Thanks for the kind and calm words. I just freaked out because I have "been there and done that" so many times. When I saw the 160 I thought, "Here is goes again" just like so many other diets I have done. I really didn't think that I would gain so fast (like when I did other starvation diets in the past). You are right, I just need to learn just exactly my body can handle. I think I am going back to daily weigh ins until I get a handle on this. I was so looking forward to just kicking back and enjoying myself this weekend without worrying about every little thing I ate. It is so hard when you have to eat out for all meals. I guess I will just take some protein meals and make do until I get home and get a handle on this. Thanks again!

Thanks for the feedback Sunny.

Phase 4 is confusing and the least regulated part of the diet. I'm on my third week, doing ok so far, but still questioning everything I eat. I haven't even had pasta yet, even though it is permitted. I cooked up a spaghetti squash, and have enjoyed that for dinner for a few nights this week. I am sticking to the Phase 3 breakfasts, Phase 2 lunches with a bit more fat, about 1 0z of nuts, and mostly Phase 2 dinners with a bit more carbs, eating a handful or crackers or a piece of bread. My exercising is back up to where it was pre-IP, so that may be helping in keeping my weight steady. I plan on using another free day this weekend (seems I suddenly have tons of events to attend), but they are working out fine. Good luck everyone!

I agree that phase 4 is hard. I technically have been here for 3 weeks but I can honestly say I am not doing it as written. I too continue eat the phase 3 breakfasts & phase 2 lunches. My dinners tend to be phase 2 also. I occasionally throw in a piece of whole grain toast with dinner. I have not tried any pasta, potatoes, rice, chips, crackers, etc. They all scare me. I also haven't touched any alcohol since October. I track my food on My Fitness Pal to make sure I am not taking in too many calories and I continue to use IP or alternative products for snacks. Hmmm...doesn't sound much like phase 4 does it? I am maintaining so far. I was in Philly for 6 days and did OK there but otherwise, no big event has given me a reason to really fall off the wagon (yet). I'm always looking for ideas for those carb dinners.

Lynn

I just ordered some low carb wraps and pita bread from netrition.com. I am hoping that they will be good and sustainable. They only have 6grams of carbs. They also have cookies with really high ratings/reviews but are sold out right now. I think I need to start stocking up on low carb alternatives like these to help me stay the course. I have lost 3 1/2 lbs since going back on phase one on Monday. Strange 2 days to gain 6lbs......4 days to lose 3lbs. Oh, well, at least I have a tool for getting it back off again. Hope everyone is having a great low-carb day!

What I didn't mention before is that I am also still using IP or alternatives for snacks. I keep the bars, RTD's and salty snacks around so I am getting protein if I am hungry. I use Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread. It has 12 gms of protein and 12 gms of fiber per slice. Very filling. You can order it on-line or check the website to see if there is a store around you that carries it.
Good for you staying on phase 1. I'm not sure I could go back. Maybe that's why I'm being so OC!

I`m a little confused...when you say no fat for dinner, what does that mean? No meat, or dairy or what?! Sorry I`m kindof slow about this I`m not in phase 4 yet, but will be in 2-3 weeks and trying to figure it all out and make a plan before I get there, as that works best for me! I plan on keeping the phase 2 lunches as part of my routine, and using whole grains if my body will let me, but the supper seems to be a challenge to figure out. It`s really not that hard it it?! Just using common sense and eating right??

I originally posted this on the Ooops thread, but after reading this thread I thought it would be better posted here.

Food is my addiction. Before I started IP I was steadily gaining and bingeing nightly and if I started early in the day it was all day. Out of desperation I decided to try IP and was THRILLED. When you adhere to this diet, it works. In 17 weeks I lost 37 pounds and went from a size 14 to 4. I can't ever remember being this size. When you work IP, it works and it works fast!

I was loving life and me until Phase IV started. It has been 3 months and I am on a constant seesaw from bingeing to Phase I/II. Within 2-3 days I am back to my ideal weight and then it starts again with the bingeing. This is insane behavior especially since I savor the food in Phase 1 and am very satisfied and more energetic, but in Phase IV, it becomes a free for all, bingeing, feeling disgusting, tired, out of control and angry. I'm thinking that certain foods trigger me (thanks I'm Svelting) like splenda, wheat products, gum, Big Bites, even Pure Protein Bars.

