Stage 4 and beyond
 

Hello everyone! I'm new to these forums but I thought I would give it a try! I'm wondering how many of you are in stage 4 of Ideal Protein or if any of you are totally finished with the diet? I'm just wondering what to expect when it's over? I know I can maintain a healthier lifestyle however, it is not realistic to think that I will never eat carbs, sugar, cheese etc again for the rest of my life. I'm wondering how people are doing at stage 4 and when they are totally done with the diet. Thanks!

Hi Photogirl!

I am currently in Phase 4, and honestly, you are never done with this diet. This is because its not really a diet at all - its a lifestyle change! And it happens when your not watching!! haha!

Before, I never would have touched a peice of whole grain bread - now I crave it! Your tastes change. You still get to eat cheese and carbs, you just start looking at them differently.

There is lots of good information about Phase 4 in the "life after phase 1" & "life after phase 1 continued" threads. There are also people here that know ALOT more than I do, I just thought I would give my 2 cents!:p

Stage 4 just starting
 

Hello! I am into my 4th day of phase 4 and I think I messed up, having too many carbs (such as pasta and a potato in my dinner meal). Thinking I could choose 2 carbs for that meal (not sure why). So with doing that I feel really full of course and I swear I have gained fat (especially in my tummy area). So since its just day 4, should I just get back on track or do I do a phase 1 day? I feel like I really messed up everything, yikes!!!:( Phase 4 is confusing when first starting but I am so happy that I did the ideal protein program! I have lost 83 pounds in 12 months, reached my goal weight of 150!!! Anybody else relate to this?

Congrats on your success! I don't think you messed up, and if you did go over the ratio, don't worry. This is not like ketosis where you get knocked out by small overdoses of carbs. Right now, your body is replenishing sotres of glycogen that were depleted in P1, and also switching over from primarily fat-burning to carb-burning for fuel. It's common to feel bloating. It isn't fat!

There's a lot of trial and error in maintenance. Imo the best thing you can do is avoid overcorrecting for every small mistake. It can make you crazy! (Been there done that). Good luck :)

Ok, thank you Sundove! This makes me feel better! It is a new lifestyle and I am in love with it! You are right, lots of trial and error in maintenance! I will try not to overanalyze it, lol! Thank you again!

You're welcome DottieAnn! I think you are gonna do great! Being in love with your new lifestyle....I love that thought!

Hi Photogirl I started P4 near the end of Feb - I phased off just before so I could be on P4 when I went on vacation. So for my first 3 to 4 weeks of P4 I just tried to eat sensibly according to the guidelines, just common sense eating, separating fats and carbs, some indulgences but nothing overboard. You know, like a normal person ;) And yes, I ate carbs, sugar cheese - even wine and beer! And I maintained my weight, with a few lbs up and down during that time, came home just half lb up from when I left. So that tell me that it can be done just by applying the principle we learned during the other phases.
However, I have to say that, since I got back home, I've been logging my food into MFP because I want to get more information about what I'm eating and how the calories/macros look. I'm finding it quite interesting (though I've only been back a week) but I'll keep using MFP for awhile and I'm sure it'll help me make adjustments, see where I'm too high/too low. Longer term (probably much longer ;) - when I feel more confident that I'm not gonna crash and burn) I'm not sure I'll keep journaling so religiously. I may just do what I did on vacation, fly by the seat of my pants so to speak, and just eat with common sense. But I plan to definitely eat like a normal person, eat all the foods I enjoy...just more carefully

DottieAnn Congratulations on the great loss, and welcome to P4!!!
I'm pretty new to P4 as well, and still figuring it out. Are you using MFP? I find it helps me to see if I've gone too far above the guidelines - especially in carbs and calories. Hard to say if your 2 carbs meal were a "splurge" and enough to warrant a P1 day, but it can't hurt to do one day (or even just a lower carb day). Don't forget, it takes 3500 calories to gain a lb, the bloating could be temporary. One day is NOT going to mess it all up ;) - I've learned that from all the other maintainers who continue to post their experiences.

Hey DottieAnn, no worries, just continue on without panicking and overcorrecting. Here's a link to the Maintainers thread... tons of great info, and as you can see we are in version 19, so lots of backstory to read if you like. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...l-19-a-31.html
There's also a Maintainers P4 What are You Eating Today? thread where lots of us have posted our day's menus and MFP macro values to help you get some ideas too: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...-part-3-a.html
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...-part-2-a.html

Hope this helps!
Liana