[Pxlkitty4]

Originally Posted by cajunladybug22

Pixl & 2Ride, where are all these awesome flavors?

greenmountaincoffee.com OR target has a bunch too.

Originally Posted by Determinedat47

PXLKITTY- Glad you are feeling better and seem to be getting back in the game. I am o+ as well and bread is the devil but I lovelovelove it.

Anyway, doing pretty good this week- feeling like I got this-still need to get motivated enough to add some regular consistent excercise into my life. Would love to tighten the ol bat wings as much as possible before summer. Have a great day everyone.

Thanks! Oh, the bat wings... I do pilates 2-3 times per week. It's the tricep/bicep exercises that help the most.

Originally Posted by Bellamack

I am with you both 100%. I don't like WF dressings, I make Good Seasons, just like Jennydoodle and I love Newmans Own. I am also O+.....If I am out at a restaurant I ask for a side of Olive Oil and vinegar, almost all of them have that!

I also ask for lemon wedges, especially if they have balsamic vinegar and I only feel like a splash of that.

Originally Posted by Bellamack

The hard part now is the Peppermint is seasonal, my hubby went and bought all Wal-Mart had after Christmas, lol. Anyways I love the fancy coffee drinks, my husband says that I like milkshakes, so I experiment often. Our Wegmans has so many different flavors of coffee and then I ordered several Torani SF syrups and have been having fun coming up with different drinks.

Two thoughts. I've heard that people ask Starbucks to make a latte with the vanilla RTD. Also, check out flavor drops at netrition. I have the eggnog and have used it in some baking as well as coffee.

http://www6.netrition.com/capella_flavor_drops.html

[Linden]

Originally Posted by jennydoodle

has anyone heard or read the book "Wheat Belly"? I want to read it and just need to download it to my Nook. If you are intolerant of wheat, I think it is a must read. It basically talks about how the wheat of today is not the same as the wheat of old, which is why so many people can't tolerate it.

Now I'm really curious what it might have to say about spelt and other older forms of wheat. If you find something, would you share?

[Pxlkitty4]

Originally Posted by Linden

Now I'm really curious what it might have to say about spelt and other older forms of wheat. If you find something, would you share?

Hmmmm... this has me thinking. Prior to about two weeks ago, my go-to bread in the freezer for my heavenly morning toast was this:

http://www.foodforlife.com/product-c...n-sesame-bread

Then I bought this and have been eating it / variant of it since then.

http://www.arnoldbread.com/Our-Produ...lax-Fiber.aspx

My weight has not been "returning to normal" after my cheat day, I have not felt nearly as good, and I've been quite cranky and stressed out. I wonder if the two are connected.

Time to experiment. Thank you for getting the old noodle working.

[Linden]

Originally Posted by Pxlkitty4

Hmmmm... this has me thinking. Prior to about two weeks ago, my go-to bread in the freezer for my heavenly morning toast was this:

http://www.foodforlife.com/product-c...n-sesame-bread

Then I bought this and have been eating it / variant of it since then.

http://www.arnoldbread.com/Our-Produ...lax-Fiber.aspx

My weight has not been "returning to normal" after my cheat day, I have not felt nearly as good, and I've been quite cranky and stressed out. I wonder if the two are connected.

Time to experiment. Thank you for getting the old noodle working.

Aaarg! Now I'm thinking, too. One of my thoughts about going back to Hawai'i for a while was because I could get the Ezekiel breads again (among other things, like really fresh papaya .) But what prompted my question is that I pretty quickly found I wasn't doing well with bread in Maintenance even though practically every loaf of bread made here is healthier than what you can get in the states. Then I tried an organic bread made with spelt from a Bio bakery, and didn't feel bloated. Plus, it was delicious. But I only had about 1/2 the loaf before I went back to Phase 1. Hum.

[2RIDEROLLERCOAST]

Originally Posted by Bellamack

Hello cajunlady,

I am not a coffee drinker per se, but I have gotten a chocolate truffle (grind your own) for the Keurig. Here is what I discovered over the holidays and just love. I take a pyrex measuring cup and put 4 ice cubes in it with 1 tsp of splenda, I brew the coffee into the cup. I put it in the freezer while I shower and get dressed. I then take a large cup with ice and pour the coffee into it, I take a chocolate ready drink ( I use Muscle Milk lite or EAS carb) pour into it and then I take 1 T of the SF Peppermint mocha creamer, stir, add a straw and it is sooooooo good. The hard part now is the Peppermint is seasonal, my hubby went and bought all Wal-Mart had after Christmas, lol. Anyways I love the fancy coffee drinks, my husband says that I like milkshakes, so I experiment often. Our Wegmans has so many different flavors of coffee and then I ordered several Torani SF syrups and have been having fun coming up with different drinks.

that soundsss so good where did you get the peppermint mocha creamer? I am so getting addicted to coffee, and I prefer it cold, but too cold right now.