My other thought is that being so strict on Phase I, has a boomerang effect. Obviously, I am all or nothing. When I am on Phase I, I am perfect, but can't seem to understand how to be "perfect" or simply follow Phase IV because it is so vague or open ended. Also, since I can lose weight by being on Phase I, I tend to rationalize that I should "live" it up because tomorrow I can IP. Crazy, huh?

Is anyone else experiencing this? Can anyone help me live a more balanced food life. I don't want to gain my weight back, but the system I currently have is not working. Help me to break away from ideal IPer on Monday, but Audrey the plant in Little Shop of Horrors on Tuesday?

Thanks,

P.S. I have tried Overeaters Anonymous and it was not helpful. My next plan is wire my jaws shut. Please help me if you can.
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I too, struggle with Phase IV. I do best when there are rules in place to follow. Phases 1-3 were easy for me. I think it would be best for me to follow Phase 3 and have an occasional cheat day, but not one per week. I do stay on plan (whatever that means....no over-eating i guess) for 5 days a week...then have my cheat day...generally it includes pizza, icecream...i wouldn't even say it's excessive as sometimes it just amounts to how I used to eat on a daily basis. I have a hard time doing Phase 1 the next day as the big breakfast is my favorite. This last week we went out on a Saturday night. I had been on plan all week....I had 5 beers and my dinner consisted of fried halibut chunks, tartar sauce, a salad with minimal ranch dressing, and sweet potato fried with a poppyseed dipping sauce (very sweet). I did a full on cheat day Sunday...bagels with cream cheese, pizza for lunch, followed by an icecream treat..then scalloped potatoes and ham for dinner. I was up 3.2# from Saturday morning to Monday morning. Yikes!! I did phase 1 for the last 3 days and and lost it. I guess I would rather just live comfortably in Phase 3 and have minimal cheats and not have to worry anymore about losing all the time. Smart choices need to be made...at this point it is up to us to be accountable. Not an easy task, but a tool we need to use. Best of luck to you....just remember we all struggle, but IP has given us the tools to manage all the hard work we have done. Best of Luck

Thanks, Spiffsgal. I really like your idea of staying on Phase III and then indulging in the occasional cheats. I suppose I just have to convince myself that today's cheat doesn't have to be a major blowout. It almost seems as though I am in a trance and automatic pilot once I begin. The aggravating part is that I innocently say that I can eat something and then the floodgates open. It is so crazy because I have total willpower when I am in Phase I/II/III.

Thanks for "weighing" in on the subject. It is somewhat comforting to know that others are experiencing what I am going through. New meal, new beginning! Thanks!

Well, the good news is that when you HAVE a protocol you do follow it. So, I would suggest you sit down and map out a customized phase 4 protocol for yourself. I would start with the phase 3 sheet, keep breakfast exactly the same.

Now you just need to add some dairy or other fat to lunch (cheese, dairy, "real" dressing on a salad, yogurt, etc.) and add a slow carb serving (brown rice, a sweet potato etc.) to dinner.

Soooo.....
Write out a list of "fats" (and appropriate portions) to add to your lunches. Write out a list of "slow carbs" (and appropriate portions) you can add to your dinners. Staple it to your Phase 3 sheet.

That IS the phase 4 protocol, essentially and it will keep you at your ideal weight. Give yourself one free day a week to do whatever you want, then Phase 1 for one day, then back on YOUR personalized phase 4 protocol.

good luck!!

Great idea Rocky! I have been following your suggested protocol, and have maintained well, although this is only my third week in maintenance, it feels manageable. I was afraid that once I introduced carbs back into dinner I'd have cravings for chips and sugars, but that has not happened. I do feel in control, even with going a bit overboard on my first free day.

I have had 1/2 C to 1 C of pasta for dinner a few evenings this week, and no ill effects (when added to spaghetti squash or miracle noodles, you get a nice plateful). Portion control is something we all must focus on. When I add fats at lunch, I am careful to measure the right amount of mixed nuts. I also measure the carbs at dinner. Sure, it is not the same way we ate before IP, but this diet was designed to retrain our bodies and minds. The weight will come back if we are not diligent. That being said, I don't feel like I am dieting any longer...I feel like I am living a healthy lifestyle, and at the same time not feeling deprived (because of the free days).

Only a month or so ago I couldn't even give away the clothes I had grown out of. Now, they are sitting in my garage and I don't give them a second thought, except for donation. I don't have a fear of gaining weight, I am not going through each day hungry, I look forward to each meal, and am enjoying life. I have been overweight my entire life, but no longer, and very pleased at the experience. I don't feel like I am fighting with myself any longer about food, if that makes any sense.

