. I know it would have only been temporary and that I'm pretty well committed to eating low carb for life, but this year's wobble was a new and rather scary scenario for me.

Glad you're feeling better now you're back on track. Well done!

Knicknack... I know what you mean about not being able to go cold turkey at certain times. It's odd how sometimes we have lots of reserves to draw on and can go cold turkey, but at other times we need to take things more gently.

Take heart gals... we won't let the carb monsters get us for too long. They may win the odd skirmish, but we'll win the war!

[Cool Water]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

I'm getting a lot of flack from the moderator on the Induction part of the board. So, I am moving over here.

Since 1/13/09, I weighed in at 128.8. I have not exercised and I have been eating a certain way and this morning I weighed in at 123.6!
This is a 5.2 lb loss in no time!

The moderator on the 14 day induction atkins diet said "Are you aware that you are not eating Atkins or any other low carb diet?"---They have already removed my post to this answer.

I posted that (briefly) Tell me where is says you can't do this in OWL or Maintainence? The idea on atkins is to get the amount of carbs that causes you to maintain the weight you want. If you eat too many carbs and gain weight, then you cut back.

I am losing, and losing rapidly...I want to tell people on this. CAN I DO IT ON YOUR SITE?

[sadie147]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

The reason you are getting 'flak' is you posted your meal plan in the induction board, and what you are eating is not Atkins induction.

You would be eating a high OWL (the fruit juice), or maintenance menu. Just as an fyi, you are far better off eating whole fruit when you're at the other fruits OWL level than fruit juice. Fruit juice is very high sugar, and all the good for you fibre that is in whole fruit is no longer there when it's juice.

[jimmie 48]

Re: Maintenance Frustration

I'm getting a lot of flack from the moderator on the Induction part of the board. So, I am moving over here.

Since 1/13/09, I weighed in at 128.8. I have not exercised and I have been eating a certain way and this morning I weighed in at 123.6!
This is a 5.2 lb loss in no time!

The moderator on the 14 day induction atkins diet said "Are you aware that you are not eating Atkins or any other low carb diet?"---They have already removed my post to this answer.

I posted that (briefly) Tell me where is says you can't do this in OWL or Maintainence? The idea on atkins is to get the amount of carbs that causes you to maintain the weight you want. If you eat too many carbs and gain weight, then you cut back.

I am losing, and losing rapidly...I want to tell people on this. CAN I DO IT ON YOUR SITE?

your thread was moved to main [edited to provide proper forum] as per the post made by Elizellen. the move was done prior to your post here. nothing was deleted.

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/main-atkins-diet-forum/67609-cool-water-starts-over-2.html

you posted menus in the induction forum but are clearly not doing Atkins induction. your profile says you are doing induction. posting in the induction forum coupled with your profile, we had to assume you were doing Induction.
<LI class=profilefield_category>About Cool Water Atkins Phase 14-day Induction Location Aztec,San Juan, New Mexico Interests Crafting, reading, bowling http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...rs/cool-water/

whatever 'flak' you may think you received is/was an attempt to inform and instruct you as to Atkins induction.
please don't confuse flak with trying to provide proper Atkins eating.

if you are indeed doing maintenance, then you have lost the weight you wanted to lose since that is what maintenance is.

not looking too closely at the low carbing you are doing, at first glance, it appears to me you have started your journey from the maintenance phase, backing down carbs to the point you are losing. this is contrary to the Atkins woe.

i congratulate you on the loss even if it was done doing your own low carb plan.