Good morning all! I did not have a perfect phase 1 day as I started snacking at 7pm, but the scale was down 2 pounds already!! Bella, I am weak enough that I would have given in also on homemade cookies, hang in there and post here if you are weak.

Determined (Brenda) my scale was up 8 pounds after my trip! I had regained 4 just on phase 4 which I expected to happen, so I figure I gained 4 pounds with my vacation. I am back down to 156 this morning. I keep thinking I want to lose a little more as the moment I eat carbs my belly and face bloat out!!!

Paint Lady, I don't blame you for not wanting any more hair to fall out. Try the supplements and see if that helps.

Off to have a cappuccino and get my water in this morning.

Hey Pxlkitty - I hope your cat adjusts better then my two... I inherited a cat from my dad 11 years ago now... and my two cats still hiss at each other, it could be TAT (short for kitty cat trucker had a lisp where dad worked and came out Titty Tat) thinks she is a dog... they now can eat 2 feet away from each other without a cat fight. My dog Jewel when they start fighting would seperate them, must be the herding instincts.

Please start a new challenge, I stopped logging in as well. I am thinking that is the big key is to continue to log everything that gets past your lips. I too have gained a little and want it gone.

Determined - I am pretty sure I had a sugar overload and it caused me a 2 day miagrane... funny when not eating lots of sugar didn't have 1 migrane in the 10 months hmmm very interesting eh? I think I can't eat sugar or bread as long as I can still have my peanut butter... but that I will have to cut way back too.

Bella - I hear you but I kind of sabbatoged myself as I had to "TRY" the Christmas Crack candy I made... OH MY that was soo good but way too much for me. Gave most to my nephew when he was leaving the house and hid the rest in the basement freezer... they were calling my name last night but I am on day 3 of phase 1 and didn't want to blow it. I will see the 140s again before long...

I miss my breakfasts but I had other issues, I would get busy doing something and forget to eat until around 2pm every day... so then would try something and then was too full at supper time and then ate later like 8 or 9 and then start all over again....

I haven't had yogurt for a couple of weeks and I do miss it, but now doing phase 1 again and cant have it so... will just have to wait a while. Determined I am with you I weighed myself on Monday and am not going to weigh again until next Monday... hoping for a good week.

Everyone have a great day. back to work.

2Rider! Woohoo on your day 3 of phase 1 again! You will see the 140's again I am sure of it! I didn't weigh for 2 weeks and just started up again yesterday with the weighing. It keeps me more accountable I think! If you can get through Day 4 you should be over the hump and back in ketosis!

Hello to everyone. This will be short as I am at the airport, so I haven't caught up with all of the posts. I will find out tomorrow when I weigh, how successful my maintenance has been. I kept my focus and stayed away from my Hawaiian treats. ..no loco moo, Linden.
I am in favor of a new January challege!

OK then.... we are all back on track! The cookies were the sour cream sugar cookie cutouts with buttercream icing, so at least I wasted calories on something really, really good. I actually was going to put the rest in the freezer, but after hubby left for work today, I threw them out. I thought being in the freezer in the basement was still too much of a temptation. Gosh, I can't believe I threw them out, but I know how I am when I binge. Does anybody else throw out good food, so you won't eat it? Sometimes I think I am cookoo!

Paint, I am a little nervous about starting full-on, because I am still losing alot of hair and I have thin, extra-fine hair. I have upped my B vitamins starting yesterday.

Does vitamin B help? Might have to try that myself, my hair thinned out quite a bit.

I too threw out about 10 pounds of goodies- cookies, breads, etcetcetc. Bottom line is what the givers don't know, won't hurt them. It seems wasteful but no one needs the amount of goodies that we received from people and it was baked no matter if it is on my hips or in the garbage! I ate plenty but couldn't handle looking at it anymore. My husband was a little miffed but he has also gained too much weight and has an upcoming knee replacement a- he is only 51 years old but has rheumatoid arthritis- in Feb. No one needs that amount of sugar- not even my 80 pound 13 year old! Good for us I say!

