Originally Posted by Kelsey:

Wow, I'm only 41 and I'm already getting tired, I don't know if I can handle 100 + more years!!! :faint: :faint: :faint:

Well, I don't know. Maybe your attitude will change in another 41 years. My 99 year old father kinda thinks he's going to live forever. :dizzy:

Really super picture, Bev.

Originally Posted by cicibel:
Hi everybody. I haven't been on in a long time so most of you will not even remember me but I have a couple of questions for you. I have had some parental issues to deal with this summer so I decided to phase off the diet for the summer. Good news is I still lost a couple of pounds but bad news is that now I am having a very difficult time getting the mindset to get back on. Do you have any ideas/tips to help me with? I had hoped that maybe the break would help me lose fast (like I did at first) when I started back on strict. My second question is have any of you been able to tighten up the loose skin that occurs with weight loss especially under the chin and arms? I have been drinking the blueberry pomegranate drink three times a week but it hasn't seemed to make a difference. Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi Cicibel.. I can only answer one part of your question about the loose skin under the upper arms.. I bought a shake weight and do it 5 mins each day- comes with video.. it works! I have lost an inch off each upper arm already!!!:lifter:

Originally Posted by mamaerinb:
BevS

I LOVE YOUR PIC!! thank you for the explanation, i will try the blueberries. i think melon doesn't do it to me like apples, oranges and strawberries-so i'll stock up on some honeydew and cantaloupe too.

you are always so informative, i'll miss the blinking caterpillar kind of :)

love that you finally put a pic up and oh yes I miss the blinking caterpillar :)

so today should be my first day of phase 4 but I am a little timid to do it. I came to vancouver for the weekend to visit parents. So far I had my normal phase 3 breakfast, lunch was spinach, chicken, and vegies, mom had made rice but I had none. Just had a protein shake and scared to have rice for dinner, kind of full anyways so we'll see. I am just worried that since I don't have access to gym, I am going to balloon up here.

Originally Posted by cicibel:
Hi everybody. I haven't been on in a long time so most of you will not even remember me but I have a couple of questions for you. I have had some parental issues to deal with this summer so I decided to phase off the diet for the summer. Good news is I still lost a couple of pounds but bad news is that now I am having a very difficult time getting the mindset to get back on. Do you have any ideas/tips to help me with? I had hoped that maybe the break would help me lose fast (like I did at first) when I started back on strict. My second question is have any of you been able to tighten up the loose skin that occurs with weight loss especially under the chin and arms? I have been drinking the blueberry pomegranate drink three times a week but it hasn't seemed to make a difference. Thanks in advance for any help.

Welcome back, cicibel! I remember you. Sorry you're having family problems. Only advice would be to just do it! I have a bit of loose skin under my neck and under my left arm. But then I am 52. If it hasn't snapped back within a year, I may take pitakitten's advice and look into the Titan laser. My right underarm doesn't have the loose skin. It's my bowling arm. So maybe exercise would work a bit. They have some neck exercises you can read about online too--like kissing the ceiling. :)

Originally Posted by Kelsey:
Thanks Bev... Love the new picture!!!

Originally Posted by mamaerinb:
BevS

I LOVE YOUR PIC!! thank you for the explanation, i will try the blueberries. i think melon doesn't do it to me like apples, oranges and strawberries-so i'll stock up on some honeydew and cantaloupe too.

you are always so informative, i'll miss the blinking caterpillar kind of :)

Originally Posted by Linden:
Really super picture, Bev.

Originally Posted by pitakitten:
love that you finally put a pic up and oh yes I miss the blinking caterpillar :)

Thanks for the kudos, ladies. I had help. I listened to Carla and got a friend to take a picture and email it to me. Then enlisted my husband to help me. He refused to show me how, just did it himself. And says I owe him.:o

I noticed that we have a new blinking caterpillar called OnMyWayForGood so you won't have to miss the avatar. :)

Originally Posted by Novak:
I just got back from a 3.5 mile walk/run before lunch. I wanted to get out earlier so I could cover more ground while it was cooler, but I had a lot to do this morning. So, after I worked out at the gym, drove to Leesburg to pick up a prescription, swung by the farmer’s market for produce, stopped at two grocery stores, came home to stow groceries, and responded to a PM on the boards, I geared up to hit the bike path.

I was about a mile out, running in my new (not baggy) tights when I heard a cyclist coming up behind me. He gave the requisite audible, “On your left” before he zipped by. He didn’t slow down at all, but when he got right up beside me, he said something. It took a few seconds for the words to register, and by the time I realized what he said, he’d just about disappeared from view.

