Hi Rainbow,
Happy and healthy 2015 to you! Glad to see you are back. I'm still in the process of working to goal so I don't have any input on your question. That said, I am hoping that I can be a successful maintainer by educating myself in advance to pitfalls so your post was very helpful " food for thought".So thanks for it and also thanks for all the recipes- you have been a big player in my success to date because I had such delish dishes!
hi skinnygirl! happy new year! i am happy to be back. sounds like you have a good plan underway so no doubt you will be one of those who is ready and able to maintain your losses. i wish you all the best on this journey! its a fabulous group of ladies here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by zerenazerena
This is a great question that I'm sure many of us are wondering about. I too had great success on the program and then found myself regaining - have caught myself before I undid it all but it is frustrating a little heartbreaking. I found myself feeling pretty defeatist and then decided it was time to reboot. So here I am.
I've been reading a lot about emotional eating and know that has been my life's challenge. I went to see a therapist to start the conversation but the one I went to was not supportive of continuing on a diet of any kind. I would love to be an intuitive eater but not at the weight that I am.
Looking forward to hearing advice about what works after a fall that was full of what doesn't.
Best wishes for 2015 all of you!
hi zerena!! i found myself regaining and just did nothing! it was ok at first, i would gain a few and lose a few...then 5 pounds found me and i kinda laid off the scales for awhile, then when i got back on them, i was up almost 20 and was very frustrated, yet, still DID NOTHING!!! why why why!!!!
glad you are along for a reboot too we can do this!
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Originally Posted by lisa32989
One of the maintainers suggested the book, "Refuse to Regain". I havent started it yet but it's next in my list
hi lisa...sounds like i might try to look into that book. i love food. i mean i LOVE LOVE LOVE food. i love good food and healthy food and junk food, i just love food. i have celebrated by eating on all occasions and eat when i'm happy, and eat when i'm sad. i need to learn how to break my love affair with food! i love to cook...and of course, eat what i cook! haha
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slipfree
Hi Rainbow,
I spent a lot of time reading many of the old threads, a few things seem to be a common trend in keeping the weight off:
self weighing even when you feel like you are off program.
continuing to post on the threads.
having a range and scream weight.
I think the key is that we can not lose focus and that it is a lifelong/ daily commitment. I am working on letting go of perfection and accepting a slip without giving into shame and defeat. A vigilant effort to break the cycle.
It is hard work, but we can do it. Thanks for all those great recipes!
hi slipfree!! i did self weigh and just watched the numbers slowly come back. i'd gain 5 or so, forget the scale for a month, then be up 20, etc etc and i was like, really, susan, really, you're just gonna let all this weight back on your body after all that hard work, and then i'd go pacify my frustration with some ice cream...a BIG bowl...like a quart at a time. then get back on the scales and be mad at myself even though i was the one stuffing my face! and i slacked and slacked on the activities until i was a couch potato again...well not actually a couch potato, because i am always busy in the house and watch little tv, but still, getting out of the house doing so cardiovascular activity was weening and i forgot how great it felt to ride my bike!!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by joysh
Slipfree, I completely agree.
1.For me, self-weighing was really important, even when it was hard.
2. Posting on the maintenance thread and giving support on the other threads also increases accountability.
3. Continuing to eat as though I was on P3 or P4. When I stuck to my "routine" eating, I was fine. I found I could deviate once or twice a week, but not more. I also have the 1-2-3 days, that worked well for me. If I had "up" pounds I did a day of P1, a day of P2 and a day of P3 and that usually took care of it. It was a "fast reset" and got me back on track.
4. Physical movement and exercise are also good, although I've only been successful in the summers when I could swim.
I bought and read the book Refuse to Regain while on maintenance. It's a good one.
I also realize that this is a lifelong thing for me. I have to allow myself to relax and go "off-program" occasionally during certain times of the year. It HAS to be ok with me as long as I understand that I will return to my normal (P4) way of eating if I hit my ceiling weight. I think I've been kinder to myself this past year. I don't feel that I'm punishing myself for transgressions by going back OP. On the contrary, I feel in control. I have to admit that I enjoyed gaining those 20 pounds, although I would not have enjoyed gaining more. Now I'm enjoying being back OP and I'm feeling a lot better.
But I agree, Rainbow, it would be best NOT to have to do this again. Some people can eat anything they want and not gain a pound. I just don't think I'll ever be that way. Oh well. At least we know how to get it off.
hi joy!! i think in the beginning, i found that i too could deviate once or twice and the scales would recover in a day or two....but then the deviating happened more and more and then i just turned a blind eye to that pounds that slowly came back. then i was like, drats, you live you die, you're gonna die of something, might as well enjoy my food. food is my comfort zone. food is my security blanket. i am happy when i am eating food! i need to learn to be kind to myself!
