After One Year.....

[artgirl7]

I have been at goal for one year now and the last month or so has been a little tough. So I need some helpful advice from you long term successers...

When I hit goal, I weighed 127 and wore sizes 2-4. Now, I am about 7-9 lbs heavier but my clothes are still fitting the same. I know folks say not to be a slave to the scale but it does keep my focused.

My cardio workouts have been actually better the last few months. My runs are longer and more intense. My toning exercises are about the same as usual.

I am getting married and my dress is a size 2 and I am bit nervous. Maybe it is the old fat me getting scared to see the scales moving in the wrong direction, maybe my food choices could have been better.

Speaking of which, foods have been alright. I have adjusted my diet only slightly, to include a few more whole grains like Kashi cereal. No sugars, no high carbs, all the regular stuff. Maybe a few more berries and fruits since it has been warm outside.

Enough of the rambling, have any of you experienced this? Should I be concerned and cut back a bit?

I know this may sound like nothing but I am a little concerned and need some advice.

Thanks in advance.

[Jerzaka]

First off - You're doing just fine. Really! You've come so far, try and enjoy it a little bit.

Secondly - Have you measured your entire body? The scale can be deceiving when you've upped your exercise routine. Trust me on this.

Lastly - Congratulations about your upcoming wedding! Just remember, weddings are VERY stressful. Try and find something that you can do to really "slow down" a bit and savor the ride.

[jimmie 48]

dr a does tell us to watch carefully, when we reach goal. we should try to be in the 5 pound range, but, you are working out and still building muscle, that is apparent by the size of your clothing. i would say if your clothes start feeling snug that is the time you should be dealing with whatever is going on.

i did gain about 8 pounds over goal. my jeans got a bit tighter so i knew i had to get hold of things quickly. i lost 6 of the eight and the pants are good now.

[artgirl7]

All great tips, thanks!

I have not measured in a month or so. I use to measure every week when I was losing. But since then,I figured if my clothes were fitting okay, then I was not going to worry. Maybe I will get out the measuring tape first thing tomorrow morning.

The wedding planning has been great and actually not stressful at all. I thought it would be so crazy from what everyone tells me. My dress fits great but I do need to really concentrate on upper body. This dress is very open and any little bit of jiggles will be obvious.

Do any of you think that I should go back to induction? When either of you start creeping up on the scale do you look at your food intake and portions sizes or do you up the cardio workouts? I would rather have a few more berries and up the workouts an extra 30 minutes but maybe I am approaching this the wrong way.

Thought?

[jimmie 48]

Do any of you think that I should go back to induction? When either of you start creeping up on the scale do you look at your food intake and portions sizes or do you up the cardio workouts? I would rather have a few more berries and up the workouts an extra 30 minutes but maybe I am approaching this the wrong way.

i would say "no" to going back on induction. people do that all the time thinking after they will binge or cheat or whatever, they will just do induction again. dr. a. made a point to tell us not to abuse induction. not that you are, but there is time and place. in your case i would say just drop back 5 to 10 carbs a day for a few days and then continue on. if portion control is a problem then that's easily fixed............ don't put so much on the plate.

when it happened to me i looked at what i had been dong. lack of exercise was the culprit for the most part. the solution for me was to get my butt in gear and do something. for you, the exercise is not the problem. you may not have a problem! you are working out, building muscle and the clothes fit. continue to tone.

[2big4mysize]

welcome back to ADBB congrats on the upcoming wedding. if your inches are the same or smaller then you have been adding lean body tissue which is very normal part of Atkins and you don't need to worry about the scale numbers. Remember Atkins is about losing fat while we morph our bodies working our Atkins both the exercise and the eating part. if you had your body fat measured when you were a goalie it might be time to recheck this will tell yolu if you have continued to lose body fat while adding musclemass and you are still maybe even in better healthy body fat% now then a yr ago.

I was shocked when I had my body fat checked while chasing that elusive number on the sclaes to discover I was below healthy body fat even for jocks but above what the ideal weight the BMI and charts said i should have cause I'd added muscle mass working out and eating my atkins.

Ignore the scale numbers if your clothes are fitting and you feel healthy working out.

[sallyseachange]

I agree with Jimmie... don't go back to induction. It's easy to abuse. Just cut back the carbs a little (but only if you find you've been gaining fat, not making muscle).

Maintenance is quite a juggling act, really. I personally need to be ever vigilant. I do weigh daily (blasphemy!!! lol), but only look at the figures over a couple of months... if the trend is upward, I just become a bit more aware of my carbs, and that usually sorts things out. After a couple of months, the trend levels out or goes down slightly. But I don't really do much other than make minor adjustments.

Congrats on your being at goal. You've come a long way and your hard work has paid off. I'm sure you won't let all that go now.

Keep posting... we're interested to see how you get on... hugs!

[artgirl7]

I certainly agree with you Sallyseachange, it is a juggling act. I do find if I am higher one day, I try to cut back for two days.

Generally, my carb intake is around 30-45 carbs.

Personally, if I did not workout daily, I know I would look so different. It is amazing what exercise does for your body.

I will play around with my carbs and portion control for a week or so and see what happens. I may also need to look at my fat intake, which may be a little low right now too.

Thanks for all the great advice, this board is great!

[msnicksmom]

Just wanted to say congrats on your year at goal and your wedding. Can't wait to see your update

[artgirl7]

Here is an update, about a week later..

I am back down to 130 and all is fine. Cut back portion sizes and my carb intake for a few days. All is well.

I also upped my toning exercises and it is making a big difference!

Thanks for all your support!