restarting cycle after maintenance

Hi --

I'm new to the site but have been following the diet for a while and doing well. Took a few days off over Christmas, started over (minus the carb-deplete cycle) and just completed the maintenance period. I'm confused about what to do next. I know I'm supposed to do four carb-down days and then restart the cycle, but that places the Monday of Week 2 (the restart week) on a Friday, which totally throws off the placement of subsequent carb-up days. I would prefer to ensure that I have those days to use on weekends. I'd be grateful for any advice! Many thanks.

Hi Deb!

I had the same question a while back and got the following advice (I think from Food Coach Laura):

Do 4 carb down or deplete days in a row, do a baseline day, a carb up day, a baseline day and then restart week 2. So, using Wendy's code, the week would go CCCCBDB. That puts you back into the same weekly routine with carb up days on Wednesday and Saturday.

Hope that helps!

MJ

deb Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi --
>
> I'm new to the site but have been following the
> diet for a while and doing well. Took a few days
> off over Christmas, started over (minus the
> carb-deplete cycle) and just completed the
> maintenance period. I'm confused about what to do
> next. I know I'm supposed to do four carb-down
> days and then restart the cycle, but that places
> the Monday of Week 2 (the restart week) on a
> Friday, which totally throws off the placement of
> subsequent carb-up days. I would prefer to ensure
> that I have those days to use on weekends. I'd be
> grateful for any advice! Many thanks.

MJ,

That is excellent news...I was planning to just do a whole week of C days and then restart Week 2 -- which of course STARTS with C days! So I'm delighted. Woo-hoo! Thanks so much for the response!

Awesome MJofWA you answered correctly. How are you doing? Still losing at the pace you want. Let me know!

Hello I completed the 8 weeks...I'm 5'4 and 35yrs old. I didn't loose too much weight but did loose a lot of inches. My start weight was 155lbs and now i'm 144. Is this normal? Also, do i keep repeating the maintence?

Need more info to give you a decent answer. Contact me at foodcoachlaura@aol.com amd give me more details. Height, weight, goalss, how many timers have you done the cycle? Are you open to food coaching to get to the end weight?

Thankss,

Laura,

I've been on the plan since mid-December, went off the rails a little at Christmas, went back on the plan after New Year's. I'm 5-foot-5, 55 years old, started at 163 pounds, lost 10 pounds by mid-January. Hit a plateau after restarting the plan for the second time, so I haven't weighed myself since the last weigh-in in February, when I was around 152. (I don't want the scales to derail me.) I'm starting week 6 tomorrow. My goal is to get to about 130, which may be unrealistic at my age, but my primary objective is simply to get fit and stay there.

I would be open to coaching. My biggest obstacle is eating all that protein, especially for the last meal of the day, and having no starches after 3 p.m. (I've discovered I was a serious carboholic!) And I'm running out of creative ways to use chicken and turkey. We eat pretty healthy at our house in general, so the plan isn't that hard to follow, but most of the recipes we use involve at least some starch, so it's been a challenge to work around that for dinners.

Also, I have not yet started exercising (I know, I know), and I'm sure that would help my results. I'd be grateful for your input! Also, I'm missing milk big-time. Can I substitute that for a protein now and then? I appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks!

You would be a perfect food coaching client. It keeps you focused and positive. Please let me know when we can speak by phone and I will touch base with you. Please email me at foodcoachlaura @aol.com. Looking forward to speaking with you!