how long to keep it off

Here is a question: what should be a target time to really focus on keeping
weight off that will maximize that it will stay off? That is, how long
before, for most people, the change takes and becomes natural?

One of the truisms (that may or may not be true) is the belief that most
people who lose weight gain it back. I have just lost 30+ pounds, half of
which I have never lost before, and had on me for 20+ years. I am determined
to keep it off. I plan to hit maintenance as obsessively as I did induction,
but can already tell that this is not going to be as easy as induction was
(which, except for giving up wine, was about as hard as falling off a log) I
suppose because the increase in carbs has brought back some appetite. At
some point i may explore a combination atkins maintenance sugar busters
combo, but that is far down the road. I have set an arbitrary rule that i
will focus hard on maintenance for at least 6 months before I begin playing
with alternative approaches. I wonder though if that is long enough. I
imagine that most people who gain back do it in a relatively short period of
time six months or a year, and that if one makes it past that period, the
habits and thinking and metabolism have converted and relapses are less. The
question is, what is this period after which failures occur less often?
Bob
197+/165/160

bob wrote:
:: Here is a question: what should be a target time to really focus on
:: keeping weight off that will maximize that it will stay off? That
:: is, how long before, for most people, the change takes and becomes
:: natural?
::
:: One of the truisms (that may or may not be true) is the belief that
:: most people who lose weight gain it back. I have just lost 30+
:: pounds, half of which I have never lost before, and had on me for
:: 20+ years. I am determined to keep it off. I plan to hit maintenance
:: as obsessively as I did induction, but can already tell that this is
:: not going to be as easy as induction was (which, except for giving
:: up wine, was about as hard as falling off a log) I suppose because
:: the increase in carbs has brought back some appetite. At some point
:: i may explore a combination atkins maintenance sugar busters combo,
:: but that is far down the road. I have set an arbitrary rule that i
:: will focus hard on maintenance for at least 6 months before I begin
:: playing with alternative approaches. I wonder though if that is long
:: enough. I imagine that most people who gain back do it in a
:: relatively short period of time six months or a year, and that if
:: one makes it past that period, the habits and thinking and
:: metabolism have converted and relapses are less. The question is,
:: what is this period after which failures occur less often?
:: Bob
:: 197+/165/160

I think the reason many people regain weight loss is because they lose their
focus on maintaining their weight. In other words, the assume they are done
and revert back to former habits. So, ime, the really important issue is
that you never allow yourself to revert back. One thing you may want to do
is get on the scale every day. Another is to revisit active OWL whenever
you get more than X lbs above your desired weight -- 5 lbs might be enough
of a margin. My plan is to practice LCing the majority of the time, adding
in carbs perhaps on the weekends when I'm more likely to be participating in
social activities, or even through the week but never over an extended
period of time. Also, I plan to keep exercise a major part of my life,
incorporating new activities whenver I become bored with my current regime.
Other than keeping an active focus, I don't think one needs to shoot for X
amount of time per se, but as with anything practicing maintenance is
important because practice makes perfect.

bob wrote:

Here is a question: what should be a target time to really focus on
keeping weight off that will maximize that it will stay off?

The rest of your life. Think of it like a recovering alcoholic; you are one
Twinkie away from being right back in the trough.

2 years ago, I lost 50 pounds just walking 45 minutes a day and reducing
calories in half!
Basicly, I starved for 4 months, but achieved my goal the hard way!

I slacked of the walking and went back to my usual Corn Flakes for
breakfast, A sandwich for lunch and the typical high Carb dinners and
snacks. I must have been doing about 200 carbs a day without trying.
It all came back and more in a year!

At 44, 6' 1'', 42" waist and 285 pounds with a BP of 150/98, I knew I had
to do something!
The most I ever weighed before was 260!!!!!!!!

I got busy exercising by walking 1.5 hours a day and lifting some light
weights and also started Atkins about the first week of August.

Today I just weighed in at 236 after stalling at 240 for 1 week!
My BP is now 120/80 and pant size is down to a loose fitting 38! :-))))))

I'm hoping I can get under 220, but I've never been under that weight since
I was 24! :-(
The weight return will depend on your life style and if you decide to rturn
to your old eating habits.

