Eandc: I hope that cold gets better. Soups can be packed with sodium. You may be at the top of your range, but you are staying in your range. I would like 82 degree weather.
eandc: hope the cold/ear infection is better and the walk outside in the fresh(?) air with the dogs helped. You'll lose the extra lbs now that you are moving around more and feeling more like food prep.
hello Maintainers,
I was advised to post my question here:
I read in few threads that you cannot completely get off the diet even if you are on maintenance phase. Do you still IP packets in maintenance?
Also I read that you could have Fun days and if you have a major slip up , you should do Phase 1 the next day or two. So for phase 1 during maintenance phase do you use IP packets ? or do alternative plan or just work out more to compensate the food you ate on your funday?
I was just curious on how you handle fundays.
hello Maintainers,
I was advised to post my question here:
I read in few threads that you cannot completely get off the diet even if you are on maintenance phase. Do you still IP packets in maintenance?
Also I read that you could have Fun days and if you have a major slip up , you should do Phase 1 the next day or two. So for phase 1 during maintenance phase do you use IP packets ? or do alternative plan or just work out more to compensate the food you ate on your funday?
I was just curious on how you handle fundays.
Hi Hope... I also just added a few additional comments in your other post that can give you a beginning idea... You will get lots of help here though!
I had a fun day on Saturday. Sunday I did P1 with packets. I have a bunch left over and some alternative stuff as well. Otherwise I do not use packets, but do use Quest bars as a snack a few times a week.
knm...glad to hear you are feeling better today. I too seem to have "those days" on Mondays...wonder about the correlation.
Don't know if I mentioned this last week but I had a cold from H$LL on top of an ear infection. I have no skin under my nose from blowing so much. Finally on the mend and back on phase 1 for a couple days.
Was at 135lbs this morning which is top of goal (130 I feel best at). I am a week away from TOM and probably still retaining water like a camel from this darn cold. I figure I will do a week of really "clean" eating. Get to feeling energized and cleaned out a bit. I didn't really eat bad while sick...just had store bought chicken noodle packed with sodium...but I was in no shape to cook. Anyways, I hope you all are well. It's 82 degrees here in the mile high city and beautiful out. Plan on taking my doggies out for a long walk tonight.
Glad you're feeling better eandc. And I'm starting to realize how important it is to weigh regularly so when you get to the top of your range you do something about it immediately, rather than waiting till your up 5 or 10 lbs.
I'm still up 7 from when I phased off, but would ideally like to be down 10-12 from where I'm at now. Been eating much better the last few days though and I can tell.
I'm gonna try and do P2-ish days Thursday-Sunday. Thursdays and Sundays are my days off from the gym, so no reason to add any extra protein those days. Friday and Saturday I'll see how I'm feeling, but trying to make plans and stay busy, so that if I snack it's because I'm hungry and need the energy, not because I'm just bored. I have 2 or 3 IP packets left over that I'll probably use up over this time.
Hope..I commented on your thread. I started off using IP packets for P1 days and now just eat very low carb to get up pounds down. Lots of people do fun days and use P1 to work it off. I do not do fun days and indulge in a fun meal once in awhile. I generally just try to stay in my range and then work off any up pounds. Yes, I am eating very much like I did when I was losing except I have added more fats and spices.
Knm: You have a good plan for the week. I like the idea of not snacking when you are bored. I tend to think of food when I am tired!
I'm only in week 3 of maintenance. I've been using IP packets for my phase 1 days since I have a lot left over and still see my coach weekly for now. I think I need to change the "fun day" into a "fun meal". Doing the phase 1 day after a fun day was working beautifully at first but I put on a few lbs after this weekend and the phase 1 days didn't immediately correct my weight. I am only starting to slowly drop the weight after a few days of phase 3/4 eating. I think maintenance is different for everyone. It will take a bit of trial and error to figure it out!
I'm only in week 3 of maintenance. I've been using IP packets for my phase 1 days since I have a lot left over and still see my coach weekly for now. I think I need to change the "fun day" into a "fun meal". Doing the phase 1 day after a fun day was working beautifully at first but I put on a few lbs after this weekend and the phase 1 days didn't immediately correct my weight. I am only starting to slowly drop the weight after a few days of phase 3/4 eating. I think maintenance is different for everyone. It will take a bit of trial and error to figure it out!
One of the coaches at my clinic said that if you have to do more than one P1 day after your fun day, then your fun day was too fun and you should scale back. That makes sense to me. I usually do more of a fun meal, not the whole day.
I agree with the fun day idea as does my coach. That is why I will do several fun meals throughout the week rather than one whole day of fun. My coach likes the 3 meals out of 21 each week can be fun or what you want within reason (not an entire pizza for example). I like this too and have found it gives me the flexibility I like...where I can go to dinner if I don't feel like cooking, etc.
It really is a total experiment discovering what works...what doesn't.
Feeling much better now Maile and Canadjineh. Have really been enjoying the weather lately and last night we got rain which was awesome. I slept like a baby.
OK, so me and DH went to a Chicago concert the other night and ran into some good friends we haven't seen for a while. As a matter of fact, I think I was down 20lbs the last time we met. My friend exclaimed, "you're so skinny!" That made me feel so good. I still can't believe when people use the term skinny or tiny in association with me!
As we were chatting she asked if I could tell her how I lost the weight and before letting me answer she asked, "you're not starving yourself are you?" I told my husband, I don't know whether I should be flattered or insulted. I know she is just the nicest person and would never intentionally say something to be hurtful, but it got me thinking and I know I have opened my big mouth and said things I wished I could take back as soon as they were out. I also feel kind of bad that she would think I'd starve myself! I just said, "no, I eat really well."
I promised I would give her all the info she needs so she can evaluate whether she wants to try the diet. I am hoping she does and realizes how great it is, but I also want her to see that I really do eat!
