I decided after the first two days that I needed to put some structure into my eating so I started journaling. I plan in the journal at least 24 hours in advance (in pencil in case I change something) what I'm going to eat. That way, I can make sure that I have the right foods on hand and I stress less because I have a plan. Letting the food happen is how I got overweight in the first place. If I decide to eat something different, I just erase and write in what I actually ate. No big deal. I'm going to keep journaling until I feel a lot more confident in my ability to maintain. I will say that I definitely notice that I'm only hungry at breakfast, lunch, & dinner when I eat properly. If I'm hungry, it's usually because I shorted myself on either protein or vegetables. The journal helped me identify that.
Does anyone else journal in maintenance?
Good for you! Journaling will help you a lot. I used My Fitness Pal for journaling when I first started on maintenance. Especially in the beginning it helped me have a concept of how many calories and grams of carbs were in my diet. MFP makes it easy to journal ahead, calculate and edit if you eat something different than you planned. MFP has a great database which makes inputting foods faster. I also like how you can save "meals" if you have the same things over and over. You can also input the ingredients for a recipe and it will calculate the nutritional value, which I've done with homemade muffins. Fatsecret is a good site too and several Maintainers are participating over there. Keep up the good work!
Congratulations Maile!!!!!!
Way to go for having reached such a momentous milestone in your weight loss journey! I was so happy when I read that you had made 100- you deserve the whole store but go for whatever makes you smile and feel like a million bucks (even if it only cost five )... Does everyone track sodium? I was reading that for weight loss you should be less than 1500; for everyday (re: maintenance) less than 2000... I've started being more careful with the sodium as I was waking up feeling puffy rather more often than I would've liked ...
Made Quinoa Raisin muffins from a recipe I found on the net using spelt flour (that I found at Costco) and agave syrup in the place of sugar- they turned out a little too yummy and tempting so found myself giving them away to try and get rid of them
Also made spelt bread in the breadmaker and spelt pasta. This in an effort to get my whole family 5, 2 & 1 year old included into eating better. Can't expect this to be a lifestyle change if I don't get everyone on board. But it has been a challenge to find something that is healthy and that they like. Was incredibly pleased that the spelt received such rave reviews- it went over well with everyone!
A friend who has a large garden brought over an absolute ton of veggies; tomatoes, potatoes, corn, peppers. Made bruschetta with the tomatoes and this is another one I had a hard time staying away from.
I'm such a creature of habit. It seems that as long as I follow along with things that I normally have I will stay within the guidelines of Phase 4. But when I try branching out ( the muffins, the bruschetta) I just don't feel as in control of my intake. I know that I had too many calories today. I know that it isn't the end of the world. But I don't want it to be my everyday because I know that will lead to weight gain. And I don't want that. At all.
It is a very fine balance. Trying to relax and enjoy life and yet stay in maintenance. I like where I am. Spent a lot of time & effort & focus getting here. All of you I'm sure know of what I speak. As I write this I realize I didn't measure how much of each bruschetta I had and this is probably why I'm freaking out. It goes so much better when you measure it. Because you are a) accountable and b) you can see the actual reality of how 'bad' it is. Maybe it isn't as bad as I think... but now I'll never know cause I didn't measure... Ahhh..
Sorry for the extra long post...
I just found out you can edit/save full meals and SHARE them on fatsecret. Check out Ideal Protein Phase 3 breakfast Idea #1 (berries, yogurt, toast, egg) if you are on the site... I will log all of my Phase 3 breakfasts as I have time. I know that I was scared when I got to that phase, so would love to help out others if I can...
Thank you all for your support!!! It was so nice to have a place to celebrate. So I go into my coach and I was definitely at goal..by under a pounds. Then the coach and the Chiropractor dr both tell me..that everyone at their clinic gains at least 4-7 pounds on Phase 3..and that I should lose another 4-5 pounds before I go on Phase 3. So, even though I have read here that you do not necessarily gain on Phase 3, I am going to stick with 2 and try to go down another 3 pounds as a safety measure.
Do what's right for you... Something snapped when I knew I was at goal and going on vacation. I had been doing the diet for 7 months and I just desperately all of a sudden wanted/needed to phase out. I did only one week of Phase 2 and then swapped to Phase 3. I also wasn't in a situation because of work travel that I could get back to my coach to buy my crispy cereal (standard go-to breakfast), which I'm sure contributed.
