Welcome to the Bootcamp Maintenance thread!

[BIWI]

As several people look like they're reaching or soon reaching their target, I thought it would be a good idea to start a maintenance thread.

I know lots of people are worried about how they're going to maintain, so having a support thread for ideas and suggestions sounds like it's going to be important!

I have lost a stone since August and think in this boot camp I have been 'maintaining' instead of dieting. Dieting, is maybe what I should have been doing. I've still loads to go! Complacency has set in and I've had plenty of NSV with clothes so am not too disappointed. I have eaten mostly low carb light, enjoyed wine and meals out, (steak and salad, creamed spinach, Indian meals) and am not missing potatoes or pasta. It's been very enjoyable. I'm greedy for buttered veg, garlic butter and creamy sauces, antipasti, olives and cheese. It has been great! When I'm out I'm tuned in to being mindful of carbs, so what I've indulged in I have enjoyed mostly. The times I've been a carby twat I've come to realise aren't worth it and a little bit of something I miss gives me much more pleasure than completely and guiltily stuffing my face. I have found a high protein bread substitute, in a local bakery, 6g carbs for two slices. Great for a weekend breakfast! I will bookmark this thread and go between the two. I really do enjoy this woe and am not finding it a chore at all. I just need to do another strict boot camp to kickstart the weight loss again. Koko

That's really heartening sos to know you have managed to maintain successfully. I am sure we will all be picking your brains over the coming weeks. I am probably massively over thinking all of this, as I tend to, it's probably easier than I'm thinking!

Its the unknown that worries me, I know that I am a carb and sugar fiend with no self control. I like bootcamp as there are rules that I can follow and as long as I do I will lose weight.

After that it seems to be a bit trial and error and I am concerned that I will just go mad for carbs. Therefore I am planning to avoid the addictive carbs and increase the better ones.

Maybe we need to agree our own set of rules then blacktea as I find them helpful too. Like for me, only have 'new' carbs twice a week, I will also still have a ban on biscuits, cakes, puddings (sigh... Custard...) as they are my danger zone too for binge eating. If it helps us to structure it then why not, people can join in or do their own version.

This thread could be my saviour! I'm 5lb from target and a bit scared to stop! This is the 5th time I've lost 45lb but the first time I'm not thinking whoopee! I can eat what I want! Hoping my fitbit will help me this time and hoping I'll learn to love staying the same on the scales as much as I love losing!

I've lost on 1450 cals a day and doing 10,000 to 15,000 steps. I'm going to try 1900 cals and 10,000 to 12,000 steps and see what happens!

Good luck everyone.

Good idea Furry, at the very least I think I need to track my meals and water as I am doing now.

@FurryTurnip I am from Nottingham yes I think there were a lot of us east midlanders on this bootcamp

Brassica one approach to maintenance is to continue eating low carb but have one cheat meal per week/fortnight/month depending on what works for you. This is an example of the 80:20 rule where you follow the WoE for 80% of the time. In my experience 80:20 isn't effective for weight maintenance and 90:10 to 95:05 would be better. If you're eating 21 meals per week then that would mean a maximum 1-2 cheats (i.e. portions of carbs) per week.

I have found that now I have been eating low carb for years - a tenth of my life now! - that maintenance looks an awful lot like Bootcamp Light. Most sweet foods have completely lost their appeal as they are too sugary and sickly now that I've lost my sweet tooth. When a bowl of strawberries and cream is already a delicious and satisfying sweet treat, what is to be gained by adding sugar in any form to it? The only desserts I would enjoy now are the lower sugar ones such as chocolate mousse made without sugar, or cheesecake topping without the base.

Now that I no longer base my meals around carbs I see little need to add them back in large portions. If I'm eating out then I'm happy with a few chips stolen from one of the kids, or a quarter of a portion of rice with a curry. I do enjoy roast potatoes with my Sunday lunch but I'll only have one rather than three.

The changes to my eating habits have happened gradually over time. When I first went low carb then the smell of fresh bread drove me wild with desire but now it's just a pleasant smell and doesn't give me any hunger/cravings. The end result is that it has become much easier for me to eat low carb because most carby foods have lost their appeal.

Just nipping in.

Furry I have been on every bc thread for a few years. It is not just about losing weight. I am fairly happy with my weight. I don't post my food as I don't stick to bc rules. I have quite a bit of what I fancy and if the weight starts to creep up, I go back to eating as I would during bc. It is natural to me.

I stick around the threads to assist (mainly with the spreadsheet) and I love seeing new posters, who are so sceptical about this woe at first, achieve success.