Originally Posted by Pxlkitty4

greenmountaincoffee.com OR target has a bunch too.



Thanks! Oh, the bat wings... I do pilates 2-3 times per week. It's the tricep/bicep exercises that help the most.



I also ask for lemon wedges, especially if they have balsamic vinegar and I only feel like a splash of that.



Two thoughts. I've heard that people ask Starbucks to make a latte with the vanilla RTD. Also, check out flavor drops at netrition. I have the eggnog and have used it in some baking as well as coffee.

http://www6.netrition.com/capella_flavor_drops.html

And if you like lattes, get the no fat sugar free cinnamon Dolce it is soooooooo good.

[capricious]

Wow! So busy on here the past day! Awesome- maintainers UNITE!!!
Have to start off by saying that I made a new salad for myself for lunch today that had toasted almonds (I bought natural, slivered unsalted almonds) and put them in the oven at 350 for 9 minutes while I concocted the rest of the salad that consisted of strawberries, Renee's 1/2 fat Poppyseed dressing & spring mix. It was freaking fantastic!! Toasted almonds are the absolute best thing ever!!! I cannot stress how much I enjoyed them straight from the oven. This is not a step that I've ever taken the time to do myself and now I'm kicking myself for having missed out on them for so long. Yummmy, yummy, yummy.
pxlkitty- I think you're totally right in that boredom with having the same thing day in day out is a killer. I OD'd a bit on peppers which I had every day sometimes twice a day for at least 6 months. But over the past couple weeks they haven't been as appealing and because of that I haven't been as good as usual at getting my veggies in. Hello Carrots. Keep treating these like they're still forbidden, it was just so completely ingrained after phase 1. But have started having them daily with light hummus.
I was laughing at your description of your husband's eating style. Mine eats like a 14 year old. He has a deep and abiding love of twizzlers, beef jerky and sweets. His work is pretty physically demanding so it doesn't show on him. But the first couple months of IP he would get upset that I didn't want to share nachos or have any of his of treats. But I figured if I have to put up with what he eats then he has to put up with what I eat. I can't eat junk just because he does.
Another good laugh was the title 'Bread is the Devil' ahhahahahhahahhhhaaaa. You can practically hear him laughing at us. I have read many times that we are becoming more gluten intolerant in society as a whole because the ancient grains have given way to the inbred wheat of today and it is not proper fuel for us.
Thanks to you & everyone who posted so many wonderful sounding keurig suggestions... after my post here I'll have to take a quick look and see what I can find in Canada...
jennydoodle- thank you for clarifying your views on the dressing/ fat in phase 3 style eating. I completely agree that fake dressing just doesn't cut it. Do you remember CheekyWit? She was a chef that was at the tail end of her journey when I started mine. Anyway she posted a great recipe for a spicy dressing for taco salad that was: a bit of low carb ketchup, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and hot sauce. So good. I had never heard of Good Seasons until you wrote it on here so thank you for sharing that one as well I'll have to give it a try this week. I typically use Renee's Gourmet dressings as they are refrigerated and all natural and very tasty!
patns-we had bought a large acreage with a modular. We lived in the modular while we built our new home (which was about 10 feet away from the modular) and now we have sold the modular to farming neighbors that want to put it on a five acre parcel they have for their daughter. It worked out pretty well for all of us thankfully.
In regards to where to stop... It is how you feel about your 'look' that really matters. The more you like it, the more motivated you will be to keep it. Much can be achieved through exercise and strength training but that does take time. I didn't start exercising again until I was in phase 3 and had the carb available to me for muscle building/ feeding. I was too freaked out that I would eat the muscle I had by trying to exercise on too few calories with no carbs. This was probably an unwarranted feeling but I had it nonetheless. After I began exercising again, as I had regularly prior to starting phase 1, everything seemed waayyyy easier. Amazing how much less effort you have to put in when you're not trying to move around an extra 60 pounds Exercise in maintenance both cardio & strength, is invaluable. It gives you way more leeway with what you can eat. If you go by diet alone, you have to be much more strict with yourself in regards to caloric intake. I still don't love my belly but I can tell you it looks a heck of a lot better than it did when I finished Phase 3 and I have exercise to thank for it.
I think it was paint lady that wrote that maintenance is a time of experimenting. It is possible to still lose in this phase by knocking out the carb and eating leaner proteins if that is something you want to consider...
paint lady- I was just curious if you were 'O' type because you are so super carb sensitive. I remember you saying that if you had a carb in the evening it could cause up to a 2 pound gain the next day. And this is supposed to be somewhat typical of 'O' type blood- was just curious if it held true... which evidently it does...
Determined- thank you for the compliment... I thought it was time to change the photo of me in my summer clothes I love having a mud room as well! It's the first time I've had one and I'm really really enjoying everyone having a spot to put their stuff, muddy everything and my cleaning supplies. I appreciate your posts as well. Love your forthrightness. Although, I have to say after being tantalized with your promotion of Emerald's Cocoa almonds I still haven't been able to find them! And I've looked. Guess I have to ask 2ride which Walmart she shops at because there isn't any at the one that's close to me.
Gika- You do make doing Phase 1 reboot sound not so bad. Going to have to bookmark that post for when it's time to psyche myself up to reset the old pancreas... How many days until Phase 3 breakfast returns??
CajunLadyBug- Welcome & thank you for posting! I don't know if you remember sunnymae? She started posting with us almost when the maintainers thread first started (thank you again woolberger). In pretty much the exact same position as you- although I do think she's a bit taller But 8 pounds up over the course of a year of maintenance. And at last count she was down 4 of those with the reboot. To only be up 8 pounds though when you have been maintaining for a year and a half is amazing! When I finished the program they told me to expect a 5-8 pound increase throughout a year. And here you are at a year and a half and still within that range. Are you considering doing a full reboot? Or just modifying maintenance for weight loss?
bigpassport-soooo you're going back on full fledged Phase 1? Was that the final decision? You have to keep us posted on how it goes!

