Wow!! So many of you have done so well. Very inspiring! Makes me excited to keep going! Thanks for posting!

You look amazing and healthy! Seeing pictures like this makes me very motivated to get back on track with eating healthier and getting back to my regular gym routine.

Amazing!

Thank you! :)

I thought I'd update my thread with what I've just posted in the IP Maintainers thread. Friday was my 3 month in maintenance and I weighed in at the exact same weight as what I started my maintenance with, 158....which is actually low for me BUT I'm pretty happy with that.

I'm off on a vacation starting on the 22 August and I'm pretty pumped! I'll feel comfortable with how I eat now and if I over indulge there is a plan to 'nip it in the bud'.


Things that I have learned in 3 months in maintenance:

- indulging once in a while won't hurt me (ie having a small piece of cake during the week)
- running is important to me...I'm in love with it...that surprises me!
- I must NOT run on fun day as it makes me hungry the next day (although running actually cuts my hunger)...no one wants to be hungry on a Phase 1 day...so I run on a Phase 1 day so I'm not as hungry BONUS is I use up glycogen stores from the day before and I can jump right back into Phase 4 the next day and deal with any potential hunger.
- I need to keep myself busy on a Phase 1 day so I plan activities and that could be just going for a walk at a specific time of day or even just making phase 1 day my cleaning day...
- chocolate...I just can't have it..I limit it even on fun day, that much sugar now makes my tummy feel bad AND I get the instant sugar crash and will fall immediately to sleep (which I never do now and I hate that feeling). I was pre-diabetic before I started IP so perhaps I'm ultra sensitive but I because I highly dislike the 'upset tummy/falling asleep symptom" I just avoid it
- nutz...I'm in love with nutz and would NEVER be able to have a jar in my house so I save them for fun day and go to Nutters (pun not intended but I laughed as I typed it ) and get a serving and enjoy them without guilt! (the ladies at the counter already know my schedule and will say "you're here for your weekly treat! lol)
- fruit...I love fruit...when I'm at work I can schedule them into my daily plan (twice a day) so as part of my fun day I'm allowed to have as much fruit as I want...I have probably 3-4 fruits on fun day.
- journaling, I still journal but will only journal Monday to Friday, I don't need to journal fun day (who wants to really know) and I don't journal Phase 1 day...so really I do essentially take the weekends off. I use a journaling app, I eat the same breakfasts everyday (same one I chose for Phase 3) and type in my plan right before I go to bed. Because I eat generally the same food (cycled throughout the month) the ap already knows what I'm typing almost before I type it. Takes me seconds to punch it in.
- the app also shows me the natural swing of my weight so I find my anxiety level on the scale is much reduced...I can see the swing and that gives me confidence in what I'm doing is right.
- and finally - water...I must MUST keep the same amount of water EVERYDAY, including fun day...this helps keep me on track and not over indulge on fun day...and also helps me with my running plans for the next day.

Carla you look great. You are such an inspiration... I am so happy for you.

You are amazing! You look incredible!

How inspiring!! Thank you so much for sharing. Im on week one I hope to have a story like you in a year!!! :)

Awesome!! you give me hope!

WOW!!! Ishbel, wow! :carrot:

Wow! You look amazing well done! :-)

Congrats!!!

So I haven't posted in here since my 3 months aniversary (WOW), it seems to me that I'm keeping this thread around to use as an 'update' and I'm not sure who is reading it but by keeping it updated once in a while seems to be one of the things that's keeping me on target. I'll try to do better then every 6 months LOL

I do come back here on 'tough' days and re-read what people have said, it really boosts my energy!

SO today is my 9 months, if I was preggers I'd be due today HAHAHA.

Today is 9 months in maintenance and I weighed in at 159.2 (158.6 yesterday). Amazingly enough, thats exactly where I started maintenance (in the 50's). Really I hit goal at 164 and started to phase off, so I've been 10 months fluctuating between 5-6 lbs....which to me is sucess.

I've been working HARD at getting my weight lower (had a few days up at 166/165 - around Christmas ). Right before Christmas I said "self, your fun days will not be on regular schedule therefore the normal # of days between fun days won't be 'normal' so it will take you a while to get back to 'normal schedule and fluctuation' after Christmas. You have until 17 Jan to get your poop together".

I have been eating very very very specifically and very very light (only the regular one day of Phase 1 day), last two weeks have had two nights of fish and two nights of scrambled egg whites with veggies and I'm choosing not to have carbs some nights for supper (I still have my after supper fruit). AND, it's shown up on the scale right on time. I've been very careful these last two/three months because of my hips, I have not been exercising or even walking due to the pain so I deleted 150-200 cals from my diet and I'm now 1300-1500 intead of 1600-1900 per day.

I was running 10 km runs and getting in at most 35 km a week at the least 20ish km a week - ended up with bursitis in both hips. I just had a cortisone shot which I'm not sure has 'helped' but in general it's settling enough that I may attempt to go walking at the gym tomorrow

I am inspired DAILY by EVERYONE on 3FC. I go to TOPS on Wednesdays so that's my mid-week check in, I plan my meals sometimes two days in advance. I track my food still AND I track my daily weigh ins. I can use the program so make a bar chart of 9 months and I see the fluctuation and it helps keep me confident that what I'm doing, I'm doing it right (for me). I come on here...I POST! Posting is part of accountability to me, I wish more people would post so I could have more to talk to! lol

I need plans, and when I need one, I need it now I cannot wait for someone to give me the plan, I must make it myself and see if it will work for me. That doesn't mean I don't come on here and find others plans and adapt them. Having a plan calms me, if I don't know what I'm eating (or going to eat) I get irritated and frustrated and life is not pleasant for me.

I have been on target in the past, I am on target today and I am planning to be on target tomorrow.

Thanks for all your generous comments over the last 9 months they've really helped keep my confidence high.

People are still reading this thread and loving it -- so please don't stop udpating! Throughout my up-and-down weight loss history, I have wondered if anyone other than Jared Subway manages to maintain weight loss. It's hugely inspiring to watch you (and some others here to 3FC) do exactly that.

I second that! i love hearing about your journey both through your loss and now your maintenance! You are so inspiring! Thank you!

Wow. :)

Amazing, amazing, amazing ...

Ishbel - this is sooooo inspiring.

You rock girl! :carrot: