Lisa: I also found that when eating low carb, wine can have a stronger affect. I do not like water retention effects either!

RuthAnn, many of my cravings have gone. This way of eating has become a routine.

I indulged in Indian food last night which was definitely higher fat and high sodium. Now to work it off.

Maile - I'm with you on the water retention. I hit it when I first started maintenance and the heaviness in my legs and ankles and gross bloated feeling is not one I wish to repeat.

I'm glad to hear that the loss of cravings continues. Dh decided he wanted grilled hamburgers last night - yeah! I still ate mine without a bun (but did have cheese on it) and made tater tots for him and roasted cabbage for me. I used to love tater tots but was really looking forward to the cabbage. Dh says I'm weird.

Weird? Join the club
I find what I crave most is feeling great

Ugh! I hate seasonal allergies! Unfortunately my allergy medication gives me the hungries. However, this year I have decided that it's not really that I'm hungry, it's actually thirst. Before I always used it as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted since, you know, I was dealing with a medical condition. :) But I have found that lots of water and hot tea actually make me feel better. Score one for me!

Ruthann,
If I am hungry I drink lots of hot herbal tea. It helps! I have never heard of roasting cabbage. How do you do it? I roast lots of other vegetables, but have never tried roasted cabbage.

Lisa..you do feel great when you eat healthy and stay on track. My energy is a lot higher!

Maile: Had to jump in...roasted cabbage is amazing! I make this but don't put the fennel seeds. I also add garlic powder. Delicious!

http://www.marthastewart.com/315062/...cabbage-wedges

That's exactly what I do IPN! No fennel but lots of garlic. I like garlic!

And yep Maile, lots of hot herbal tea and really pour the water down. I think it helps my sinuses to stay super hydrated during this season - darn cottonwoods are really going this year, looks like it's snowing out there.

Just popping in to say hi to you all. I also love roasted anything, cabbage included.

I've been out of town this week, so I haven't checked these boards. Still on P1 and feeling great. Getting back to where I belong, once again. Yesterday I went to the beach with a friend. Galveston. It was lovely.

I'm probably back to my goal weight, but my preferred weight is five pounds under, so I'm going to stay on P1 until I get there. It's been easier this time. And when I get home the pool will be open, so I'll start my swimming again. Hooray!

Hi to you all!

Hey hey everyone!

Working off my iPhone so we'll see how this goes, especially since I cannot feel either hand anymore haha. I stopped coming here, it's hard to read your diets when I cannot eat that way right now (soon thou!). My gestational diabetes has been quite interesting. I struggle with low blood sugar so I eat A LOT of carbs now....sigh! Interestingly when I started adding carbs my fingers and hands started to go numb...correlation? I think so! Also, I've always thought that having GD and changing your diet helped slow the weight gain, yah apparently not if you struggle with low blood sugar. Que sera sera, I am growing a baby! Bright side is that IP really helped me with my mental muscle of saying "ok, not right now" and so far it's been healthy...I do miss frozen yogurt though and the odd licorice. There are already orders to get some when bebe is out! Ha!

I finished work on Friday and it feels weird that I'm not going to work but hopefully nugget stays put for another week so I can rest up.

Here are some photos...one is from my mat shoot and the other is today. You'll notice no head shot in today's....yup I'm free from doing my hair and make up for a while. Although I know I'll have to do it once in a while it's nice to not think about it.

Sorry this is about me, I haven't been keeping up. Just hard to read all the nice recipes that I have to wait to use! I'll be back soon! :)!

Have you talked to your doc or dietician about getting the RIGHT kinds of carbs to keep your blood sugar more even, not just raising it up. I'm not a professional on pregnancy by any means - my choice of no kids - but it seems that keeping things more level would be healthier than spiking & dropping. Maybe you are already doing that? If I'm totally out in left field, fill me in, I always like to learn something new... :dizzy:

Liana
btw, cute pix!

All my carbs are the good ones from experience :) I floored the dietician and think I actually made her feel a little threatened by my knowledge of starches and my own body and how it reacts to certain foods. It was amusing :) ....and slightly empowering haha!

Don't get me wrong I'm not spiking it...it's pretty level I just have to eat way more carbs then I'm used too to keep it level. The OB and GP are impressed lol

Good on you!! Glad to hear things are keeping level. Hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well and you have an easy labour! Thanks for the info.

Hi all, just checking in. Maile, your commitment always gives me such confidence that I can do this, thanks for all that you share. RuthAnn, I'm happy your maintenance is going well and you're attitude is so positive!

Still hanging in there, hair loss seems to have finally slowed, but wow, it's pretty significant. I had 3 days in a row last week where the slip-ups became full downhill slides so on day 4 I picked myself up and got back on P1 (some P2 meals but mostly P1). Tomorrow it'll be a week (did have a fun meal Sun night) and I'm planning on moving off to P2-3. So I binged, the scales showed a 4 lb weight gain after 4 days, back on P1 3 days and there went the 4 lbs. Now staying on P1 to roll off this week and will have a weigh in tomorrow (I only weigh on Weds and Sats). I am finding the sugar cravings hard, but what's so awesome is knowing that I can go back on P1 before the 4 lbs become 8 or 10 and maintain. I know I will be doing this for the rest of my life and I am deriving a tremendous amount of comfort knowing that I never need to lose control - tools are here to help me.

Ishbel: Great pics and congrats on the soon-to-be-here baby! You must be so excited!

Thanks ecdcslim! Sounds like you are paying attention and I think that's a huge key in maintenance.

I may be paying too much attention but I figure once it becomes routine I will loosen up.

I realized last night that I no longer have to finish all my food. In P1 I ate everything on the plate/bowl/etc. because I needed to make sure to get everything in. I was having a big taco salad last night and was full about 3/4 of the way through and kept eating until I realized, I don't have to finish it if I don't want to.

Ishbel: Hang in there. You are doing so well managing your GD and dealing with low blood sugar. This is the time to eat carbs and you are keeping that baby healthy. I am excited for you in your last week. I hope you rest up now that you are off from work. From your pictures, both mom and baby look great! You are using your resistance muscle that you developed to eat healthy for the baby. I can understand you staying away from the forum for now. Sending you warm thoughts and hugs to you and baby.

Ecdcslim: IP is the first program I have been on that actually gave me tools to maintain. The P1 is the best tool because it works. It does give you a very secure feeling to know that you can get those up pounds off fairly quickly..like you say before they escalate into 8 or 10. I also plan on using these tools for the rest of my life and not losing control. I look at maintenance as daily determination. I am glad your hair loss has slowed. You are doing great.

Joysh: Glad you are back at goal weight and working on going under. That cushion is nice.

IdealProteinNewbie and RuthAnn: Thanks for the recipe! I am going to try it as I love cabbage. Right now the asparagus are fresh from our fields around here and they are wonderful!

Ruthann: That was a good realization! The temptation is to keep eating when something tastes good, even if you are full. Good for you.

Canadjineh: Hope spring has hit British Columbia. We are planning a trip to Vancouver this summer.

Off for a walk before work. The kids do not want to be in school now.