I started IP last Jan. And until this Xmas have followed a low carb diet and my hair is thicker and shinier (sp) than ever. I attribute it to the omega 3 that I take Twice a day along with the other supplements- calcium, magnesium, trace minerals, multiple vitamin.

Well it's New Year's Eve and another party! Today will be a free day and tomorrow involves a New Year's dinner out (dim sum) that will have plenty of carbs too. I am so ready for a January re-boot! I am concerned with what I'm reading about hair loss though. I have very thin hair and can't afford to lose any. I don't think I lost much in my first go round with Phase 1 so hopefully I'll be okay.

I absolutely throw treats in the trash. I didn't have to this year because I didn't make any and we had less. Plus my brother was staying with us and he and my husband gobbled it all down pretty quick. I've tossed it in previous years though. I was recently asked to throw birthday cake in the garbage by a thin hostess after her son's birthday party. She didn't want to face another round of that cake the next morning so had me toss it in the garbage can on my way out.

I need to get over this bronchitis so I can exercise again!

Happy New Year's Eve! We are having a small family get together tonight at the house, so I don't really have to be worried about any temptations. We are having a bonfire and popping fireworks with our kids and likely a few extra kids. Our house is always the place the kids hang out, which is just how I like it.
I threw away a ton of food this year. A whole pie, half of a cake, banana nut bread, candy, cookies. My Mom is doing IP with alternatives and I think her way of dealing with food is to bake constantly and give it away. Ridiculous! Nobody needs to be eating all of that junk. She sends stuff home with my kids and they may eat a piece or two here and there, but then I just throw it away. My Dad is getting fat from all of the stuff she is baking. Now, she is complaining that he is putting on pounds! Hello! Quit baking that stuff! I've been fussing at her, trying to be nice about it, but enough is enough!
My husband goes back to work Monday and my kids go back to school Wednesday. I can't wait to get back into some sort of routine. I've really enjoyed all of this family time, but it's been really hard to make the best decisions food-wise with them around all the time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR's EVE!!
It feels like forever since I've had a chance to be on here. Our friends left for home this morning so it is officially time for things to return to normal. Have to say I had a great time. The hotel had the best service I've ever had in my life and they had just finished renovating their pool & workout areas so it was very fresh feeling. I wasn't sure initially how this little holiday was going to go as the friends that we went with I know the male half very well as he is a longtime friend of my husband's but it was really my first opportunity to spend a good bit of time with his wife. It turned out that she is very into running and ensured that we had at least an hour each day to dedicate to it. Fantastic! Can't ask for a better vacation partner than someone who helps keep you on track. I find it is a lot easier for me to stay on track mentally if I am staying on track physically.
Pxlkitty & Pauley- to put in my two cents in regards to it being mentally exhausting having to track everything and fight against urges to 'cave'. Whenever I add in a bit of this and a bit of that on a regular Phase 4 day (not a free day) it gets harder and harder for me not to want more and more. It's been my conclusion that I have to quite strictly follow Phase 4 eating for six days a week and save my 'bits' for my free day. The further into maintenance I get the more I enjoy the healthy eating that a regular Phase 4 day provides this has also helped with offsetting feeling deprived. And I do think it's so important that we share any new meals (thx for the tip about the garden lites pxl!) that we come across that are Phase 4 friendly to help each other with variety...
I would be in favor of starting a new Valentine's Day Challenge. Each of the last two challenges have been so helpful in keeping me accountable for logging in my food and exercising regularly I would really like to keep that going.
Set up my new body fat scale. It does weigh me in at two pounds lighter than my other. It weighs in .2 pound increments and I was quite pleased that what I weighed when I left for Jasper is the exact same as what I weighed when I came back. There is a comfort in having consistency and accuracy from the scale.
Paint, 2ride, Bellamack- I am also one of the ones that has lost a bunch of hair. It was quite alarming in the July/ August/ September months as it was falling out at a rapid pace. My new growth is starting to come in and it is purported that it will be stronger & healthier than the old hair but right now it is just frizzy and short. But at least it is starting to come back...
Maile- Have you changed your ID now?? It's great that you can take just a bite of this or that and stop. I, too, am thankful to IP for providing us with tools to combat gains.
I am having a Phase 1 today as yesterday was my anniversary and we went out to RuthsChris Steakhouse for supper. We had received a gift certificate for Christmas. It was fantastic! The food was so tasty but very heavy & rich- definitely a free day meal. While I do miss my breakfast on Phase 1 day I treat each P1 day as though I was still in P1... no cheating. It seems to help bring me back mentally to where I was when I was losing weight and helps me to stay focused for the Phase 4 days that follow until my next free day.
Sandy & Determined- it's neat to me that the two you know each other in 'real' life. It was initially from WW, right? And here you both are after having lost a significant amount of weight on IP supporting each other in maintenance. I hope you are both doing well on Phase 1 (if it is still continuing today).
Determined & Bellamack- I fully support throwing away food if it's screaming your name. Anything that screams at you and eventually makes you cry is abusive and deserves to be thrown out!