At that point, I laughed out loud. It’s not every day a lean, 30-something athlete tells an old lady like me that she’s got a “great butt.” Made my day. :D

I love IP.

Novak - I think you had the NSV of the month! I would have smiled the rest of the day... that kind of compliment is so sincere. No hidden agenda... just his honest comment. How cool is that????

Originally Posted by LynnDear:
I am not sure where it says in the mommy handbook that you have to homemake cookies at a time that it is difficult for you. I can't imagine that the AA would want someone that struggles with alcohol to be a bartender.

I know that my children could never understand why a cookie recipe says that it makes 48 cookies and I only baked 30 cookies. I really did like cookie dough. :) You can find some safe desserts or treats that are healthy for everyone. Or maybe ask someone else to get the desserts.

I did get the nerve to go out to McDonalds with the kids and I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with no mannaise and a side salad instead of french fries, and a Vitamin Water Zero instead of a Coke. I used the knife and fork with the salad to cut up the chicken and ate it without any bread. I was feeling proud of myself until I noticed that my Vitamin Zero drink with zero calories had 4 carbs / serving and that bottle had 2.5 servings. WHAT? Who on earth drinks 1/3 bottle of water? But I learned something and got to be with my family. I read that 4 calories = 1 carb so I am confused.

You are so right about the cookies. It has just been routine for too long! I never can seem to make the right amout of cookies either with half of the dough going into my mouth!

When I went out to lunch today we got a "nutritional menu" along with the regular one. Talk about eye opening. Half of the salads had over 800 calories! The nacho app (which was obviously not an option for me) had 1954 calories! I want to say ignorance is bliss, but try telling that to my thighs.

Originally Posted by Steph26:
You are so right about the cookies. It has just been routine for too long! I never can seem to make the right amout of cookies either with half of the dough going into my mouth!

When I went out to lunch today we got a "nutritional menu" along with the regular one. Talk about eye opening. Half of the salads had over 800 calories! The nacho app (which was obviously not an option for me) had 1954 calories! I want to say ignorance is bliss, but try telling that to my thighs.

isn't it amazing now to see that the mere 900 calories we live off of in phase 1 are satisfying? i see nutritional labels now for the groceries i buy my husband and kids and freak. ip has definitely made it's way into my family's eating habits(whether they know it or not!) :D

and BevS, you will always be the blinking caterpillar:):hug:

Originally Posted by mamaerinb:
eli/dk
did my reverse crunches and the other ab workouts this morning. i am having a hard time with the second exercise. lying on back, bending legs, point toes and tap, bring up and back down...i am having the MOST difficult time keeping my back flat on the ground. my big butt is in the way and causes this curve to where my lower back can't touch. any thoughts?

Then just go as far down with your toes as you can BEFORE you arch your back....just focus on pushing your back down...that in and of itself engages your abs tons

Originally Posted by mamaerinb:
workout #3 just now...i know i said i'd start with 2x per week but i'm hooked, will probably do again monday to make 4x this week. oh 6 pack! ready or not, here i come;)

oh and the plank kicks my arse but i love it.

Good job! I know working out can be addicting...in a good way, but don't over do it. Do get some activity in every day, it is good for you, but if you are doing weights and all just every other day of that

Originally Posted by mamaerinb:
and BevS, you will always be the blinking caterpillar:):hug:

Aaawww, shucks! :hug:

Bev - love the new pic! You look great!!

Also, thanks for sharing your pancake recipe a while back.. I've been eating them every day! :D

Originally Posted by Steph26:
..I went out to lunch for the first time, and it was so depressing! The choices were SO limited. ... Now I'm trying to bake cookies for my family (they having been going through cookie withdrawls since I started the diet) and I can't have any cookies either. I don't mean to whine, it's just hard to adapt this diet to my everyday life.

Steph, I know EXACTLY what you mean and I so clearly remember being at that same point: "will my life just be horrible food choices from now on and will I always feel deprived???". here is what I can tell you happened for me, and maybe others can say if they have had this same "aha" or not...

Given the wonderful encouragement from the women and men on this board, I decided to try to gut it out...then a funny thing happened...I started to look at food very differently. Now when I go out, I look at the menu before I go in (or check it out online before I go) and I either figure out something I can eat, or I find somewhere else to go which will give me choices I like. Sometimes this is very hard, especially when you are with a group or its a work thing...but after awhile you just get other methods in place (carrying packets, etc.)

