Hi Carla,

Thanks, and the same to you!

Evelyn,

I have to disagree. As comforting as it might be to think that all those
skinny people who stuff themselves are going foodless for days when we're
not watching, I've lived with a couple of them and can attest they eat their
heads off at home, too, and never gain a pound.  The only genetic thing I've
seen that they have in common is a Y chromosome.

It's one of life's great unfairnesses.  I used to eat lunch with a guy built
like Honest Abe who would drink a big glass of milk washed down with a
regular Pepsi along with whatever was the lunch special and two desserts.
Every day. He was getting fed well at home too. He's heading towards 50 now
and still thin.

-- Jenny  - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.2.
Cut the carbs to respond to my  email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes,
strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit  http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

LC is certainly not "the only way" people stay thin. Everyone is
different. We all have different genetics, different metabolisms,
different exercise levels, different tastes. What works for one
person isn't going to work for everyone. Those thin women around
you who eat bread, butter, and macaroni all day may have a
completely different type of metabolism. Many thin people seem
to be able to eat pretty much anything they want without a problem.
But that doesn't mean that someone who doesn't have that type of
metabolism can eat that way, even if they diet enough to become
that thin.

What you are eating to lose weight is not going to be the same as
what you will eat to maintain your weight loss once you reach your
goal. You should not be "avoiding" all fruits and juices and half
of all veggies. But that doesn't mean that you can eat them without
limits, either. Once you reach your weight goal, you can start
adding them in and see what levels work for you. Nobody else can
determine what those levels will be.

Some people DO fare well on high carbs and low meat, but are they
genetically better suited to that kind of diet than you are?
What is their total calorie intake per day? Are they more active?

Low-fat diets with high carbs didn't work well for me, Low-carb
(or at least moderately low) did. That doesn't mean the reverse
isn't true for other people.

I have maintained my weight loss for nearly 2 years. I agree
whole-heartedly with "moderation", and I also avoid eating protein
powders and other manipulated processed foods, even if they are
low carb. I have no problem eating pizza, starchy vegetables,
fruits and juices and maintaining my weight - I just don't have
them often, or in large amounts. If I have a starchy vegetable
(potato, peas, corn), I try not to have more than 1/2 cup at
a meal. If I go to a steak restaurant and can't resist the baked
potato, I usually just eat half (or less, if it's really big).
I have pizza maybe once a month. I happen to love thin crust
pizza, so at least I get a little less bread per slice. I usually
have one or two servings of fruit per day. If it's something
really high on the glycemic index (bananas, etc.), I have a
smaller amount. For example, when I have bananas, I usually only
have half of one, or even 1/4 of one, sliced amd mixed with fresh
berries. I DON'T usually do fruit juices, because you can easily
drink an enormous number of calories that way. Very few people
would eat 3 or 4 oranges at a sitting, but it's very easy to
drink the juice of those same oranges. A friend of mine said
her doctor told her "not to drink her calories". Wise advice, if
you ask me. But sure, I do have orange or grapefruit juice
on occasion. But I keep my portions small - usually half a cup,
sometimes 6 oz. If I want a larger glass occasionally, it's not
a big deal, I just can't do that on a daily basis.

I really do find that by generally avoiding processed, refined
foods (including bread and pasta) on a day to day basis, and
eating "real" foods instead - it doesn't really make any difference
if I splurge a couple of times a week and have a sandwich on
"real" bread, a brownie, pizza, macaroni and cheese, or whatever
else I want. Overall, my way of eating has improved enough that
I'm able to stay at the same weight with very little effort.
If I eat very poorly for enough days in a short period of time,
I might gain a couple of pounds, but being more attentive to
what I eat for a week or so will take care of it.

It's my opinion that our bodies really just aren't "programmed"
to know what to do with foods that are "man-made" or overly
processed. Some people can eat them without problems, but for
others, their bodies just don't deal with them well. I find that
if I'm eating "real food" that comes from nature and is not
highly processed (sugar and flour particularly), I can eat
pretty much whatever I want. Starchy vegetables, whole grains,
and other complex carbohydrates are far less of a problem for me
than breads, pastas, sugars, etc. I avoid artificial sweeteners
and manipulated low-carb foods for much the same reason. Not
only are they not "natural", I believe that they keep your taste
for such foods high. I'd prefer to mostly avoid the "problem"
foods on a daily basis, but then have smaller and/or less
frequent amounts of the "real thing".

Obviously, I was much more cautious about what I ate when I was
losing weight than I am now that I've reached my goal, but your
original post WAS asking about what happens after you "go off"
the diet. I didn't "go off" the diet and return to my old ways
of eating, but I also don't eat the way I did when I was losing
weight.

These are my opinions and what worked for me. Others may very
well disagree, or have had very different experiences. We are
all different - you will have to find out for yourself what
works once you've reached your goal.