Thanks Wuv!!

Thanks WUV.
Today is going to be spent trying on spring clothes and figuring out what to wear..if it ever warms up. I am ready to put winter clothes away. I have a whole new /used wardrobe and am going to get rid of clothes that are too big.

Have a great day everyone.

Me too!!! I can't wait for the weather to really warm up! I got some really cute and in style clothes...No more xl tshirts!!!

I love the change of seasons! Goodbye wool sweaters, hello flip flops!
Although in northern Alberta we will probably see a few more blizzards!

Question for maintainers. I'm now in Phase 4 (for various reasons) even though I haven't reached my goal yet. I might go back on Phase 1 in another 6 weeks or so, but for now I'm going to try to maintain the weight I'm at.

Anyway, there is not a lot of information about meal ideas for maintenance. I'm pretty good with breakfast, but lunch and dinner are difficult. I am so used to having grains & fat together (pasta w/cheese, enchiladas, bread & butter, grilled cheese, etc.). Could anyone give me some ideas for lunches and dinners? Today I had a salad w/grilled chicken and some sour cream & cheese for lunch. For dinner I had sweet potatoes, toast, peas and red pepper slices. Lunch was good, dinner was...random. I'd like to have some good recipe ideas up my sleeve. I know I won't be able to maintain unless I can plan my meals ahead of time.

Thanks!

Think very similar to phase one with your maintenance dinner except you can add a whole grain starch and some fruit. I mainly kept eating meat and veggie at dinner...2-3 times a week I had a starch at dinner.

For lunch I ate salad with meat/cheese/dressing/avocados

The cheat days are when you get the cheesey starchy food

Yup started with a minor blizzard this morning. But I unpacked my summer clothes then bagged them all for the Sally Ann. Everything is too big.

Pat

I agree there isn't much information. The easiest way for me to conceptualize P4 lunch and dinner is to do a regular P2/3 lunch but add a little fat (dressing, cheese, nuts) and do a P1/2/3 dinner but add a little carbs (starch, prohibited veggie). Do that for a while until you get in the groove of P4 then maybe venture out to more elaborate recipes or meal plans once you've got the hang of maintaining your weight.

Hi everyone. I've been MIA for a while... I'm trying a new approach to maintenance, because my old one was literally driving me crazy. I will update with my progress in a few days. The jury is still out.

As I am approaching maintainence, in a month or so, I am brainstorming on my maintainance diet. I did some research on Chia seeds and Hemp protein and I am thinking I should add these to fruit/vegi smoothies for breakfast. Does anyone use these in maintenance?
Also, does anyone juice their fruits and vegis? Will that work for IP phase 4?
Thanks

Hello all! I have been on P1 for 7 days now, and I lost the 3# from the cruise plus an additional 1.8#. Hurrah! I still want to lose 2 more so I can get back to 132, which is where I feel my best.

Can I just say that I forgot how badly P1 s*cks on weekends?!?!?! I have been on maintenance for too long! I really struggled this weekend staying on P1.

Other than that, just been plugging along trying to lose the vacation weight and get back to my comfort spot.

As for maintenance meals, I keep lunch exactly the same as P2/P3 but add a little bit of cheese or something to my salad for my fat. Most days, I keep dinner exactly the same as P2/P3. Sometimes I will add in a sweet potato or beans, but most times not.

One of my favorite P4 dinners is chili. It has protein and complex carbs, plus some veggies. I usually have a salad with it as well. But usually I just stick with the basics of P2/P3.

As most of you know, my maintenance routine is usually a pretty strict P3 during the week and a little freedom on the weekends. I usually do not do a cheat day, unless it is a special occasion or vacation. This method keeps me in my happy range (132-134) and under my ceiling # (135). As long as I stay under 135, I do not do a P1 day. Now that I am on maintenance, P1 is a real struggle, so I try to keep my diet clean enough to not have to do them on a regular basis.

I will tell you (new maintainers) this, maintenace is all trial and error. I don't know if there are any 2 of us who follow the same maintenance. We all have found / finding what works for us. It is extremely individual. Some people have found (like myself) that they are pretty carb sensitive and cannot really handle a lot of carbs. I have also found that I cannot handle wheat, which practically eliminates a ton of carb options. When I do eat wheat, I gain at least 3# immediately and it takes 2-3 days to work itself out of my system. You will just have to try different things and see how your body reacts and what you can and cannot eat and not gain weight.

My maintenance is similar to Jenny's. I mainly eat phase 3, with a little fat added to lunch and usually don't add the grains to dinner. I will sometimes add a sweet potato. I don't care for beans, but will add corn or peas to dinner, but not every night. I still have a cheat day followed with a phase 1 day. My cheat days started out with a bang, but I don't go overboard nearly as bad these days. You definitely have to find out what works for you. I am one of those that is sensitive to carbs. Good luck!

Congrats on losing...

I'm still above my range, and totally frustrated with everything IP at the moment. I decided over the weekend that I couldn't deal with all of my negative feelings about food ALL THE TIME. I was sick of feeling guilty about every single thing that I was putting in my mouth. I was feeling completely deprived...

So, I'm going to try something slightly different and see what happens. I'm eating a balanced diet and going to exercise more. If I gain too much weight, I will cross that bridge then.

Pixl: Good luck with your new regime..I say try whatever you need to feel more positive. Experimenting is good. Ip is only approach to life. More important is that you feel good about yourself and what you are doing.

Desperate: I have not added hemp..but did buy chia seeds...have not added them yet.

I eat similar to Paint Lady and Jenny..very few carbs at night if any! Add a fat for lunch..avocado or salad dressing..cheese once in a while.

As I went through all of my clothes, I realized that I really have an entirely new wardorobe for spring. I buy things on the sale racks or get used from friends or thrift. I am loving the spring colors of yellow and orange..or purple and red. So I decided to be ruthless and only keep clothes in my closet that are in 6/8 and that fit..not the loose ones.
Here is the problem..I could not take the stack of 10 pants to the thrift..Somewhere inside me, I thought well if I gain 10 pounds I could need those pants.
So here is my solution..put them all in the basement and at my one year maintenance anniversary..then get rid of them!

So we can all freeze and wear spring clothes, because it is supposed to be spring!!!!!! People at work are wearing cotton dresses!

What I found interesting about clothes is that I have emotional memories of those clothes. ..ie..get rid of that, it was when I was fat..or remembering buying it as I was gaining weight and not being happy. It is such fun to have clothes in my closet that I am happy with and not using to hide my body!