Sylviesgirl, good plan with testing foods to see how your body reacts. Good healthy foods that fuel our bodies and allow us to feel good.

You are right, TOM always messes with me, lol. I am a retainer of water! Will just have to up my water intake. I am a little nervous about the vacation, but IP has provided us with the tools to get the job done. My coach said vacation is once a year. Enjoy, but do not go crazy.

Smart move to wait your transition until you feel the comfort of your normal structure. I still feel like a baby taking my first steps. I am comforted by the fact that I have had no cravings to overindulge in food.

I feel the same way, SF, like a baby learning to walk. My husband cannot understand why I don't feel more confident. I guess it is hard to understand unless you are in it. IP has taught us many things, but trusting ourselves doesn't come in, in total, until maintenance, when all the choices are up to us. No more automatic pilot . . . unless and until you build that pilot yourself (by rebuilding such a routine after figuring out what works).

I have learned that the atmospherics are important to my success. Eating out of boredom and/or loneliness were a problem for me in the past, so I need to be extra watchful about that. This week home alone has been both fun and challenging -- I made myself go out to the grocery store last night (had to change out of my pajamas!) for ice. Yes, ice. I was feeling such a strong urge to snack at night -- and not out of hunger or craving, just . . . cuz. I finally compromised with myself and got a bag of ice to make a Mio slush. That did the trick and was OP. I was rather proud of myself as I walked out of the grocery store with my bag of ice and nothing else. Prior to IP, you can bet I would have been walking out of there with practically everything BUT ice. LOL

Have a great, great time on vacation -- you well deserve it!

I think this forum has helped a lot with loneliness. The people on here understand the issues of using food for something other than fuel. Emotional food issues are so much more than a weak will power.

Right now, I feel blessed to have a peaceful life. In some ways, I am grateful for food helping me through some pretty tough times. It was the best I could do at the time. Now, I know better and can use my emotional and IP tools to do better. When I read the threads I see the power that food can have over people. It becomes very clear that doing the emotional work is just as important as losing the weight.

Just wanted to say Slipfree, thanks for starting and contributing to this thread. I start Phase 3 on Tuesday. I'm about to head to the supermarket to stock up so I'm all ready. I am aiming to post my breakfasts on here and would love some company from anyone else starting or in phase 3 over the next few weeks?

I have to know- how do you make a mio slush? That sounds yummy!!! Great job btw!!!!

Hey Rosie,

Phase 3 is a unique Phase that few seem to want to chat about. Maybe it is out of solidarity to people in Phase 1. The original Life After Phase 1 is filled with great information.

My best advice is to have faith in the process. The scale may freak you out at first, but in the end I lost weight in Phase 3. For my body, I definitely found my self hungrier later in the day after the French toast and waffles. Now, in maintenance, they are special occasion foods. I love the Greek yogurt, Ezekiel
Bread and fresh berries. If you enjoy eggs, egg sandwiches are a good option. I ate a lot of eggs in Phase 1 and we have had a separation for now, lol. Oh! Not all nut butters are created equally, be sure to read the label for sugars.

Have fun!

Just ice cubes, water, and a generous squirt of Mio. I blend it up in my Magic Bullet, voila! It is icy and sweet and takes a long time to eat and usually satisfies the "I want to eat something" thing I get sometimes.

Thank you. Seltzer and mio is my go to when I want a treat!! I'm going to try that!

Just read this whole thread... I'm getting excited, nervous, scared.. I still have a ways to go before I start p2 and p3, about 30lbs, but I know I will be there before I know it!

Before you know it, Amber! Stay strong

Starting phase 3 tomorrow. After looking forward to it for so long, now I'm super nervous. I decided that in order to be prepared, I should measure my food out beforehand. Probably a bit OCD but now I feel a lot better about it. I think that I'm petrified of staring to eat yoghurt, berries etc and not being able to stop! I definitely plan to measure the muesli out for quite some time. Looking at how much a serving size is was a little bit of an 'oh goodness' moment. Pre-IP, I was eating at least four times that in the morning!! We live and learn.

Rosie, your fears are completely normal. Even in Maintenance, I measure nut butters, berries, and cereals. Being prepared and planning is half the battle.

Be prepared to feel a little bloated after eating. Most of all try to enjoy your meal. Remember that this is a really important phase and have faith that the IP protocol works. Congratulations!!!!

Measuring is important Rosie! You will do fine if you keep that up for quite a while - I think many of us who have been 'healthy food' eaters all our lives but still end up at a higher weight have problems with realizing what a real portion looks like. My DH never realized that he was eating 5 servings of granola for breakfast every morning and although he burned that off in the working season, in winter he gained 18 lbs of spare tire. It was his wake up call when I showed him what a real serving looked like in the bowl.

If you feel like there is too much food for breakfast choose options that are smaller in portion size while more nutrient dense so that you don't have as much bulk. That can help. See ya in maintenance!

Liana

Thanks Liana and Slipfree. Amazing advice as per usual. I will definitely be measuring my granola for quite some time! The amount of a serving was actually shocking to me.

My breakfast this morning was lovely. There was a lot of food but I made it through. Here is my breakfast for those who are coming up to Phase 3 shortly.

8oz Stoneyfield Non fat Greek yoghurt
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup (30g) Udi's Gluten Free Au Natural Granola
3 links Applegate Savoury Turkey sausage

I am so full. Any others on Phase 3 or moving there shortly? Would love some company!!

Breakfast day 2 was Strawberry and Cream Stuffed Toast. Super delicious and very filling. Actually, I wasn't able to finish it. Me! Not able to finish food!

2 slices 7 sprouted grain bread
2 eggs and 4 egg whites
1 packet stevia in the raw
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 oz fat free cream cheese
1 cup strawberries