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Originally Posted by Avalon1957
As soon as I figure this "maintaining" part out, I will post something more emphatic. But for now, my feeling is I will just stay on some form of the IP diet for the rest of my life. It's actually pretty healthy as I've never eaten so many vegetables. In other words, I have given up the ghost on my old "diet/no-diet" strategy ... but I am thinking about it more as a lifestyle change now. We all know the drill ... exercise, eat well, watch carbs.
hi avalon!! i LOVE vegetables too! and in just the 4 days of my reboot and thinking, why did i stop eating this way....these foods are so good!! it takes time and effort and preparation and effort and planning and effort and effort and effort and i just stopped giving the effort. why why why!!!
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Originally Posted by darbs7
I think a major part of it is stepping on the scale. When I avoid the scale I gain (I am in sense living in denial).
I stopped stepping on scale and wore stretchy clothes starting in January of 1014.
Now, 4 months later, 7 more and I am back to my goal weight! This time though I did not do the crazy 100% phase 1. I believe the all or nothing mentally gets us in trouble. If I had a bite of cheese or extra fat...I didn't feel like I blew anything. I just keep plugging. It has been slower, but so worth it.
So, for me
1. Support...this site, Facebook groups of women from this site, and my husband
2. Stepping on scale
3. Getting rid of all or nothing mentality
Welcome back and good luck.
hi darbs!! O.M.G. stretch pants have certainly contributed to my downfall!! i love my lounge clothes. as soon as i get home from work, its in the shower and into stretchy clothes. i remember that day i got out a pair of jeans i had been wearing, about 2 weeks prior and they were too tight and even then, i did NOTHING!! why why why??? why did i just let myself sit and watch the pounds come back one by one??? uggggggggggggg!!
i am sorry you had such a rough time, but it sounds like you are well prepared now and such a good inspiration!
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Originally Posted by scorbett1103
I would second all 3 of these points. I didn't go way off the reservation until I stopped keeping track of my weight (I was really good about weekly weigh-ins at home for the "successful" portion of maintenance), and stopped visiting this forum. I don't necessarily need the accountability from a pricey coach, but I do need to feel accountable, or I make too many excuses for myself.
I agree too that having an "all or nothing" mentality can be a maintenance killer. It's too short sighted - we are in this for a lifetime, and cannot give up just because we slipped on the trail up the mountain once or twice. I've stopped viewing weight loss/maintenance as a "goal" and started viewing it as a process that will have ups and downs. Like Joysh mentioned I'm much kinder to myself now! I hesitated coming back to the forum when I had regained, I was ashamed and felt I had let all the people down that I had helped be successful my first time around on P1. I had to get over it - I'm human too and I'm allowed to slip, stumble, even fall in spectacular fashion. But what matters is whether I pick myself up and press on. I can see that maintenance is just going to be a constant "pressing on"
hi scorbett!! yes...i am beginning to see a trend here...
slip off program, kick myself for slipping...stop visiting 3fc...stop weighing in...stop posting...stop journaling...stop caring!! why why why??? effort!! it takes so much effort!!!!!!!! write down everything you eat, calculate everything you eat, record everything you eat!! all the effort got to me! so it was all or nothing in the effort department as well!! uggg!!!
i am learning A LOT right about now. can someone say LIGHT BULB effect??
Quote:
Originally Posted by canadjineh
"I spent a lot of time reading many of the old threads, a few things seem to be a common trend in keeping the weight off:
self weighing even when you feel like you are off program.
continuing to post on the threads.
having a range and scream weight.
I think the key is that we can not lose focus and that it is a lifelong/ daily commitment. I am working on letting go of perfection and accepting a slip without giving into shame and defeat. A vigilant effort to break the cycle. "
This is it totally, I agree with Slip.
Especially the range & scream weight (and the range can't be 25 lbs, lol). Activity is very important.
A little something extra every day is 365 days of extra per year that we don't need. Planning for something once a week keeps YOU in control and not your environment. We can never go back to eating 'normally,' which may be the norm, but isn't natural or healthy. Just because most of the Western world chooses to kill themselves slowly with bad food habits doesn't mean that is the way to treat our bodies. And don't move into the stretchy clothes - that's a very bad signal of denial. Stretchy clothes are good for exercise, lol. The non- stretchy fabrics should still be comfortable - if they aren't - it's time to get back on track.
Liana
hi liana!! range and scream weight....i have never heard that phrase! is the scream weight the high weight where you scream at yourself??
stretchy clothes became my best friend!! i think i need to divorce stretchy clothes!
i think i had a "range". but i would gain a few pounds and think, ok, thats not too bad...then i would hover at that weight for a month and that weight became my new norm. then 4-5 more pounds came, and i was like, well, it could be 10, so thats not so bad, but what i didn't see was that is was not 4-5 pounds it was 4-5 pounds ON TOP of the 3-4 i already gained, and so the pattern went....i would handle the gain by making excuses and then THAT weight became my new "beginning" of a range. does that make sense?? why why why??? i did not hold myself accountable!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Briael
For me it will be acknowledging that my old diet has gone. While I'm on P1 I am researching all kinds of future diets for maintenance. I believe that having a plan will be the way forward to maintaining a consistent weight range.
