Wow....I wonder if you have Crohn's or Celiac disease, or just a gluten tolerance problem? I have noticed some inflammation coming back too, and I'm going to check out Crohn's or Celiac, both of which can produce inflammation. Blood tests don't tell everything though - I think they need to take a biopsy of the colon to diagnose.
Good luck to you...
Thanks Sewman. After reading this, I had to check out both diseases. Between the two, the things I've felt sound more like Celiac symptoms. About a year ago my doctor suggested a colonoscopy, which I did, but nothing showed up; however, they didn't do a biopsy. Yikes! It's amazing the things we find out about ourselves on this diet, isn't it? BTW, two more symptoms that I had for years (I haven't noticed them since going on IP or even while in P4) was a feeling of being bloated, ALL the time, and floating stools. One of the reasons I probably haven't experienced those now is because so far I haven't eaten enough starchy carbs, like I have in the past, before the going on IP.
I am week 3 of phase 4 and I have gained 5 lbs. I haven't gained inches. I basically eat Sun, Mon, Tues Phase 1 or 2. Wed, thurs, fri phase 3 and go buck wild on saturday eating pasta and dessert and having a few classes of wine.
I am going to get through the next few weeks like this because I have parties ever weekend until June 3rd. But has anyone else experienced weight gain? I find it really annoying because I stalled out and stopped losing so I gave up and phased out. I had wanted to go 5 more lbs so I'd end where I wanted to be instead of where I am now, which is 5 lbs more than I wanted.
Anyone else gaining weight or have thoughts on how to maintain?
I finally remembered to upload these handouts my coach gave to me before going into Phase 4. Hope you will find some of the info helpful while you're transitioning into maintenance!
Wow, thank you so much for the documents. It will be most helpful. Five days in and I'm up 1 1/2 lbs....grr. Gotta figure it out SOON. And yes, I'm logging everything, exercising and trying to stay within what I thought were the correct gram guidelines. I'm not being so correct...
I was noticing an increase in my weight also, during the first couple days of Phase 4. In my case, it was because I didn't increase the carbs slowly to see were my limits were. Instead, I added carbs to the maximum given in the handouts, thinking that was how much I was allowed. Not only did I gain weight I felt horrible. Since then, I limit the starchy carbs I have to little or none and increased my fat. For example I have a couple tablespoons of oat bran a day for breakfast and sometimes I have a corn tortilla with dinner (cut into strips for my salad); otherwise my dinner is another fat meal, like lunch, where I add cheese, nuts and/or oil.
I still eat 8oz of protein for dinner and sometimes lunch, unless I have one of those 5oz packets of tuna; also, I still have a giant salad for lunch and dinner. There isn't much room in my tummy for much more so I don't feel like cheating or have any desire to overeat starchy carbs or fatty foods.
My giant salad (for dinner and lunch) consists of:
1/4 head of Iceberg lettuce plus 3 large leaves of Romaine lettuce;
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
sometimes 1/2 English cucumber, chopped
and one of the following (depending on what's for dinner): sauteed mushrooms, roasted aspargus, steamed zucchini, etc.
2 tablespoons of WF dressing
Thank you, GoodEatsandWine. I am going to print all of these out. So helpful. The fat carb deal for lunch and dinner was so confusing to me.
I picked up some veggie burgers but they all have rice and grains in them. I would love to have them at lunch with a salad but they seem more like a dinner item per P4.
Then again we can switch dinner and lunch. Sometimes I prefer the big salad at dinner.
Thanks for the recipe files! Isn't it amazing how we can make really great food that is not necessarily high fat or high carb? The experimenting and inventing has been one of my favorite things about this journey...
Thank you soo much Good Eats!!! This is a huge help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Poles1Girl
Wow, thank you so much for the documents. It will be most helpful. Five days in and I'm up 1 1/2 lbs....grr. Gotta figure it out SOON. And yes, I'm logging everything, exercising and trying to stay within what I thought were the correct gram guidelines. I'm not being so correct...
Uh oh! Let us know how things continue to go. I start tomorrow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by purple sky
Thank you, GoodEatsandWine. I am going to print all of these out. So helpful. The fat carb deal for lunch and dinner was so confusing to me.
I picked up some veggie burgers but they all have rice and grains in them. I would love to have them at lunch with a salad but they seem more like a dinner item per P4.
Then again we can switch dinner and lunch. Sometimes I prefer the big salad at dinner.
They actually might be a better breakfast item.
How's vacation? And phase 4? .. I start tomorrow. And I'm really craving chinese. Now sure if I want to use my free day or not tomorrow.
I never thought about how the veggie burgers have grains in them. Hmm.. I eat baked tempeh strips like they are french fries almost every night. I also have boca burgers everyday for lunch during the week. They are so good! I dont think they have effected my losses so I think I'll continue to use them, unless I do a huge salad with some fat.
I bought this and am going to try it out this weekend. I'm excited about zucchini noodles with a tomato sauce. Maybe even meatballs? yum.
I never thought about how the veggie burgers have grains in them. Hmm.. I eat baked tempeh strips like they are french fries almost every night. I also have boca burgers everyday for lunch during the week. They are so good! I dont think they have effected my losses so I think I'll continue to use them, unless I do a huge salad with some fat.
