Life After Phase 1
 

With so many members here now, and so many successes, more and more people are nearing the transition to maintenance. It seems appropriate (while we still have veterans aboard) to start a thread that captures information re: the later phases, before everyone runs off to enjoy their new lives!

If you are currently in Phase 3 or 4, please share your knowledge and experiences in the transition phases; our needs and questions are very different now than they were during the weight loss period. If you are phasing out to take a break before completing your IP program in the future, stay tied to the community and let us know how that approach is working for you. If you are an alum just checking in after months of maintenance, please share your long term successes and caution us about things we may need to watch out for...

If you are nearing transition or simply want to plan ahead, maybe questions like these have come up:

• I’ve got Phases 1 and 2 worked out, but what happens when I get to Phase 3?

• What should my meal plan be during maintenance?

• The guidelines aren’t as specific as they were during the weight loss phases... do I continue to use IP products, or stop them entirely? What about the supplements?

• Will I gain back weight during transition? Should I build some margin into my goal ahead of time?

Here is the place to ask the people who are currently dealing with these issues. Please keep your posts on topic, and please, no “twitter-like” posting that creates clutter.

Let's give this a try, and see where it goes... :)

:) great idea! (Bump)

Good idea Novak! I guess I will be a regular of this thread, now being in phase 3 and having less and less computer time to catch up with the posts!

Would you have breakfast advice? I find myself alternating between 2 toasts with yogourt, fiber 1 cereals with milk, quick oatmeal w yogourt also! and eating eggs most mornings. For fruits, I chose to stick with strawberries, rasberries and honeydew. Are these IP wise?

Thank you for your advice!

Hey Sylvia - glad you asked about breakfasts, that was one of my questions too! Different ideas for breakfasts...

Also - on phase 3 does anyone ever switch it around or add extras to other meals ie: bread at lunchtime for a sandwich instead of having your bread at breakfast? Can that be done?

I'm on phase 2 as of this morning, I'm only staying on Phase 2 for a week before moving to phase 3 so I was starting to wonder how it all works!

Phase 3 went by so fast! I basically studied the charts and tables in the protocol (posted in the sticky section), then settled on a weekend, home version, and a more transportable version for work... based on the sample menus. At home, I had a whole grain English muffin, a half slice of veggie cheese and fried egg on each side, 3 slices of veggie bacon, yogurt and fruit... usually honeydew. (I don't eat meat.) At work, I have yogurt with blueberries/raspberries and Meusli cereal, and a slice of toast with peanut butter. I used the amounts in the handout, and made sure these choices fit within the guidelines for carbs, protein, calories and fat.

Sounds like you are right on with your choices. I started with a banana early on, but switched to lower carb options. It's a lot of food, but I love breakfast! And even with all that food, I actually lost another 2+ pounds in Phase 3.

I stayed on Phase 2 for a week and five days, because I'd already overshot my goal... but I did study up on Phase 3. It was such a big change, and I didn't want to mess things up after doing so well. The one thing you DON'T do is switch around the breakfast items. They must all be consumed together, at one sitting. That way, your body secretes insulin just once a day, so cells do not revert to insulin resistance. The other meals and snack do not change at all from Phase 2. As you may recall, BevS was told she could add back other veggies, but that is not the direction I had, and I did not make any changes except breakfast. I figured it was only two more weeks, and I'd already made it that far.

For different options, I'd go look at the sample menus and do some mixing and matching. There are lots of choices and combinations you can put together... just make sure you stay within the guidelines.

