Paleo veterans who have maintained?

renkatrun

Yesterday I realized that none of my pants fit anymore. I have dropped 4 sizes in the past half-year. My bras are too big - even my underwear are too big. But I just can't bring myself to throw them out or give them away.
Invest in new ones...

I am so afraid that - even though I swear not to - I will gain again. Being this size seems so unfamiliar and precarious. And today I am famished.. Wanting to overeat in a way that hasn't even crossed my mind in the past month. I know this is mental. What is going on? Please let me hear from paleo folks who have maintained for more than a few months... please.

RatherBeInTheShire

Interested in hearing responses on this as well. I am 5 days Paleo and don't ever intend to going back. My goal is to do it as long as possible.

RatherBeInTheShire

Are you doing any exercising as well? Curious because I was hoping to lose some weight doing Paleo.. I run.. but that's it.

renkatrun

Disappointed not to see responses...

I run - but have never lost any weight running. I do weight lifting at the gym - or lately, Jillian Michael's tapes in addition.
I don't "cheat" on paleo - no grains, absolutely no sugar, no dairy either. Nothing processes with chemicals. I work out 6 days a week (never less than 5).

caribougal

I'm only 3 months in so I'm not who you want to hear from. But I've seen a number of peoplev1-3 years into this eating style who have maintained. I think it's like anything. If you make lifestyle changes and stick with them, it will last. If you don't, it won't.

Fwiw, I have those bottomless pit, tapeworm eating days. Usually 2 days before TOM. It happens. I try to quench it with healthy fats.

MikeFlyMike

Sorry for the delay
I am 9 months in? I lost all my weight Jan-Mar. I have held stable since. When April came and I didn't fit into my skinny jeans - I promptly threw away all my fat pants. And the medium pants. Kept only the skinny jeans.
Those are my "I'm feeling bloated and comfortable jeans".

I went out and purchased all new "hip" clothes that fit perfectly and even a bit tight since I got nothing to hide.

Please, do yourself a favor. Throw them away tonight. Commit to being healthy.

Cerebrus189

Like Mike, I'm also 9 months in. I'm still losing but most of the 40 pounds I lost was done in the first few months. I've fallen off the wagon a few times but return to Paleo every time. I, too, am afraid to let go of my size 14s in exchange for my new size 10s. Despite comments from many people how I need to go shopping, I still hang onto them and wear them occasionally, although they definitely look like they're about to fall off my butt. I wear them because they're comfortable, and in a strange way, I don't always want to show my figure. I'm curvy, tall and well-proportioned now, but I don't always want people to comment on my weight loss and my body. They've already started telling me to not lose any more weight, like it's their business, or that they didn't recognize me from the back. My looser jeans give me a break from that.

GalaxyDuck

I was at my goal weight before I started paleo. I have been paleo for a year now, when I first started I actually lost another 10lbs, so I spent my first few months of paleo trying to bulk back up a little bit. I put 5 lbs of muscle back on (heavy lifting & eating enough calories) and have been pretty steady ever since then. I don't really count my calories anymore (and haven't most of the time I've been paleo). Every once in awhile, I do log a week-few weeks worth just to make sure I'm getting enough protein and eating enough to fuel my work outs, but I don't stress out about weighing myself or tracking the calories every day.

I had already started updating my wardrobe when I went paleo, as I had lost 30lbs to get to my goal weight and my work wardrobe especially was no longer suitable. After I went paleo and was maintaining my weight, I threw out all of the oversized clothes I had (a lot!). I am glad I did actually, because I prefer keeping myself on track by feeling how my clothes fit rather than tracking a weight. When my new clothes start to feel a little snug, I know I've been slacking a bit with my work outs (or having a little bit too much wine!) and it motivates me to refocus, knowing that I don't have larger clothes to wear. This has only happened once so far, as I've found it rather easy to maintain the same weight range on paleo!

renkatrun

Thank you so much for all the responses! Sorry if I was impatient
This helps.

