OK so I officially entered maintenance on Monday, but I didn't have it in me to actually take an "After" picture - got up the courage last night So here's the "officially official" before and after, April 2012 to March 2013.
This is 7 months on IP (alternative products), no cheats, no excuses.
so I had a different sort of NSV yesterday..my 8 yr old was begging for pizza rolls. I have occasionally bought them in the past but with my new healthy eating mindset there was no way I was giving in. But..I did finally go to the store and bought whole wheat pizza dough..shreded mozzerella and organic sauce with no added sugar...
My son and I went home and had a great time making homemade pizza rolls..they came out ok...next time I will try to sneak a veggie or two in there!
OK so I officially entered maintenance on Monday, but I didn't have it in me to actually take an "After" picture - got up the courage last night So here's the "officially official" before and after, April 2012 to March 2013.
This is 7 months on IP (alternative products), no cheats, no excuses.
Scorbett - CONGRATULATIONS! You look absolutely marvelous and what a transformation! I also want to thank you for all you do for this forum, I have learned so much from you so thank for paying it forward!
If you're new please read the stickies before opening a new thread- lots of duplicates lately!
Reframe! Find a way to talk about what is going on without offering a complaint.
You might want to spend some time on the forum searching for a solution, rather than typing the complaint or starting yet another duplicate negative thread.
Lets talk about how good we feel, what we are doing to overcome adversity or frustration, or how our plans are working!
Lots of good stuff is happening here. We need to talk about how we persevere DESPITE what life throws at us! If you are having a rough day, there is lots of advise in existing threads. Just read. No need to start another. It really isn't a new phenomenon. It's called life. We all have trials. Lets talk about pressing through ours and coming out stronger!
And for everyone already doing this, go team!
Thanks Lisa - this is really important and I appreciate you reminding me of this. On another note, last week I was struggling with hunger and sadness. You all gave me great suggestions and I am having a great week. I started using the restircteds once a day and they are so very satisfying - I feel like I am cheating! I also started having a boiled egg in the morning. This has singlehandely taken away the knawing hunger. With that, is it ok to have a boiled egg every morning and have only 6 oz of lean protein for dinner? I will ask my coach also tomorrow at weigh in, but want to see if anyone else follows this regimen. My scale shows me down so I think these changes are helping - So again - THANKS LADIES FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE!
@Scorbett - congratulations on reaching the maintenance phase. I don't know that I could have matched the before and after pictures! Good testimony that alternative products can be used successfully.
@Cheekyskeeter - great NSV. That has got to feel great! I had a similar thing happen on the weekend when I tried on some of my teenage son's jeans. I was headed to do some shopping and was wondering if I could go another size lower than my last pair. They fit nicely, and they were a pair of jeans he didn't like. No need to shop now.
Weigh in today. I was only down 1lb last week, and my home scale has not moved this week. No cheats though. I am at the point of transitioning from Phase 1 to Phase 2. I am on vacation next week, so it might be a bit of a blend of those phases anyway.
I will see what the official clinic scale says. Feeling good though.
Feeling inspired by everyone here. Scorbett, you look amazing. I really needed the boost today. Seems silly, but I started a new med and in 2 days gained 6 pounds. My brain knows its just water, but I was feeling down from the numbers. Thanks for reminding me that this is a marathon, not a sprint!!
Don't feel bad about it. It's not inappropriate. Lot's of people have "negative" things they need to talk about and lot's need to hear only "positive" to help them through their day. If someone is having a rough time I don't think they should not say anything because they think they are offending.....Maybe we need two daily threads haha! Everyone has bad days don't worry about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SylviesGirl
Regarding the call for positivity today, I am sorry if I was not positive enough yesterday. I have generally been very positive in this forum. I just felt my mindset slipping a bit yesterday, and I asked for some help. If that was inappropriate, I am sorry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fabulousatfifty
Thanks Lisa - this is really important and I appreciate you reminding me of this. On another note, last week I was struggling with hunger and sadness. You all gave me great suggestions and I am having a great week. THANKS LADIES FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE!
I do understand the call for positive vibes but sometimes we come here looking for support when we are not feeling so positive. It's part of what made this forum so appealing to some of us. If no one ever posted about issues they were experiencing then we would be out here thinking everyone else is having a grand ole time of it and we are the only ones having stalls or cheats or whatever else may come up...Each time someone posts about their trials and tribulations, it is their first time experiencing it, even if a million others before them have been there/done that.
Way to go to all those fantastic losses and photos! Very inspirational! I have not posted in the last few weeks but I am still muddling along well. I have started exercising again and have adjusted my food accordingly so my loss has slowed a bit but I still lost 1.2 pounds this week and feel great! I got a BodyMedia Fit this past Friday and between that and MFP I am addicted :-P In 9 weeks I have lost over 28 pounds which I am pretty darn proud of - with much thanks to the posters on this board for inspiration and recipe ideas!
Hi all - love this forum, and don't post much, but am hoping for suggestions. I'm down a lot, but have only lost 10lbs since the beginning of January and have been trying to figure out whats happened. Making sure to weigh/measure everything, started exercising (per coach it was ok), got thyroid levels checked, but i'm still stuck. Anyone have any suggestions? I've still got another 50lbs to go and I'm wondering what has happened....Any suggestions? Anyone else have a 'stuck' period they've gotten through? I would appreciate any tips you may have! Thanks!
