Any one have sustainable long-term results?
CTMike1980mfp
Posts: 17 Member
Having done Atkins back in 2005, I lose 80 lbs on it in 8 months which was great. Once I ran into life stresses, obstacles, laziness, boredom, I tended to have carb creep and have gained it all back plus some. I am afraid of doing this over again, to only give up or give in after a few weeks, or months. Isn't just calorie counting and exercise the best way to live with a lifestyle? Has anyone had success long-term with low carb? Thanks.
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I have been low carb for years. I find low carb an easy way to keep calories under control. For me, the more carbs I eat the less I feel full and the more I crave sweets and more carbs. So keeping it low carb makes it easier for me to keep overall calories under control because I am not constantly hungry or constantly craving. I just feel better with low carb, and life is easier with low carb. I usually eat about 100g of carbs per day, which is plenty to fit in all carb groups in limited quantity - so there are no off-limit foods and therefore no sense of deprivation or feeling of lacking something in my diet.
I'm currently doing keto for migraine control (50g/day) which is harder and does limit foods, but I'm hoping after 2 years of keto I can switch back to low carb and still keep migraines in check - time will tell.
If you don't think you can sustain low-carb long-term, then it's not the best way for you to lose weight. The best way to lose weight is whatever you think you can live with forever.7 -
I'm not long term yet, but I think this is something I can live with for the rest of my life. It doesn't matter what lifestyle you choose...low carb...low fat...CICO or whatever. If you make the conscious effort to not overeat, the lifestyle will be a success. If you decide "to give in" and overeat, you won't maintain the lifestyle.
I've gone the calorie counting/exercise route before, and yet here I am once again.
Choose the lifestyle YOU can maintain for the rest of your life.2 -
I lost over 50 pounds several years ago by using MFP to count calories and increasing my exercise. While I was successful, I struggled all the time with constant hunger and cravings. It wasn't until I learned about low carb eating and adopting this lifestyle that maintaining my loss became easier. Lowering my carbs further to keto levels has helped me to lose a few stubborn last pounds.
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Yes! I've lost +- 60 lbs 5 or 6 years ago; started out low carb, went Keto about 3 years ago. It IS sustainable if you believe it to be so.7
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I've been low-carb for over 3 years now. I have lost and kept off 90lb. I lost the weight with keto, and am maintaining with mod-low-carb.8
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I'm a calorie counter and a wannebe daily exerciser for weight maintenance and general health. I keep it low carb. I've run the low carb gamut during my 1 year of loss and 3.5 years of maintenance. Currently I eat ~50 total carbs per day. I don't worry if I'm a few over every now and then. On occasions I am considerably over 50 total carbs: think holidays, dinner out with friends, occasional restaurant meals. I doubt I'll ever be able to not pay attention or not keep the focus. This is ever present:
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Love that! If I quit now...! So true! I'm a great quitter! (Correction: I WAS a great quitter! I will be hitting a milestone soon...Entrance into Onederland! It's been so long since I've been under 200 lbs. I am going to celebrate! Although I do eat Keto, my carbs aren't always super low. I'm going to figure out a nice treat. Not a cheat. It will fit into my daily calories. Something I miss eating, but not filled with sugar. Not sure yet what that will be, but I may just reach 50 grams of carbs. And will probably get back over that line! LOL! But that's ok! Because I know it'll just be water weight and will come right off again.
I'm always focused on my food consumption. I can't go back to the way I ate before. It's not just my weight that will spiral out of control again. My sugar will too, and that puts me more in harm's way than being overweight right now. I don't want to be on dialysis in my later years. I don't want to be dependent on oxygen like my dad was.
I've still got a long way's to go, but Baby?! I've come a long ways already and I aint' going back!
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I've been keto for most of the past two and a half years. I seem to move from almost zero carb, to under 20g carbs on most days, to the low carb zone. I lost 40lbs while keto and gained back about 10 while low carb. I seem steady with lower carbs.6
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I'm a Keto Lifer. I'm in my 4th year of following this WOE now. Have successfully eliminated 167 pounds. I see no reason to not keep doing what keeps working. No going back to the crappy SAD for me.13
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Jigglypuff00 wrote: »Love that! If I quit now...! So true! I'm a great quitter! (Correction: I WAS a great quitter! I will be hitting a milestone soon...Entrance into Onederland! It's been so long since I've been under 200 lbs. I am going to celebrate! Although I do eat Keto, my carbs aren't always super low. I'm going to figure out a nice treat. Not a cheat. It will fit into my daily calories. Something I miss eating, but not filled with sugar. Not sure yet what that will be, but I may just reach 50 grams of carbs. And will probably get back over that line! LOL! But that's ok! Because I know it'll just be water weight and will come right off again.