Sylvie,

You've been such a monster on this program, would you mind posting some of your final stats as you transition from the weight loss phases? We know how many pounds you've lost... what about a spread of inches? And do you have any notable successes on the health side? For example, the changes to my blood pressure and cholesterol levels have been very significant. (I plan to post when I get a chance.) Any results you can share? :)

Hi, All, Just checking in. Thanks for the reminder, Novak. Are you doing a cheat day once a week? I attended a family reunion last Friday and picked that day as a cheat day. I was a bit concerned but not overly. I ate whatever I wanted that day, including anniversary cake (my in-laws' sixtieth). The next day my weight was 1 pound over goal and I did Phase 1 all day. The following morning my weight was 133.8 so I was good to go. I had my blood pressure checked at the doctor's office yesterday, and it was 120/74, which she said was excellent. I have not been measuring my salt any longer, just sprinkling it on as desired (I was used to eating 1 tsp. per day as per my protocol). I have continued to take my fish oil capsules even though it's not listed on my Phase 4 protocol sheet. But I take 2 of them at breakfast and 2 at lunch rather than at dinner as I used to do, since we're not supposed to have much fat at dinner. I'm loving breakfast. I have been having 2 eggs over medium in olive oil PAM, 1 1/2 slices toast (each slice has 22 carb grams), 1 cup organic low-fat plain yogurt mixed with a serving of fruit, and 16 oz. water, along with various supplements. I have been buying organic apples and microwaving them until soft, then adding a bit of splenda and some cinnamon. Mmmm.... I usually also have a piece of fruit after dinner. I've been having a bar every day for my snack, just like I did during the other phases. I find I'm not constantly thinking about food any longer and sometimes have to remind myself to eat, especially in the evening.

I haven't done a cheat day yet... I haven't really craved anything, and there have been no tempting events going on around me. I guess when I finally decide to cheat, it will be for pizza. That's the last splurge I had before I started IP. :D

I do love the breakfast, but lunch is harder for me due to the protein. I have sometimes fallen back on a premade shake, since it's so much easier at the office, where I usually eat at my desk. Since I don't eat meat, and we're not required to have protein at dinner, it's important that I get sufficient protein at lunch... guess that's part of my routine I need to work on. :)

Sounds like you have a very healthy regimen going... do I assume this is a significant change from your meal routine before IP? I really haven't strayed that far from Phase 3, though I imagine things will gradually work their way back as I keep reminding myself that I'm allowed to have them now...

Excellent numbers on the BP! I'm still a little scattered on how to handle the supplements... I plan to ask the nutritionist when I go to a Phase 4 workshop Thursday evening.

Like you, I have a little weight window that I'm operating within: 131-133 pounds. I go up and down from day to day, but rarely go outside. When I step up my program to include "cheats", I may break the window, but sounds like you've worked the quick fix. I'll keep that in mind for pizza day. :D

Yes, this is a significant change in my meal routine. For one thing, I used to eat maybe 1 egg and 1 piece of toast for breakfast. I was always trying to watch what I ate while I kept gaining. Now I'm eating much more and much more healthily.

Let me know what the nutritionist tells you.

Critical Phase 4 Typo!
 

I just discovered a typo on the PDF version of the Phase 4 Protocol posted in the IP Phases sticky.

I was wondering why the sheets I printed out said to eat 5-7 ounces of complex carbs (pasta, rice, etc,) That seemed like a tremendous amount of food to me...

I compared this with Ogdog's Phase 4 post, and also consulted the Tran Tien Diet website. The actual amount is "0.5 to 1.0 ounces," which I think you will agree is a significant difference! So if anyone is trying to cram down 7 ounces of pasta for dinner, back off! :D

Does anyone have a newer version of the protocol with the right numbers? Or can someone get one from their coach? I'll ask tomorrow at my workshop...

Hi, Novak, the sheet I got from my regional rep says 7 ounces of complex carbs plus fruit besides the 7 oz. protein and vegetables for dinner.ex: steak, baked potato, corn & spinach raspberry salad. The 4-sheet, phase 4 - Maintenance dieter handout I printed out from this forum's stickies says 5 to 7 oz. rice, pasta, lentils, semolina, dried beans, quinoa, potatoes, etc., weighed and cooked. A 5-ounce potato is not all that big, what I would consider a small to medium potato. This same handout says you can have as many vegetables as you want and that meat is optional, no more than 3.5 oz. white fish or 3 oz. lean ham or deli chicken, a can of plain tuna or seafood. For dessert: 1 serving of yogurt, 1 fruit or 1 serving of stewed fruit. The fruit is optional.

