I am spending some time on Phase 1. All the birthday parties last week and deviating too far from the plan have left my clothes feeling tight and my head feels disorganized. There is a calm with Phase 1. The sense that you are doing the right thing for your body and mind. It feels great to be proactive in resetting my habits. I had begun to stray too far from 3 meals and 1-2 snacks. And the further I get from good eating habits, the worse I feel mentally & physically. It sneaks up so slowly that it is almost imperceptible and then boom it hits that I am far from where I was and I need to start walking back .
Bravo to you! I just started maintainance and called it 'guilding the lily' when you have that little extra here and there and before you know it, it is not guilding the lily, it is self-sabotage. When I really thought about how grateful I was to my body for not giving out on me when I was 300 pds, I thought, how can I abuse it now by ever being careless again? I wrote that down and keep it in my purse as a reminder....
Ohhhh Patns- you had me laughing and crying all in the same post. I am so, so sorry to hear of your husband's medical troubles. My best friend is currently supporting her fiancee in his cancer battle and my heart breaks a bit for both of you. Even though you are not the one with the disease you are the star of the supporting cast and the weight of the world falls upon your shoulders. And with your mother being so far away and yet in such a worrisome situation as well. Wow. That's a lot. Kudos to you for keeping up with eating healthfully and not turning to comfort food. Such a large amount of stress is already difficult for a body to deal with giving it only the best of the best and not stressing it out further with 'comfort' foods is to be commended. Though I might suggest reading up on refeeds when you have a moment. You will have to be careful what you use for them but it sounds as though you might benefit. Everyone's body is different and we will all process things differently it's a large part of what makes the weight loss and maintenance battles so frustrating- it is by no means one size fits all. My prayers are with you and your husband - it is good news that it is so isolated and that they have caught it. You are so very strong to be carrying so much. Absolutely amazing. :hugs:
Last edited by capricious; 04-06-2012 at 05:09 PM.
Just heard back from my coach. There's nothing magical about grains, beyond the vitamins, minerals and fiber, so as long as you are getting those in your vegees or supplements, you should be fine. I'm sure there are plenty of people, who, for one reason or another, can not tolerate grains, and figure out a way to live healthy lives.
You might try getting stable in Phase 4, then experimenting with one grain at a time and see which one suits you best. Good luck!!!!
PS: Pat, I just read the last post. I'm so sorry you are going through all of this. For what it's worth, my Dad had lung cancer and they took out one lung and he lived for many years after that - at least 20. I'm really proud of you for handling all the stress so well.
Thank you so much! I was just reading your last post and thinking what am incredible job you have done.
I have been a member of another diet board for years. There have been a number of people on there, more than a few actually who were in the 300 range and were just totally overwhelmed with the task of losing a large amount of weight. I couldn't give them much advice because I found it overwhelming too. Most of them gave up in despair; some people are still posting but no one has lost a serious chunk of weight.
So I was thinking how inspiring your story would be to so many people
.
But unfortunately as soon as you mention "no grain" people think it is a death sentence.
Thanks from the input from your coach. I really do have to be aware of the vitamins,minerals and fiber that most people get from their grain intake.
Thanks for telling me about your dad. I am so thankful that my hubby's condition was discovered before it had spread from the one lobe in his lung.
He wasn't expecting the diagnosis. He had smoked from age 20 to 32 but hasn't smoked in over 30 years now.
sewmam- thank you for understanding and passing along the metaphor of 'gilding the lily'. I really like that. Glad to have you and your wisdom (and beautiful prose!) here in maintenance...
I have read that one of the most important things we can do for ourselves is focus on what makes us strong and the attributes that we like about ourselves. That you are appreciative of your body for having held together when you were overweight is such a positive mindset. And that you are now repaying the debt by taking the very best care of it you can, well, that is very respectful and can only be admired.
How did you make your tomato soup?
There is fascinating info on that link Cap. I am going to print it off and reread parts of it many times. I think with the timelines we set for ourselves with IP we need to stand back and really examine what we need to incorporate long term.
Thank you for your good wishes.
Pat
Thanks for telling me about your dad. I am so thankful that my hubby's condition was discovered before it had spread from the one lobe in his lung.
He wasn't expecting the diagnosis. He had smoked from age 20 to 32 but hasn't smoked in over 30 years now.
Same with my Dad! He had not smoked in at least 10 years, went in for a routine prostrate surgery and they found the lung cancer.