Good Morning all...

Thank you so much for all your advice. It is so nice to hear that this can be done and without going crazy.
Janedocmom - maybe a visit or two with a registered dietitian to set a up a plan for you? Dr. Tran was very clear that the diet and the maintenence were two different specialties. He said keeping the weight of involves "Dietetics". It would give you a written plan to follow initially with some ideas you may not of thought of to get your favorites in without overindulging.
Let's keep this thread going. It helps to hear how others are managing this new phase in our lives!

Lynn

Thank you for all the support!

Rocky -
You are the voice of reason and serenity.....always! Your self confidence and achievement of coming to peace with the Diet Demon exudes from every message. I eagerly look forward to your comments. I have been on Phase II for the past 3 days and lost 7 pounds and although I am up 5 pounds from my original lowest, I think that I will accept that 123 is a good weight for me and not keep trying to push it to 118 again. I am 58 perhaps my body does not want to go there. I am still a size 4 and feel good and my constant effort at trying to get down to 118 is perhaps causing me to boomerang like a do.

I started Phase III today and will stay on it for 1 week before I begin your great suggestion for Phase IV. You certainly simplified a plan and made an excellent way to approach it initiallly until I get more in contol. Thanks!

Jenny -
I definitely agree that keeping the carbs low and to minimum is essential. I have already proven to myself that I am a carb addict and have difficulty controlling them once I start. How many times do i have to go on binges to realize that once I start taking in carbs, I go into my carb coma and keeping on going until I am about to burst.

Lynn -
Thanks for the suggestion. I just reread Dr. Trans booklet on maintenance. I was considering going to WW and trying their maintenance plan, but IP is really less cumbersome than counting points (Ugh, I hate counting points!). Rocky, will be my dietician since her suggestions are so reasonable and sound.

No matter what, I think that IP is fantastic in that it is so incredible that one can veer off onto the eating exit and then get back to where you were in such a short period of time if you work this program. I feel an enormous amount of security and comfort in returning to Phase I/II after I am out of control.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and support. It really helps to know that you are out there, have experienced some of these feelings, struggling with similar situations, willing to offer your successful suggestions and proving that one can change one's food addiction if one wants to change.

So glad to hear all of you on maintenance chiming it. It's such new territory for all of us. I agree with everyone on measuring out the carb portions and simply doing exactly as the protocol for ph. 4 is written out. The free days are a great release for me, but I don't feel especially deprived on regular days either. By the grace of G-d, even on my wild free days, where I do indulge until I go to bed, including a vodka martini and possibly large amounts of chocolate covered almonds, something in me the next morning can get back on track and keep me going in the right direction.
Even on regular ph. 4 days, sometimes if I'm just feeling like a treat, I'll have a protein bar with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, and also my jello with sf ff whipped cream on top (Hood Brand) but most days I stick to the only one dessert, which is late at night, close to midnight (I'm a musician and keep later hours) Just knowing that dessert is coming after my last meal will keep me from overeating the carbs at dinner.

Other treats I throw in when I need an extra sweet and don't want to cheat.
Sparkling water and ice in a 16oz tumbler
about 3 oz of plain sf almond milk
wf chocolate syrup
stir it up for a NY style egg cream. (it's very northeast coast, but hey, that's where I'm from :0)
It totally satisfies me.
If I'm really in need of gratification I'll top it off with my Hood brand sf,ff whipped cream.

Let's keep sharing tricks and tips so we can help each other stay on track AND have a good time. You guys are the best!

I have a question for all those of you who have been successfully maintaining for a while. I am coming up on phase 4 pretty soon and feel like the biggest gray area for me is the post cheat day (phase one recovery day). I know that phase 4 is not highly structured, and that you kind of have to "find what works" and all that, but I would really appreciate some information about how successfull maintainers have been handling their post cheat day recovery day. I have read Tran's book and have heard numerous times that "there isn't a right way/you have to figure out what works for you/phase 4 is not clear/etc", so I'm really looking for some input from those have had some experience with maintaining and can share what works for them. Some specific areas that I would loved addressed include: example meal plan for post cheat day recovery day (the day after the cheat day) How low you try to keep carbs? Are carbs the only thing kept to a minumum or are fats and calories as well? Any info pertaining to the phase one day (the day after your weekly cheat day) would really take a load off my mind. Thanks!!!!