[SallyE]

This is my first post here although I have to admit I found the board about 2 months ago and have been lurking and reading as many posts as I can since then. I love this place and am finally ready to post!

I started IP back in May and lost 10 pounds in about 7 weeks and then phased off to go on a planned beach vacation. I came back from vacation and got right back on P1 and even lost 2 lbs while away on vacation. I have lost about 12 pounds in the last 9 weeks since vacation but MOST of it being in the 1st 6 weeks since vacation. In the last 3 weeks, I have maybe lost a total of 1 pound counting my weigh-in this past Monday of gaining .6 lb. I am 100% OP and I find it a little concerning that about 3 weeks ago, I started adding in some alternatives where before that, I was eating all IP. Could adding in the few alternatives cause my weight lose to stall? I am going to post an example day of what I eat...

B - EAS Carb Control AdvantEdge Vanilla Shake
L - Salad with mixed greens, 1.5 C Cauliflower and .5 C purple onion/tomato slices with WF 1000 Island Dressing and IP BBQ Chips
S - Quest Brownie Bar
D - 8oz. Chicken Breast, 2 C total of bamboo shoots, onion, green and red peppers, mushrooms

I am getting in all of my oil and salt with the salad for lunch and the veggies at dinner. I drink 4 Liters of water throughout the day. I have 2 cups of coffee with 2 splendas in each in the AM and 2 cups of decaf with 2 splendas in each the rest of the day. I do add MIO to most of the water I drink.

Do you see anything I need to change? I am starting to feel like I will never get to my goal...makes me think my body just doesn't want to "release" these last 10 lbs.

[canadjineh]

The last 10 lbs are always a bear! You could try cutting back on the splenda & Mio... some people find that is too much for them especially at the last few lbs. The leaner we get the harder the body fights to hold on to the fat, lol. So it is much harder and slower to lose the last 10 than the first 20, lol.

You could also try using beef or pork more often, sometimes slightly bumping up the fat content of the protein helps the body move the fat stores out. Plus all the usual - keep up with your water, oil, salt, and supplements - all very important!

You are almost there! Hang on!

Liana

[SallyE]

Thanks canadjineh...I do change the variety up of my dinner protein. You are right, the last 10 lbs are a BEAR! I am in it until I get to my goal, however long that takes!

[nat1015]

Can you cut back on your coffee intake and see if it helps any?

[evemomma]

My last ten pounds came off about 1.5 lbs a week. Slow going! Crazy, I ended up losing more quickly once I started phasing off. I think Liana has great suggestions to cut down on your Mio/Splenda (try not more than 5 servings of sweetner a day, counting quest bars and the like) and adding more fat back in through meats and maybe even upping your EVOO a bit. GL!

[SallyE]

Yes I can cut down on the coffee. I am going to cut my splenda in half as well and only use 1 pk per cut of coffee and see if that helps me! Thank you for the suggestions!

[mars735]

You can surely try cutting the Mio & coffee but I don't think that's necessary at all. I think your plan is fine. Maybe some of the Quest bars have more calories/carbs than the Brownie bar you listed, but even that shouldn't much matter with your rigorous diet plan.

As you reach goal, you have less fat to burn. Your body adapts to the diet and learns to get by on fewer calories--metabolism slows down, etc. I used to view this as my fat burning radar had to search ever harder to find some fat to burn. But eventually it did and at the end I suddenly saw fat vanish that I though I would never ever lose--the top of the thighs & pot belly.

So I would say to be patient and stick to what you are doing, which is stellar! If you aren't doing this already, track some body measurements. Even though the scale isn't moving, are you getting smaller? Clothes size changing?

Hang in there!

[SallyE]

Thanks so much for all of the advice!