Mentally, though, something snapped and I just HAD TO phase out. I was done. I knew if I didn't phase out close to the right way, I was headed for a disastrous cheating vacation... Also, I had always been pretty strict while on the diet during vacation, and I never once cheated with carbs (only a little wine, some strawberries, things like that), and I knew that being at goal was impacting my willpower to stay strictly on the program. Seriously, sometimes enough is enough and we have to treat ourselves well after having stuck it out for SO MANY months.
Pxlkitty..That is exactly what I was going to ask this morning. If I how look at others' breakfasts. Can I look at the Halloween spread sheet also? I am going to check out the recipes.
Capricious..Thanks for the support. I have been trying to be sodium conscious this whole time. Did you know that you can buy spices that say salt free on the top? I had no idea chili, curry, italian seasoning, and many others had salt put in them.
It is a fine balance..trying to relax, enjoy life and maintain. Even though it is uncomfortable at least you are figuring out what makes you feel stressed about your intake. Hopefully the brushchetta was not too damaging.
Meanwhile..I feel like I am starting a new journey.Reaching goal means I am starting to figure out how to keep it off. I admit I did have an attack with my coach yesterday when I feared gaining it all back. However, resolution has kicked in again!
PixlKitty..Thanks for the input. I thought I was also at the point..For some time I have been telling myself that losing 100 pounds is enough. That it was time to let my body have a rest and maintain..Plus I have been working on this for 10 months.. However, I know hearing about the 4-7 gain triggered me back into being safe..not even being sure if what they say is accurate.
I am going to try Phase 2 for one more week and then go for it.
At first you think you will miss the packets..but haven't you found that food is quite appealing on its own? Now if I could just do a Trader Joe run..I have to drive 4 hrs for the nearest one.
Forgot to comment on this. I thought 3 pounds was crazy to subtract also and used the weight without the subtraction for my own accounting. I think she does it to make people feel better on their weigh ins..
I am finishing the first week of maintenance today. The first two days were weird, like I just didn't know what to eat, scared to eat, etc. I had some cheats here and there but nothing big. I think that happened because my coach said "no cheat day until you've been able to maintain your weight for two weeks", so this was a little rebellion on my part.
I decided after the first two days that I needed to put some structure into my eating so I started journaling. I plan in the journal at least 24 hours in advance (in pencil in case I change something) what I'm going to eat. That way, I can make sure that I have the right foods on hand and I stress less because I have a plan. Letting the food happen is how I got overweight in the first place. If I decide to eat something different, I just erase and write in what I actually ate. No big deal. I'm going to keep journaling until I feel a lot more confident in my ability to maintain. I will say that I definitely notice that I'm only hungry at breakfast, lunch, & dinner when I eat properly. If I'm hungry, it's usually because I shorted myself on either protein or vegetables. The journal helped me identify that.
Does anyone else journal in maintenance?
Karen
Absolutely, yes. I don't think I could do it without tracking, journaling and careful planning. Right now since I am in Phase 3 I know exactly what I will have for breakfast the next day but I think I will probably plan each snack and my dinners the night before when I get to Maintenance next week. In my fitness pal I can edit, delete like you say if something changes but some people prefer to have a paper and pencil in front of them and not do it on screen too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by capricious
Congratulations Maile!!!!!!
Way to go for having reached such a momentous milestone in your weight loss journey! I was so happy when I read that you had made 100- you deserve the whole store but go for whatever makes you smile and feel like a million bucks (even if it only cost five )... Does everyone track sodium? I was reading that for weight loss you should be less than 1500; for everyday (re: maintenance) less than 2000... I've started being more careful with the sodium as I was waking up feeling puffy rather more often than I would've liked ...
Made Quinoa Raisin muffins from a recipe I found on the net using spelt flour (that I found at Costco) and agave syrup in the place of sugar- they turned out a little too yummy and tempting so found myself giving them away to try and get rid of them
Also made spelt bread in the breadmaker and spelt pasta. This in an effort to get my whole family 5, 2 & 1 year old included into eating better. Can't expect this to be a lifestyle change if I don't get everyone on board. But it has been a challenge to find something that is healthy and that they like. Was incredibly pleased that the spelt received such rave reviews- it went over well with everyone!
A friend who has a large garden brought over an absolute ton of veggies; tomatoes, potatoes, corn, peppers. Made bruschetta with the tomatoes and this is another one I had a hard time staying away from.
I'm such a creature of habit. It seems that as long as I follow along with things that I normally have I will stay within the guidelines of Phase 4. But when I try branching out ( the muffins, the bruschetta) I just don't feel as in control of my intake. I know that I had too many calories today. I know that it isn't the end of the world. But I don't want it to be my everyday because I know that will lead to weight gain. And I don't want that. At all.
