What happens after you reach your goal?

[misa]

Hi, I'm 23 and I need to lose around 100lbs... I've lost 30 some pounds in one month a few years ago when I did Atkin's, but unfortunately I didn't stick with it. After that I thought I'd just try counting calories but I didn't stick with that, either, and eventually ended up gaining the weight back. There's been other times I've done Atkin's and I've always had quicker results from it, and I've found that it is the easiest diet for me to do, it's just a problem with me sticking to it. I'm really determined this time, though, I'm just wondering what happens after you reach your goal... Like, say you keep eating healthy but you're eating more carbs, will you start gaining the weight back? Or do you need to stick to low carbs?

[rozigrl221]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

Wlcome to .

I am still on OWL and I am by no means an expert, but I would say that you have to stick to eating healthy and do low carbs. Not as low as induction. Once you are thru with OWL and move to pre- maintenance you find what your CCL is and you go from there. That number is different for everyone. Plus you must calculate excersize into that equation. How active are you. If you are really active then your CCL will be higher.

Do you have the 2002 edtion of the Atkins book? That is our bible around here.

This is a WOL (way of life) not just a temporary fix.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

You haven't read the book, have you? There's only 2 weeks of induction, and then you start adding back different food items in stages called rungs. There's ongoing weight loss (OWL) then pre-maintenance and then maintenance. It is not a diet--it is a life change. If you keep on using it as a quick weight loss 'diet' you will mess up your metabolism very badly.

You can't do this without reading the book. It is better to do it with support, like this board. No matter what 'diet' you go on, if you go back to eating the way you did before, you will gain all the weight back and usually more. Do it while you are young. Make it a life change.

Sunny!

[APanthesilia]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

I read something that really helped me on this board-- get over thinking that there is an 'after atkins'. If you want the weight to stay off and you want to keep feeling as good as this then it is a way of life and way of eating not just a diet. So don't keep thinking "when this is over I can have (insert whatever high carb food is tempting you to quit)." That is a trap that I used to fall into and all it did was make me crave the item now. The reality of it is that that food is what made you need atkins in the first place- it is not your friend and if you stick with the WOE until you reach your goal and then start eating the way you were again then you will only gain the weight back. This is a lifestyle change and if you read the book and move up the rungs then you will be less tempted to have that illegal food and when you do reach your goal you will feel so good that you won't even want that junk! Of course it is tempting but read the book and do it right and you won't have a problem. This board is excellent and everyone is here for you as you do this!

[sadie147]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

OWL and Premaintenance I think are the most important stages in this woe. Far too many people get exited with the induction weightloss and refuse to go thru OWL and add the new food groups for fear their weightloss will stop. I think this is the downfall of many people.

You need to move onto OWL for many reasons, including finding food intolerances and allergies, finding your CCLL and CCLM, but mostly learning how to eat properly for life.

You learn that you really are not deprived once you reach your goal weight. Assuming you don't have any food intolerances there are very few foods you can't have in your maintenance aside from sugar and 'white' flours etc. I eat a wide range of foods including whole grains, fruits, potatos etc. But I learned through my OWL and premaintenance how often I can have them and in what quantites. Fruit does not seem to be an issue at all for me, but I can usually only have 1 serving of grains a day. I have to eat fruit with a fat and protein, and not late at night by itself, and i have portion control issues with both nuts and peanut butter (i still struggle with this one daily).

It's an ongoing learning experience of how you can eat healthy for life, and maintain your weight, and you should try to think of it as this..and not a 'diet'.

[Dropzofjupiter29]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

It's a mind set. You cant think as if your on a "diet" you have to be ready and agree that it is a life long change in eating. Once you have that mind set and are pumped up to start, you will do awesome. I know all too well. I did atkins 2 years ago and lost about 80, 90 lbs and slowly over the last 2 years ive put it all back on. This time Im planning on losing even more and going to stick with it, and keep a close eye on my weight once i reach my goal. Good luck to you!

[ttdriver]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

News flash: YOU ARE NEVER CURED OF CARB ADDICTION. Never.

Go back to eating what made you fat, and guess what ...

I've been on Atkins for over 6 years, 5 of which have been in lifetime maintenance. I'm also an avid runner, running 30-35 miles every week. I eat roughly about 50-60 grams of NON-STARCHY carbs per day on average. I do not eat sugar, potatoes, corn, or bread. Grains do not agree with my digestion, so I avoid them.

That said, once you get to maintenance, you can eat a wide variety of healthy foods, and endulge in an occasional higher carb food without issue. But to think you can "eat normally" (if you call eating carbage NORMAL) without gaining the weight back is absolutely wrong.

THERE IS NO FINISH LINE HERE. keeping the weight off requires the 3 D's: discipline, determination, and dedication....FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

Betty

[sadie147]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

News flash: YOU ARE NEVER CURED OF CARB ADDICTION. Never.

Go back to eating what made you fat, and guess what ...

I've been on Atkins for over 6 years, 5 of which have been in lifetime maintenance. I'm also an avid runner, running 30-35 miles every week. I eat roughly about 50-60 grams of NON-STARCHY carbs per day on average. I do not eat sugar, potatoes, corn, or bread. Grains do not agree with my digestion, so I avoid them.

That said, once you get to maintenance, you can eat a wide variety of healthy foods, and endulge in an occasional higher carb food without issue. But to think you can "eat normally" (if you call eating carbage NORMAL) without gaining the weight back is absolutely wrong.

THERE IS NO FINISH LINE HERE. keeping the weight off requires the 3 D's: discipline, determination, and dedication....FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.



Betty

And this is exacxtly why everyone needs to go through OWL, to find out what their food tolerance are etc. everyone's maintenance foods can vary widely....and you can't just guess at what your CCLM will be..you need to go through this process, and take your time, and learn what works for you.

[ValidRouge]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

I'd also have to say that maintenance is harder than losing!

BECAUSE I thought that when I "got to the end" I could go back. I would say there's been a part of me that knew there was no "going back" to eating real sugar and real flour...but that I would be able to have "lowcarb" substitutes...and going through OWL and premaintenance has shown me that I cannot eat that stuff either. But, that goes with the saying that low carb junk food is STILL JUNK FOOD!

So, now that I'm in maintenance, I'm doing a bit of adjusting my thinking about what "for life" is going to mean for me. Because, let me tell you, I am NOT going back to being a fat chick!!!!! If that means I continue to eat meat and vegetables (just more of them) then that's what it means.

[not2late]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

I looked at it this way---I got fat "eating normal food", the wrong types and the wrong amounts. So why would I want to get fat again by "eating normally"?

Does that mean when I'm in Maintenance phase I can never, ever, ever eat my Mom's cornbread? Nope. It just means I can't eat the amount I did or else I'd balloon up again. I learned that "moderation" isn't a few servings: it's 1 serving. And I learned that a serving is a specific amount---not the amount that will fit on my plate or the amount that will fill me up.

So no, I can never go back to eating like I did before Atkins, because I don't want to be the fat chick again either.

[sallyseachange]

Re: What happens after you reach your goal?

If you follow the programme properly, I don't think you'll have a problem eating maintenance style, even though it might seem hard at first to take out the few (and they really are very few) things you need to take out. By the time you've gone through the rungs and found your CCLL and CCLM, eating this way will have become ingrained.

I started Atkins never dreaming I'd reach goal and stick with low carbing for life... but that's what seems to have happened, and now, I love the way I eat.