As my folks aged, most of us 8 kids were spread across the country and the burden of care fell mostly on my little sister, who lived close, but she had her own family to care for. In time, every one of us took time off of work to get them moved into a senior apartment complex, come and stay with them until the very end. It was hard to see them become so frail, especially when I was 2000 miles away. I am very proud of how we all did our best for them.
sewmam- thank you for understanding and passing along the metaphor of 'gilding the lily'. I really like that. Glad to have you and your wisdom (and beautiful prose!) here in maintenance...
I have read that one of the most important things we can do for ourselves is focus on what makes us strong and the attributes that we like about ourselves. That you are appreciative of your body for having held together when you were overweight is such a positive mindset. And that you are now repaying the debt by taking the very best care of it you can, well, that is very respectful and can only be admired.
How did you make your tomato soup?
Thank you! Even this afternoon, I had run errands, had a protein bar and coffee on the way home, got everything put away, started working on the house again, and before long, I wanted to grab something else because I was hungry and tired and stressed. Then it dawned on me that my schedule was sort of wacky today because I woke up at 4:45am and stayed up, so breakfast and lunch had been early, so I just made my dinner instead of cheating. I thought of my own words earlier today and it stopped me.
I just took a can of plum tomatoes, some tomato paste, some fresh grape tomatoes that were starting to dry out, some salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, boiled it up, used the immersion blender on it to make it smooth, then added some half/half to make it creamy and some stevia to take a little of the edge off. Tomatoes can vary in sweetness, depending on the variety and when they are picked. That's why you'll see sugar added to many tomato-based pasta sauces. I use stevia now. The next time I make it, I will use Muir Glen Organic tomatoes, and maybe fatfree half/half or almond milk. The Muir Glen are the most naturally sweet canned tomato product I've found and well worth the money.
I will look up some recipes for it too and see if I can make mine better....will post it when I really like it.
Cap..I think that is the hard thing to learn..you can't eat whatever you want to maintain..especially when you are surrounded by others who are eating everything. I understand your stay at home feelings. I worked for 12 yrs before I had kids. When I stayed at home, I definitely lost that reinforcement from work..I think society should appreciate mothers more..and there were so few of us staying home. I must tell you that staying home with my kids was the best decision..I absolutely loved being around my children..Despite the fact that you might spend a whole day with the accomplishment of doing laundry or cooking meals.
I am also grateful for Phase 1..Your feel better physically and you also feel in control of your eating.
That was intersting about the calories..I am not tracking calories..I tend to track carbs..and not the whole day..
That is so exciting about the mommy apron diminishing. I was so happy to notice muscles on my arms developing.
I drink a bottle of water before and after exercise..not during..though I do see people doing that at the gym. I do not eat before exercising..but eat after.
Thanks for the link..I love reading about maintenance!
Darn!!! Maybe 40 years was too long to wait???? My babies are 40 and 38.The apron is definitely still there. That was part of my issue with staying on phase 1 for much longer. I was continuing to lose on bus,t hips and waist but belly is still a big issue.
Anyway thank you all so much for your insights. It really helps to have other perspectives. Especially such well thought out ones. I tend to get in a "one size fits all" mindset when it comes to diet issues. I keep reading the 100% approach and then think if things aren't working for me as they are for the majority I must be doing something wrong.
I was actually thinking I needed to add everything as outlined in phase 3 or my metabolism would never be reset. But if I continued to follow the plan as outlined I know I would have regained 14 pounds at the end of two weeks so knew I needed to refocus.
So many of your comments really spoke to my situation.
I am 5'1". I had hoped to get to 125 to give me leeway and then phase off. But I went for months on phase one not budging below 129. So I decided I'd
shake things up and go to phase 2. I did 2 months on phase 2 and still did not budge from 129.
On phase 2 at lunch I have a very large green salad with grilled chicken breast or fish. At dinner I have either beef, pork or more chicken with grilled veggies or broccoli.
I would really like to get to 125 but I maintained at 129 for quite a few months now.
As to the question about gluten; I am gluten intolerant. I started IP at 161 pounds but my long time adult weight was around 205. I lost the first 45 pounds slowly over 10 years by eliminating wheat from my diet. But I don't use processed gluten free products because they are made from rice usually and rice affects me just as badly as wheat.
My other issue is that dairy gives me sinus infections so that's a complication.