I'm always focused on my food consumption. I can't go back to the way I ate before. It's not just my weight that will spiral out of control again. My sugar will too, and that puts me more in harm's way than being overweight right now. I don't want to be on dialysis in my later years. I don't want to be dependent on oxygen like my dad was.
I've still got a long way's to go, but Baby?! I've come a long ways already and I aint' going back!
You have, you have and you won't, you won't!!
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baconslave wrote: »I've been low-carb for over 3 years now. I have lost and kept off 90lb. I lost the weight with keto, and am maintaining with mod-low-carb.
Three years here too.4 -
Jan 12 will be my 3 yr anniversary going keto. I've lost over 200lbs, kept it off, spent the last year (unwillingly) maintaining (had a rough emo year, but kept the weight off). This years goal is to lose the last 20#.8
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2.5 years effortlessly maintaining all the weight loss I had in my first 4 months.
I do not do cheat days or cheat meals. I know I would trigger cravings and terrible stomach upset so I don’t even think about it. I don’t care either. I’m completely content with my food options. I miss nothing.9 -
I am in my 4th year of lchf, and have kept off the 11 kg (24 lbs) that I lost in the first year, though I bounce up and down a kilo depending on my carb ups. I keep calm and keto on because I feel better that way! You can too.5
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Coming up to 4 years in a few months....yes it can be done and even better, in a comfortable nonstarvation way.6
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canadjineh wrote: »Coming up to 4 years in a few months....yes it can be done and even better, in a comfortable nonstarvation way.
In for the comfortable, non starvation way. Time passes any way and it's far better to lose it reasonably and keep it off than speed through, learn nothing and gain it back. Gets off soapbox now...7 -
I've yo yo'd on weight most of my life and this time it just feels different I'm currently keto (working on month 3) and one day I may up carbs to just low carb again, but I am finally accepting that in order to keep my type 2 under control I can't eat carbs, at least not the way I did. Never again. I thought I had adapted this mindset back in 2016, but I was wrong. I let stress dictate my appetite and yeah..... I own that though. That was my fault. I have got to learn ways to deal with life crises that don't involve stuffing my face with food that will eventually kill me.
I say it's different this time because in 2016, despite all my efforts and conscious thoughts, I was still saying in the back of my mind, oh when I get to goal I'll be able to eat this and this and this.... Now? Oh when I get to goal I'll just be able to eat more of this perfectly good keto low carb food. To explain more why this time is different...... I keto'd right on through Thanksgiving when every other time in my life holiday's were an excuse to take a break that I never went off. I keto'd right on through a vacation just a month into being back where I was surrounded by enough temptation to make the Pope break. I did not break, I did not quit, I did not let myself have just one bite.... Now I'm staring down Christmas and you know what..... I'm looking forward to my perfectly happy Christmas keto prime rib and veggies that come with a nice side of family and friends. I'm more worried about over eating calories than I am about eating cake. I am no longer afraid of saying no to co workers out of rudeness and all the xmas candy they bring in. I am not saying this year that I'll just wait till next year to get started. I'm doing it NOW.
So..... all that being said I am in this for the long haul. I know it can be done because so many of you have done it and are so inspiring. To me it's not all about weight loss anymore, it's about being healthy and being around for my future kids and family. It's about keeping my limbs and not dying from a disease that I can completely control with diet without going into medical debt on medications. I don't want cake anymore. Nope. Give me steak. If that comes with a side of skinny and healthy, then what do I have to lose?11 -
@chaoticdreams -- you ROCK! I agree with all you just wrote. Except I did have a tiny bite of things at Thanksgiving. But I didn't give in and have bigger helpings, because you're right...they can eventually kill me if I don't change.
Sending a friend request because I wanna follow you!2 -
Nailed it, @chaoticdreams!
It takes enough motivation to make it a habit. My CVD risk score did that for me.
And once the habit gets you on autopilot, "cheating" has no appeal. Personally, my whole mindset changed about food, and now I see food as an opportunity to fuel different kinds of exercise.
If I eat a few too many carbs, no sweat -- it'll help fuel my run.
If I stuff myself with meat, I can't wait to lift weights.
Started about 3 years ago. I'm about 10lbs higher than my lowest weight, but my waist is the same size as at my lowest weight, and my arms, chest, and quads are bigger. And I'm faster and stronger than I was 3 years ago.
I don't even know how to fail anymore.
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