I love this thread! I am still new to Ph 4 and feel like I'm in trial and error mode every day. I think my weight is ok - I need to check it tomorrow - but I feel huge. I think adding carbs back in takes away that hollow/skinny feeling that I was used to in the other phases.

So tonight I did a pretty hard workout and needed a quick dinner. I ate 2 slices of toast, 2 eggs over medium and 2 soy patty 'sausages'. It was so yummy! I would have loved some cheese on the eggs but I didn't have any FF in the house. I'm not sure how strict we need to be with the 'no fat with carbs' rule, but I am being very strict until I can figure out how my body will deal with this.

Stick to the 100 calorie packs Sandy!

Well, after posting last night that I feel 'huge' I weighed myself this mornign and I am down to my original goal weight.

Maintaining is as much 'work' and takes even more thought, for me, then anything else. I am determined, like everyone else here, to be part of the 5% statistic. For those of us starting Ph 1 again in January, should we start our own thread? Doesn't seem like we should be posting here if we're starting from scratch again.

Your thoughts?

i am running late so you may all be surprised at the short post..LOL.
Stolaf: returning to Phase 1 is part of maintenance..I don't think you need a new thread..glad your new eating is going well. I am staying away from cheese for dinner also.

Itsabouttime: You can keep losing on Phase 3/4. I have lost and am not exactly sure what my goal weight is right now. I have changed my new limits.

Made it through the party..I think everyone is getting used to seeing me sip and not eat!

I like the idea going through the steps when you are on Phase 1 for a long time, otherwise jumping back.

Joanne and others..hope the Phase 1 kick starts your weight loss! Today I am drinking a latte and coffee to gear up for the crazy last day before vacation.

Good morning all, I am having a phase 3 day or for a couple of days...as I was down yesterday... will worry about it on Monday when I weigh in again... I have been horribly busy at night baking goodies, it seems like I have lots of time to do things and then "bamm" it is the last week before christmas and I am running around like a fool... oh well have a great day all.

Just had lunch out with friends and boy did I over-do it. We went to Chinese buffet and they had so many low-carb choices that I had to try them all! At least it wasn't carb laden, but still... too much meat and too many sugary sauces I'm sure. I need to exercise after work and have water for dinner!

I have been either skipping the carbs at dinner OR skipping the cheese. I don't have the two together unless it's my free day.

Good job making it through your party Maile! Each day we maintain is a victory, especially at this time of year. Good for you 2Ride - baking treats and not eating them. You are a stronger person than I am!

not sooo strong, I had a truffle last night and have decided it is WAYYYY too sweet... so that was good... no need to nibble after that. looking for some low carb nuts and bolts recipe now. made roasted chickpeas, am going to try them with my nuts and bolts mix to see how that is.

I agree, maintenance is a lot of trial and error. I have been experimenting with "balance" and trying to use a lot of common sense. Like if I have a big lunch (like Pauley) then I will cut back at dinner. Or if it is a planned big lunch, I will plan my whole day around it. Otherwise, I tend to be happiest in P3 or a slightly modified version of it as I find that I don't want to eat my evening carb most of the time.

I think the biggest thing I have noticed is my threshold for sweetness is lower. Meaning things taste so much sweeter to me than they used to and I don't like the taste of "too sweet".

And the other big thing is no cravings. To me that is huge! I used to have cravings all the time and if I smelled something- forget it! I would have to have it. Not any more. Oh- and here is a good example. During the holiday's Ghiradelli chocolates come out with peppermint bark. It is one of my favorite chocolate bars. Well, I bought a bar a couple of weeks ago and it has basically been just sitting in my cabinet. I have had a bite here and there, but I am by no means dying to have it. Before IP, I would have had the whole bar eaten the same weekend I bought it. It would have haunted me from the cabinet until I finally just ate the whole thing.

The thing I am most thankful for this year is definitely IP. Hands down. It has literally changed my life.

I've never had bars but for those of you who do I just ran across this endorsement in Laura Dolson's low carb blog. I don't always agree with her about what is low carb, but these sounded interesting. I don't know how available they are and they aren't cheap -- $34 for 12. Just thought I'd pass this on.

"Low Carb Specialties
ChocoPerfection Bars
Sinful chocolate... without the sin.

Take the finest, gourmet European chocolate and sweeten it with sugar-free natural plant fiber that tastes exactly like sugar, and you get ChocoPerfection. Even better, these silky-smooth, delicious chocolate bars, with less than 2g Net Carbs actually help with weight loss (when included in a low-carb eating program), due to 14g of prebiotic FOS, candida-cleansing, fiber in every bar. Made from 55% to 63% cocoa solids. No Maltitol. Gluten Free. No Trans Fats.