I just checked his book. On page 76 we read the following:

"For dinner, you’ll have:
- 150 to 200 g complex carbohydrates, weighed and cooked.
There are three kinds of complex carbohydrates:
• starchy foods, like potatoes, which are not that
great because they contain no protein and have a
fairly high glycemic index;
• grains: wheat, bulgur, buckwheat, corn;
• pulses: lentils, field beans, chickpeas.
To summarize, you can choose from rice, pasta, lentils, semolina,
green peas, beans, potatoes, wheat or buckwheat, as all contain
complex carbs."

So it looks to me like the typo is the one that says .5 to 1 oz. Or it could be that they meant to put 1/2 to 1 CUP, instead of 1/2 to 1 ounce. That would be a minuscule amount of food. 150 to 200 grams is the same as 5-7 oz.

So I have a question about phase 4 regarding separating fats & carbs:

Is that just at dinner time or is that always?
because IP define fats as:
butter, cheese, margarine, milk, oils & yogurt and yet many of their breakfast ideas include cereal (carb) and milk (fat) or toast (carb) with butter or cheese (fat) or granola (carb) with yogurt (fat).

I'm confused lol.

Also you are allowed carbs at breakfast and dinner but not at lunch?

Hi, Jordanna, We can have small amounts of fat with our slow carbs. For example, we can butter our toast lightly with our breakfast or use light butter. I just don't use it since I'm having low-fat yogurt anyway. Then at lunch we can have a tablespoon or more of fat, but no bread or other slow carbs or fruit. At dinner we can have 5-7 ounces of slow carbs but a teaspoon or less fat. We can have a sprinkle of parmesan cheese at dinner, for example, but not a regular slice of cheese. We're allowed to switch our lunch and dinner menus when we want, but if we do, we're supposed to not have as much fat in the evening as we could have had at lunch because it encourages acid reflux in the evening.

Okay... I'm now conflicted. The 0.5 to 1.0 sounds small, but when I look at it in terms of pasta, the box says 2 ounces is a serving, and 5-7 ounces seems like a huge amount of food. I'm going to ask tonight at the workshop...

Sheesh! Who knew Phase 4 was going to be so confusing? :dizzy:

Jeez, Bev... do you have all this memorized? I have to keep looking at the cheat sheet to remember what I'm supposed to do when! I think I may need to work out some menus that fit the bill ahead of time so I don't need to tax my poor, overworked brain every time a meal rolls around. :dizzy:

Hi, Novak, When the box says 2 ounces of pasta is a serving, it's talking about dry weight, not cooked. All of the water has been removed from it in the drying process. Two ounces turns into 1 cup when it's cooked. As I said before, a 5-ounce potato is just a small to medium potato. Then you could also have a serving of peas, corn, bread, or some other slow carb to make the whole 7 ounces if you wanted to. It doesn't seem all that huge to me.

Yeah, I kinda do have it memorized. :)

I'm actually quite an intelligent individual, but I am feeling terribly dense about this... :dizzy:

I initially thought it might be a cooked vs. uncooked issue, but I got hung up on the "0.5 to 1 oz" direction, which I've now found in several places. Guess I'll just let it go so you don't have to keep lecturing me :D

So never mind my post about eating 7 ounces of pasta! The typo is in ogdog's post, which she got from TranTienDiet.com (where you'd expect them to know better!)

Here is my personnal stat sheet - hope it can help!

I have been told that my blood labs are good but have not been told about specific improvements. My blood pressure went from being fairly high 135/85 to a normal level 115/70 if I remember well. One of my co-workers has lost 120# on IP went from type II diabetes, sleep apnea & high blood pressure to normal! That is quite an improvement for her!

Yes, I saw it on the website as well. I really think they meant to put .5 to 1 cup. That would be a typical serving of pasta. But I think his book removes the confusion. Sorry, there I go lecturing again.;) Let me know what the nutritionist says.:)

Well, the Phase 3 & 4 workshop last night was OUTSTANDING, and I have a whole new view of Phase 4. (Phase 3 also, for that matter.) I'm going to get it all written down and post, possibly in installments...