Cap mentioned the blood type diet. I am type O. I'm from the east coast of Canada but our family is all Scottish since they came from Scotland 300 years ago until my kids and my nieces and nephews. So maybe not so strangely the only grain I can handle is oats, so yes oatmeal is an option.
Cap, so interesting on your observations on the Eskimo diet. Our genes seem to have everything to do with how our body handles food. I was working this year with a student who came from as far north as people live in Nunavut. So far north that her family didn't speak English when they were moved here because of trauma four years ago.
She is what we used to call Eskimo. They first thing that struck me was how her body was shaped differently than the aboriginal (Cree, Blackfoot etc) kids we work with.
She was much shorter and rounder. The next thing I noticed was what incredible hair she has. So I mentioned her beautiful hair and asked her what she would normally eat when at home. Turned out it was mainly fish, seal and elk. Very little fruit and veggies. She said she has got heavier since she moved "south". She said it is because she eats all the stuff the other kids do at the fast food court.
I am going to have a very tough week, well actually my hubby is having it. He has been having many scans and tests since Christmas due to a cough that would not go away. It turns out he has lung cancer. But the good news is that it is totally encapsulated and the scan on the rest of his body came back all clear. So he will have very intensive surgery on Tuesday morning to have part of his lung removed.
I will be back and forth to the city and work while he is in the hospital there next week. So I will do phase 1 again for that week.
The next week when he comes home I will work from home and will take another stab at phase 3. This time I will just add oatmeal and berries at breakfast and see how that goes.
I have been doing very well that I did not revert to emotional eating at all while going through this hard time.
We also had a crisis with my mom who lives on the other side of the country. She is 88 and passed out while my brother and sister in law happened to be visiting. It turns out that this has happened several times recently and she had not said anything to anyone.
She ended up in hospital and having a pacemaker installed. It has effected her cognitively as well.
Normally I would have been in Nova Scotia for March break giving my siblings a hand with my mom. She was living in her own condo. She would not let anyone in for home care etc. I was not able to go this year because of my husband's medical issues. Of course that is when the medical crisis occured.
It was a blessing in disguise as she has agreed to go into assisted living.
So if I didn't revert to emotional eating with all of this going on I think I will be able to work out going on to phase 3.
All your commentss really helped clarify my thinking on what is best to do. I will just enjoy my big hunks of meat and try to add in oatmeal and berries.
Also my rate of weight loss had really stalled several months into the program until I realized i needed more olive oil. So I guess I do need more oils and fats than most people.
Sorry for the long post.
Pat
Pat I am so sorry to hear about your Husband and Mom, I pray that everything will be okay.
Pxlkitty - I haven't been posting a lot, have been reading when time permits. Work has been so busy and will continue until next year. Government cut back I fear are going effect us some how this time around... I am so glad for your postings I too feel so guilty when I had a "fun" day that I have basically stopped. I am going to be perfectly honest and tell you that I haven't been eating to well. I did give up peanut butter for lent, which was such a good break for me. I haven't been eating wheat as I feel sick after that, brought yogurt back into my diet a week ago and seem to have issues with that as too.. I have greek yogurt and fruit for mid morning snack. I have no excuses but have been eating chocolate eggs. I really can't pinpoint why but have been a little stressed at work, new boss and new co-worker and both suck big time... After having 2 good bosses the last 3 years and now I have a control freak who is from the old office which I enjoyed being away from these last 3 years. I do my job well but apparently now that she is here I am not a team player and I have a tone when I talk to my two co workers who I have to fix things after they "fixed" them... not fun but at least I like my clients and I know they are all behind me... I took a week of and when I got back one of the supervisors came out and gave me a hug say we missed you soooo much. Nice to hear once in a while.
So anyway... my breakfast consists of during the week, a chai tea with milk, a protein drink or oatmeal, mid morning yogurt (if I have time). Lunch is a salad usually, sometime I add quinoa or some berries in it. sometimes throughout the day I have an all bran bar or a special k bar. Supper, generally a phase 1 meat and vegetables... usually roasted. snacks, don't have all the time but lately a couple chocolate mini eggs...or frozen yogurt.
Weekend - usually eggs for breakfast around 1030 after my walk with red dog, I started this week with a english muffin. and sometimes I have canadian bacon but usually not. I usually forget about lunch all together and have supper at around 5 - 6 veggies and meat...
