Hey ladies! Sorry I've been a little AWOL since hitting maintenance, but life happened
Amber - awesome losses for your first week of reboot!
Maintenance is going ok so far, I feel like I'm muddling some days and still trying to figure things out - what I can eat, what I shouldn't eat. Giving myself a little freedom to enjoy things I haven't had since I started P1 last year. I have been bobbling up and down about 4-5 pounds - I guess that's good?
Another change is that my son has been diagnosed with celiac disease last week, so he has to be gluten-free. My husband and I will be getting tested soon also, as it's hereditary, and we are also trying to decide if and to what extent we will also go GF. I expect we will end up pretty much going GF as a household - seems like it will make things easier in the long run.
I'm around...I've had some "epiphanies" lately though which is why I'm generally staying off of here. I've decided to 'give up' 'fun days'. I was quite strict with myself when I was saving up for a fun day to ensure my weight didn't swing to far one way and then would work hard to bring it back. Ideal Protein theory is that you're carb shocking yourself physically and emotionally you can 'wait' to have your treat. This worked SO well for me for 1.5 years prior to getting pregnant. I was confident in my body and how I ate. However, this means (for me) that I was strict (quasi Phase 3) during the week to release the reins for one meal or for part of a day and then would accept the one day of Phase 1 to have a super duper clean day.
I have decided to move to a 90% good and 10% bad everyday. Not everyday do I get a treat though. I just don't want to say no to my 15 month old daughter if she wants to feed me a blueberry or a piece of her frozen yogurt and then have her watch me eat something that is a 'treat' on a weekend. What kind of message am I sending her, not only are the treats better but they are better then an healthy option like one little weeny blueberry. So far I've done about 1.5 months without a 'fun' day and I LOVE that I am eating my phase 3 breakfast EVERYDAY. I will happily take whatever food she has decided to share with me (not all of it lol but she thinks its pretty funny to feed me right now). I will slowly phase out the bars and packets as I'm mentally ready (I use a bar if I want a high protein snack) but it might take some time. I'm running upwards of 29 km a week so having a protein packed bar as a 'treat' doesn't seem so bad to me some days. Whatever works right?
Anyway, some of you may or may know me but there are lurkers who do. I'm posting this so I'm not just 'gone' but there is somewhat of an explanation as to where I went and why I went. I'm now working with a holistic nutritionist and have committed to it for the next two years. I'm looking forward to learning more about my body and the nutrition 'I' need for it while hopefully raising a daughter who doesn't have my relationship with food lol (I want her to have a more normal relationship obviously).
I'll be around but definitely not as active as perhaps I thought I would.
New York was fabulous! I decided after I got there that I would eat what I wanted to and deal with the consequences when I got back. My daughter is a healthy eater and works out every day, either soccer, bike riding, running so she can eat what she wants and doesn't have any weight issues. I had a salad with protein for at least one meal every day. We had a bagel with cream cheese one morning but the rest of the time it was yogurt and fruit and coffee. We kept having bakery failure. None of the treats we got lived up to our expectations...until the Cronut. OMG! That was amazing. Best thing I put in my mouth the whole trip and I ate the whole thing. We had paella (my first time) at a wonderful Spanish restaurant. We had a Rueben that was twice as big as my head (we split it) at Katz's Deli. Neither of us could finish our portion but it was amazing. Knishes from Zabar's. And street pizza, and so much more. The result...up 4.6 lbs from the day I left. Not bad. I think the fact that we probably walked at least 6-7 miles every day had something to do with the small amount I gained. And we drank water like crazy. It wasn't too hot, it never rained. We saw almost all the sights on my list, The Statue of Liberty, The Brooklyn Bridge and renovated pier area, Times Square, Wall Street with a tour of the New York Stock Exchange with contacts my daughter made through her internship, the 911 Memorial, Grand Central Station, Central Park (the boat pond, Strawberry Fields, Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, the Alice in Wonderland statue). We went to the Natural History Museum, the Met(I could have spent another 3 days here), and the Neue Gallerie for a special Klimt exhibit with the Woman in Gold. We went to The Strand, which is one of the largest used book stores in the country. They have an entire floor devoted to rare books. We saw autographed first editions of Hemmingway's Old Man and the Sea, and so many other lovely books. And the shopping. There is a great store called Century 21 where there are tons of all different designer duds under one roof at deep discounts. We spent $$ and time here! We saw SoHo, Dumbo, Chelsea, the Upper East and West Side, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg(great trendy shopping and the best bowl of ramen I've ever had). It was the trip of a lifetime. The subways were crowded and smelly, but it is an efficient way to get around. In the end we were both ready to go home and sleep in our own beds. I'm glad I went, but we both decided the next vacation will be on a beach, with no one else around.