Determined and Bellamack..I fully support throwing away tempting foods. I have returned to find leftover Xmas goodies sitting around..I am going to clean house today.

Pixl: I love baby kitties. They are so cute. I actually missed my cats on my trip.

Capricious: Ruth Chris is amazing..one of my favorite places. Congratulations on your anniversary. Also..that is very good news, not gaining on your vacation. I do the same as you..follow 6 days of p4, no cheating or bites except for the free day. Having a good scale is helpful...especially one that is two pounds lighter.

Pauley: I love Dim Sum. What a nice treat for New Years. I am considering making sushi today..but I am wondering if I will want to eat too much of it.

Bellamack and Paintlady: I have not lost my hair so far. Hope the supplements help.

2ride and Sandy: Hope Phase 1 is going well today.

No gain from Hawaii..Hooray. Now if I can make it through New Years without a gain. Today is not a free day.I am going to eat seafood.

I am trying to figure out why, when something tastes good, that the compulsion to eat lots of it occurs. I had a plate of incredible Korean food, which was too much food..it tasted so good..I knew that I could eat the whole plate...so I put half of it away. I was easily full with half. Why do we want to keep eating past being full when something tastes good? Is it fear of never eating it again?

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE EVERYONE.

Ahhhh, phase 1 is not going so well. Too many almonds. But supper time is big mac in a bowl and go from there. No partying for me.

See you all tomorrow on Jan. 1st 2012!!!! It's a new year for us.

Happy New Years! I am finally back and able to catch up on all the posts. It seems like most of us survived Christmas and were able to do some P1 days as damage control. This includes myself. I was pretty much able to stay in my comfort window the week I was away and am very happy about that. I did (2) P1 days while I was away and they went as you would expect.

Today is an unexpected free day, as we are planning on getting pizza and watching a movie to ring in the new year. I am ok with this, as I have been able to stay in my window during the most difficult time of year. I know I will be up at least 3# tomorrow because the wheat and wheat gluten will bloat me for sure. But knowing that going in and making the conscience decision to do it make it easier to take.

I want to start tomorrow in P1 and do a couple of days of P1 to get back into my window that the pizza will throw me out of. I am going to start my reboot on January 9 as I have a long distance running event on the 6 & 7 and a travel day on the 8th where it will just be impossible to maintain P1.

But I am going to get back on P1 for a couple of weeks and see if I can get to 125-128 and maintain there instead of 132-135. Even if I don't get to 125, it will feel good to do P1 for a couple of weeks to get back into the mentality and get into that "back on track" feeling. I think it will help with getting back into feeling in control, and stop with the bites and nibbles and the little bits of junk that I keep eating. P1 has a very good way of regaining focus.

I must say, that it feels absolutely WONDERFUL to not have to be making a new years resolution that involves losing weight. This is definitely a first for me! My resolution this year is to go see more movies in the theater. I love to go see movies, but I never seem to go, I just wait for DVD. This year, I am going to make an effort to get out and see the movies I want to see on the big screen. I just love not having to make a resolution involving weight, health and wellness!!!!

Hope you all have a safe and happy NYE!

I think flaxseed and/or fish oil help, as well as biotin.