Just kidding about the "lectures." You've always got a lot of great information--I was just starting to feel like an idiot. :dizzy:

Yes, I agree the book seems to remove all doubt. But with my new outlook on maintenance, I no longer care about the measurements and trying to "get it right." What a relief! :D

I can't wait to read all about it!

Oh looking forward to read about your Phase 3 & 4 knowledge from your seminar Novak!!

So do I! Phase 4 was explained to me yesterday and from my perspective, it also the same as phase 3, adding lipids (or dairy) at lunch and glucids (pasta, potatoes or rice) at dinner. A little disappointed about it... Feels like I will be on diet rather than maintenance for the rest of my life!

Novak....please share!! Inquiring minds want to know!

Sorry to post a cliffhanger! I'll start working on it early tomorrow morning. (Today I need to focus on the future of human spaceflight... :D)

But she really did explain how to live and eat normally without having to worry about measuring and counting and following lots of rules. YAY! :carrot:

Phase 4 Protocol
 

I'm posting a scanned black and white copy of the Phase 4 guidelines in the familiar format we know from the earlier phases. I'm trying to get a nice color version, but I had never seen this before Thursday, and wanted to get it out there quickly. It's a little hard to read in spots, but I can help if you have questions. If someone has a better copy, please post.

Let me add that these are guidelines, not rules to be followed exactly as written. It does answer some important questions I had, however, and is not totally consistent with the written description of Phase 4 we have in the IP Phases sticky.

Major points for me were: which supplements to continue after Phase 3, having protein at EVERY meal and before bed snack, and knowing that I can use IP or other products as my protein, since I don't eat meat and am sometimes hard-pressed to find enough options throughout the day.

I have a lot of other information to post, which I will do as I have time.

Phase 4 info
 

Before Thursday night, I’d studied all the materials, read all the posts… but somehow I wasn’t getting the big picture. I thought my success was the sum of my weight and measurements and blood work and how I look and how my clothes fit. That was all great, but I wasn’t quite grasping the practical aspects of how this would change the way I manage my weight for the rest of my life.

I don’t want to go back to where I was, but I don’t want to have to constantly count and measure and make trades and sacrifice my enjoyment of food.

Now I know that I don’t have to.

I’m going to paraphrase much of what was shared at the Phase 4 Workshop I attended, led by Dr. Z, a chiropractor/nutritionist/IP regional rep. She is a Type II diabetic, and like me, does not eat meat. She has also lost a great deal of weight on IP, and looks fantastic. Like us! :D

It’s tough to get out of diet mode, particularly after the rigidity of Phases 1 and 2. Phase 3 is still quite specific, and, incidentally, is an extremely critical part of the program—it is important to do it right, particularly if you are diabetic. (I will post more about Phase 3 separately.) Phase 4 is, by design, much more general. The whole point is that you should eat healthy foods and follow a few general principles that will allow your body to retain the benefits of resetting the pancreas to function more efficiently.

I’ve posted a Phase 4 protocol, but don’t get hung up on the measurements or the food lists. Dr. Z said if you ask for those things, she can give them to you, but it’s time to go ahead and live your life, which happens to include eating normally. The overarching guideline is to eat healthy. So if your previous version of “eating normally” was not particularly healthy, don’t go back to doing that!

The Phase 4 sheet outlines a healthy diet, if you need some guidance. The key points NOT to ignore are to include protein with every meal and snack before bed, eat your carbs at dinner rather than lunch, and minimize the fat you have with your dinner. Following these guidelines will help your body mimic the way naturally slender people process food: “eat it and burn it” rather than “eat it and store it.”

Beyond that, just make healthy choices. Eat vegetables and fruit. Choose multigrain alternatives. Eat when you are hungry, but in quantities that satisfy you rather than leave you feeling stuffed. These things are easy to remember.

That said, go ahead and enjoy life in your new body. If you miss a meal or eat a sandwich at lunch, your world will not fall apart. But keep some protein foods or drinks on hand if you don’t always have time to eat. And if you can’t live life without sandwiches, try to have them at dinner or on your cheat day.

