If there's anyway you can get you hands on Pavel's low or no fat Russian yogurt, I recommend it highly. Much more like Greek than regular. It's made in Oakland, CA, available at T.J.s and Safeway for sure, and distributes only to the West Coast. And I found references to it in Portland Seattle. http://www.yelp.com/biz/pavels-yogurt-co-oakland

Very nervously entering Phase 2 tomorrow. After literally a lifetime of being overweight, it's difficult to fathom that this "normal" weight is for real, much less that it can be forever!

Mary

Well, you know what theatre people say. "If you aren't nervous, you won't give your best performance."

On Thursday I'll hit Phase 4...I'm excited but nervous! I'm enjoying the extra food at breakfast that came with Phase 3, but I don't know how I'm going to manage the extra food at lunch and dinner too!! Are there any guidelines with respect to calories, fat, carbs and protein for Phase 4 like there are in Phase 3? I found it easier to plan breakfast menus that way, so it would probably help with Phase 4 lunches and dinners. Honestly I'm hardly ever hungry so I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to eat all the extra food!!

I am struggling to get off 10# before I go into phase 2. My losses have slowed down so much it is taking forever. I really want to be done with the phases by the holidays.

WI tonight. Think good thoughts for me.

Well ladies, I'm having a bit of a dilemma. Starting this weekend, I could technically move into phase 3. That would be great, and my Museli got here today and I found some greek yogurt I'm excited about trying.

So, here's the deal: I'm about 95% happy with the way I look right now. I'm about 130 on my scale in the mornings, which is great. (And I know it's well calibrated to my doc's, but since I weigh in the afternoons, I'm usually a little higher there. That is fine).

I would still like to have a little off my bottom half (strangely, my stomach is the flattest its ever been...odd), but I only still seem to be losing a lot from my top half. Frankly, it's starting to make my arms and neck seem a little gaunt. Also, it's making the lose skin under my neck worse, not better. This is not making me happy.

I'm past my first goal, but thought about getting to 125. I could probably still shoot for that if I wanted to go back to phase one or do phase 2 longer. I just honestly wonder if I tried to lose more, the imbalanced losses would continue.

I am thinking of taking another week on phase 2 then moving to 3 no matter what next week. When I was a little shocked at my neck skin and upper body thinness today, I started to think about just moving to 3 this weekend.

I haven't been exercising a ton, frankly, it makes me really hungry the days I do it, and I was losing well without it.

I'll pose it all to my coach tomorrow, but am wondering if anyone has any thoughts. I know this has been asked a million times, so I hesitated even asking, but I'm just a little stuck.

Wow, tough decision to make, Jessica. Go for the shape you really want in your butt and legs, and risk looking gaunt in your face and neck?? Haven't some people experienced body shape changes even in maintenance?

What type of exercise have you been doing? If you've been doing longer cardio sessions, you may want to try high-intensity interval training. It's been shown to be more effective at fat-burning than longer cardio and will be easier now that you're eating more. From what I have read, it's best to plan to eat a little more immediately after you exercise to minimize the "hungries" later and the next day.

Hi Jessica,

I'm somewhat in the same boat: losing everywhere BUT where I really want to! Which is in my legs. Doesn't make sense to me because there's plenty of fat there!!! If I lose any more from what little is left on my butt or chest... well it's just not right (said in a VERY whiny voice)!

I'm about 90% sure, I'm going to start phase 2 on the 25th REGARDLESS of the size of my thighs/knees/calves. I think I need to start working on accepting my "thunder thighs." Sigh....

I'm hoping once I'm into maintenance and work my way back up to running 25+ miles a week, my legs will do what I so desperately want them to do. (Ha, I know, probably wishful thinking since I've never had small legs). If they don't get smaller, at least they'll be toned.

So.... I feel for you. Let us know what you decide to do.

Well, I did lose about 3# last week. That is a big loss for me at this point, so I am happy with that. I just need to keep on keeping on. Step away from the nuts! I am getting closer day by day.

I still lost in 2 and 3 and my body still reshaped on phase 4 and I still lost inches on my legs and bum but my weight stayed the same, I added exercise at the end also.... been this weight before but not this size of clothing, hope that helps

Today is day 14 on Phase 3 for me. I had my weigh in tonight and am down 1.2 lbs, so I'm once again under my goal weight. I start Phase 4 tomorrow! Whereas in the past I would have been worried about slipping and pigging out on junk, I'm now worried that I'll be too scared to venture out and eat more than 5oz of meat and 2 cups of veggies for both lunch and dinner! Times sure have changed!

Christina: Congrats on moving to phase 4! You sound like you're doing terrific!!

Ok, I am staying on Phase 2 for one more week. I had lost 2 pounds this week, which is fine. I think I want to see what one more week will do, and I'm still within my deadline for my trip if I extend it. However, I did ask my coach to go through the explaination of phase 3 for me, just because I had questions about the amounts of each of the pieces.

Well, the paper given to me wasn't all that useful (not the one that Jordanna posted in the phases section) and when I questioned about how many of each of the categories, said that IP didn't define it. Then told me I could only have 1 oz of yogurt (!) and that in phase 3 if I wasn't comfortable with the carbs that I could just have the yogurt and some fruit (!) if I wanted to ease in more slowly to phase 3. When I questioned about the 1 oz, said that just didn't want me to have too much fat. Then said no greek yogurt, it had too much protein. Then said that I didn't really need to follow how much food they were wanting me to have in this phase. (!)

At that point, I mentally thanked EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU for your help here. I realized if I hadn't found you, this would be a complete disaster for me.

JC

I believe congratulations are in order. Even if everyone else is in bed, I'm clapping.

What cretins.

I've been sitting here asking myself if I should bag the "coach" I have who hasn't answered the question I asked her Tuesday a week ago (although she stalled 3 times and said she would) and hasn't answered the question I asked yesterday. A pattern from Day 1. I was asking myself if anybody could have a worse coach, and I guess you answered that. It's the old dilemma, isn't it? Which is worse, a stupid answer or no answer at all?

The only two things that are stopping me from going to IP To Go are you all and the fact that it's cheaper to get packets from Oahu than the mainland. But the extra might be worth it. I would truly be up a creak with out a paddle if it weren't for this Forum.

See? I made you feel better about your coach. You should be so happy. Honestly, I thought of doing that a few times. I think what stopped me was the fact that I wanted to feel like I accomplished something from the beginning to the end without 'quitting' halfway. No, I wasn't going to quit the diet, but the ritual of weighing in every week helps me for some reason. I want to get to the last weigh in and get my last measurements there, and get a copy of the whole journey. I know it's silly, but I needed to feel like I'd finished it. Plus, I thought they wouldn't sell you Ideal To Go when you had a coach nearby?

Part of me knows I should have, but, I'm so close, what's a few more weeks? Plus, this way I can always buy food from them. I do really like many of the staff members there -- but that answer was just so bad. Bad bad bad.