I am going to clean out my closet this weekend and shop on Monday.

MikeFlyMike

Good for you. Have fun - you deserve it.
I will say, I kept ONE pair of my old 36" dress slacks. I will never wear them again, but I wanted that pair to also remind me how fat I was.
I was reaching the point that I couldn't button them and used the belt to hold them closed.

I now have 32" pants that are too big a bit. (just the 30's are too tight).

spngebobmyhero

I've maintained for almost 6 months now eating paleo and it has been pretty effortless. The only effort comes in avoiding gluten. I know that isn't a wicked long time, but its more than many people who lose weight. I'm actually beginning to lose weight again now that I have buckled down my diet a bit more (avoiding dairy and "safe starches"). I think if you stick with this way of eating, which becomes pretty second nature after a while, then you don't have to worry. Just don't go back to the SAD way of eating!

divemunkey

I have been going for a year now. I started at about 250#. NOt positive because I didn't weigh and measure. I wanted to be more concerned about how I feel than having numbers to look at. I wish I had done measurements sometimes when I get frustrated but it passes. I am nowhere near my end goal of Looking Good Naked, but along the way I have found better health. Plantar fasciitis was gone after a few months, but wearing minimalist foot wear also helped that. my seasonal allergies have been less of a bother, which is very noticeable in this area, where allergens have been ridiculously high all year. Honestly, after the fist couple months, the scale stopped moving when I did bother to look, but every week I notice some shift in my body's composition. I have less back and belly fat, and my skin just feels different, as the fat cells underneath change shape. As for exercise, I didn't do anything until I started kickboxing 3 months ago. I'm still not dropping weight, but it's ok, I know I'll get there eventually. I recently buckled way down on the starches and dialed back my cheese consumption, and hopefully that will get it stated again. I'm now down to 211#, and have gone down one shirt size and almost 2 pants sizes. I have gotten rid of a lot of my old pants, and I am using ones I had grown out of before in hopes they would fit again one day. I am reluctant to buy any more, as I don't think they will fit long enough to make it worth the money. I plan to scour the local thrift stores for something in the meantime, but apparently nobody ever donates my size pants to anywhere. I will keep one pair of fat pants to remind myself how far I have come if I need a motivator in the future.

renkatrun

Just to say I went shopping!

New underwear, new pants, tops - everything. Last year I thought I was "normal" and stable at size 40 and I bought a lot of basics (pencil skirts and jackets). Since going paleo, I am back in the shape I thought I'd left in my 20s. New clothes are size 36, small and even xsmall - and everything fits well. I don't recognize myself.

A woman at work decided to look into paleo, too I love being an "older" role model for health. And - gee, I really love clothes...

LeidaPrimal

I have been maintaining for over 3 years. To be honest, I found it a frustrating experience, because I want to lose a few more inches for pure vanity! As for clothes, I pack away everything that doesn't fit or makes me look fat and give it to charity. I am working hard on my body and I want to see the results. I almost never buy clothes new, second hand shops have plenty small sizes to chose from in basically new garments.

Don't worry about regaining. Don't hoard. Be brave!

whatevany

I'm not at my goal weight yet (27 pounds to go), but I've been doing Primal since March 2011, and started my weight-loss plan in August 2010.

hpsnickers1

Been Primal since May 2010. It's been up and down. Severe sugar addiction here (yes on the same scale as alcohol and cigarettes). Dad and older brother are both diabetic. (Dad is on dialysis).
A misdiagnosis of Fibromyalgia (maybe it was real?) got me started on a "diet". The forums here got me started on a path of knowledge. Contradictory info got me skeptical. Confusion sent me to Primal Blueprint. And CLICK!!! On came the light bulb.

some issues that went away with Primal Blueprint:
eczema
cavities and breaking/rotting teeth
bad sleep (no issues with falling asleep or staying asleep. I tossed and turned, though. Had night sweats, teeth grinding, etc).
big bloated belly (1st 10lbs loss - on the low-fat, low-calorie SAD - didn't touch this. Nor did Jillian Michaels, P90X, the treadmill, etc. Nor did removing all that sugar from my diet. I was still high-carb - it just came from "heart healthy whole grains". (*eye roll*).

