I've been lurking (and learning) here since I started IP in May. This is my first post! Starting weight was 169 and I hit my goal of 140 a couple of weeks ago. I was actually down to 135.6 yesterday! I went from a size 16 to a size 8. I'm 5'8". I never in my life thought I'd be a size 8. Amazing. DH has lost approx 50 lbs too. He went from a size 42 to size 34. He looks like a different person. We are starting Phase 3 tomorrow. We are going grocery shopping today and planning our breakfasts for the week. I'd love to join the Maintainers club if you're still taking new members!

This thread is a great idea! I have been in Phase for a little over a year. Recently with the start of a new school year, I let a few pounds creep on with bad choices. I will be watching it all closely until i am back at goal. Then, I need to be careful and not make so many bad choice so close together!! Wish me luck!

Hi Bling,

Way to go being so close to goal. I am so glad there are other people out there who want to talk about maintenance.
MFP is my fitness pal dot com. It is a free online food tracking program that has thousands of foods in it's database including Ideal Protein foods and alternatives.
I do have trouble following IP's phase 4 exactly. It makes perfect sense but I can't seem to get into the rhythm of it. Read Dr. Tran Tien Chanh's book if you haven't already. It's very motivating. The link to it is on the first post of every daily or weekend chat.

Congratulations on reaching your goal!! You should be so proud! And welcome to 3FC. This is a great place to exchange ideas, share new finds and get support. Have fun with your phase 3 breakfasts. So good.
It will be great to have you and your hubby join us.

Lynn

Howdy Lynn and others! I must not have been on-line the day you created this and with all of the new threads that are opened daily I didn't see it. I was just going to PM you to see if you decided not to create a the thread!

I'm up a bit and need to figure out what I'm going to do next. At the moment I've decided not to panic and keep on keeping on, but eventually I'll need to draw a line in the sand if I'm going the wrong way.

I am now running at least 3 days a week, so I expect my weight could go up a bit with the change in my body, but hope that it would then go back down. My clothes still fit, so again I'm not freaking out, but I'm up about 2 over my goal which is about 6.5 over my lowest point.

Any thoughts? Should I jump to phase 1 for a bit to get back down, or just chug along for a couple more weeks to see if I stay steady? I also JUST finished the worst TOM ever.

Thanks for starting this, Lynn!

Chris

Hi Chris!

It sounds like you are doing really well. I think we all get stuck with this number that we picked out of thin air when we were unhappy with the way we looked. We called it our "goal" weight. Now we feel that we have to attain or maintain that weight. If you feel good, your clothes fit and you like the way you look, then I think you are good. I have the same problem. I try to go by the fit of my clothes but I'm on that scale every morning. I did change my original "out of thin air" goal weight of 125 to 130 when I was losing as I felt like my face was looking too gaunt. I am trying to think in terms of maintaining this size. I am doing Pilates 3x/wk and riding my bike so hopefully that will help. Glad you found the thread.

Lynn

I am using EAS and muscle mild premixed protein drinks. They seem to really help! I have read it is good to drink the muscle milk at night because it has good amino acids. I can't afford the IP products either. As long as you lose and feel good-kee doing what your doing!

I do the same thing! I'm on that scale every morning and it freaks me out to see it going up. I try to tell myself that my clothes are still fitting and I'm eating OP and they said it was normal to gain a few back. I do exercise and I feel fit and happy so as long as I don't gain a lot back, I'm going to keep telling myself that I'm happy with the way I look and stop being so hard on me!!

I now understand how people with anorexia or other eating disorders can have such a distorted body image and obsess about their weight. Even though in my head I know that my weight and clothing size are probably ideal for my height now, I look in the mirror and see the same old areas of fat on my body (thighs!) and now look at size 8 or medium clothes and think "that looks big." I agree with you, Lynn, that the goals we set were arbitrary. When we had weight to lose, how were we supposed to know how much 20-30-40-etc. lbs lost would look and feel like?! I guess part of maintenance is learning how to eat to maintain the weight loss and drop a few pounds when the weight starts to creep back up. I do feel that in IP I've found a weight loss program that allows me change my eating habits for life and control my weight. So I'm nervous about Phase 3 and 4, but also optimistic.

Lee

aww, thanks lynn!!! that was really sweet! you know, i always feel like i'm being attacked when i write posts like that. people don't seem to like anything even slightly negative, even if it is the truth. from people who aren't even close to the end, it is always "oh, it's fantastic, i feel fantastic, don't be discouraged, everything will be perfect when you reach goal", which, as we all know is soooooooo untrue. but nobody wants to hear that there is a possibility that you will still have big issues that you didn't even think of when you are done. i always feel like it's my job to let people know, because though i really don't want to discourage anyone, i think it is much much better to be informed and know what you may or may no be getting into.so, i am very glad that you appreciated my post, because i feel like everyone else on that thread thinks i am just this negative person with issues that they will never have!

so happy to be here by the way!!!

I don't think anybody thought you were a negative person. Being so close to goal...I'm kind of right where you are in that post. I think you said it perfectly!

I'm not close to goal at all but wanted to let you know that most of us want to hear the truth....good or bad. I am noticing some issues, not big ones but ones we will have to work through, with my husband as I lose the weight. I am about where I usually end (maybe 8-10 pounds more) and where he likes me to be. I am nowhere near happy with it and know I have a long ways to go. I want to reach goal for once and as I get smaller he gets just a little more insecure. I wish he knew I wasn't changing who I am or how I love him, just my outside appearance but it's not me he's having problems with, it's the men who are "noticing" me. He loves the change but it scares him at the same time. Anyone else had to deal with this? As much as we think it will cure all problems I honestly think it will just bring on new ones, like I'm facing now. Thanks for your honesty.

Yes, I want to hear the truth too. and I am struggling too.

At first I lost weight so fast and now that I'm nearing goal -- I am losing may 1/2 pound a week. I still feel like that 170 pound grandma and I'm afraid the weight will come back if I am not careful (as I've lost weight before on other plans and then -- before you know it, it's baaaaack). And my body shows the abuse of being overweight (and the 54 years old that it is) -- and it looks better with clothes on it.

It is reassuring in many ways to know that I'm not the only one feeling this way -- I'm sorry that it has to be you gals (or anyone else, for that matter). No matter how old you are, this is an incredible and exciting, yet very scarey, journey.

Happy Monday.

So glad to see others here. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

I have this great crop of tomatoes coming in. I made fresh salsa but, of course, ate it with chips. Does anyone have a favorite lower carb chip or chip substitute? Eating salsa with celery or another green veggie just isn't as satisfying. I've been experimenting with kohlrabi & daikon radish but haven't gotten them crispy & strong enough for salsa. I'm sure there are things I haven't even thought of.

That said, I ate waaaay too many chips yesterday so I guess it's a phase II day for me today.

Lynn

Kale chips maybe???

Mmm... chips and salsa. Yummy! I don't have any chip alternatives to share, but I hope someone else does. I basically did fine over the weekend, but I'm still concerned I could be on an upward trend. I'm no higher than I was, but I don't know that I'm any lower.

I'm going to give it a couple days before I get too concerned. (Hmmm... have I said that before?)