Wannabe, I love your avatar, but you NEED to put something other than a breakfast clown face up to represent the phenomenal weight loss you've achieved. I just looked at your stats--WOW! At least put a couple of pix in your profile (unless you're afraid the camera will somehow steal your skinny soul.... )
I gave her grief about that, too. I thought maybe quail eggs, a grape and a vanilla bean...
CHECK ME OUT.... cucumbers, tomatoe, peppers oh my.... Haaa haaa, I dont know if I am allowed to use that pic...... emmmaaa who cares...
Wow... what a difference! Truly inspiring!
You must feel so great about yourself... not to mention how PROUD you must be of your accomplishment! And I'm sure your hubby is friskier than ever!! (Does he like salads???)
You must feel so great about yourself... not to mention how PROUD you must be of your accomplishment! And I'm sure your hubby is friskier than ever!! (Does he like salads???)
LOOK MOM I LOST ALL MY FAT!!!!!! haa ahhhhaaaa hhhha, I kill me!! Well he better like veggies cause thats all he's gettin
Hi all - I know there's a "life beyond Phase 1" thread, but thought I'd start this specifically for Phase 4 or maintenance...I'm just about to start (Friday) and am wondering if you could give some of your tips on maintaining? For example, I know there's a cheat day per week - do you allow yourself all day, or just one meal, or meal and dessert, etc? Also for food combining, on the "carb" meal, how to you stay at zero fat - even if you have a salad with oil along with the slow carb, there is fat... is a little bit OK? I'd appreciate hearing from those who have done this successfully. Thanks so much!!
You will find much of this information reading through the posts on this thread. One cheat approach is to be "good during the week" and "bad on weekends." That would basically be off-plan after a normal breakfast and lunch. This is sort of what I do, though my cheats are more bending the rules than massive consumption of pizza, or cookies, or Margaritas, etc. For example, I'll ignore the separation of carbs and fat rule and have cheese and crackers with wine before dinner. Or if I wanted a pizza, I could do that (haven't yet). Or I'll keep the kitchen open later than 9:00 pm and keep nibbling.
For the fat rule, I just try to be reasonable. Yes, I'll use some oil to cook, maybe some grated cheese on my pasta, but not LOTS of cheese. Just enough for the flavor. Unless it's the weekend.
Others have described their approach, hopefully we'll get more replies. Please feel free to ask your questions here... that's what this thread is about.
You will find much of this information reading through the posts on this thread. One cheat approach is to be "good during the week" and "bad on weekends." That would basically be off-plan after a normal breakfast and lunch. This is sort of what I do, though my cheats are more bending the rules than massive consumption of pizza, or cookies, or Margaritas, etc. For example, I'll ignore the separation of carbs and fat rule and have cheese and crackers with wine before dinner. Or if I wanted a pizza, I could do that (haven't yet). Or I'll keep the kitchen open later than 9:00 pm and keep nibbling.
For the fat rule, I just try to be reasonable. Yes, I'll use some oil to cook, maybe some grated cheese on my pasta, but not LOTS of cheese. Just enough for the flavor. Unless it's the weekend.
Others have described their approach, hopefully we'll get more replies. Please feel free to ask your questions here... that's what this thread is about.
I have pondered about this myself..... I think I will continue with lower carb options where possible (flax bread, low carb wraps, whole wheat everything, lean meats, protein suppliments & lots of veggies) low glycemic foods, keep the fats and carbs separated as much as possible, lots of water, exercise, rest and generally be healthy, really think about what I am consuming and make smarter choices, no mindless eating, eat to live not live to eat and one meal at a time. 10 days and its cheat to treat, phase 4 here I come, whoop whoop
I have pondered about this myself..... I think I will continue with lower carb options where possible (flax bread, low carb wraps, whole wheat everything, lean meats, protein suppliments & lots of veggies) low glycemic foods, keep the fats and carbs separated as much as possible, lots of water, exercise, rest and generally be healthy, really think about what I am consuming and make smarter choices, no mindless eating, eat to live not live to eat and one meal at a time. 10 days and its cheat to treat, phase 4 here I come, whoop whoop
I agree... if you just keep your pantry stocked with good choices, you're less likely to slip up. I don't really want to do counting and measuring all the time... I'm trying to keep a close watch to see what happens when I eat or do certain things. Maintenance is still an experiment of sorts for me. But I monitor the scale so it doesn't get too far off base, and make sure my skinny clothes still fit.
BevS is probably more precise in her approach, so hopefully she'll give another point of view.