My plan so far:-
1. Set a range that I can "live" within. Not just a weight I can get to.
2. Find a food plan that works for me - makes my stomach comfortable, doesn't make me bloat and keeps me high on energy
3. Get on the scale every week
hi bri ... having a plan was probably where i failed the most! i never made it to goal, or even close, so a plan to maintain wasn't even in my head, but now, i am making a plan that will take me in intervals if i can't make the whole journey in one go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PurpleMomster
It's a big worry for a lot of people, being able to maintain.
I lost 80lbs last year and was within 20lbs of my goal but...I went on an all-inclusive trip to Mexico (and *really* enjoyed myself, lol!), my coach left the clinic and I lost the drive I had. If I had phased off properly after reaching my goal, I think it would have been a lot different for me.
Thankfully, I've seen the number on the scale and I'm not happy with it so I'm rebooting and I will phase off properly and follow the Maintainers thread closely because I *want* this, I *want* to be healthy.
Jo
hi jo! ahhhhh yes...those unexpected circumstances that come up and derail us!! i totally agree!! holidays, vacations, family reunions, trips! i am so guilty of saying, well, just for "this" occasion! but that never really worked.
then, i started researching those who lost 150 pounds or more and all the loose skin and that totally freaked me out and i just bailed and thought, i might as well stay fat and eat food. i saw a you tube video of someone who was about my weight and lost 200 pounds and was so distraught with all her loose skin and she said she could never afford excess skin removal surgery, and i caved. why why why???? as ishbel says, losing weight is hard, maintaining is hard, being fat is hard...pick your hard! why did i pick being fat??? i dont want to be fat! truly i dont!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Runnergrl
Great discussion - as this is a reboot for me, I am very intent on making sure that phasing off and maintenance are well thought out and the mindset needed is getting established while losing on P1.
Thanks to all the successful maintainers and rebooters for the tips and the realization that this is a process not a one off deal. It is so helpful to know what to expect and how to prepare for the continued work ahead.
hi runner!
i think the biggest downfall was not phasing off properly. i never could get the phasing part worked out in my head because i never got to my goal, but it seemed like so much effort and i am not lazy, so why why why???? why didn't i make myself better prepared?? i was so busy creating recipes i forgot about being prepared!!
THANK YOU all of you for giving my such wonderful and thoughtful insight
and advice.....i look forward to more words of wisdom to come!!
Rainbow, I can totally relate! It is a lot of effort! I get sick of it too. I wish sometimes that I had a "normal" life when it comes to food- but that is not my reality I too, used food for comfort, entertainment, and medication. Our biggest challenge in maintenance(I think) is journey fatigue. The realization that the effort never ends.
So far, that is where the scream weight has come in. My range has been 4 pounds. If I go up beyond those 4 pounds- I go to Phase 1, no matter what.
A couple of times on this holiday, I have gone over and have even changed my plans to reign myself back in. I did resent it a bit. But, I still weighed myself every day of the past month. There were times when I was not perfect and I am working down from the top of my range today. I am learning to focus on not letting a slip (sugar), turn into a slide (emotionally).
Are you on Pinterest? Weight No Longer, Niantic CT has some great inspirational posts.
Everything you said is "me" I regained all the weight I lost in 2011 on IP.
I am (under my doctor's supervision) taking a drug that is used for addiction, I have taken it for 2 weeks and I have noticed as soon as I am actually full, I stop eating. I am going to try to also get back on IP phase I, after this week. It is all so interesting. I am hypothyroid & post meno, which doesn't help either. Living in the cold NE winters is not that great for activity, but I started back at the gym last month.
I am in P2, and will start P4 in a few weeks. I have been following the maintainers thread to see what people do, and have given a lot of thought to my own personal experiences. I am someone who is carb intolerant--IE I gain weight very very easily eating carbs, especially simple ones.
My current plan for maintenance is to eat enough carbs to come out of ketosis, and slowly add them in so that I can see what a maintainable carb level for me is. I will also be weighing in a couple of times a week, and logging everything into MFP. I plan on following a hybrid of the P4 guidelines and Abascal Way proportional eating and see how that does. Plus I will add exercise back in. Who knows, maybe I will start swing or tango dancing again. I figure it is a process/ experiment, and I will adjust what I'm doing as I go along.
Keeping myself accountable will be key. I hope that helps.
Wow - so much wisdom and self-awareness on this thread. Really great to read.
