Premaintenance differences

[msnicksmom]

Well, I followed induction to the letter, OWL to the letter so far, and THINK I'm doing Pre-Maintenance correctly, but could use some input.

I have 8.5 lbs left to lose. I'm down from a size 16 to a 6 in 55 lbs. I look fantastic, have been exercising diligently as well as chasing 1 3 yo and lugging 1 22 lb 8 mo old. I also get very little sleep. So I think I burn a good deal of calories every day.

I never really get full. Ever. And Ketosis didn't really aid in the appetite suppression for me this time either.

My current carb level is 50, I lost inches and lbs at every level consistently.

I'm having a hard time modifying my menus to include both more carbs AND less fat, because then I'm still truly hungry or at least hungry sooner. When I add carbs and a bit of fat (I've never been "gobs" of mayo or "drenched" in butter), I know I'm over on the calorie count, but it looks like I'm eating more what long term is going to look like, y'know? And I'm still losing well.

Any thoughts? I guess I don't have spec questions, just wondering some BTDT from those I trust. Most IRL say either go back to "normal" LOL! People are so weird!!!

[not2late]

Originally Posted by msnicksmom

Well, I followed induction to the letter, OWL to the letter so far, and THINK I'm doing Pre-Maintenance correctly, but could use some input.

I have 8.5 lbs left to lose. I'm down from a size 16 to a 6 in 55 lbs. I look fantastic, have been exercising diligently as well as chasing 1 3 yo and lugging 1 22 lb 8 mo old. I also get very little sleep. So I think I burn a good deal of calories every day.

I never really get full. Ever. And Ketosis didn't really aid in the appetite suppression for me this time either.

My current carb level is 50, I lost inches and lbs at every level consistently.

I'm having a hard time modifying my menus to include both more carbs AND less fat, because then I'm still truly hungry or at least hungry sooner. When I add carbs and a bit of fat (I've never been "gobs" of mayo or "drenched" in butter), I know I'm over on the calorie count, but it looks like I'm eating more what long term is going to look like, y'know? And I'm still losing well.

Any thoughts? I guess I don't have spec questions, just wondering some BTDT from those I trust. Most IRL say either go back to "normal" LOL! People are so weird!!!

There are 3 ways to do Pre-Maintenance:

1. Do the same thing you did during OWL, but add 10 net carbs instead of 5.

2. Follow your OWL, but add a 20 carb gram 'treat' 2 or 3 times weekly. Dr. Atkins' examples of a 'treat' was a piece of fruit, a serving of starchy veg, a serving of grain, a glass of wine or beer.

3. Average your CCLL for a week. His example was if your CCLL was 80, then for the week, you eat at 60 net carbs. So you "save up" 20 net carbs a day. Then you spend those "Extra carbs" one something like a beef stew with carrots and potatoes (again, his example of a food, not mine).

When you write you "never get full", what exactly do you mean by "full"? Is it a feeling in your stomach or is it that you are still hungry? You always eat the amount to satisfy your hunger. The times you might feel "hungry" during ketosis are when 1. you aren't eating enough food or 2. you are eating a food that is making your blood sugar unstable. So you might want to review your food journal and see if you are eating anything that might cause this instability. Sometimes it might be a food additive or preservative that is causing your problem, rather than a food itself.

As for the volume of food.....

When you climbed the OWL ladder, you noticed that the higher rungs have smaller amounts of food per 5 net carb serving. For example, 5 net carbs of lettuce is some outrageous amount like 11 cups, but 5 net carbs of oatmeal is about 2 tablespoons of uncooked oatmeal, 5 net carbs of pinto beans is about 1 tablespoon, 5 net carbs of grapes is about 5 grapes. So the total volume of higher carb food is actually less than the total volume of the lower carb food.

The OWL fat ratio rules apply to Pre-Maintenance: as you increase your carbs, your fat % will decrease "naturally", provided you don't add anymore fat and you keep your protein% the same.

[msnicksmom]

Thanks Meg! I am doing line 1 as I haven't reached my CCCL yet. And it's just this week, I jumped from 40-50.



I think of it as "appeasing" my hunger. It's just semantics, but if I eat just past the hungry point, I am hungry again in 2, may 2.5 hours. If I eat til I'm truly satisfied, I am not hungry again for 4-5, but then my calorie count is WAY high. Does that make sense? And it's been this way since induction, actually even not on Atkins, because it happened this way ALL the time when pg or nursing. So I don't think it's a particular food.

"So the total volume of higher carb food is actually less than the total volume of the lower carb food. "

So, I understand the total volume thing. But how do I eat enough then to satisfy my hunger? Do I make that up in low-ER carb foods, like more green veggies? I'm kind of confused. And I understand fat is calorie dense. So, what I saw in a 2big post earlier this week was adding the more veggies, but not adding dressing to those new veggies. I seem to HAVE to add fat with the higher carbs or I don't even appease, much less satisfy my hunger. Adding some cucumbers or peppers hasn't seemed to help, adding peanut butter or cream cheese has.



Looking back at my fitday averages, I am at 25% protein, not 30. Maybe that's where I need to make my first adjustment, that's pretty basic. Maybe making that adjustment will get my fat/carbs in line?

Am I making sense? Please tell me if my understanding is way off. This WOE seems very simple to me, but difficult to others, so I may not be getting it at all.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by msnicksmom

Thanks Meg! I am doing line 1 as I haven't reached my CCCL yet. And it's just this week, I jumped from 40-50.



I think of it as "appeasing" my hunger. It's just semantics, but if I eat just past the hungry point, I am hungry again in 2, may 2.5 hours. If I eat til I'm truly satisfied, I am not hungry again for 4-5, but then my calorie count is WAY high. Does that make sense? And it's been this way since induction, actually even not on Atkins, because it happened this way ALL the time when pg or nursing. So I don't think it's a particular food.

You might not be eating enough calories to suit your energy needs. The calorie formula is s decent guide, but if you are physicially active or have a good metabolism you might be needing more calories. I had a busy weekend (mentally---wedding and christening) and I ate way less than I do on 'normal weekends' when I work in the garden, run errands, etc. I didn't gain any pounds and I didn't lose any. But if I ate the same amount that I eat on 'normal' weekends, I'm sure I would have gained a pound.

Test it for a week or two. Eat to satisfy your hunger and see what happens.

Also are you sure this hunger is really hunger and not thirst? Thirst can sometimes masquerade as hunger.

"So the total volume of higher carb food is actually less than the total volume of the lower carb food. "

So, I understand the total volume thing. But how do I eat enough then to satisfy my hunger? Do I make that up in low-ER carb foods, like more green veggies? I'm kind of confused. And I understand fat is calorie dense. So, what I saw in a 2big post earlier this week was adding the more veggies, but not adding dressing to those new veggies. I seem to HAVE to add fat with the higher carbs or I don't even appease, much less satisfy my hunger. Adding some cucumbers or peppers hasn't seemed to help, adding peanut butter or cream cheese has.

The higher carb food tend to be higher in calories and in fiber, so that will help to "fill you up more". Be sure to eat those carbs with protein and fat. So if you eat celery, eat it with the peanutbutter or almond butter. Or eat like a super-mini pizza of a couple slices of pepperoni, cheese on a tomato slice.

Looking back at my fitday averages, I am at 25% protein, not 30. Maybe that's where I need to make my first adjustment, that's pretty basic. Maybe making that adjustment will get my fat/carbs in line?

Am I making sense? Please tell me if my understanding is way off. This WOE seems very simple to me, but difficult to others, so I may not be getting it at all.

Keep asking questions. It is confusing at first.