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Old 05-02-2013, 04:26 PM   #1  
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Default Feeling Lost and Overwhelmed

Okay so I did IP from October to December and lost 25lbs. Life was good and I felt like I accomplished something positive for myself. I had neglected myself for several years and let my health go in the process of finishing college, starting a real job, getting married, and buying a home. The last several months in maintainence have been relatively easy to follow and I have found myself fluctuating from 135-137 depending on the day and a variety of other factors. Monday I got on the scale at weighed 140 and I was upset. Granted TOM had just arrived and I had been feeling bloated. Anyways, I have been doing phase 1 since Monday and I feel like death. I am sooo tired, have an insane amount of cravings (peanut butter plea and feel like throwing in the towel and opening the fridge (as I always say). For some reason I just feel as if this time around is sooo hard for me. Today when I weighed I was 137 so I have lost but maybe not because it could have been water retention and bloating from TOM. I just need to see 135 on the scale before I am comfortable stopping. What is wrong with me this time. I hate this battle. Sorry for the venting...just feeling a bit blah.
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Old 05-02-2013, 05:34 PM   #2  
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It totally makes sense to me that going back to Phase 1 would be mentally harder than it was the first time.

Consider this - before you did IP the first time, were you really thinking about what you were eating? Did you track your food, or just eat whatever, whenever? For me, pre-IP my eating was pretty thoughtless. So THINKING about what I put in my mouth was the big adjustment in P1. Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm MUCH more aware of what I eat, why I eat it. So if I were to go back to P1, I would be THAT MUCH MORE aware of the things I used to eat and couldn't.

Instead of the food, maybe try focusing on something non-food related - a pair of pants that you want to fit back into, something you can reward yourself with once you get back to goal. Make P1 more interesting for you by trying a new recipe, or a new veggie. Anything to get your mind off BEFORE, and back on NOW.
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Old 05-02-2013, 05:48 PM   #3  
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If you need to just loose a couple of pounds, you can maybe accomplish this with a different, less strict diet. I know IP is the fastest way, but going into ketosis puts stress on your body. Your hormones change and sluggishness comes from the fact that your brain normally runs on glucose, so a switch to ketones takes a while. Maybe just eating fewer carbs (80g vs the 20-40g on IP) or reducing calories and upping exercise would do it. I also find that my weight fluctuates up to 6 lbs. While frustrating, I know it cannot be fat gain because I monitor caloric intake.
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Old 05-02-2013, 07:09 PM   #4  
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I think scorbette and lolo gave you some great ideas, my first thought was that dang TOM isn't helping your feelings, you will fix it...be kind to yourself...attacking the lbs down is maintenance, shouldn't be more then a few days of phase 1 and you probably won't need a phase in.


Last edited by Ishbel; 05-02-2013 at 07:10 PM.
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Old 05-02-2013, 07:12 PM   #5  
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Are you sure it's not just water retention? Especially as you've indicated that it's your TOM.... I've only been in maintenance for a month, but have noticed that a heavier than usual sodium intake will easily pop my weight up the next day by about 3 lbs. I regularly log what I eat, and weigh every morning, so when I see that happening I have a lower carb day (more like a P2 day, with low carbs), and make sure I drink at least 80 oz of water. It's worked so far for me every time, because it's not fat gain - it's water retention. Also, drinking ginger tea with lemon in it helps a lot too. Seems to help digestion, and gets rid of water retention for me at the same time. This is courtesy of Scorbett's earlier posting, but you just boil about a knuckle size diced up piece of fresh ginger in boiling water for about 5 minutes, and then drink with some fresh squeezed lemon juice in it. I add a little stevia to sweeten. Tastes good and is good for you.

Last edited by evepet; 05-02-2013 at 07:14 PM.
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Old 05-02-2013, 11:13 PM   #6  
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You all are awesome!!! Thank you thank you thank you for your kind words , good advice, and support...they kept me out of the fridge . It could be water weight from bloating but my clothes seemed a little snug too although I have read that women experience their clothes fitting tighter than normal around TOM. Dang being a woman...the joys! I think I will keep going until tomorrow and then jump into phase 3. I suppose because IP was such a struggle for me mentally and physically I find myself very careful about gaining weight and maintaining. I suppose today I was just being a complainer about having to watch what I eat and continue on fighting the battle of the bulge. Damn it that I wasnt born with the ability to eat whatever whenever. Thank you all again...seriously means a lot and keeps me going!
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Old 05-02-2013, 11:58 PM   #7  
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Default cravings

I have found that the wide variety of IP flavors really helped me head off those cravings.

The peanut bars and the peanut butter soy balls have a really strong PB flavor, and if you eat them really slowly for your next IP meal, the taste will linger in your mouth.....just sayin'.
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Old 05-03-2013, 12:18 AM   #8  
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Most people are going to have to be constantly vigilant about their diet.

Contrary to popular belief very few people are "naturally thin".

There are several things that are important in my opinion.