It is a very fine balance. Trying to relax and enjoy life and yet stay in maintenance. I like where I am. Spent a lot of time & effort & focus getting here. All of you I'm sure know of what I speak. As I write this I realize I didn't measure how much of each bruschetta I had and this is probably why I'm freaking out. It goes so much better when you measure it. Because you are a) accountable and b) you can see the actual reality of how 'bad' it is. Maybe it isn't as bad as I think... but now I'll never know cause I didn't measure... Ahhh..
Sorry for the extra long post...
Those muffins sound great. I would not be against finding that recipe I might have to go search for one! Sorry if this is stupid, but what is spelt? I know exactly what you mean about measuring, etc. I hate NOT knowing, especially if it is not knowing how bad.
I am hoping my healthy eating will be passed on to my family as well, but mostly comes down to what I make for them so I think is has already!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pxlkitty4
I just found out you can edit/save full meals and SHARE them on fatsecret. Check out Ideal Protein Phase 3 breakfast Idea #1 (berries, yogurt, toast, egg) if you are on the site... I will log all of my Phase 3 breakfasts as I have time. I know that I was scared when I got to that phase, so would love to help out others if I can...
That is awesome, I would have tons of phase 3 breakfasts I could share too. I am not using fatsecret but will have to check it out sometime when I get extra time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pxlkitty4
Do what's right for you... Something snapped when I knew I was at goal and going on vacation. I had been doing the diet for 7 months and I just desperately all of a sudden wanted/needed to phase out. I did only one week of Phase 2 and then swapped to Phase 3. I also wasn't in a situation because of work travel that I could get back to my coach to buy my crispy cereal (standard go-to breakfast), which I'm sure contributed.
Mentally, though, something snapped and I just HAD TO phase out. I was done. I knew if I didn't phase out close to the right way, I was headed for a disastrous cheating vacation... Also, I had always been pretty strict while on the diet during vacation, and I never once cheated with carbs (only a little wine, some strawberries, things like that), and I knew that being at goal was impacting my willpower to stay strictly on the program. Seriously, sometimes enough is enough and we have to treat ourselves well after having stuck it out for SO MANY months.
I felt this. Luckily I was nearing the end but was definitely hanging on by a thread. (5 months - I started in May so there have been others who have done it much longer than me) I was just ready to phase out mentally. I still have moments where I say why didn't I just lose 5 or 10 more (especially now when those lbs of glycogen sneak up) but its absolutely crazy because I didn't need to.
PixlKitty..Thanks for the input. I thought I was also at the point..For some time I have been telling myself that losing 100 pounds is enough. That it was time to let my body have a rest and maintain..Plus I have been working on this for 10 months.. However, I know hearing about the 4-7 gain triggered me back into being safe..not even being sure if what they say is accurate.
I am going to try Phase 2 for one more week and then go for it
Forgot to comment on this. I thought 3 pounds was crazy to subtract also and used the weight without the subtraction for my own accounting. I think she does it to make people feel better on their weigh ins..
Yeah, I normally weigh about 1.5lbs more with clothes... 100 lbs is enough!! And I don't agree with 4-7. I've heard 2-5...
Quote:
Originally Posted by wildflower613
That is awesome, I would have tons of phase 3 breakfasts I could share too. I am not using fatsecret but will have to check it out sometime when I get extra time.
I eat very close to the same thing every morning. I will go ahead and save all my breakfast creations on fatsecret and be sure to label them with "Ideal Protein Phase 3" so that they are easy to find.
Did you know that you can buy spices that say salt free on the top? I had no idea chili, curry, italian seasoning, and many others had salt put in them.
Also, I've requested that they add a section for sugar free, as many seasonings also have sugar. No word back on that yet, so I'll harrass them again next time I'm in the store.
SO my sheet says that we should have 3 snacks a day. Fruit, almonds, cheese or an Ideal Protein packet. Plus I can have yogurt or fruit WITH lunch. Is this similar to what you were told. I didn't realize we could have fruit later in the day? I guess I may just be overwhelmed with how much food we can have?! I've only had 2 snacks a day since starting so it will actually be hard to have 3 and feel right. Would you like to share what types of things you have for your snacks and when? I would probably stick to having the Ip packet for my after dinner snack and have hard boiled eggs between lunch and dinner. Oy ok I am always overthinking phase 4 and I can't stop !! Thanks in advance if you reply LOL!
