Thanks for the support Mom2cs. I am focused on ridding myself of the extra weight and taking this enforced break from exercise as a positive in that it enables me to focus totally on Phase 1. Doc says no exercise of any kind until they figure it out. I am really hoping it's just overuse and that it will resolve itself with rest.
A huge congrats on your BF%!!!! That was your goal right? 15? And that is stupendous!! You're totally my hero right now. For recovering from your Christmas slip and coming back to nail 15%! Here's hoping I can follow in your footsteps! Heck with the scale... Your lean body mass is probably quite high from the muscle... Way better to be a super toned 145 than a flabby 125...

Sweet.

I did it again. 1IP package and 2 of my other bars in one sitting. And I was doing well for a few days. Oh well. Trial and error I guess. The scale got back down to my comfort zone. Maybe that is why I slide. Oh well. Guess I need to keep dinner lean.

Get rid of those bars!
Thanks cap! I put in a lot of hard hours at the gym. I am just glad they are finally paying off in a hard body! I have big legs....have always hated them...but now that they are visibly muscular I am wiling to show them!

I'm a sweets person as well but I'm not much help on this one... In the beginning I used the IP bars ( usually one or two a day as snacks)...I found this link about cravings that I thought was pretty interesting...http://skinnyms.com/control-your-cra...beat-cravings/
As well if you find your having trouble stopping yourself magnesium (I use CALM) can really help you out. It evens out your blood sugars, so of it's late afternoon/ evening when this is coming on it may have to do with your blood sugar... Just food for thought...

Cap & Purple- try the "Simply bars". Mom2tocs recommended them to me and they are really good. They are made of only whole ingredients and no fake stuff. They definitely do not trigger any cravings in me. I have the chocolate peanut ones and they are good. The texture is like a rice crispy treat, so it is a little bit different than the bars we are used to. Plus there is only 9 grams of carbs and 4 of them are fiber.

Just saw your post Mom2cs... You sound very typical mesomorph to me- funny cause every man wants to be a mesomorph and every woman wants to be an ectomorph! Hope you passed on those genes to a lucky little man... Pretty sure my little guy is going to get mine. I have the thigh issues as well it'll melt off the rest of me but it refuses to let go there... But at 15% who cares Yours have gotta be rocks!
Jennydoodle- I've had the simply bars as well... You're right they are very good and they don't trigger cravings or leave me wanting more...

I am definitely more mesomorph...I put on muscle fairly quickly.
My daughter has more of my shape than my son. Very long body and shorter legs! She is looking like she will get close to 6 feet as well, so hopefully no weight issues! Of course, it's hard to tell when they are 7, but she is taller than all her 9 year old brothers friends!
Ds is also clearly going to be tall! My dh is very muscular (and big, but still losing nicely). Hopefully ds takes after him as he played college football and is very athletic!
Although I use the scale for maintaining it still frustrates me that when I was 30 I easily maintained 135 pounds (no muscle) and that now that I am so much fitter they scale is higher. People are usually surprised by how much I weigh...
Sigh.

maile thanks for the comments on the drinks not causing weight gain unless they are full of sugar - makes me feel a little better as I'm not planning on having sugary drinks....still though, it's a test :) the VIP likes rum...and had introduced me to really GOOD rum (pre-IP)...so we'll see if I can find something that will satisfy a summer drink that isn't RUM! lol

cap your maintenance is your 10 months, even if you had life throw you a curve ball, you're still in maintenance...that's life and you're managing it with tools that IP gave you. You are great at this and I do love your posts! Thanks for the extra support in reminding me to be OP the day after if I'm hung-over. LOL I don't plan on that, last time I drank I had 4 drinks and needed to go to bed...I'm a bit of a lush/cheap date now. So I think I'll just have a few so that I can stay up late LOL


Ok, so spoke too soon on the 5K, I got the stitches out but now I have steri strips that have to stay on until they fall off and no exercise for another week. I did provide gory details on the surgery in the 100% if you wanna REALLY know...I know I'm pushing it considering the depth of the surgery and the complications but I really think I'd sleep better if I could exercise.

So Mom2cs - where in Canada do you get the simply bars? I was thinking of buying some shakes I was scoping out last weekend (that have no sugar, and I can't remember the name) at the Superstore. I was going to use on my Phase 1 this weekend.

Wow...congrats on your reboot! You're inspiring me to keep going. I also relate to the booze over food. Seems to be my achiles heel on free days and really spikes my weight.

So...I'm still on track with my ph.1,2 slow loss which is OK with me. I'm going more natural, including nuts and looking at which fat/carbs have more or less effects on me. I love all the info you all are sharing about what works and what doesn't.

Thanks for the ladies who recommended Simply bars...I haven't heard of them and will check 'em out.

On the Reboot thread I just laid out all my test/hormone results from my Dr. if you're interested in what was triggering such a rapid regain of fat in particular. BMI shot back up to 29! I'm dealing with it and will keep reporting new results as I go along.