But a much bigger change has been happening for me at home: I'm lucky because my DH is doing this with me, so I did not have to go it alone. But I realized NOBODY in my house was benefitting from sugary snacks or white rice, etc. Why would I want my daughter to be developing habits and preferences for foods that will destine her to future insulin resistance and possible weight issues? So, I have been changing the way we eat as a family. Now, we have a salad and 1-2 vegetables at every meal--we may or may not have rice, potatoes or other starches (for my daughter). I don't ever buy cookies (never did bake!) or ice cream or anything like that anymore...if she is going to eat it, it should be a "treat" not something available and at hand every day. We can have it when we go out.

All of this is a long way of saying I have finally learned WHY this is the last diet you will ever be on...because if you can use this time on IP to re-learn how to shop, how to eat and how to cook, you WILL solve your weight issues for the rest of your life. If you only do IP as a "sideline" from your other food life, then when you quit the program it will be almost impossible to keep the weight off.

When people say to me, "aren't you worried that you'll just gain it all back?" now I can confidently say, "no, I'm not". IP has changed how I cook and what I cook and THAT in the long run is what will make this stick for the rest of my life.

It's still hard...I was traveling for the past 3 weeks and I thought if I had to eat one more patched together restaurant meal I was going to tear my hair out....we had people over for dinner tonight and finding something that would make them feel as honored guests without cooking something I could not eat was hard...but I can tell you it DOES get easier over time, because your body and mind will change as you go through the plan.

And the great thing is we can all come here for support, so don't worry about whining--we all need to do it, and we are all here for you when you need to just say it out loud!:hug:

Originally Posted by Rocky Monarch:

When people say to me, "aren't you worried that you'll just gain it all back?" now I can confidently say, "no, I'm not". IP has changed how I cook and what I cook and THAT in the long run is what will make this stick for the rest of my life.

That is the perfect example of that aaaauuugghhhhh moment when it just clicks...... great post RM. Grocery shopping takes me forever as I read everything I bring into our house now, its kinda fun for me I like to look at the crap we used to eat....drives my DH mental which is also fun for me:D:D

Novak- Ok you should puddong those shorts and lets see the butt.... and I dont mean a Carla butt shot either :?: tee hee hee ... I am probably gonna get evicted from another thread :p ...... emmmmeeehh. But that definately is the best NSV of the month, you deserve it my friend :hug:

Originally Posted by Rocky Monarch:

All of this is a long way of saying I have finally learned WHY this is the last diet you will ever be on...because if you can use this time on IP to re-learn how to shop, how to eat and how to cook, you WILL solve your weight issues for the rest of your life. If you only do IP as a "sideline" from your other food life, then when you quit the program it will be almost impossible to keep the weight off.

hug:

Fantastic perspective Rocky Monarch! Thanks.

Originally Posted by Rocky Monarch:
here is what I can tell you happened for me, and maybe others can say if they have had this same "aha" or not...

All of this is a long way of saying I have finally learned WHY this is the last diet you will ever be on...because if you can use this time on IP to re-learn how to shop, how to eat and how to cook, you WILL solve your weight issues for the rest of your life. If you only do IP as a "sideline" from your other food life, then when you quit the program it will be almost impossible to keep the weight off.

And the great thing is we can all come here for support, so don't worry about whining--we all need to do it, and we are all here for you when you need to just say it out loud!:hug:

Great post, Rocky!

This is the critical "aha!" I've experienced it, others in Phase 4 have mentioned it, as well. Even my sister's husband (who is now totally on an eating plan of his own design sans Phase 3) has changed the way he shops and cooks. It's an awareness that I never picked up on any other diet, and it happened without my realizing that it would stick after the weight loss phases.

Some of that awareness I attribute to these boards, for sure. People like Carla and BevS and Jordanna and Elizabeth have been so giving of their time and knowledge... how wonderful for all of us to have such great resources at our fingertips.

The rest is simply the protocol, and understanding that IP is now a tool I can use at any time to manage my weight. It's very empowering, and I hope everyone feels that when they reach their goals and move on to a new life. It's very cool... :D

It is so true that IP changes the way you think about eating and your lifestyle. Yesterday, I went grocery shopping with my husband. We started in the produce section and I put cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, rommaine lettuce, celery, and broccili in the cart. As we left the produce section, I said to my husband, "This is all I need, except for some lean meat like chicken, fish and turkey." Wow, what a change from before IP. I'm loving it!
Have a blessed Sunday!