I have a couple of social obligations this weekend with dinners and lunches and then I'll start strict P1 on Monday.
Hope everyone had a good rest of the week.
Last edited by catlady1981; 08-26-2015 at 05:27 PM.
Hey fellow maintainers! Looking for a little advice from those of you who have been at this for a while:
I'm feeling stuck in the weeds, so to speak. I've been bobbling up and down 3-4 pounds since I started maintenance, which is fine - but over the weekend I shot up 5 more! I'm not really sure what's going on and it's frustrating - I feel like I'm following the rules, and really most of my days look more like P3 than P4 - I might add a piece of cheese at lunch and/or a small carb at dinner, but not every day. P1 after a fun meal, etc.
So I did a P1 day again yesterday, unrestricted items only, and doing the same today. Plus drinking enough water to drown a camel. Any other suggestions?
Ishbel hope to see you around here whenever you feel like it. I don't think any of us are maintaining "strictly IP" so you are of course more than welcome here as I hope you know
Andrea New York sounds great. So glad you had a good time.
I'm starting my third week of P1 reboot - 8 lbs the first week, 1 lb this last week, even though strict. Ah well. I'll take the loss. I do think there are inches gone this last week, I have a WI and measurement this afternoon. I'm not sure how much past 3 or 4 weeks of P1 I'm going to want to do. I'm in ketosis, so not hungry, but definitely lower energy - that's how P1 is for me, I think it's because I have more muscle and also thyroid issues. Who knows. I'll keep checking in here about how it's going.
I had a good trip to Texas to babysit my brother's kids (they are getting into their teens so it's not so much babysitting now as "party patrol" as we call it - just making sure there are no hijinks) - lots of pool and relaxation time, very nice.
JJTX you posted just as I was posting - don't have much advice - since I started maintenance I have had several experiences like you describe - it's flummoxing for sure - all I've between able to do is keep working it -
Are you exercising/building muscle? That will for sure make the scale go up because the inflammation causes water retention.
Did the 5 lbs up happen in addition to the usual up 4lbs bob? - meaning are you 9lbs up now or 5?
Last edited by Grateful4Health; 09-01-2015 at 11:51 AM.
JJTX you posted just as I was posting - don't have much advice - since I started maintenance I have had several experiences like you describe - it's flummoxing for sure - all I've between able to do is keep working it -
Are you exercising/building muscle? That will for sure make the scale go up because the inflammation causes water retention.
Did the 5 lbs up happen in addition to the usual up 4lbs bob? - meaning are you 9lbs up now or 5?
I haven't really been exercising, other than some PT from the chiro (which I haven't done much of in the last week or so honestly).
And yeah, up 9 total yesterday - this morning I was down a pound so 8
I bailed on P1 yesterday. But I'm on it today. I'm down 1.7 of the 5 I gained on vacation so hoping to get the rest off in a couple of weeks.
Ishbel: Good for you for thinking in the long term and showing your daughter how to have a healthy relationship with food. I'm still trying to figure out what works for me.
JJTX: Good to know now that your son needs a diet change and he will regain health. It sounds like GF free will be a way of life for you for a while. I know Liana does it and it works for her really well. As far as the 4-5 lb. up and down I stayed pretty much within 3 lbs of where I entered Maint. for about 5 months. When I strayed away from the 3:1 ratios I started seeing an upward trend. I'm doing a reboot right now to get rid of up lbs from vacation. Once that is done I will go back to 3:1 ratios to see if that keeps me more level. I did notice larger fluctuations in weight early in Maint. if I stayed really low carb and then ate more carbs in a day. But as time went on, the fluctuations evened out when I increased my carbs to around 100 net. Maybe that is what is happening to you as well.
Grateful: Yay for 8 lb loss. That was quick. Keep up the good work. Where were you in Texas?