The only metrics you need to keep track of are your weight (check 2-3 times a week), and your measurements. If your weight goes up, check your measurements (are your pants getting tight?) to see if you are actually gaining fat. If you are, cut back on the carbs for a few days, and get yourself back on track.

Decide on a weight that tells you it’s time to do something more serious. If you hit that number, go back on Phase 1 until you drop down to your ideal weight. Maybe it takes 3 days, maybe 2 weeks. Then do Phase 3 again. If you want, just plan to do 2 weeks of Phase 1 annually; Dr. Z reserves the 2 weeks every year after the holidays to get back with the program.

Cheat days need not be a major production, nor do they have to be an entire day. Consider following Dr. Z’s lead. Her “cheat day” is actually Friday, Saturday and Sunday after 3:00 PM. She eats a healthy breakfast and lunch each day, then has her evening out with friends on Friday, goes to the Saturday cookout, and prepares a nice Sunday dinner at home. Every Monday it’s a no-carb day—either with IP products or without—so her body can’t store the fat.

The point here is that you need to find a routine that works for you. If it’s not, “good during the week and bad on the weekend,” then choose another approach. Use your cheat day if you have a special event coming up. What’s important is that you know how to keep your body from storing the fat, and because your body has been retrained through the IP phases, it is more than happy to oblige.

For me, this is actually the key to the whole IP protocol. This is how I can manage my weight, determine what changes I might need to make in how I eat, and recover if I find that my body isn’t burning fat as efficiently as I’d like it to. This is why IP is billed as the last diet you’ll ever need... not because it’s a magic bullet and you’ll never gain weight again, but because it is now a weapon in your weight management arsenal. IP has to be an unbalanced diet because the human body is not built to lose weight. Quite the opposite: it is built to store fat.

I read all this over and over before and during the diet, but I guess it’s like learning a foreign language: if you don’t use it, you’re really not going to get it into your head in any meaningful way. Now that I’m back to living a normal life, I see how this can work for me. I’m no longer focused on quantities and weights and trying to remember to eat everything I’m supposed to, when I’m supposed to eat it.

I can easily implement the “cheat approach” –it’s a French diet, says Dr. Z, and the French love their food and wine... no way would they expect people to make such a sacrifice! I can remember to have my carbs for dinner, with minimal fat. I can remember to eat fruits and vegetables and to not stuff myself. I can use IP or not to supplement my protein options—a premade shake before bed or a handful of nuts will do just fine. Do what works for you.

So that’s some of what I learned on Thursday. I will post more later. :)

Novak...this is great information....thanks for all the tips and guidance. I am going to be starting Phase 4 on Sunday and this helps a bunch!!!

ok....did i really read this protocol right...7 oz of meat/fish for lunch and dinner???

Novak, great job on the recap. I'm on day 13 of Phase 1, but it's really helpful to know that I'll be able to eat many of the foods that I really enjoy once I get to my goal weight and advanced phases.

Novak,

Thanks so much, that's fantastic!!

I'm getting my coach to email me the phase 4 sheets this afternoon so I'll repost a clean colour copy of it once she sends it :)

Thanks again!

Yes, you read it right. But that's a guideline... have less if that's too much. Or have IP or other protein. But she did stress having protein at each meal and before bed, just as we have throughout the diet.

There is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. :)

Excellent, Jordanna. Somehow I knew you'd come through! :hug:

Great numbers, Sylvie! And what wonderful results for your friend! My brother-in-law has all the same health issues, and I'm hoping he sticks to the diet long enough to see that kind of improvement.

I was very pleased with my own blood work. Comparing results from two days into the diet with those from my first week into Phase 3:

Total Cholesterol down 64
Triglycerides down 53
LDL (bad cholesterol) down 31

I am now off both my blood pressure and cholesterol medications. My BP runs around 110/75, and we'll see where my cholesterol is unregulated in another month...