Don't feel like you can't ask regulars about these issues, I am sure they would be happy to give an answer.

As BIWI says, there is no hard and fast rule for maintenance. It will vary for each us.

Good luck to all of you near/at target. You should feel very proud of yourselves.

Thanks Wombat. I think I was just conscious of trying to be sensitive to those people who may lose the weight each bootcamp, then put it back on and come back to the next bootcamp. I didn't want to sound like I was asking what they were doing wrong.

Good to know there are just long time supporters like you out there just keeping an eye out for us all- I certainly couldn't have done this without everyone's support.

I think it's natural to 'slacken off' a bit when bc ends and we don't feel as accountable, so when a new bc starts I think posters return to get back into it. Like a kick up the bum.

I am not saying that I haven't ever regained weight, I have, but it's usually just a few pounds and I know how to get it back off. If I consume sugar it sends me off track and gives me the munchies. I have at times found it hard to reign back in.

I seem to have an awful lot of words to simply say that bc keeps me accountable

Thanks furry I think I will do that

missmoohoo just wanted to check if you're on the right thread, this is the maintenance thread, if you want the bootcamp thread, then head over to week 8

mamisled well done for being close to target, you don't have to answer, but do you know why you've put the weight back on the other 4 times, just think identifying what happened the previous times, could help you (and maybe all of us!) avoid it happening again, good luck!

I am struggling, ended up eating some ice-cream tonight, was serving it to the kids and had a few spoonfuls. I'm useless without the strictness of bootcamp.

Today's food:
B fasting
L pork steak with cheesy cabbage and leeks
D chilli with courgette, peppers, avocado, sour cream and cheese
and ice-cream!

You are being very hard on yourself Starsky. Consider those few spoonfuls as good practice for maintenance - have them, enjoy them but don't fall head first into the whole tub!

Thanks furry Just annoyed with myself because I had a treat meal last night and so decided that I would have 3 low carb days and have already caved! However, it is a learning curve and I expect having carbs and sugar yesterday are what led me to wanting more today! So I just need to remember that in future. It actually puts me off having carby days/meals because it is harder to get back to low carb afterwards.

I did very low calorie diets ( 1000 cals per day was advocated 30 years ago!) I lost weight twice that way then, years later, lost on 1200 cals. I didn't educate myself or listen to my body or explore nutrition. ....I just basically went very hungry. I'd end up bingeing every few days. So, I didn't learn how to eat healthily . Then, after 4 big kisses, each time, I just couldn't bear to continue restricting myself.

I've learnt a lot this time around. I rarely get hungry and I feel well and strong. I also cannot express in words, just how the end of periods has helped! No more mad cravings for cake and chocolate!

I have no idea where to post my meals now there are two threads It's only to keep me accountable, like a pp said

I did a first run on c25k today. I’ve forgotten how much I hate running My weight is nearly under control now I feel I have to tackle the fact that I am super unfit!!

I was intending to stay on B.C. til the end and then hop over to this thread once I hit my target on the assumption that both will happen at the same time.

Well done Brassica, you've done the hardest run, it will get easier from now.

Yes I’ve definitely got feet in both camps. I’m staying on BC until the end. I may even join the January one depending on how Christmas goes . But I’m mentally preparing for maintenance (it seems a much more daunting task on BC compared to VLCD) and enjoy this as a slightly smaller group.

furrry the damn app or phone crashed as I was nearly finished and recorded no data !! I had 38% battery and the phone shut down so I’m blaming the app.* I’ve deleted it and downloaded another one.*

That's annoying Brassica! But you know you did it even if there's no evidence!

How's everyone doing, I ate something yesterday that didn't agree with me and spent the afternoon on the loo and didn't fancy dinner, so as a result I'm 3lbs down this morning!

I think I'm going to straddle this thread and bootcamp too. Have decided to stick with low carb until the end of bootcamp and try and lose a few more lbs so that I have a buffer to work with. Plus it's easier than maintenance!

Morning maintainers (almost)!

Starsky that sounds like a rubbish day, despite being good for the scales! Was it something carby you ate that upset your stomach? Must admit I am slightly nervous of the first time I reintroduce pulses and what they might do to my system...

Freezing here today and am feeling a bit comfort foody. Was really craving porridge this morning but held out with boiled eggs and protein roll. Though I do now have a cup of tea and some dark chocolate...

I'm also straddling both threads, and must admit I feel more comfortable on this one now. I feel slightly fraudulent on the other thread being so close to goal weight having only lost a stone, while there are people out there with loads of weight lost or still to go. It's been a bloody stubborn stone though, taken 6 years to shift, then just over 6 week to actually do it on this Woe!