Please give me tips for maintaining not gaining after losing on low carb WOE

[TrucksAndDinosaurs]

Because I don't really need to lose much more but am a bit confused about what next...

Thanks :)

[giraffeseatpineapples]

Well done for getting close to goal Trucks!

[MrsHerculePoirot]

Well done trucks. Some of the books suggest increasing carbs slowly until you find what you can eat and still stay the same. For me I will eat basically what I do now, but plan to introduce carber veg first (eg carrots, butternut squash, peas, sweet potatoes, sweet corn etc ) and then go from there

I have posted it before, but can't find it right now about the order to reintroduce stuff.. Will see if I can find it....

[MrsHerculePoirot]

Found it:

1. more salad and other vegetables

2. fresh cheeses (as well as more aged cheese)
3. seeds and nuts
4. berries
5. wine and other spirits low in carbs
6. legumes
7. fruits other than berries and melons
8. starchy vegetables
9. whole grains

[giraffeseatpineapples]

Cut and paste of BIWI's advice

This is a tricky one. Firstly, you have to accept that eating too many carbs was what contributed to your weight in the first place. So - it stands to reason that if, when you reach your target, you start eating like you did before, the weight will go back on

This means that you have to accept the fact that carbs will/should never be as prominent in your diet in the future as they are now.

However, on Bootcamp we are very strict about reducing our carbs, and we eat a very low amount. When you reach your target, you need to gradually increase your carbs until you get to a point where you start to gain weight again. This will tell you what you can/can't tolerate.

Unfortunately there is no easy way to do this, as everyone is different in terms of the amount of carbs they can tolerate - you just have to experiment.

I would recommend that you start very gradually by adding carbier veg to your meals and see what happens - possibly the odd slice of bread/toast.

[TrucksAndDinosaurs]

Thanks so much that's really helpful!
I've been doing BC lite since July and have been very strict about sugar and wheat, but still had dry wine, a few nuts and berries, 4 squares of 80% dark choc and the odd sweet potato wedge. I'm pretty sure wheat, beer and sugar are shockingly bad for me; especially bread, I think I can't go there again but can consider oatcakes with cheese if I need a crunch carb fix. I don't have a sweet tooth.

I've kept carbs below 60g throughout, often below 25g, I haven't gone over at all. Thinking I need to experiment with veg first and then apples and pears, then melons. My toddler eats them all day so hard to resist! Then think about adding sweet potato fries, sushi and nut butters/nuts. Finally lentils which I'm used to mixing into bolognaise and soups?

Mark's daily apple, which I like, recommends under 60g carbs for losing and 100g ish for health or maintaining; he also advocates an 80/20 rule for indulging which I like. I'd like to eat a wider variety of veg, nuts and fruit and I want to continue to work out most days, get good sleep, move slowly and move lots the rest of the time, be playful, get fresh air and sun and lift heavy things: the 'primal blueprint' advice.

I guess tracking with MFP, working out, and crucially avoiding wheat and sugar are the keys to the next few months. I weigh a few times weekly but the big flag is my waist measurement.

I will let you know how it work out!
Thanks again and sorry for essay!

[TrucksAndDinosaurs]

Ps. 4 sq dark choc is 4 single squares ^during the entire almost-3-months, not 4 squares a week or a night! Just in case any boot campers are reading this and planning ahead!
I did BC lite not BC because I'm breast feeding and I felt I needed the flex and the higher carb allowance, although I ended up being pretty tough - averaging 1400 calories and 25g carbs a day with daily 30min workouts with 5-7lb hand weights.

[giraffeseatpineapples]

You have done amazingly, I am eating more or less as you describe for maintenance (no lentils but maybe when I get to maintenance thats something I will think about) but still losing lbs. I dont plan to have much wheat ever again either. Want to steer clear of sweets as much as possible mainly for my gums and teeth tbh.

[giraffeseatpineapples]

I need to lose another stone btw .

[TrucksAndDinosaurs]

Well done giraffe that's fab, and only a stone to go - you must be feeling great!

Switching from losing to maintaining is quite daunting - but exciting too. I'm trying to stay focused on fitness not weight loss as that means not being scale focused which is boring and can get a bit obsessive. I wish I knew what weight my body wants to settle at because I thought 10 stone was it. But it seems I am still losing, even though weight fluctuates the trend is slowly down, about half a pound every ten days.
The support here has been amazing

[giraffeseatpineapples]

Actually I think if you are in the swing of excersise thats the one thing you should keep going with above all else. Wish I could get disciplined enough to go to bed and get up and excersise. If you haven't read it already this will give you lots of reasons to celebrate your excersise regime, they have it at lots of libraries or only £3.99 from book people first 20 min

your story is v inspiring to work a bit harder

[itsnothingoriginal]

There is definitely a equilibrium with introducing carbs back into your diet. I hit my target weight just over a year ago and started gently introducing carbs back into my diet then. I know when I've been pushing my limits as I'll gain a few pounds but I do find it easy to lose again by cutting back again.

I find low carbing after 3pm works really well for me but I guess its whatever fits into your lifestyle best. We rarely go out for meals (sadly!) so I don't very often need to challenge this by eating a late carby dinner.

Congrats for (nearly) reaching your goal