Little did I know that eating all that fat would help me hit a weight I haven't seen since before puberty!! I have seen 108lbs but only once. If my weight drops below 110 - my body "tells" me to eat more. My appetite increases. And I've also learned that calories don't mean a damned thing in my body. The number on the scale is based entire on what I put in my mouth.

Zeromilediet

Been paleo since Mar 2011 and have maintained no problem; in fact, I have to make a point to eat more carbs (read: fruit and potatoes) once in a while. For a woman, this is not a bad thing as there's some evidence we need more carbs than men for reproductive reasons. Just not the 100-200 per day most people get!

What I've noticed is continuing incremental changes, like muscle tone improving (I don't work out), tooth sensitivity is gone, and other little things. A big thing now is that eating grains and particularly soy & dairy, for me, makes me feel like crap ... like I have the flu. The most annoying thing is family and friends who think this is a nutty way to eat, and think I'm just being difficult.

Akimajuktuq

I'm not at my goal but I'd like to make a comment anyway, if you don't mind?

I have decided that I am going to eat paleo/primal/low carb for the rest of my life. Even though I've known for well over 10 years that I need a diet based on fat and meat and that grains make me sick, I was still not ready to accept it and change. I think I liked being sick. Well, I'm over that now. I LOVE feeling healthy.

The weight? Yeah, I want it gone, and it's going away at a good pace, but my health issues are my primary concern. I think that's the difference between now and then is that all I cared about was my weight before, now all I care about is my health. Everything is quickly falling into place and I trust that my body will settle where it is comfortable. No more worrying or obsessing, just enjoying the ride. Yes, I'll still have a dab of honey occasionally in my coffee, or other "treats" (but never "cheats") but NO MORE GRAIN (especially wheat).

Akimajuktuq

Been Primal since May 2010. It's been up and down. Severe sugar addiction here (yes on the same scale as alcohol and cigarettes). Dad and older brother are both diabetic. (Dad is on dialysis).
A misdiagnosis of Fibromyalgia (maybe it was real?) got me started on a "diet". The forums here got me started on a path of knowledge. Contradictory info got me skeptical. Confusion sent me to Primal Blueprint. And CLICK!!! On came the light bulb.

some issues that went away with Primal Blueprint:
eczema
cavities and breaking/rotting teeth
bad sleep (no issues with falling asleep or staying asleep. I tossed and turned, though. Had night sweats, teeth grinding, etc).
big bloated belly (1st 10lbs loss - on the low-fat, low-calorie SAD - didn't touch this. Nor did Jillian Michaels, P90X, the treadmill, etc. Nor did removing all that sugar from my diet. I was still high-carb - it just came from "heart healthy whole grains". (*eye roll*).

Little did I know that eating all that fat would help me hit a weight I haven't seen since before puberty!! I have seen 108lbs but only once. If my weight drops below 110 - my body "tells" me to eat more. My appetite increases. And I've also learned that calories don't mean a damned thing in my body. The number on the scale is based entire on what I put in my mouth.

Yes, yes, yes!!!

I had a huge list of health problems (some very severe and life threatening) which mysteriously vanished within a couple weeks of changing my diet.

Thanks for posting. Stories like yours (and mine) help me deal with all the comments from other MFP members that keep telling people, who are desperate for help, that it's only calories in and calories out, nothing more. "Eat less fat, fill up on celery, rice cakes and low fat protein, get up at 4am and do more cardio" blah, blah, blah. And that all of us paleo/primal/low carb/clean eating plan members are following a "dangerous fad". The insanity makes me want to scream and get all "cavewoman" on them.