SO my sheet says that we should have 3 snacks a day. Fruit, almonds, cheese or an Ideal Protein packet. Plus I can have yogurt or fruit WITH lunch. Is this similar to what you were told. I didn't realize we could have fruit later in the day? I guess I may just be overwhelmed with how much food we can have?! I've only had 2 snacks a day since starting so it will actually be hard to have 3 and feel right. Would you like to share what types of things you have for your snacks and when? I would probably stick to having the Ip packet for my after dinner snack and have hard boiled eggs between lunch and dinner. Oy ok I am always overthinking phase 4 and I can't stop !! Thanks in advance if you reply LOL!
My understanding is that lunch is "carb poor", so I have not and will not eat fruit with lunch. I've considered having fruit after dinner, since it's fat free and that is the "fat poor" meal. I have not really been snacking, except for the after dinner snack, which has been IP (or alternative). I'm researching alternatives now, because I think IP is too expensive to be using forever in maintenance.
I am having a heck of a time with the entire mental part of maintenance. I pretty much stick to a phase 3 breakfast which is usually 1 peice of flax/sunflower bread with a thin coat of natural no sugar added peanut butter and a greek goddess plain yogurt with 1 cup of blueberries and a coffee with an IP RTD vanilla. For lunch-salad and meat. For supper-salad and meat. I also snack in the afternoon-or evening on nuts and cheese. But EVERYTIME I put anything into my mouth, including the breakfast that is allowed, I have this fear that I am gaining weight or I will start spinning out of control. I have been maintaining for well over a month. Have not really had a free "day", have had 3 occurances where I have eaten off plan- one day for lunch in the hospital cafeteria of all places, I had 2 scoops of mashed potatoes with hotdogs and sauerkraut- sounds gross, but I HAD to have it that day. Also, Ate chinese one night including a small amount of white rice and a ginormous portion of cashew chicken. and one evening when TOM was here, a small bag of peanut M&Ms. Have never been up on the scale, but still feel like if I had a free day, and went up a couple pounds, I would feel like a fat blob and would start a vicious cycle of saying "what the heck, I'll start tomm" Anyway, just sharing the mental games in my head. I started IP in Jan. so it has become such a way of thinking/eating living, I can see myself packing my baggies of veggies and meat to my MIL house on Thanksgiving and christmas!
I am having a heck of a time with the entire mental part of maintenance. I pretty much stick to a phase 3 breakfast which is usually 1 peice of flax/sunflower bread with a thin coat of natural no sugar added peanut butter and a greek goddess plain yogurt with 1 cup of blueberries and a coffee with an IP RTD vanilla. For lunch-salad and meat. For supper-salad and meat. I also snack in the afternoon-or evening on nuts and cheese. But EVERYTIME I put anything into my mouth, including the breakfast that is allowed, I have this fear that I am gaining weight or I will start spinning out of control. I have been maintaining for well over a month. Have not really had a free "day", have had 3 occurances where I have eaten off plan- one day for lunch in the hospital cafeteria of all places, I had 2 scoops of mashed potatoes with hotdogs and sauerkraut- sounds gross, but I HAD to have it that day. Also, Ate chinese one night including a small amount of white rice and a ginormous portion of cashew chicken. and one evening when TOM was here, a small bag of peanut M&Ms. Have never been up on the scale, but still feel like if I had a free day, and went up a couple pounds, I would feel like a fat blob and would start a vicious cycle of saying "what the heck, I'll start tomm" Anyway, just sharing the mental games in my head. I started IP in Jan. so it has become such a way of thinking/eating living, I can see myself packing my baggies of veggies and meat to my MIL house on Thanksgiving and christmas!
You could always try having your free day and not weighing yourself for 2-3 days?
Packing your veggies to the holidays...I don't think there is anything wrong with being prepared...as long as you don't offend anyone LOL! I always wonder if I am now that annoying health nut that I used to despise. Yep. I am.
When I compare food to drugs and alcohol and people don't understand its frustrating but I know exactly how you feel. We retrain our brains to eat right and eat healthy and then wouldn't this one day just confuse it even more>!!?
I hope you can find a balance that works for you. Good Luck!
I have a question for the maintainers. My husband asked me last night if we will ever be able to go out and have sushi for dinner again? Sushi to us is rolls of some sort, spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, etc. I honestly didn't know the answer. I told him if I used that meal on my cheat day, sure. But didn't know if it really is a cheat or something allowed on a regular night in maintenance. I know you can have carbs for dinner, but thought I would ask you guys here.
I'm new to the Maintainers, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to be here since I just started phase 3, but I'm excited with this weight loss and excited to enter my new "healthy eating" stage of life. Thanks to all of you (I've been reading this the past few weeks for motivation)!
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