I, too, am in phase four. It is very poorly written and explained. When I talked to my coach about a 3 lb. weight gain, he stated it was normal to gain 5-8 lbs. once phase four is started. I told him that was not OK with me. He had me eat two days at phase 1 using foods from the frig and then back to phase 4. It took off the weight. He did share that one of the reasons I put on the weight was not enough water and not eating 3 alkaline items to every one acid item. I feel like Ideal Protein should have a site in which those of us who have attained our weight goal could enter what we are eating and receive feedback from them. I know I will get my head wrapped around this soon, but there are many unanswered questions. Judging by what I have read, I am not alone.
I, too, am in phase four. It is very poorly written and explained. When I talked to my coach about a 3 lb. weight gain, he stated it was normal to gain 5-8 lbs. once phase four is started. I told him that was not OK with me. He had me eat two days at phase 1 using foods from the frig and then back to phase 4. It took off the weight. He did share that one of the reasons I put on the weight was not enough water and not eating 3 alkaline items to every one acid item. I feel like Ideal Protein should have a site in which those of us who have attained our weight goal could enter what we are eating and receive feedback from them. I know I will get my head wrapped around this soon, but there are many unanswered questions. Judging by what I have read, I am not alone.
WOW, I would have not been happy with an 5-8 pound gain either.... huh... the way I see phase 4 is eat your nice breakky, my favorite meal of the day by the way, have protein and salad for lunch and the protein & carb for dinner, a few snacks a day for 5 days of the week, I think I will only probably have a cheat meal rather than a day then back to no carbs the next day. I will get in more protein than I was before IP still take vitamins and oils, stay away from processed foods as much as possible and enjoy my new body, my new energy and my new confidence, cause I can do ANYTHING!!!!
He did share that one of the reasons I put on the weight was not enough water andnot eating 3 alkaline items to every one acid item.
Could you please explain what he meant by "not eating 3 alkaline items to every one acid item"? Is there any reference to this in the IP literature? Well, probably not. But any light you can shine would be appreciated.
I, too, am in phase four. It is very poorly written and explained. When I talked to my coach about a 3 lb. weight gain, he stated it was normal to gain 5-8 lbs. once phase four is started. I told him that was not OK with me. He had me eat two days at phase 1 using foods from the frig and then back to phase 4. It took off the weight. He did share that one of the reasons I put on the weight was not enough water and not eating 3 alkaline items to every one acid item. I feel like Ideal Protein should have a site in which those of us who have attained our weight goal could enter what we are eating and receive feedback from them. I know I will get my head wrapped around this soon, but there are many unanswered questions. Judging by what I have read, I am not alone.
Well, I’m a little conflicted about this one.
I agree that it can be tough to make your way through Phase 4; I struggled quite a bit myself. And even with my reassurance and coaching, my sister is now struggling, as well. After months of a pretty rigid routine, I felt like, “Okay… now what?” On one hand, I craved the comfort of detailed instructions; on the other hand, I didn’t really want to sign up for constantly measuring and counting and forever giving up foods I truly enjoyed before IP.
So when I went to the nutritionist’s Phase 4 workshop, I was happy to learn that beyond a few general guidelines, I was free to just go out and live my life in my new body. She said the guidelines are broad by design, but if we wanted more, she could give us more. That, I think, is where you step out of IP-specific guidance, and into more general nutrition.
The acid-alkaline theory is not universally accepted in the medical community, where they will tell you that no foods change the acidity of anything in your body except urine. Still, if you look at the charts, you’ll see that it basically advocates a vegetarian diet. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, if that is the lifestyle you choose. But that doesn’t mean all meat-eaters are doomed to gain back weight on Phase 4!
I think my friend Wannabe nailed it. We’ve probably all learned more on this diet (and from these boards) than we ever knew about our bodies, and are more aware of what we consume. I think we all just have to approach Phase 4 slowly, and do some experimenting. Is a “no carb” recovery day necessary if you eat a half a pizza, or a big piece of cake? I don’t know. Maybe for me, but not for you. We all have different lifestyles, and we need to figure out how to incorporate the general Phase 4 guidance into our lives. I believe that means just being aware and being smart in our choices. You can still lick your fingers when you bake cookies for the kids, and even have a couple. But don’t have a dozen! And as we learn and experiment, I think we’ll find that comfortable balance. The key is to recognize when we are getting heavier than we should be, and correcting the behavior; if necessary, we always have IP to fall back on should more dire action be necessary.
Personally, I believe that IP did right by me, and I have no expectation that they provide me customized support services in Phase 4. At this point, I think it becomes much less universal than the weight loss program. Individuals who wish to continue learning about “being what they eat” should enlist the counsel of a medical professional or nutritionist. This will most certainly involve testing to see where you are, any medical conditions you may have, and what lifestyle you wish to live. All these things are very individual, and there are many people out there who can help guide your dietary choices.
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