I'm not going back again and I've thrown out all by Fat clothes!

Lesson learned!

Mark

i am sure that is true for some people, but doubt it is true for all, like
most aspects of human nature, the reality probably follows the usual bell
shaped curve, with a peak somewhere after which the number of relapses
decreases significantly. I am wondering what time frame that peak is, which
may reflect some underlying reality, or may not, (in which case my question
may be meaningless, as simply focus forcing weight stability for tha time
period would do nothing) however, in the hope that it does reflect some
underlying metabolic reality, i still wonder, what is the time frame for
most people to gain weight back?


"bowman" wrote in message
...
bob wrote:

Here is a question: what should be a target time to really focus on
keeping weight off that will maximize that it will stay off?

The rest of your life. Think of it like a recovering alcoholic; you are
one
Twinkie away from being right back in the trough.

Bob,

There's no easy answer about maintenance, nor is there some magic time
period after which it gets easy.

I maintained a 20 lb low carb weight loss for about 3 years. Then I started
having severe problems with low blood sugar and feeling no energy. Plus, I
was really frustrated that nothing I could do would drop my weight any
further than the 20 lbs I'd lost early in the diet. Since I have diabetes,
I still hoped that losing more weight would help reverse it.

I decided to try a diabetes drug (I have diabetes) to see if it would help
me out. It didn't, but I felt so much better when I went off low carb, in
regard to my energy level, that I stayed at a higher level and managed to
put back on all the weight I'd lost.

I've lost that weight, and with the help of another drug lost a bunch more,
but my blood sugar is still diabetic, and I still have problems with my
energy levels while I'm low carbing. Weight loss has stopped and now I have
to keep a firm watch on what I eat or regain.

I don't pretend that it will every be easy to maintain. I've made more room
in my food plan for "forbidden foods" and I run at a higher carb level than
before because of the energy problems. But it's still tough. I have to pay
extreme attention to what I eat all the time, and sometimes I get really
sick of doing it.

It's worth remembering that 90% or more of the people who post here are "new
converts" who are either still in the exciting weight loss stage where
weight is just falling off, or have maintained for only a couple years. Many
of our old regulars who I remember from 4 or 5 years ago show up having
regained significant significant amounts of weight. I know how devoted they
have been to their diets in the past so their experiences merely remind me
how tough it is to maintain.

But having gained a bunch of weight back, very quickly, and having seen
health problems increase with that weight gain, I know that it is worth it
to maintain as well as possible. The most important strategy seems to be to
get very serious about going back on the diet if you regain 5 lbs that isn't
obviously water. But I also know that "life happens" and sometimes this
isn't possible.

Best of luck with your maintenance when you get there!

--
Jenny

Weight: 168.5/137
Diabetes Type II diagnosed 8/1998
Low Carb 9/1998 - 8/2001 and 11/10/02 - Now

http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean
How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each
month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings
* Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats *
Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * Exercise
Starting from Zero * NEW! Do Starch Blockers Work?


"bob" wrote in message
m...
Here is a question: what should be a target time to really focus on
keeping
weight off that will maximize that it will stay off? That is, how long
before, for most people, the change takes and becomes natural?

One of the truisms (that may or may not be true) is the belief that most
people who lose weight gain it back. I have just lost 30+ pounds, half of
which I have never lost before, and had on me for 20+ years. I am
determined
to keep it off. I plan to hit maintenance as obsessively as I did
induction,
but can already tell that this is not going to be as easy as induction was
(which, except for giving up wine, was about as hard as falling off a log)
I
suppose because the increase in carbs has brought back some appetite. At
some point i may explore a combination atkins maintenance sugar busters
combo, but that is far down the road. I have set an arbitrary rule that i
will focus hard on maintenance for at least 6 months before I begin
playing
with alternative approaches. I wonder though if that is long enough. I
imagine that most people who gain back do it in a relatively short period
of
time six months or a year, and that if one makes it past that period, the
habits and thinking and metabolism have converted and relapses are less.
The
question is, what is this period after which failures occur less often?
Bob
197+/165/160