A few people have been discussing this - here's my way of doing it - I also choose a Fun Meal instead of a Funday, mainly because I like the way I am eating now and don't feel all that deprived. Besides on the day you are planning on doing the fun meal ie. out with friends for pizza & beer , or pub natchos, or wedding dinner with fruit cake (lol), etc do a Phase 1 breakfast & lunch. No big deal. My weight hasn't gone up or down by more than 2 lbs since I started maintenance so it seems to be working for me. I do have some IP Broccoli Cheddar soup packets, simply because I like them (hard to believe eh?) but I also like to use Vega protein powder for a vegan smoothie in Tropical Tango or Garden of Life Raw Vegan Protein powder in cacao kiss as a rich tasting chocolate smoothie. Sometimes I'll get some Curves bars in Yogourt Berry Bliss - a bit higher in calories but pretty decent carb ratio with a good amount of protein for when I need a 'treat.' We don't have anyplace to get Quest here or I might try them, but I'm trying to lessen my reliance on dairy and they are whey based.
So, in the end, you don't have to worry about being tied to IP forever, as once you're in maintenance, you should be understanding the principles of it & how to re-lose any SMALL gains (don't leave it for long - stay on top of it).
If you like the packets - keep getting them (but they are pricey), but you don't have to. Like "Maile" says - knowing how to eat low carb to reset again can be done with 'regular' food.
A few people have been discussing this - here's my way of doing it - I also choose a Fun Meal instead of a Funday, mainly because I like the way I am eating now and don't feel all that deprived. Besides on the day you are planning on doing the fun meal ie. out with friends for pizza & beer , or pub natchos, or wedding dinner with fruit cake (lol), etc do a Phase 1 breakfast & lunch. No big deal. My weight hasn't gone up or down by more than 2 lbs since I started maintenance so it seems to be working for me. I do have some IP Broccoli Cheddar soup packets, simply because I like them (hard to believe eh?) but I also like to use Vega protein powder for a vegan smoothie in Tropical Tango or Garden of Life Raw Vegan Protein powder in cacao kiss as a rich tasting chocolate smoothie. Sometimes I'll get some Curves bars in Yogourt Berry Bliss - a bit higher in calories but pretty decent carb ratio with a good amount of protein for when I need a 'treat.' We don't have anyplace to get Quest here or I might try them, but I'm trying to lessen my reliance on dairy and they are whey based.
So, in the end, you don't have to worry about being tied to IP forever, as once you're in maintenance, you should be understanding the principles of it & how to re-lose any SMALL gains (don't leave it for long - stay on top of it).
If you like the packets - keep getting them (but they are pricey), but you don't have to. Like "Maile" says - knowing how to eat low carb to reset again can be done with 'regular' food.
Liana
I only use EAS drinks a few times a week for convenience...When trying to prepare for a day or two of knowing the eating will be less controlled than what I do at home, or when in recoup mode, ...I use all "real food" .
At the end of my IP stint I had some serious health issues that required me to get off IP, ASAP because the processed nature of IP food exacerbated my problem. I went to subbing lo carb for IP packets, then P2 was all with real food as well...
It can be done...and there is little intelligent reasoning to think one can't do that. Knowing the nutritional makeup of the diet is a must to do it right though...For me anyway, knowing already the nutrient makeup came in handy so I could clone the last few weeks and phase off. I did not have to "quit" the program... just had to DIY recreating them for a short while...exactly.
I only use EAS drinks a few times a week for convenience...When trying to prepare for a day or two of knowing the eating will be less controlled than what I do at home, or when in recoup mode, ...I use all "real food" .
At the end of my IP stint I had some serious health issues that required me to get off IP, ASAP because the processed nature of IP food exacerbated my problem. I went to subbing lo carb for IP packets, then P2 was all with real food as well...
It can be done...and there is little intelligent reasoning to think one can't do that. Knowing the nutritional makeup of the diet is a must to do it right though...For me anyway, knowing already the nutrient makeup came in handy so I could clone the last few weeks and phase off. I did not have to "quit" the program... just had to DIY recreating them for a short while...exactly.
I am with you guys on this one too. I don't really eat IP foods when in maintenance but when I do a phase 1 day, I do and I usually use ALTS like the EAS shakes or something from Nashua. Like Canadjineh said, get those small gains right away...like 5lbs right away. I have a 5lb range and for some reason if its at the top, its a phase 1 day for me.
My weight for the most part fluctuates daily depending on sodium, TOM, if I drink enough water, etc but not usually more than 2lbs unless its TOM.
Truly though a day here or a day there, heck even a week of phase 1 is more than reasonable to keep the new you and make sure your hard work is not reversed.
Morning maintainers! Hope you all are are well and looking forward to a nice weekend. I am so happy its Friday. This weekend I am planning on finishing painting our guest room, getting my hair done, riding my bike to a homemade/handcrafted market in the neighborhood, attending a BBQ for a leadership program I am a part of, and RELAXING..somewhere in all of this. LOL.
Just to illustrate the "fun" scale jive and how weight loss or weight maintenance can be all of the place I wanted to share my weekly stats. As you know, I decided to do a week of phase 1 post being sick to get off a few lbs although with TOM nearing I am thinking it could have something to do with me being at the top of my range.
Started on Monday...Tuesday was 135. Skipped weighing on Wednesday. Yesterday I was 132. Today, I woke up with extremely puffy eyes and my wedding ring was tight. Got on the scale and it said 135. This is the course of 5 days. I know that I am not gaining weight but looking at how things impact us is interesting.
Just wanted to share to illustrate how our bodies react, process, and change each day and why for me a "range" is important since I mentioned that in my post yesterday. Rarely can I hit the same numbers on the scale each day.