The stats from my cool scale are great, too. Since I started monitoring during week two of Phase 1:

muscle up from 28.9% to 30.2%
visceral fat down from 9% to 5%
body age (love this one) down from 60 to 42

Other assorted results:

BMI down from 39 to 22
Body fat down from 45% to 23%
Waist down 11 inches
Hips down 9 inches
Chest down 8.25 inches
Thigh down 7 inches
Bicep down 2.5 inches

And it all happened in under 4 months. How can you not love this diet? :D

I don't know if you're up for this, but you are my new inspiration. Our beginning stats and aspirations are almost identical. NOW. What is your cool scale. (No, no. I don't think that if I get your cool scale, I can replicate your results. Still, I'd love to know what kind of scale you're using to get so much information.)

Aloha! I'd be more than happy to help you with your journey. :)

My scale is the Omron 514 (see below). Several people on the boards have one, and I've been very happy with it. That said, there is a matter of when is the best time of day to get an accurate body composition reading. I always did it in the morning when I weighed in, then I learned that you should be up and about for a time so the fluids in your body are distributed and not pooled, which can affect the reading. The weight, of course, is still best for me first thing in the morning, no clothes, before I get into the coffee... I'll take any advantage I can get. :D

Where in Hawai'i are you? I used to vacation there when I lived in Alaska, and did several Honolulu Marathons in my early running days. My brother in Tokyo used to live in Kaneohe, and still has a condo there. He worked at the University for a time, and his son graduated from Punahou School.

Our stats are similar, and while the exact results will obviously differ, you WILL see spectacular results on this protocol, if you have the discipline (or OCD ;)) necessary to follow it as designed. I never thought I'd get to where I am... whenever I see myself in the mirror, I figure it must be one of those that's slightly distorted to make you look thinner than you actually are. But unless all the storefront windows between my office and the Metro are also skewed, that's obviously not the case.

Amazing. :D

Novak: What great info about Phase 4, that is what drew me to this eating plan, that it teaches you how to eat after you loose the weight. No other diet has ever done that for me. Thank you for posting the phase 4 info, it inspires me to continue on Phase 1 until i am down to my goal (another 46 lbs!)
I couldn't have been so successful without your and everyone on IP encouragement, information, support and love. THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

You are doing a brilliant job! 35 pounds is a real achievement; you'll shed that last 46 in no time.

I'm going to write up some additional Phase 3 information, which I promise to post before you need it. :D

Hi, Novak, Thanks for taking the time to outline your seminar.

My Phase 4 sheet is very similar but not identical to yours. One thing that is different on mine is that it says to continue taking the potassium-calcium pill daily. I was a bit concerned about that since it can be dangerous to get too much potassium. Now I know I can drop that supplement if I feel I'm getting too much. Another difference: the words "No frying or breading permitted" is not on my sheet, although frying probably isn't something I would want to do anyway. An addition to my sheet under Carbohydrates is the following statement: "On occasion (1-2 times per week): 4 oz (125g) of Cake/Pastry, 2-3 Cookies, 1 Muffin, 1 Pancake etc. (Preferably made from unbleached whole grain flour.)"

I think it's interesting that we could do cheat weekends after 3 p.m. as long as we do a Phase 1 day on Monday. While that might be a slippery slope for me, it does show that maintenance is flexible.

Thanks again for your insight.

I guess we don't know for sure which is the more current version, though Dr. Z commented that the Phase 3 protocol used to say all veggies except potatoes were allowed, but they removed the note when she pointed out that it didn't make sense to permit the higher carb veggies when you were trying to get your insulin to spike just once a day, after breakfast.

At any rate, I'm finally comfortable with the whole maintenance thing now. Keeping the guidance in mind, I plan to eat how I want and adjust if I need to... yesterday a had a slice of pizza for lunch and a martini before dinner (my friend Hazel asked me to have a glass of Scotch for her, but said a martini would be fine if all I had was gin...). Not exactly on any protocol sheet, but I still weighed less this morning than I did yesterday. :cool:

Okay my coach downloaded this today off the Ideal Protein Coach website, so hopefully it's the newest version? I haven't looked at it closely yet to see if it's the same as Novak's but it is a clean copy!

It is the same. Thanks! (and look at you slidin' right down toward your goal!) :D