Hi everyone! I'm currently doing OMAD (23:1) with a lower carbs approach. So I'm not full Keto but try to stay under 50g of carbs. Works fine for me because I'm not hungry. Most of the days I stay clearly under 20g of carbs. I'm just not going to stress myself to the 20g limit, because 50g is still low and easy to maintain.
I'm 40 (M) and started with 130kg (286.6lb). Now around 7 weeks later I am at 123kg (271.2lb). My goal is the magical 99 (218.3lb), so just under 3 digits, therefor I still have 24kg (53lb) to go. If everything keeps running like now, that would be around 24 weeks until I reach my goal, around 6 months. The last few kg I try a prolonged fast of 30 days to take advantage of autophagy.
That's about me. Now to the topic: I'm not really a low carb/keto person. I love bread, potato's, noodles and rice. I know there are some replacements for that, I tried some of them but it's not the same. The only exception was keto bread, which nearly tasted the same, but went old like after 1 day. It was a ready to use mixture and not really cheap (like 3-5 times the costs of bread), so only 1 day is not an option for that (at least for me).
Because I do OMAD, I was thinking, why not do the same with carbs? My plan is to keep doing OMAD, but not so strict. Currently I pass all events that don't match my feeding window. Later I will move my feeding window to match my social life. But goals need to be reached first. Then I will also have one day in the week (probably Sunday) where I will enjoy a full carbs day. No limits!
I know I have to change the way I eat, else I will be back to 130kg or more in no matter of time. I'm no expert when it comes to nutrition, that's why I hope to get some feedback here. Anyone reached their goal and successfully maintain it? Did you change the way/what you eat? Someone with experience with my plans? Would it work? My greatest fear is to go back to the old weight again.
Thanks for all the feedback :)
Answer
My maintenance has been maybe 18:6 most days plus or minus two hours. I have a lot more “cheat” meals than during weight loss but I still eat mostly LCHF. Very little sugar and I treat refined grains (wheat or corn or GF flours) about like dessert, occasional treats. Same with potato chips and similar. On vacation I eat whatever and enjoy meals with family and friends.
I think the key has been weighing myself about once a week. If I see a couple pounds creep on the scale I do the weight loss routine (OMAD, very low carb, no cheats, no snacks, zero sugar) for a week or so, including a 48 hour fast if it works in my schedule. I’ve been in a range from my lowest (139.8lbs) to my goal of 145 for about a year. This morning was 144.2.
I will say what adds the weight for ME is the refined carbs. If I stay away from that and eat whole foods, mostly LCHF, and don’t snack late night, I just eat whatever pretty much whenever and it’s fine.