[Paint Lady]

I just got off the phone with my husband. He wants to go out for dinner, said specifically that since it's my fun day, we may as well go enjoy it. I know I shouldn't complain that he is so willing to do this, but... I can't think of anything that I really want, that I feel would be worth doing phase 1 tomorrow. So, I think we shall go eat at a restaurant anyway; and I will choose something that will still allow me to eat breakfast tomorrow morning. It's a win/win situation for me. I don't have to cook.

[bigpassport]

I did it...I started Phase 1 today. So far 100% OP Thankfully P1 is only 2 weeks. I can do this!

[patns]

Originally Posted by 2RIDEROLLERCOAST

Pat I reread your email... you mean Sweet tweet right.. somedays I am not quite awake... glad I have my tea now.

Glad you figured that out because I even confused me!

[sunnymae]

Hi Ladies,
I have to apologize for going mia on the challenge and this thread the last few weeks. I'm still on the road, first 2 mondays none of my hosts had a scale for me to weigh in. Finally got to the Bay Area where I weighed in at a friends at 128.6, so I'm up 2 lbs from when I left NY.
I'm glad I rebooted for 2 weeks before I left as I'd have been in worse shape, but I don't want to get too much higher than that. I have until next tuesday on the road. When I get home it'll be much easier for me.
Amazing isn't it...last year at this time I was ph. 1'ing it in Paris of all places and lost 4 1.2 lbs. This time around...way harder to resist the cocktails, sweets and other goodies that come along and win me over.
I was able to stick to ph.1 at home right after New Years this time around, but not on the road. I didn't go to **** in a handbag everyday, but more free days than once a week, no doubt.
I'll do the best I can until I get home, so wish me luck. You guys are my lifeline. Geez...I really am such an addict...and I hate obsessing about food all the time. It gets SOooo tiring, but feeling bad in my clothing and being bloated feels worse...along with low self esteem. I feel so much better as I've heard so many of us say, when I'm not full of overeating toxicity and full of unwanted sugar.
So...onward I go. I will get this extra weight off and start a new exercise program to tighten up when I return. My neighbor if offering a free training class in our little but sufficient building gym and I signed up!

Thanks for letting me rant. Have a great weekend everyone.

[Maile]

Happy Saturday everyone.. Yesterday I had lunch with a friend who has never had a weight problem. She has not varied more than 5 pounds in 20 years. She simply cuts back for a few days if she goes up. What I reflected was that she is secure and relaxed when she goes up a few pounds. She does not have that uncomfortable feeling or fear that I do when I go up a pound or two. I think it will be a goal of mine to some day feel secure with that scale. I am calmer, but not secure.