Thanks for being there ladies. I don't know what I'd do without US!!!!

I bought the simply bars online. I think they have a list of stores that carry them, but fort McMurray, Ab is pretty isolated!

Simply bars help but I am soy sensitive. But, they definitely help. I feel good after eating them. Even. I ordered them through Amazon as the shipping through the company is crazy. They are dry and not too sweet but enjoyable. Filling. Satiates appetite and does not monkey with blood sugar. Very clean. They use Non-GMO Soy and I believe agave and brown rice syrup as sweeteners. They travel well. No coating.

I have been looking for alternatives, which is tricky. Hard to find items without whey or soy that are sweetened with stevia.

I went back to some old bars I had tried before. (Been off IP bars for days now. They are problematic for me.) These bars fit the criteria but had a smidge more sweetener than I am used to. They have a nice hard cookie like crunch and are healthy and super clean.

I was bummed cause I thought I licked the problem last week and then yesterday I had the IP ridges (which was my trick to avoid the binge - salty) and then one of my bars. For some reason I did not stop at one.

I just don't know what my gateway trigger is. Iced coffee. Don't want to give that up. Nice alternative to water.

It also scares me that for the first time in my life I am exhibiting addictive behaviors. I don't have a history of that. The smidge of sweetener in any of these bars should not be enough to trigger unhealthy behaviors. Sugar is not something that can be avoided. It is in everything.

Nothing I am eating is sweet by any standard. I'll keep working on this but this new found addictive behavior is scary. It's not me.

capricious, I will check out Calm. I have seen it in the stores. Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions. It just seems like something I have to work through and learn.

I bought them at Amazon. I want to try the lemon coconut next.

In regards to the Simply Bars... In Canada I buy mine at my local Superstore. They are in the organic section with all the bars... My fave is the peanut butter chocolate, then the chocolate raspberry then lemon coconut...
Ishbel- those were some very kind words and they are deeply appreciated. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself for having let things escalate and am indeed very proud of the fact that I committed myself to Phase 1 (it's day 6!) sooner rather than later. It was rewarding to slip into my jeans this morning and have them at least resemble how they used to fit :D
All the better if you're a cheap date now! You'll definitely commit more to the water and not letting things get too out of hand. Vodka soda with lemon or lime is usually what I get but I can't see rum being that terrible provided you're not mixing it with something too sweet. Wine is also good because it tends to be more of a 'sipping' drink rather than a slurping one...
Mom2cs- it cracks me up when people (usually male relations) take a guess at my weight and come out with numbers like 100#'s or 120. The ladies are much better at it but most will still underestimate (woohoo!). And really you're right where you're 'supposed' to be. It's about 5 pounds for every inch over 100... and you're muscular to boot...
Sunnymae- it's good to hear from you! Glad your reboot is on track but sorry to hear of your health issues... I'll have to scoot over to the reboot thread to catch up there...
PurpleSky- Definitely take a look at your supplements. When you're craving something or can't get enough of something it's usually a deficiency or a sensitivity. Seeing as you've already figured that you're sensitive to many of the ingredients in the bars maybe you can deal with the craving aspect through the use of supplements... I'm pretty sure the link I attached in my previous post mentions at the bottom what you're likely to be deficient in depending on your craving (I know for sure if it's chocolate you're craving it's a magnesium deficiency).
They also suggest what you can eat to help with your cravings... even though the foods seem far and away from what it is your craving. When craving chocolate what you really need to eat is beans??? But it's worth checking out and trying rather than dealing with the psychological stress... because that stress is nasty and it will bite you every time...
Here's another link about this...
http://www.dailytransformations.com/...-really-wants/

I've had to go on Pednisone 2x during my 18 weeks in Phase 1. As you probably know, steroids do a number on your insulin/blood sugar without even trying. I dont get unusually puffy, just hungry. I had an extra pack of IP chocolat pudding/smoothie when I was on it. Kept me on program and seemed to curb hunger. I did lose some weight too (although it was less than my usual) but once it was done, the weight started coming off again.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Pam

Thank you Capricous. I did not understand at first since I do not crave nuts. But, I will pick up some at the store. And I will order that Calm soon. Much better than feeling like a crackhead. Thank you. Thank you. I actually feel better already.

Simply Bar - I like the Cinnamon&Pecan the best. But it is also the plainest tasting bar. Best meal replacement to me. (less dessert like) Also like Lemon&Coconut and Peanut Butter&Chocolate. The Cocoa&Coffee tasted too much like ground coffee beans to me. Not like chocolate covered espresso beans.

Looks like they reformulated. as I did not order the Peanut Butter&Chocolate last time because I thought it was higher in carbs and sugar. Goodie, I will get that next time.

Their nutritional info for those interested
http://www.thesimplybar.com/documents/SpecSheet.pdf

I like this company. I like them very much.