Good morning everyone. I am BACK from vacation. I will weigh in tomorrow to see what damage I've done. I did relatively well, but ended up having two days where I had bread and fat with dinner while I was gone. I wanted to weigh myself today, but was at the gym for pilates by 6am and then forgot until I had gotten to work. So, tomorrow is the official weigh in. If I'm 150 or over, I will go back to Phase 1.

I haven't had a chance to read anything or catch up, so forgive me for the drive-by posting. I hope you are all doing well, and resisting the temptation to binge on holiday goodies. I have a cookie exchange this Saturday, holiday party on Friday. I can't believe it's December!

Welcome back!! Can't wait to hear about your vacation.

Its about time - for Phase 3 don't worry so much about calories for the breakfast if you are eating within the limits set that is fine. I worried more on what the protein, fat, carb counts were... I was rarely in the 400...

Well starting my 3rd week maintenance, I must say it is still scary, haven't seen the 140s since the first week but am working towards it again... I do like my fun days I didn't really overindulge and didn't have anything horribly wrong. funny how our tastes change eh?

Have a good week, been crazy busy will have to share my glam pic with you later.

Welcome back pxlkitty! If the worst you did while on a cruise is to have bread & fat with dinner two nights in a row- then you did pretty darn well! Congrats on sticking so close plan.
And woolberger I had forgotten to mention... I can't believe you only gained three pounds while you were away- that's awesome! Maybe it was just the feeling of not being totally informed about what you were eating that led to the feeling that things would be worse when you got home? Or that if we relax our guard all sorts of unwelcome things will happen? The conundrum of enjoying life vs. falling off the wagon...
jennydoodle I agree that in terms of lifelong maintenance it eventually has to get to the point where we eat smaller at one meal or for one day to balance out other meals/ days. And hopefully the decision making process becomes more innate but until then I have to calorie count- it's just what keeps me aware of the totals at the end of the day. And in my case, when I let loose and give up the accountability of tracking, well that's a path that leads somewhere I don't want to go... As I write this I'm thinking I'd better start tracking my treat day it would probably help matters in that area ;)
I read an article that stated when we're losing weight it's better to have variety in our diet but that when we are maintaining it's better to have a small rotation of items that cycle through. Apparently natural instinct will have us seek out variety and this can lead to overeating vs. sticking with the same rotation leads to feeling satisfied on less...

2ride we posted at the same time so missed your post until after I'd posted. So happy for you that maintenance is going well so far- you totally deserve it!
itsabouttime- I followed along with the meals that were outlined on the sheet. I did total the calories for them and they all ranged between 400-470 but I never totaled the fat/ carb/ protein count. I never experienced problems with doing it that way but everybody is different...

I'm so pleased to see the successes the maintainers have had while traveling! That's a test of focus and dedication.

I'm off on a holiday next week, and am hoping to be able to find familiar foods mixed in with local fare to keep me on track.

I must confess, I'm doing maintenance a little differently. I have been on maintenance almost 6 weeks and focused on phase 4 eating the first two weeks and have moved to tracking calories.

With added exercise I'm finding that I'm able to eat many of the foods I've always enjoyed, and still stay at my weight. I'm weighing daily to ensure that this keeps me on track, but feel great and also don't feel like I'm on a diet anymore, just eating more healthy foods and making far better choices about portions etc.

I certainly haven't forgotten what I've learned about combining fats and carbs, but I also don't worry if it happens as long as I'm tracking what I eat in MFP and staying at my goal weight. I also do focus on a protein before bed.

Has anyone else adopted alternative approaches to keeping the weight off?

Canadian ladies...

I found the cocoa covered almonds at Walmart... so excited... they are really good... maybe too good. I have about 8 - 12 for a snack... I try to limit it once a day... and have other snacks throughout. I am find that if I don't track my food I kind of get lazy, so am back to the portions of veg in phase 1 and meat of phase 3 except for a couple days after fun day I tried to do a phase 1 and a phase 2 day...

Woohoo! Thank you 2ride! Where are they at Walmart?? I've looked there and didn't see them the last time. With the snacks in the nut section?

I've been thinking about the stats I read from one of you on here about percentage of people that regain the weight within the first year. I've decided to commit to tracking everything I eat on MFP for my first year of maintenance (at which point I'll reassess). I don't want to be one of the 85% of people that re-gain.

This is ironic because the thing I liked most about IP was NOT having to track calories, points, etc. Phase one was so simple. Eat your packets and forget about it. Now I feel like I need to be 100% accountable to myself for what I'm eating. So far it's been working, although it's only been 2 and a half months of maintenance, I have lost another 6 lbs since leaving the security of phase 1. I think tracking has been key so I will continue until Sept. 2012.

Welcome back PixleKitty..I am eager to hear how you enjoyed your trip. It sounds like you did well!

I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments on maintenance.
Jennydoodle..I do agree with that approach of cutting back if you know you are going to indulge in something..even the next meal.

Capricious..I was glad to read that initially you were also cautious about adding carbs.

I definitely have a fear of eating too many carbs and equate them with gaining weight. I also have a fear about getting out of control on the fun days. My goal is to have a fun day that is really enjoyable, but not to turn it into an out of control eating day.
Last night I ate 2 meatballs that had breadcrumbs in them. Not exactly complex carbs..I worried that I would gain weight from them..but I did not.

I have been surprised that I am staying at the same weight for almost two months.

BCgirl..I do exercise daily and think that helps. I also weigh daily.

Itsabouttime: I would not worry about the calories..I ate less than 400 and did not have a problem.

Are you guys talking about the Emerald Green cocoa covered almonds? They are excellent.

2ride: glad your maintenance is going well.

Pauley..It sounds like you are doing well. Tracking does keep you focused

Stolaf: You do experience anxiety initially, but it goes away when you are on it for awhile. Then you start to enjoy the new food variety!

Darby. I am glad you are feeling more in control and having a better week.


Linden..nice looking menu. Well done for finding things to eat in Germany!

Have a great maintenance day everyone!

I found them in the nut section, they are in a big container that is green, it is the Emeralds brand, they had hickory smoked as well...

I used to buy the cocoa almonds in 100 calorie packets when I calorie counted. They were Emeralds and I loved them! When I started IP my kids ate them because they loved them too. Oh, and this was Walmart also!

I have 6 years worth of food and exercise journals, and I will continue to track my food and work outs. Even through out the P1 I was writing down which packets I ate and all that. It has helped me figure out what foods cause water retention (major scale fluctuations) and what foods make me feel crappy.

I have no intention of stopping my journaling, because I do agree, it keeps me accountable. And it really sheds light on days that I indulge. I just think that "maintenance" is trying to figure out what works for you. How many calories YOU can eat and not gain, how many carbs YOU can eat without gaining, etc...

I journaled the first 2 weeks on IP and then when it was working no matter what had, since I wasn't cheating, I just let it go. It was hard. I will definitely go back to it in maintenance. Or maybe sooner to get back in the habit.

I totally agree with this statement! Well put jennydoodle!