Cap.I am now straight about your family and love your new picture. Your salad sounded fantastic. Have you resolved the cheese issue? I would love to have cheese instead of a protein..ie feta salad for lunch..but have been so cautious as we were told dairy was considered a fat. I would also like to make a low carb spinach lasagna..but am also leery of the cheese at night..have it for breakfast? You can find emerald green almonds at walmart and amazon.com..expensive. They are wonderful.

2ride..Good for you running with your dog. Aren't you freezing? I keep thinking that when I complain about the winter, that you Canadians usually have it worse being north.

Pixl: good luck with the experimenting..I have had supposedly low carb bread..due to the high fiber and not felt that great either.

Sunnymae: It sounds like you are having a wonderful trip. Signing up for a gym is a good thing. I live at my gym. I am at 128 also..It is funny how when you break into to the 20s..you want to stay there.

Bigpassport: Good for you jumping on Phase 1. Hope today goes well for you.

Paintlady: I hope you enjoy your meal out. You know I think that also..that I want to wake up and enjoy my breakfast in the morning..keeps me focused.

Cajunladybug..I am glad you are here! I love your picture with your child. You are wise to get back on track.

Gika: I hope your reboot is going well. I appreciate your support. You are very busy with a 2.5 year old! I think Pauley has a young one also.

Bellamack..Hope your Phase 1 is going well. Have you ever tried using Good seasons package with cottage cheese? I have heard it is good.

Determined: I am glad your week is going well. Those carbs are tempting..I still love pancakes for breakfast.

Patns: Have you decided on a your weight? I exercised the whole time from the beginning of IP.

[Maile]

Here is the cheese question: are you guys eating cheese? Do you ever make cheese your protein and have it instead of meat? Do you ever eat cheese at night? What about having a piece of cheese for a snack or some cottage cheese? I would appreciate any ideas.

[Determinedat47]

Originally Posted by Maile

Here is the cheese question: are you guys eating cheese? Do you ever make cheese your protein and have it instead of meat? Do you ever eat cheese at night? What about having a piece of cheese for a snack or some cottage cheese? I would appreciate any ideas.

I am a cheese junky! I think that the pure ideal protein protocol is to have any cheese in the morning and you may have a snack of 1 ounce in the afternoon- (who can eat 1 ounce of cheese)? I prpbably eat 2-3 ounces of cheese with a 100 calorie pack of emerald cocoa roasted almonds for a snack in the evening- we are talking 8-9 pm twice a week and it has not affected my loses. It is my alltime favorite snack and that time of the day/night is when I want a snack. I wouldn't get into that habit every night because I think it might affect the scale if it were more often. That is what works for me.The chhese I eat is medium or sharp cheddar.

[Bellamack]

Originally Posted by 2RIDEROLLERCOAST

that soundsss so good where did you get the peppermint mocha creamer? I am so getting addicted to coffee, and I prefer it cold, but too cold right now.

And if you like lattes, get the no fat sugar free cinnamon Dolce it is soooooooo good.

2ride,

I sure wish you lived closer to me, I would surely share one of my prized Sugar-Free Peppermint Mocha creamers with you. My sweet hubby bought everyone left at Wal-Mart after Christmas. It is so hard to find a Sugar-Free liquid creamer, there are lots of Fat-Free, but they are loaded with sugar. I am sorry to say the creamer won't be back until next November according to the mgr. at Wegmans, so I am sure it is the same at Wal-Mart. The mgr. said it was a seasonal item, I got 3 other friends hooked on my concohoction (sp). It is as good as any Starbucks drink. Like I said before, I am really not a coffee drinker, never hot, I drink hot tea. I have, however, fallen in love with some cold coffee beverages. I will be sure to let you know if anything else really good comes along.

I am one of your biggest fans, you are amazing. Plus we share the same love for our furrrrrbabies

[gettinmygrooveback]

Help my more experienced friends.....I posted this in the Experienced thread but thought a few of you here might have been in my shoes before!

This is the part of my restricted journey that I hate. I haven't even had my lunch yet and I'm stressing over dinner. I just found out my night out with the girls tonight will take us to a sushi restaurant that I am not familiar with nor do I know the name. It's in a town about 40 miles from me (great meet in the middle place for us all).

What the heck do I order as a Phase 1er???? I know what I like to eat. I don't do raw...at all. But give me a bowl of salted edamame and a spicy shrimp roll and I'm a happy girl.

Suggestions please, please, please!