So my issues - scared to shop, read labels on everything. Still not sure what I am suppose to have for dinners.... I have been doing soups and stews mainly. I freak out a lot that I am eating too many calories but still the mini eggs call my name.
another issue - coffee... since getting a keurig I drink LOTS of coffee, with skim milk sometimes, but mostly non fat cream, or light cream or coconut milk with splenda or a divinci syrup (sugar free of course)
Went to Boston Pizza this week they had an alternative pizza that was around 600 cal... they have a nutritional guide what a wake up call at all the bad stuff I use to eat... but you know what... I still wanted to eat them... I didn't but still wanted to.
Maile, Patns, Cap - you all are such an inspiration. You have all done so well.
Pxl - you too, I am with you, trying to eat more normal and not packages which is so hard, for when I want chocolate that the Nashua bar just has lower cals then a chocolate bar or whatever I tend to go to that. Everyone still say I look good, but I know I can look better this just seems so much harder than I thought it would be.
Darbs, I am happy you are still with us, I see you as my role model. I am in the 160s and want to get back to 141, I tried the reboot but I didn't lose anything. I basically thought about it for a long time and thought hmmm I have issues going below 160 is that such a bad weight? I don't think so but so wants to be to 141. I still wear size 8 clothes and don't want to go up in size. Since going into maintenance my weight goes up and down by at least 7 lbs a week...and have since I was in phase 1 once I hit the 160s, it took me months to get to 145 but so much faster, to get to the 160s again. So I am not stressing but I feel and see I have a belly again and don't want it to stay.
I stopped by my clinic back in Feb and just about decided to start up again, spoke with my coach (the same coach that urged me to go to maintenance at 160) told me the head of the clinic said if you drink all your water and walk every day you should be fine.... oh man why can't I drink all that water anymore? Still have water but can't seem to drink all of the water anymore.
I know my biggest issue as well is I don't really like exercise. I walk daily but this isn't enough... I know I have to find something I like and maybe I will stick with it.
Thank you everyone for being here for me. I couldn't do it without you.
Oh man, forgot the real purpose of me logging on tonight.
I am soooo excited... MIO has hit Canada.... yep us Canadians can now buy MIO too..... found it at Terwillegar Walmart, they have mango/peach, fruit punch, strawberry/watermelon, berry/pommegranate
It is in the drinks row...
Oh man, forgot the real purpose of me logging on tonight.
I am soooo excited... MIO has hit Canada.... yep us Canadians can now buy MIO too..... found it at Terwillegar Walmart, they have mango/peach, fruit punch, strawberry/watermelon, berry/pommegranate
It is in the drinks row...
DANG IT! I just got back from there!! Like 5 minutes ago...although I highly doubt it will be in my city yet...if it just got to Edmonton. I do have some from CAT though.
Good to see you Ride!! I was hoping you would pop in because when I was posting earlier I was thinking about the struggle you had when you got to the end of the program with your body just not wanting to give up the weight. I seem to be on that same curve now.
But size 8 is fantastic!!!
Oh, another cause of stress we have had too is when the budget was coming down it seemed like everyone in the civil service was going to be given their walking papers. My son doesn't have the seniority you do so was very nervous. So far so good for him but he still doesn't know how it will play out in the long run.
So sorry you have a stressful new boss. that makes life so much harder.
i got a new micromanager this year too.
Keep in touch, we will get this maintenance thing under control yet! I know the exercise thing has to be a big part of it for me too.
I will check the new Walmart at the top of Sherwood Park to see about the MIO.
Just checking in ladies...
Happy Passover and Easter! It's so nice to have our holidays at the same time this year. I always enjoy that.
I've been on a slippery slope the last 2 weeks...thought I was doing alright, but started doing the big no no which has always put weight back on me. Not enough food by day and too much by night. That plus an insane night of drinking margharita's last night with a girlfriend I hadn't seen in about 6 months...I paid big time for that. With an all day hangover and on the scale as well. I broke 130 for the first time in over a year of maintenance....looked myself straight in the eye and said "really????" Is this going to be your new highest allowable weight, and then 135 and then 140? It scared the Jeezus out of me, but I also didn't want to freakout and start pumping cortisol...that's all I needed on top of that.
