Thanks... I'll get over it. :hug:

- 147.5 is my "uh oh, i don't get a cheat day" number
- 148 is my "hmmm, what is going on" number
- 150 is my "expletive! what the @#$@#$ is going on" number...

Hence my hissy fit this morning when I saw 149.0...

This thread is making me very nervous :(.

I simply can't see myself having a "cheat" day (I've only had one, movie theatre popcorn - yumm) and following that up with guilt each week - that's WAY too much emotional power to give food.

I'm going to keep an eye on it, but if this is a rollercoaster of binging and shame it seems way more like my sister's battle with bulimia than a healthy lifestyle.

To explain - one of the reasons why I've never dieted is having spent 25 years with a sister who was seriously (in a life threatening way) ill with an eating disorder, it terrifies me to connect my self worth to my size.

This diet has worked SO well in getting me back to a healthy weight. For me, a cycle like that above is not a healthy emotional way to live, so if I see myself feeling bad about what I've eaten, I'm planning to move away from the "diet six days, gorge the 7th" and try watching my intake 7 days a week with MFP or another tracker, and making better choices all week but spreading my indulgences through the week.

Does anyone else struggle with this issue?

I once heard a thin person talk about the way she approaches food. She said that she watched what she ate in general, saved up for special occasions, had fun from time to time, but then scaled back for a few days after a special occasion. I think that the IP way of approach things is healthy and sounds very similar to this...

I think I probably feel guilty because I've been steering clear of those foods for so long, and now it's just a matter of time before I can reintroduce those things (in moderation) back and feel emotionally OK with it. I've only been in maintenance for almost a month, so I'm still figuring all this out.

That said, it's up to each of us to figure out how to do maintenance. As long as you find something that works for you, it doesn't matter what it is... What I did last weekend definitely did NOT work for me, so I'm tweaking... The learning continues.

Heck, some people lose weight on other programs and keep it off. Those never worked for me, but this has...

If you want to watch what you eat and spread the indulgences throughout the week, try it and see what happens. If it works, great! If not, try something else.

I think that's really good advice - I know this plan works for weight loss, I have no doubt it works for maintenance as well!

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone else have trouble coming up with snack ideas? I need a snack because I'm hungry between 3 and 4 p.m. Other than that, I don't usually snack because I'm not hungry. I've been eating Greek yogurt and Torani SF syrup and a small Atkins snack bar (2-3 net carbs each). I like those things but I'm getting kinda tired of them. I don't think I should eat anything too carby and I can only eat so many deviled or hard boiled eggs... What do you all do for snacks?

Thanks,

Karen

100 calorie pack cocoa flavored roasted Emerald almonds. Delicious and VERY satisfying.

I think you've answered your own question brilliantly! This is the learning part of the program where you figure out what works for you. I can sympathize with your family history and the concern that comes out of that. Thoughts like gorging and then shaming yourself into a day of penance are very powerful and evoke strong images despair, self deprecation, of black and white, all or nothing. Here's what works for me:
I have treat days, not cheat or gorge days
I have loving myself for all my hard work days, the day after. Why do I say that? Because eating clean healthy food is an act of self love, not self loathe, so If I have indulged, I treat myself to a beautiful tasty day after. I think of it as a conscious and mindful meditation. The day becomes very peaceful for me as a result. It's personal and it's just for me.

On regular maintenance days we can have dairy, fats,fruits, other carbs and snacks, so it's not all that austere. I have some nice cheese with my lunch almost everyday. Sometimes I switch it around (OMG) yep I do and have cheese with my dinner. I just switch meals is all. My husband is French and I'll be darned if I'm not going to have a glass of wine and some cheese, even on a regular day. I use the fatsecret tracker to add up my calories/fat /carbs, so if I'm planning french cheese and red wine, it simply has to come out of my calorie allowance for the day. So I think my approach is similar to what you have in mind. It works for me and I'm way less stressed than I used to be. I have gained the proverbial 5-7 pounds of glycogen etc...that you're supposed to afger phasing off completely and I'm maintaining at 127-8 since last Feb. If I want to lose that extra weight one day, I will, but I've learned to be very happy at this weight too.

I agree completely with your approach of eating sensibly, have little indulgences along the way, but just keeping track of them, so you don't go overboard. I found once I started tracking my calories on the website, that after a time, since my indulgences are repetitive, I don't worry about the calories too much as I've committed most of them to memory.
We are most of us extreme in our thinking, so finding balance, which can be challenging at first, will be your best friend once you start tracking your numbers and start relaxing knowing you're doing just fine.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I relate very much and sure lot's of us out there do as well. This is just how we all help each other with new thoughts and writing new endings to old stories. Keep up the great work and keep turning over your thoughts and concerns so we can all bear witness and help you along. It helps us too!

I am 2 pounds from my goal weight. Just curious did anyone lose weight on phase 3? Or did you stay on phase 2 till you reached your goal? Did you aim for losing a couple more pounds past your goal? How much did you gain when you went on maintenence? I keep hearing about gaining anywhere from3-7 pounds when you are restoring your glycogen, is this really true? So afraid to move to phase 3 and maintenance. Was hoping to phase off so I could enjoy thanksgiving which means I am going to need to move to Phase 3 by next Wednesday if I want to do that. Any suggestions?

Sorry to hear about your sister BCgirl. And having a healthy mentality, to go with the healthy eating is very important. It is odd how much our emotions are tied into our eating habits. I do not mean to promote overindulging (or gorging) on the free day. It is of course better to indulge without going overboard, but it does happen and I think it's best to just move on. Your practice for maintenance seems very sound... :hug:

Pxlkitty & sunny thank you you give us such great advise and I love how you word things it makes it easier to look so forward to maintenance.

Love this post sunnymae. So encouraging. Thank you.

Determined I'm still trying to track down those nuts here in Canada- they just sound so darn good!
Karen I like a tablespoon of peanut butter with an apple, or veggies & hummus...

Thanks so much to those of you that commented - I really appreciate your feedback and advice :)

If you look at people's trackers you will see that some people went below their goal weight for a safety zone. I reached goal weight in Phase 2. I was also very afraid of gaining weight back in Phase 3 and 4, so I went 4 pounds under my goal. You might want to go a few pounds under if that worries you. There are conflicting thoughts about how much you gain on maintenance..3-7 sounds about right.
Howevr, some people want change and go into Phase 4 at goal weight and are comfortable if the scale goes up a few pounds. I would say listen to yourself and see what you want to do in the next weeks.