And with a zero ranking on the glycemic index, you've got all the makings of what very well could be the most perfect low carb chocolate bar ever. ChocoPerfection is naturally sweetened from plant fibers. These natural sweeteners are sugar free and have a glycemic index of zero. The main sweetener in ChocoPerfection is derived from the chickory plant and is named oligofructose. Oligofructose is classified as a "prebiotic fiber" meaning that it takes root in the digestive tract to support the growth of beneficial probiotic flora. Ultimately, oligfructose will rid your digestive tract of harmful bacteria, promote the excretion of toxins, stop sugar cravings and strengthen your immune system.* The second sweetener in ChocoPerfection is erythritol, which is also derived from plants. Erythritol is similar to xylitol in that it has a glycemic index of zero, but it has fewer calories and is considered beneficial for healthy teeth."

I have been doing so good on maintaining since July. I have even lost a few more pounds. BUT the last 10 days oh my gosh, I have been awful. I haven't even gone on the scale because I don't want to see. There are treats everywhere. Dinners out. I never even wanted any bread until now. I can't stop eating!! Hopefully by Dec 26th things will go back to normal!!

I was so thrilled to see you yesterday! Thanks so much for the 100 cal pack almonds, I need to order some! You look fantastic Brenda. Sorry I couldn't visit more but we had to get on the bus for the Christmas program. ONe of my students asked me if you were my sister!

I know what you mean!! WE have candy at school left over from our Gingerbread houses and it has been awful!

I think I have been having to much FUN on my first week of maintenance!! I am feeling out of control and need to buckle down and have some phase 1 or 2 days. Phase 2 days are easier as I don't have a lot of packets.

I am glad to hear that others are not always eating carbs at night. I do not always do this either. Here is an idea that might appeal to others although my family thinks it is crazy. I ordered a Papa Murphy vegetarian pizza on a thin crust with no cheese. Then you can add your own low fat cheese or turkey pepperoni. Now the only problem is that the crust is a refined carb..plus you are not supposed to have cheese at night. However, I have not gained from it!

Jennydoodle. I have also been feeling happier and noticing that many of my cravings have gone. Love IP also!!! That is progress that you can have the peppermint bark sitting around your house. I also had a similar experience. I took only one bite of my favorite panaforte fruit bar and stopped. In the past I would have eaten all of it.
Pauley..choosing low carb dishes from the Chinese restaurant was making good choices. That is a good motto about the cheese or carb choice.

Sandy and Ack..hope you both are doing well today and feeling in control. The holidays bring out so much stress..to say nothing of food everywhere.


I liked the comment that someone made, " Christmas is just one day..not a month!!!" Yet it feels like a month of celebrating!

Joanne..good luck with the cooking and rushing around. It is funny how your tastes change. Enjoy the P3 breakfasts!

Linden. thanks for the chocolate bar info. It looks like a healthy luscious low carb treat.

I do not know if you guys have a Fred Meyer near..but they sell a Fred Meyer Low carb yogurt..I heard it was good.

I was given a book called Eating For Life by Bill Phillips. What interested me was his explanation as to why you should have a free day every week. He mentions that a free day will increase your leptin hormone levels which will stimulate your metabolism and lower your appetite.
"Now there are numerous psychological benefits to the free day. For starters people find that they can live without their old favorites like unhealthy deserts, candy bar and fries, most of the time if they know they can eat them some of the time. This helps people stay on track and creates a positive mindset.
Another benefit of the free day is that it creates freedom. Freedom from unrealistic rules as well as the freedom to make decisions for yourself. The free day creates openess, honesty and self respect. You see all healthy people have needs and cravings that should be expressed not suppressed.
There are two types of free days. planned and unplanned. When you have an unplanned day then you just call it your free day and get back to healthy eating for the next 6 days.
"Having had the opportunity to help so many thousands of people, I have noticed that at first their free days become feasts. However, what they discover is when you eat right for six days a week, and then you pig out once a week, it really hurts. Stomachaches are the rule. And this becomes a learning experience. Psychologists call it "aversion therapy."
Free days tend to become self regulating, self limiting, and part of the overall solution, not part of the problem. They teach you to manage your food intake. and this is something that I point out to those who are so concerned that their free days will be so out of control, it will cause them to gain fat. I haven't seen that become a real issue, long term. So don't worry about it. Even I have learned that there are only so many Krispy Kreme doughnuts I can eat before I make myself sorry.
The free day has been one of the key to my maintaining for over a decade."

Being a control neurotic about food, I wonder about the unplanned free days. But I was very interested to read that eventually free days become self regulating, where you start to control the food you eat.

Thanks Maile for that post! It makes me feel like I am not spiraling downward to being out of control forever!!!