So...although I had a piece of gluten free matzoh to honor Passover, which is very important for me, I had a very low carb day for the rest, upped my water, salad, etc...you know the drill. I have second Seder tomorrow at a friends, so I'm not burdened with cooking and having all the leftovers in my house. I'll be mindful for the meal and relieved to have it behind me and get back on track the following day. I don't have any obligations after that in which I will compromise myself for the sake of a special occasion. Jeez...I miss that phase 1 bubble sometimes. It was so automatic to just say no and not even flinch. THIS IS HARD.
I'll be weighing myself more regularly and eating MORE by day, so I start burning those calories as the day moves on. I'm grateful I'm freaking at 130 and not any higher, but this is scary. I can turn it around so this doesn't turn into my worst nightmare. That is scary beyond words...honestly.
So...sorry about the rant, but I had to rat myself out, so I have witnesses and don't go into hiding. Thanks for listening and Happy holidays to you all
Darn!!! Maybe 40 years was too long to wait???? My babies are 40 and 38.The apron is definitely still there. That was part of my issue with staying on phase 1 for much longer. I was continuing to lose on bus,t hips and waist but belly is still a big issue.
Anyway thank you all so much for your insights. It really helps to have other perspectives. Especially such well thought out ones. I tend to get in a "one size fits all" mindset when it comes to diet issues. I keep reading the 100% approach and then think if things aren't working for me as they are for the majority I must be doing something wrong.
I was actually thinking I needed to add everything as outlined in phase 3 or my metabolism would never be reset. But if I continued to follow the plan as outlined I know I would have regained 14 pounds at the end of two weeks so knew I needed to refocus.
So many of your comments really spoke to my situation.
I am 5'1". I had hoped to get to 125 to give me leeway and then phase off. But I went for months on phase one not budging below 129. So I decided I'd
shake things up and go to phase 2. I did 2 months on phase 2 and still did not budge from 129.
On phase 2 at lunch I have a very large green salad with grilled chicken breast or fish. At dinner I have either beef, pork or more chicken with grilled veggies or broccoli.
I would really like to get to 125 but I maintained at 129 for quite a few months now.
As to the question about gluten; I am gluten intolerant. I started IP at 161 pounds but my long time adult weight was around 205. I lost the first 45 pounds slowly over 10 years by eliminating wheat from my diet. But I don't use processed gluten free products because they are made from rice usually and rice affects me just as badly as wheat.
My other issue is that dairy gives me sinus infections so that's a complication.
Cap mentioned the blood type diet. I am type O. I'm from the east coast of Canada but our family is all Scottish since they came from Scotland 300 years ago until my kids and my nieces and nephews. So maybe not so strangely the only grain I can handle is oats, so yes oatmeal is an option.
Cap, so interesting on your observations on the Eskimo diet. Our genes seem to have everything to do with how our body handles food. I was working this year with a student who came from as far north as people live in Nunavut. So far north that her family didn't speak English when they were moved here because of trauma four years ago.
She is what we used to call Eskimo. They first thing that struck me was how her body was shaped differently than the aboriginal (Cree, Blackfoot etc) kids we work with.
She was much shorter and rounder. The next thing I noticed was what incredible hair she has. So I mentioned her beautiful hair and asked her what she would normally eat when at home. Turned out it was mainly fish, seal and elk. Very little fruit and veggies. She said she has got heavier since she moved "south". She said it is because she eats all the stuff the other kids do at the fast food court.
I am going to have a very tough week, well actually my hubby is having it. He has been having many scans and tests since Christmas due to a cough that would not go away. It turns out he has lung cancer. But the good news is that it is totally encapsulated and the scan on the rest of his body came back all clear. So he will have very intensive surgery on Tuesday morning to have part of his lung removed.
I will be back and forth to the city and work while he is in the hospital there next week. So I will do phase 1 again for that week.
The next week when he comes home I will work from home and will take another stab at phase 3. This time I will just add oatmeal and berries at breakfast and see how that goes.
I have been doing very well that I did not revert to emotional eating at all while going through this hard time.
Pat
Pat..I will keep you husband and your mom in my prayers. I am glad his surgery seems positive and will help him. My goodness you have been under stress and will be with the recovery. It is hard when your monther lives so far away and you cannot be there. My mom is 93 and I have to fight the urge to fly over and see her more than I do ..due to money.
You are doing so well not turning to food with all of this stress.
My thoughts will be with you.
I also have been adding olive oil or avocados for lunch..same reason..
.