Very happy this morning, the home scale shows me at 189.4! 188 is the smallest I have been since my second son was born. So I am very excited to see and meet this goal so that I can savor it for a while and then go for the second mini goal of the the lowest weight after my first son of 178.
Just feels like its going to be a great day!
And a big CONGRATULATIONS to all the great victories I have seen others have today!
Hi all - love this forum, and don't post much, but am hoping for suggestions. I'm down a lot, but have only lost 10lbs since the beginning of January and have been trying to figure out whats happened. Making sure to weigh/measure everything, started exercising (per coach it was ok), got thyroid levels checked, but i'm still stuck. Anyone have any suggestions? I've still got another 50lbs to go and I'm wondering what has happened....Any suggestions? Anyone else have a 'stuck' period they've gotten through? I would appreciate any tips you may have! Thanks!
Okay, so 10 lbs since the beginning of Jan...that's still more than a pound a week on average, right? My losses slowed down for a while, culminating in a 0.6 gain last week but this week I am on track for a 3 lb loss. I just stayed OP and actually added more lettuce...It sounds funny but I feel like the bowl of lettuce with WF dressing I've had each day after work has helped...don't ask me why! I like looking at other people's signature when they list their weekly WI's it helps to see that (to quote Scorbett) "weight loss is not linear". Just stick to the plan...
I feel like my weight hovered for a while right around a number that I have spent some time at in the past so I wonder if my body was saying "hey, we've been here before, wanna stay here?" I just said "no" and kept OP with the support of this forum!
Thanks everyone!!! I know that the real work starts now (in maintenance) - and that IP is ALWAYS going to be in my back pocket, but for now I'm excited to have reached a milestone!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fabulousatfifty
With that, is it ok to have a boiled egg every morning and have only 6 oz of lean protein for dinner? I will ask my coach also tomorrow at weigh in, but want to see if anyone else follows this regimen. My scale shows me down so I think these changes are helping - So again - THANKS LADIES FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE!
it is ABSOLUTELY ok. One egg is about the equivalent to 2oz dinner protein, so you've got the math right. Way to make the program work for YOU!
Quote:
Originally Posted by meshell5488
Hi all - love this forum, and don't post much, but am hoping for suggestions. I'm down a lot, but have only lost 10lbs since the beginning of January and have been trying to figure out whats happened. Making sure to weigh/measure everything, started exercising (per coach it was ok), got thyroid levels checked, but i'm still stuck. Anyone have any suggestions? I've still got another 50lbs to go and I'm wondering what has happened....Any suggestions? Anyone else have a 'stuck' period they've gotten through? I would appreciate any tips you may have! Thanks!
OK - couple of questions...
-how MUCH are you exercising? What kind of exercise are we talking about?
-are you adding an extra packet within 1/2 hour of finishing exercise?
-Did your coach advise you that exercise can slow your losses?
Let's remember that IP is a diet plan designed to work WITHOUT exercise. The super low calorie and low carb of this diet deplete your glycogen stores (what your body would normally burn during exercise) and convert your fat into energy instead of sugar. When you add exercise, you MUST compensate with more food, as well as keep the exercise light (based on whatever your activity level was before IP). And even with the extra food, losses will commonly slow down with added exercise - we just aren't fueling our bodies enough to cover workouts.
Many people are fine with the slower losses because they feel the exercise is important to them, it's a trade-off when you're on IP (no exercise and fast losses, or exercise and slower losses). It's a choice that you have to weigh and make for yourself.
Wow thanks...will try the lettuce snack in the afternoon, that may work.
As for exercing, only doing strength training and very light walking to get moving and I have been adding (and was advised to add) a packet after working out. I'm very flabby and don't want to have surgery for the skin when I'm done and I want to start toning and firming as I go - thats all I'm looking for, but if you say it slows the weight loss down, I may cut back on what I do. THANK YOU SOO MUCH!
Wow thanks...will try the lettuce snack in the afternoon, that may work.
As for exercing, only doing strength training and very light walking to get moving and I have been adding (and was advised to add) a packet after working out. I'm very flabby and don't want to have surgery for the skin when I'm done and I want to start toning and firming as I go - thats all I'm looking for, but if you say it slows the weight loss down, I may cut back on what I do. THANK YOU SOO MUCH!
Here's the thing - it is a giant MYTH that exercise is going to do anything for loose skin. the fact of the matter is, if you lose a lot of weight, especially if you lose it quickly, you will have loose skin. Over time (up to a year afterward) the body will take care of as much of it as it can. Exercise can firm up and shape the muscles UNDER the skin but that's about it.
Unfortunately with skin, we did the damage by letting our weight get out of hand - no cream, exercise, or magic elixer is going to undo it. What we can do is get our bodies healthy again, let our bodies do what they can with the extra skin after it's said and done, and then decided if we want surgery or are happy just living in a healthy body with a few battle scars
So here's the "officially official" before and after, April 2012 to March 2013. 
I also want to thank you for all you do for this forum, I have learned so much from you so thank for paying it forward!
I like looking at other people's signature when they list their weekly WI's it helps to see that (to quote Scorbett) "weight loss is not linear". Just stick to the plan...