The veggie burgers are all so different. The carb content was not bad so I am assuming it's fine. They must stick the grains in there to bulk it up or make it filling or something.
How many burgers to you eat. I had 2 yesterday. Was hungry. Also, how do you prepare them. I like them for lunch. I often have omelets for lunch and the veggie burgers seem nice as well. I don't always want meat at lunch.
Vacation was good. Will be back with another e-mail in a bit.
The veggie burgers are all so different. The carb content was not bad so I am assuming it's fine. They must stick the grains in there to bulk it up or make it filling or something.
How many burgers to you eat. I had 2 yesterday. Was hungry. Also, how do you prepare them. I like them for lunch. I often have omelets for lunch and the veggie burgers seem nice as well. I don't always want meat at lunch.
Vacation was good. Will be back with another e-mail in a bit.
Glad to hear vacation was good. I normally have 2 of the boca burger patties (All American Classic with non-gmo soy) because they are each 15g of protein. It ends up being the 30g of protein, similar to what a chicken breast would be. They have 6 carbs and 6 fiber so essentially 0 net carbs, but I find that hard to believe. They are yummy. I make them in the microwave at work and eat them plain because they have cheese added right into them. It's not super noticable though.
I had a good time while away. Just what the doctor ordered. Throughout this diet I rarely ate out and rarely took chances. Being away from home and my kitchen pushed me to try new things.
I would say I did a loose version of P4 and ate the restricted liberally. They helped when I was hungry so I would not make poor choices. Plus, my sweet cravings are up.
I drank a lot of Iced Venti Americano's with half and half. (might also be called Breve) added Stevia to everything. I don't know the calorie or carb amount for them. And I discovered some interesting Mediterranean salads. They had ingredients like nuts, feta, raisins and tabbouleh which has cracked wheat in it. These were large and filling and seemed to fit well with maintenance. Each day I tried something new. Because I have such a sensitive stomach I knew it was unwise to go crazy especially away from home and a bathroom. I tried carrots and parsnips my first day in addition to the half and half iced coffees. Oh, I also tried something with like coconut milk and a nut crust. I am going to have to look up the info on coconut milk. May be high in fat. Dunno.
We were able to do P3 breakfast for a few days because we had a kitchenette. This was comfortable and familiar. The next place offered free breakfast and I thought well this is your time to try things. So, I had pancakes. One day I tried a piece of pita bread. The next I tried a slice of pizza. I basically added things slowly and always took my digestive enzymes.
It was not hard to find good salads to eat. It was a little hard to find the right amt of veggies. But, I seem to do better with American fare or Mediterranean. I never sampled alcohol or items with much sugar in them. And I tried, to the extent possible, to have the carbs in the morning and evening. There is something to that P4 rule. It seemed to work.
I did well with all my familiar foods and addition of other veggies and nuts and some cheese but things like pizza and fried wontons and breakfast potatoes did not feel right. No harm no foul.
Now, I think I might do a modified P3. DH will be going back to P1 and I might continue P1 dinners with him. I don't want to let go of my P3 breakfasts. I will kind of have to play with things. I thought I would go back on P1 upon return but I really don't want to go back into ketosis.
Weight seems to be holding steady but we'll see. Seems to be going up and down a bit depending on when I weigh. Oh, bathroom time was surprisingly good while away. I did take my slippery elm with me but blew off other supplements.
I noticed that after certain meals I feel great. Love the P3 breakfasts. Did not feel as great after I had those potatoes that one morning. Veggie patties or the salads worked well for lunch. I was actually comfortable with some carbs at dinner did not feel so hot after a small bit of pizza. I think it was the amt of cheese.
So eventually I am going to have to move beyond my bars and to P4 snacks but I have not quite decided yet. DH was more adventurous than me. He had pizza several nights and pancakes and some sandwiches and some wine but he ate in moderation and did not experience much of a gain. He knew he was heading back to P1 next week.
It was sorta good to get thrust into a vacation because it forced me to try things, things I would not have tried had I stayed at home. I had this weird fear of food or something for no reason. Some food just immediately does not taste or feel right the moment you put it in your mouth. Some hits later with a fatigue type feeling or something.
Your vacation was great and sounded like you did well! I hope to say the same come next week after my vacation is over
Please keep us updated!
I have last p3 WI tomorrow morning and then am going to have my "free" day before my family shows up early next week. I may have to do a p1 when I get back, but looks like I will be leaning towards another plan similar to IP's maintenance but not quite. More small meals with vegetables and proteins in each one. We'll see. It focuses more on clean eating with exercise tied in.
Okay, I have chosen to stay on a Phase 3 like deal. It's easiest for me and DH is back on P1. So, I will have my breakfast and we can eat P1 dinners. I need to wean myself off the bars though. It's habit and I grab for them. They are not cost effective long term. I don't know if I am doing this to support DH or if I am afraid to leave my cacoon. Vacation and being away forced me to try new things but even then I was pretty timid considering what is on most menus.
Last edited by purple sky; 05-20-2012 at 01:20 PM.