I've been maintaining for 8 months and still don't trust myself to keep things in check. That may be a good thing - being vigilant may be key to me keeping the weight off.
I try hard not to exclude anything in maintenance, just work it into my plans. And sometimes I just say "to heck with it" and eat whatever I want knowing that I'm going to have to tighten things up for a few days afterwards. So far, just increasing my water and lowering my carbs for a few days has worked to lower my weight if I get to close to the top of my weight range. Which is good because I have a block I think when it comes to doing P1 days - my mind just rebels. I think after a year straight on P1 I just have an aversion to the idea. I'm sure if I'd just do it I'd be fine, but what I'm doing now is working.
And exercise! Right now I'm limited to physical therapy exercises and walking but should be back in some kind of shape soon. Discovered after losing all the weight that I had no muscles - apparently the fat was holding me upright!
I keep logging my food on MFP, checking in here and weighing daily. I may try loosening things up a little at some point, but right now this works for me and that's what's important.
I think everyone has to find the right mix of eating for their lifestyle and tastes, exercise and accountability to themselves to be successful in maintenance. Not an easy task for any of us, especially when you're trying to stay in control while finding the right combo for you!
Everything you said is "me" I regained all the weight I lost in 2011 on IP.
I am (under my doctor's supervision) taking a drug that is used for addiction, I have taken it for 2 weeks and I have noticed as soon as I am actually full, I stop eating. I am going to try to also get back on IP phase I, after this week. It is all so interesting. I am hypothyroid & post meno, which doesn't help either. Living in the cold NE winters is not that great for activity, but I started back at the gym last month.
Good Luck to everyone and Happy, Healthy 2015!
Another one from 2010....I think there are three of us here. You really think you have it licked when you are one year, two years, three years out in maintenance...but this is a lifelong struggle. So happy to be almost back to my goal weight. Welcome back
Great discussion, everyone! I'm so glad to be here with you all. We are all growing and learning. I'm always inspired just reading everyone's honest posts.
Have a wonderful day. And let's always remember to be kind to ourselves, even when exploring our craziness!
I also lost weight in 2010 kept it under control until 2014 when I had health issues and it seemed the medication I take made me gain weight. At least that is my story and I am sticking to it. Back on ideal protein and determined to lose the weight so my clothes fit better. Will be traveling most of the winter but I can do this. Who really needs to have wine on the beach watching the sunset. There is always time later for that. My mind is set and I can do this.
Yeah, Rainbow... scream weight is the top edge of weight range. My weight range is 2 lbs below my happy weight and 3 lbs above. Range of 6 lbs for me which is almost 5% of my total weight. Good enough for random sodium and TOM stuff, lol.
Thanks darbs, glad you are almost back to where you were.
I have followed phase 1....90% of the time the last 14 weeks...I lost the 30 pounds slower because I gave myself planned Atkins cheats (no carbs) but higher fat/calories/ wine
But because I did that I stuck with it and have really lost that "all or nothing" mentality that can get us all in trouble.
Day 3 for me for the n-th time around! I started a reboot in November and was almost 100% until Christmas, but the last two weeks I had a few too many slips.
As cliche as it is, for some reason my mind and motivation just click the first Monday of January. My biggest struggle has always been eating after work and in the evenings. So far the last two nights I haven't even thought about eating off plan. Weekends are also tough on me, so hoping by Friday I'm back in the groove and can stick to it for the month of January. Then I'll see where I'm at.
I'm up probably 15-20 lbs from my lowest weight, but I've been working out consistently since May so not sure if the scale is the true tale. My coach still has all my measurements from my lowest so I'm going to go based on getting back to that as opposed to having the scale read 123 again.
I have some leftover product still so haven't had my official reboot start weigh in yet, but will probably stop in to see my coach tomorrow or Friday. Then I'll have a better idea how far I have to go!
Good luck to everyone! I forget what great advice I get from here when I stop visiting, even if it's just for a few weeks!
Hello all!!! I am back as well!! This is one rock'n thread!!
Knm...my story is similar to yours!! Was 100% from November 1st through Christmas...then I've had a few slips. I lost 26 lbs in 7 weeks, still want to lose about 30!
hi skinnygirl! happy new year! i am happy to be back. sounds like you have a good plan underway so no doubt you will be one of those who is ready and able to maintain your losses. i wish you all the best on this journey! its a fabulous group of ladies here!
we can do this!
I too, used food for comfort, entertainment, and medication. Our biggest challenge in maintenance(I think) is journey fatigue. The realization that the effort never ends. 
minion!!!!!! 
ROCKING NEW YEAR IP CELEBRATION!!!
Yeah, Rainbow... scream weight 
is the top edge of weight range. My weight range is 2 lbs below my happy weight and 3 lbs above. Range of 6 lbs for me which is almost 5% of my total weight. Good enough for random sodium and TOM stuff, lol.
