Keeping the weight off after SS?

[MissB]

Hi
I was just wondering (and would like some honest opinions)those of you who have done cd before and ss, did you find once eating food again this piled on even when being careful or was it because we ate all the pies?

I think CD is great and can see the results happening already but I dont want to be dependant on this diet for the rest of my life as I cant imgaine to continuosly do this i.e starving yourself is good for your body.

 

[karenO]

With this diet, just like any other, when you reach target if you go back to the old eating habits, the ones that got you overweight in the first place you will put the weight you've lost back on. Whether you got to goal via Cambridge, Atkins, WW, or whatever you MUST change your eating habits for the better in order to maintain the weightloss you've achieved.

CD allows you gradually go up the steps as you approach target, reintroducing foods, giving your body a chance to adapt. People have different ideas about how they will maintain, some plan to follow WW Maintenance, some plan to do 80/20 others just to follow a healthy eating plan and portion control.

The best thing is to find a maintenance plan that suits you & your lifestyle best x

 

[MissB]

thanks a million Karen for your advice, its just Ive been reading up on a lot of thisngs and the onething that keeps popping out ids that you metabolism slows down on diets with an extreamly low calorie count and I was a bit concerned. Im delighted with how Im fdoing so far just dont want longg term side affects. I have 2 .5 stone to go so am still commited to this.

 

[karenO]

Think thats why its so important to follow the re-feeding steps to give your body (and metabolism) time to re-adjust to the re-introduction of food. I think its easy to think once you're at target then thats it you're done & you can go back to normal. Maintenance is a whole other journey and i believe involves changes for life.

 

[VictoriaPlum]

Hi Miss B,

I am 8 and a half weeks into SS and the reality of maintenance has been on my mind too.

What Karen says about working up to maintenance level eating is absolutely imperative to keeping the weight off. Increasing the calorie intake at too fast a rate, even with exclusively healthy foods, will result in quick weight gain.

The other golden rule is that everyone's maintenance energy intake will differ. Our bodies differ, our exercise plans differ, our metabolisms and builds differ. Some people's bodies need to be on each of the steps up for longer than others to get used to the increased calories. After the 1500 cals step, don't trust a maintenance calorie calculator, work up the plans and find your own level of calories to balance your weight.

I have been thinking hard about what I consider to be normal eating. I used to think that normal eating was being able to eat midlessly, not considering calories or fat or nutrition. e.g danish and cappucino for breakfast; crisps and chocolate and a can of coke as a snack, for lunch a 6 inch baguette with bacon, cheese and mayo, cake, more coke; chocolate snack; bottle of wine in the evening with crisps; takeaway for supper.
Now I am keeping in mind that this was only normal eating for me as an obese person and I loathed the effect it had on my body.
Normal eating is whatever it takes to be healthy and look slim while still enjoying food - generally 80% very healthy with 20% flexibility.

With years of unhealthy behaviour ingrained, we'll always have to think about what we eat but maybe it'll get easier in time.

I know I can never go back to "normal" eating for more than the odd meal or odd celebratory days unless I want to gain weight.

Weight loss is the introductory step to maintenance as a slim person. I look on Cambridge as the fast-track programme.