Thanks so much for your support and advice! An update from this morning:
So after 2 days of strict P1 some of those crazy up-pounds are gone - flushed away? I was able to get in and see my coach this morning - it's been a month so it was time anyway. And I have to say thank God for fancy scales - my weight gain is muscle! Fat % was lower than ever too. Whew!! I'm not sure how that happened since I haven't been working out, but my coach said it's pretty common because people are more active. She did tell me to start getting in some regular exercise - interval walking and yoga, and we'll see what my stats are like in a month.
We talked about my eating habits, and she said I'm on the right track as far as following program. Updated her on the celiac too, and that my husband and I may end up going that route. She reminded me to watch the labels, especially on snacks, to make sure we weren't getting too much junk, sugar, carbs, etc.
Definitely glad I went in - I feel like a "weight" has lifted off of my shoulders.
Catlady - I'm thinking you're right, my coach said it's likely I'm pretty carb-sensitive. Just have to find the balance, and/or see what happens when/if we go GF.
JJTx glad to hear you had a good visit.
I also saw my clinic yesterday - that's always good to talk through things. I'm down 9.5 lbs in two weeks and 3 inches. I have about 6 more inches to go on my waist so apparently all the extra water or whatever happened is being held there. They think it could even be inflammation - my body just doesn't appreciate carbs in any form apparently. I'm going to be more careful and watch really close when I get back to P4 - try to see what the culprit is. I am hoping I can reach a happy medium of some overall amount per day, spread out through the day, maybe at breakfast and one other meal. I think 100 net or so might be a good amount. I think part of what happened is I started to mix the carbs and fats also, for example nuts etc. and I think my body has a harder time processing when they are mixed.
Andrea I was in the Dallas area - just noticed you are there. My brother lives in Fairview and we were mostly in that area and Allen/McKinney.
Amber - so glad you had a good clinic visit also! Sounds like you are getting some answers and nailing down how your body works, plus FANTASTIC losses!!
Back to wearing my tight jeans again today- a bit of a muffin but at least acceptable... good though & also motivating to be back in the better direction.
Last edited by Grateful4Health; 09-06-2015 at 07:44 PM.
Hi Maintainers! I'm on a mini-reboot at the present, but wanted to pop in here.
Ishbel, great to hear from you! How's the baby?
Catlady, I have to comment about New York, As I am NYC born and bred. Sounds like you hit all of the important spots! I always loved the Strand bookstore. Yes, the walking counters some of the calories and the food is very good. I go back for a little bit each summer, just to visit friends and places, even though it's been many years since I've lived in the City. I'm also a Texan - I lived in Houston for 25 years before I moved to Louisiana.
I've just caught up from my time of the thread. Too busy!
Andrea - sounds like you had a fabulous trip and saw all the hot spots. Great work on managing the food so well and getting all your steps.
Amber - yeah skinny jeans you're working so hard it must be great to see the results.
JJTX - great work building more muscle. That can take some time.
I was up 6 at my last wi but only half an inch on stomache. Going to get more serious this week and hopefully not too long after my 1 yr. anniversary I'll be at 163-165.
Down 3 lbs on the third week of the reboot, that's awesome as I expected to be more like 1 lb a week - last week it was just 1 lb after the first week whoosh. So yes, I"ll take it
I've been having more like 1200 calories a day this past week, 900 to 1000 seems to make me starving by the end of the day, so usually another packet or drink comes before I go to bed. It appears, at least last week, that it's actually accelerating the weight loss rather than being a problem, so I'm glad about that.
I read a good article about the amount your metabolism goes down without movement/exercise, and I played around with my BMR to see how it affected daily calories. It helped me because I realized when I pulled the muscle that after a few days, I likely needed to bring my daily calories down about 200 a day until I recovered. If I exercise 200 calories worth I will raise it (for me that was about 1900) and days I am not exercising I go about 1700, but if I stop for longer than 3 or 4 days for some reason I think I need to go down to 1500 until I'm moving again. So that is a good learning curve.
1200 is causing a loss, and I am walking but not increasing muscle, so it would make sense that 1700 would be about right.
I'm going to keep working it after I finish the reboot so I can stay on track.
Last edited by Grateful4Health; 09-08-2015 at 01:56 PM.
