Thanks for sharing your photos. You look fabulous! I agree about it being nice to feel good dressing up. I have a great outfit on today that I never could have pulled off 50 lbs heavier. Love it!

Interesting about non-fat and low-carb foods being unavailable in Germany. That would make this diet so much harder! Why do they not offer these healthier choices there? Do people in Europe just not have weight problems like we do here?

I can't say much about the rest of Europe because I haven't spent much time out of Germany for the past 10 months. But there is, unquestionably, less obesity here although it, and childhood diabetes, are on the rise. It saddens me to see parents buy little children a croissant for breakfast as they bike to the childcare center.

Germans are also a lot more, consistently, active than Americans, I think. Walking to and from public transportation or to the shops and, and practically everyone bikes either to work, or on excursions. Having said that, you can imagine my shock the first time I read ingredients on a label. Daily standard requirements for calories 2,000; protein 50; fat 70g; and carbohydrates 270g! Thank heavens my stay here has NOT been broadening. :D

I hope your weekend was lots of fun. I succeeded with the 'no food in the car' decision, but eating out was tricky. The way I handled it was to leave half of whatever I ordered on the plate... even at a 4-star restaurant in WI! I ordered what I wanted but felt somewhat in control of the calories. And, I never ordered dessert. If hubby wanted dessert, I had a taste of his and that was it. Came home and weighed -- only a pound up. Phase 1 for two days. Love this diet.

samyswan & pauley- I'm a car snacker as well. When I got on IP I switched over to snacks that were allowable on program (pudding cakes, chopped bell peppers). Since hitting maintenance I've added in carrots & hummus (provided I'm not in the drivers seat ;)).
bcgirl- my clothing, just as much as the number on the scale is what keeps me accountable. And jeans have an unfortunate way of 'stretching' after they are purchased. In the past this led me to believe that I was smaller than I really was. If they happened to come out of the dryer a little too snug, well, that's the dryer's fault, right? I buy them very snug now and when they stretch a bit they fit perfectly. I was thinking that one of the best aspects of IP is how it improves your self esteem along the way. From the number drops and improved appearance to the self discipline. This can be one of the hardest things to learn and it has the most direct impact on our esteem. To say 'no' to ourselves or to say 'yes, you have to' and to follow through on both of these aspects. Setting this up as a 'no cheat' diet plays so well into this. Because along the way learning to say no I can't have this because it's not on my sheet that says I can and standing up to saboteurs, unwitting or no, says to oneself that "I am worth it" (thank you loreal). And by the end, when goal is reached there is the pride of accomplishment and the knowledge that sometimes saying 'no' or 'yes, I have to' are good things.
I didn't get a chance to be on the computer yesterday so I wasn't able to post my challenge results. But I will be everlastingly grateful for these challenges. It really does keep me on the ball :D Part of the reason I didn't have enough time to post my results is that I was trying to fit in my last exercise class ;)
pxlkitty- you're under goal?? Were you trying for that?? That's awesome! Such a good feeling when your body is on the page you want it to be on:carrot:
woolberger- welcome back! How was the rest of vacation?

One other thing that worked well to keep me conscious of my eating -- I only brought my size 8 jeans, which don't leave any room for extra pounds!

My weekend was a lot of fun and involved ZERO car snacking and ZERO weight gain. I feel good about myself after managing a weekend away without blowing it. My family was supportive and I had no complaints about the lack of treats. We had one glorious meal out which included plenty of Irish soda bread with butter. Phase 1 on the way home offset the indulgence just like it's supposed to.

I had a short visit to Germany and Austria a few years ago. I do remember seeing everyone on bicycles, even ladies in evening gowns and heels! What a different lifestyle. I do like the idea, but would have a hard time giving up the comfort of my car on rainy/snowy cold days!

Haven't seen an evening gown yet, but high heels for sure; and scads of children'
s seats or little "cars" attached. For bad weather there's a superb mass transit system. And it sure sounds as though you had a good weekend.

I'm having a lot of trouble with Phase 3 breakfast, particularly with the fats in eggs, dairy products with different fat percentages than the US. I finally just put down my favorite breakfast. Could one or another of you please look at it and advise me. It's not "conventional" but it has the best distribution I can come up with and it is virtually identical to what I'd eat for breakfast in Hawai'i except I'd add a little no fat Miracle Whip.

