Maintenance diet?

yeah, I kind of thought we had to eat differently...but it seems that people eat the same, just add higher calorie things once in awhile....

My NUT told me to keep eating protein first, always, always. I'll get my protein requirements that way and won't have to worry about it. I then eat complex carbs after that until I've had all I can eat.

She suggested that I start out adding one more carb exchange per meal per week. To eat as close to a serving as I can, and weigh myself often during this period. Once I reach a place where I have stopped losing and haven't gained, I've reached my harbor. Stay there. It's worked wonderfully for me.

sue

 Congrats on such a great job, Char....I'm still about 30 pounds away from my goal - but my body has been maintaining for the last three months at a weight it obviously thinks is fine.  I don't measure or count anything - try t o always have protein first get in some vegs & fruits - but also have an occasional carb - only real problem is a few addictive things that I bought in too large a size - a cinnamon multi fiber type cereal & nature's best sweet & salty snack bars - both sound healthy with nuts, etc...but have the ingredients that make you keep eating and they go down easily for some reason...wish broccoli would go down that well!  Anyway - when I see a difference in either inches or pounds it is usually when I've been better at exercising - more so than the food.  I am falling back from my plan of 5 days a week - so many things get in the way and you wind up being a couch potato again.....once I do exercise I feel great - so I just can't figure out why I slide away from it so easily....Anyway - that would be my advise - don't worry about your foods but do incorporate the exercise!

In some ways, maintaining is more difficult than losing!  At least with losing you have specific guidelines to follow.  You don't when you are trying to maintain.

Yes, it is a balancing act and it's one that will vary over time.  As you get further out, you find that the weight comes back easier than it did right when you hit goal.  It is very common to gain back 5 to 10 lbs over time.  And keep in mind, I was one of the folks who had a hard time getting the weight loss to stop!  At one point my BMI was down to 20 and it was recommended that I GAIN in order to have a healthier BMI!

Initially, I did things like eating regular yogurts, etc. (not non-fat) and had regular sugar (not sugar free).  I also had more carbs, but only healthy carbs like whole wheats, fruits & veggies.  It gave me a little more room for indulgence, but I still stayed away from white, refined flour.  Now I eat a little less protein and more fruits and whole-grains (I still keep my protein at a minimum of 50g per day).

One thing my surgeon encouraged is to weigh yourself daily (when in maintenance mode).  I find that this works well for me as it gives me immediate feed-back about what I've eaten the day before.  (for some reason this didn't matter to me pre-op).  I now see that when I eat almost any fast-food, I have a weight gain the next day.  But it also shows me what I'm doing right!

Blessings,
Rana

This is a good question Char.  I still have a hard time getting in a lot of calories unless I eat things that I shouldn't.  I guess things like nuts and avocados would be of some help.  I do limit those things right now because I hope to lose at least another 10lbs for a little cushion, ya know.  The whole idea of maintenance just scares me to death frankly. I've never done it before...either I was going up or going down...never steady.

Laura

I have a problem with eating solid food.  It just doesn't want to go down and I have an uncomfortable feeling afterwards.  Steak is a NO-NO all together for me and sometimes chicken is NOT my friend.  I went on a junk food run because it goes down easy and if you eat a little at a time it doesn't make you sick.....BAD!!!!!  I am having a hard time breaking out of this habit.....my husband wants the sweets in the house and refuses to hide them from me (YOU MUST HAVE WILL POWER TO STAY THIN.....BEING THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE IT BEFORE AND COST US ALL THIS MONEY TO GET THIN)....so I get the lecture.  One thing I noticed is that I will gain inches before I gain pounds so be very careful.....I am having a lot of trouble staying focused.

hi char...heres MY warped version of a meal plan...i eat 2/3 of an egg mcmuffin...

instead of FOUR of them!

cheers hunny!! 

LOL, love eeeeet!