1) Having some kind of a regular exercise routine. You don't have to be running marathons but regular exercise is wonderful for your health for many reasons. Personally I'm a fan of lifting heavy but even brisk walking for 30 minutes 3x a week is enough to give you most of the health benefits that exercise offers.

2) Understanding how and why fat gain happens and how fat gain is not the same as weight gain. As pointed out in this thread - did you really gain 5 lbs of fat? Maybe, maybe not. Personally I have found the easiest way to monitor my fat gain it to take a single caliper measurement on a part of my body a couple times a month. It takes literally seconds. This is the one people should buy if they want to follow this method.

3) Figure out a way of eating you can live with long term that limits your intake but doesn't make you feel too deprived. Phase 4 is one way, but it would never work for me. One popular method is calorie counting. Generally speaking - most of us eat similar things all the time. If you're like this - you may want to simply monitor your caloric intake for a while and see the aproximate range of calories you maintain at. Other popular methods are rule based diet. Example- the white diet. You don't eat anything white. Kind of silly but if you don't eat anything white you'll have a hard time over eating. It takes a little bit of experimentation but my advise is to first consider how you like to eat and see if there is a dietary plan that mimics it.

Well this was a long post but I'm not done yet. There are a number of biological reasons that phase 1 is much harder now.

1) You're out of the routine. It takes a while to adjust and it's much easier to adjust when your body has a lot of fat to draw from.

2) Your leptin levels are much lower now. If you read enough on this forum you'll find that every single dieter who has only a few lbs to lose has trouble with this diet and leptin is a big reason because leptin is a big controller of appetite.

3) Your insulin sensativity is increased. The body prefers carbs for energy and it's very natural for a non insulin resistant person to feel more energy when they drop the carbs down.

Realistically a day or two of phase 1 is something most people who have only a few lbs to lose is pretty easy because it takes a couple days for your glycogen levels to drop down to the point where you'll start feeling lethargic. Obviously everyone is different but based on the way you're feeling you can certainly grit down and embrace the suck or you can do something a bit more moderate. Another popular option for people trying to get off those few remaining lbs is EOD dieting. PSMF (phase 1) one day and maintinence calories the next. It's slower but much more bearable.

Alrighty - longest post ever is done.
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Old 05-03-2013, 09:22 AM   #9  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnP View Post
Most people are going to have to be constantly vigilant about their diet.

Contrary to popular belief very few people are "naturally thin".

There are several things that are important in my opinion.

1) Having some kind of a regular exercise routine. You don't have to be running marathons but regular exercise is wonderful for your health for many reasons. Personally I'm a fan of lifting heavy but even brisk walking for 30 minutes 3x a week is enough to give you most of the health benefits that exercise offers.

2) Understanding how and why fat gain happens and how fat gain is not the same as weight gain. As pointed out in this thread - did you really gain 5 lbs of fat? Maybe, maybe not. Personally I have found the easiest way to monitor my fat gain it to take a single caliper measurement on a part of my body a couple times a month. It takes literally seconds. This is the one people should buy if they want to follow this method.

3) Figure out a way of eating you can live with long term that limits your intake but doesn't make you feel too deprived. Phase 4 is one way, but it would never work for me. One popular method is calorie counting. Generally speaking - most of us eat similar things all the time. If you're like this - you may want to simply monitor your caloric intake for a while and see the aproximate range of calories you maintain at. Other popular methods are rule based diet. Example- the white diet. You don't eat anything white. Kind of silly but if you don't eat anything white you'll have a hard time over eating. It takes a little bit of experimentation but my advise is to first consider how you like to eat and see if there is a dietary plan that mimics it.

Well this was a long post but I'm not done yet. There are a number of biological reasons that phase 1 is much harder now.

1) You're out of the routine. It takes a while to adjust and it's much easier to adjust when your body has a lot of fat to draw from.

2) Your leptin levels are much lower now. If you read enough on this forum you'll find that every single dieter who has only a few lbs to lose has trouble with this diet and leptin is a big reason because leptin is a big controller of appetite.

3) Your insulin sensativity is increased. The body prefers carbs for energy and it's very natural for a non insulin resistant person to feel more energy when they drop the carbs down.

Realistically a day or two of phase 1 is something most people who have only a few lbs to lose is pretty easy because it takes a couple days for your glycogen levels to drop down to the point where you'll start feeling lethargic. Obviously everyone is different but based on the way you're feeling you can certainly grit down and embrace the suck or you can do something a bit more moderate. Another popular option for people trying to get off those few remaining lbs is EOD dieting. PSMF (phase 1) one day and maintinence calories the next. It's slower but much more bearable.

Alrighty - longest post ever is done.
Maybe long, but worth the read. Very helpful -- thanks!
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Old 05-03-2013, 01:03 PM   #10  
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I found that a week before and during TOM is the worst time to start a diet because I have definitely increased hunger and cravings for carbs during that time. (At least that is how it works for me.)
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