2 slices of wholemeal bread
2 ounces, 56 g, chicken breast
91 g tomato, 1/2
68 g avocado, about 1/3
8 oz no fat milk
I'm using the avocado for fat and fruit with the tomato

525 calories
36.66 g protein
48.49 g carbohydrates
14.08 g fat
21.01 g sugar
15.34 g fiber
562 g calcium
93 g magnesium
1143 g potassium
538 g sodium

It's a little higher in sugar and sodium than I'd like. But it's awfully good protein, fiber, magnesium, and potasium. What do you think? Avocado for fat and tomato for fruit OK? Any advice would be really appreciated.

Linden..That is an interesting dilemna. When i was in Europe I seem to recall fat free and low fat options disappeared in the stores. I was going to suggest straining the yogurt to make it greek..but that will not lower the fat content. Cottage cheese?

Linden..I am not an expert, in fact i cannot remember all of the counts. It seems like your protein is a good level, the fats are under the 15 that they want. Plus, if tomatoes are the best fruit you can find, then it seems fine to me. Avocado is a healthy food. Plus your fiber is nice and high.
It looks good. Tomato is actually classified as a fruit so you are on target!
It reminded me that when I was in Wurtzburg staying with friends, that we had cold breakfasts..of bread, cheese, meat ..and beer was offered! That is not IP..LOL.

Well. I made it through my ethnic eating spree and hiking the hills. I must tell you how very very nice it is to be able to fit into those small airline seats and not feel embarrassed. I also really noticed that I was in much better athletic shape and could keep up with my kids hiking up the hills.
I actually lost a couple of pounds on my first challenge week. The one thing that I did not do was log in my food on my trip. I gave up when we started going to all of the ethnic places.

Why, thank you.

I was only under by 8oz, but I'll take it. It brought me to 60lbs down on the nose.

This looks great. I checked relative to my fatsecret food diary stats, and it looks perfect on all counts.

Congratulations! I know how you feel about tracking ethnic foods. They aren't always in the database, and different recipes vary so wildly in calories, fat, etc. I just tell myself, if I can't track it, I'm not in control of what I'm eating. It's ok to do that from time to time, but doing that all the time will lead to TROUBLE...

No joke, that's what Christmas will look like. But in fairness, it occurred to me last night that even if the German diet is heavy on carbs/starches, wheat and vegetables mainly, it is NOT heavy on refined sugar and sweet fruits. Cakes, when one has them, are much lighter and not half as sweet. And that may be germane to the way we are eating. I want to thank you and Pxylkitty for some reassurance, well all of you really, for just being here; and keeping this thread going. :hug: :hug: Now if I could get eggs, berries, and bread to jive. :o:o

So week 2 on phase 3 and haven't gained and am at 149.4 so down I guess .4 so not bad at all. really liking the greek yogurt and fruit and the pb and toast. Must admit I have more cravings now... so looking forward to maintenance next week, am thinking my first cheat day will be Nov 26.. don't know yet what I will have but... I did find some chocolate covered caramels with sea salt yesterday... everyone was saying how salted caramel was so good, never had it so will probably have one... then.

So happy for you, Joanne. The breakfasts really are nice, as long as you are a breakfast person. Maintenance is stressful at first, but it does get easier over time. The first few times the scale went up after a cheat day, I freaked out. But, then... it went down again. Takes some getting used to.

My first cheat day was so full of indecision it wasn't even funny... Nov 26th will hopefully be a good day (it's my birthday). I haven't decided whether to have the cheat on Thanksgiving or wait until my birthday.

Since I'm not that into all the Thanksgiving desserts, I might just do the "low fat" version of everything carby for the sides and eat turkey breast, and not go off plan for t-giving.

We leave on our cruise that Sunday, so I have some decisions to make regarding my choices. I have to pick my full-on cheat day for that week and stick with it. But, since it's vacation, I might allow myself a few small indulgences during the week. If I gain too much, I will back on P1 for a week or two afterwards to stay within my weight goal range.

Good Morning Fellow Maintainers from chilly Colorado.
I finally returned home from my 2 week sojourn and here's the damage report. I am 3 pounds over goal. Not bad actually. I knew I had gained as I was completely off program but my clothes still fit comfortably. I'm hopping back on phase I today and I'll let you know how it goes!
I can't tell you how nice it was to be able to walk down the beach in my bathing suit next to my very trim friend and not feel the least bit uncomfortable. She is way more gifted in the chest department but there's nothing I can do about that (HaHa). Last year I was a fatty, this year I'm a flatty ;).
Anyway, all & all a great trip. I'm starting to plan for Thanksgiving. It's at my house this year. Everyone always bring their traditional favorites so I'll just make my new favorites and no one will be the wiser. Last year I was in phase I. I knew I could eat the Turkey and a salad so I brought fresh asparagus for my second veggie and steamed it in the microwave. I almost didn't get any because everyone else went for it. New traditions can be as fun as old ones!