GREAT article:

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/24...AIWYDAI.mailto

Well another weekend is about to land and I am finishing up day 7 of Phase 1- tomorrow it will be one whole week .
Am super happy this morning as a pair of my jeans that I couldn't button last week are buttoned and looking good! Yay!!!!!! There is no better reward!
I know that there are quite a few people who are hitting Phase 3 right now... And I hope that you will post... Because for a thread to be vibrant & alive it needs participation. The more of us there are together in maintenance the more support and ergo success we can provide to each other. I know that just starting is different than when you get down the road a bit but really we're all in the same boat of trying to keep ourselves on top of the maintenance ball. To reach maintenance you need to have been successful at the weight loss phase and I know for me a huge part of my success in losing was the support & advice & ideas I received on this site. It makes sense that in the never ending war of maintenance that same criteria will help to pull us through...

I agree Cap. I may not be as active on here as I was during the weight loss phase, but coming here certainly keeps me accountable and helps in maintaining my losses. We are in this together and helping each other out means we can all be successful at keeping our weight off. And sometimes I feel just as confused or frustrated as I did in the beginning, so we are all really in the same boat. It is really all about finding YOUR way of living from this point on. Things that work for me, may not work for others and vice versa. But we can all support each other in our quest to maintain.

Congrats on 7 days of P1. Having recently done a reboot, I know how hard that is!

A modified P3/P4 is pretty much my standard way of eating these days. I don't eat the grain in the morning, only the fruit. It seems like grains of all sorts (even oats & rice) do not react well in my body. I haven't really done the CSP diet trial, but I have not had ANY kind of grain in the past couple of weeks and I have not had any scale issues. Plus I look and feel lean (not bloated).

I have been having fruit with bfast, I have upped my fat intake (added in more nuts), cut out majority of the packets, and occasionally have beans, corn or potato in the evening. All of this seems to be keeping me in my happy place. Of course with the weekends comes more dining out, cocktails etc... so the sugar and salt usually get me.

I think there was some discussion on here about alcohol putting on "weight" and I am definitely one of those people. Of course I like the sweeter drinks (mojito's anyone?) so the sugars get me. Thankfully, I don't really drink too often, so I usually just order what I like.

WOOT WOOT for buttoning up jeans. 7 Days, wow...are you going to phase back in? How long are you hanging out there? I agree, 3FChicks is the place to be, I'm always lurking cap so I'm always here. Post away and I'll respond! lol I really like reading and sometimes responding in the 100% because they manage to keep me in line in maintenance....that and they said they wouldn't kick me out. lol

I'm concerned that booze will give me some trouble, but I don't generally drink. I used to be the PARTAY GURL, then I met the VIP and well, I have other things to occupy my time now

I was pleasantly surprised this morning on the scale and I feel more in control now (we'll see how I feel tomorrow! lol). It's a mental game but I know with my meal plan for the week, really helped me and I think it shows on the scale (interesting differences between yesterday morning and today though).

How often do you guys weigh yourselves, do you still have an 'offical' weigh in day (I'm assuming you're doing it at home in the morning nekid)? My usual weigh in day is on Wednesday at 4:45 (during PH1) but now it's morning (nekid and after the loo) but I think I'm moving it to Saturday morning the day of my 'fun day'. Do you keep any of your profile updated with what your weekly weigh in is still or is it now just too private for you? Still debating how I'm going to handle that.

I'm also in TOPS (take off pounds sensibly) so I have a WI with them on Wednesday's after supper. And I've already taken a hit for my meal (I eat before I weigh in) and my jeans (I'm not nekid) so my goal with them is different then my goal on here.

I feel more comfortable a few lbs lower then my goal...which during PH 1 I was thinking I'd be ok with 3-4 over...but I can already tell I'm more mentally prepared 2-4 lower.

Awesome article. This is the best explanation I have seen on diabetes and inflammation and heart disease. I knew eating processed foods was not a good idea but I never knew how bad. This motivates me even more to move towards Whole Foods (hunh, leaving it in caps looks like I am pushing Whole Paycheck but really I am not)

I wonder if that bad feeling we get after over eating or eating junky foods is our insulin freaking out.

Saw 123.4 on the scale yesterday. Cracked me up.

capricious - Will you just jump back to P4 once you are done with this mini-P1?
I tried the CALM yesterday. And nuts too. They are not a substitute for chocolate. Really. But I will try for a bit.

Woo hoo!! Go you!

I'm still in p1 (or trying to be) to get vacation weight off. I got back down to 123 after a few days and then fell off the wagon. I'm finding it hard to stick to it this time around. Twice now I've sabatoged myself. I just don't ever feel good in phase 1. But i'm trying and yesterday was a successful 100% p1 day. I hope to say the same tomorrow. I'm now at 124 which is only 2 lbs higher than pre-vacation weight. I hope to get below 120 though so I can settle in at 120 when I phase out again. I have a WI/meeting with my coach next Tue so I hope to be there or close by then. The pounds really do melt off as long as I stick to my phase 1. Oh well. I'll get there!
I may do what purple is doing when I meet goal again and stick to p3 until i'm more comfortable with adding in p4 items. I dont know. Maintenance is hard for me. I felt like having more snacks made me want to eat more and more. We'll see!

Also, the bars are evil.

Have a great day everyone!

Congrats cap. A full week of p1 is amazing. I'm having a hard time with that. I can go a few days, and then I sabatoge myself. I'm hoping to stay in p1 until WI on Tuesday. I'm 4 lbs from goal so far. Thanks for the inspiration

Good for you Cap. It's so great to know how to get back on track and down to a desirable size. I know I can easily get down and feel in control which is a great feeling! Thanks for sharing your inspirational success story!

The steroids I'm on are increasing my appetite...yesterday (not a cheat day) I indulged in three tbsp of Nutella...so today I went back to P1...I am weighing myself daily and know temporary weight gain will happen. The difference is now I know how to control my weight with IP and I feel in control. I think I'll forgo a crazy cheat day until I'm done with treatment.

I seriously don't expect to let this bought of treatment to balloon me back up. I have the tools I need to keep my weight in check!!!

Thanks for listening and being there!!! <3

Hi maintainers, i'll get the priviledge of joining you shortly Made goal last week and am in my first week of phase 2 which i hate with a passion as it was much easier to grab a packet for lunch AND i'm up almost 1lb...figured it would happen to me to be the only one to gain on phase 2..sigh...

I have phase 3 and 4 figured out though as I coached my dh through them since march and he's still 5lbs below goal so i must've taught him right

You're all doing awsome and see you soon

Jennydoodle- I'm just glad that you're around as much as you are!! I've found that when one of us is down and another is doing well it is so helpful to just try and emulate what they're doing... and eventually I can find my way back to the 'path'...
I really was enjoying testing out the CSP... made it into the second week and wasn't having any reactions... was slowly and steadily losing... but without exercise I think my overall energy equation (cals in vs. cals out) wasn't enough to get me back in my jeans quite as quickly as I wanted... Ahhh Patience. Still working on that one
I'm a sucker for a Pina Colada but the only time I let myself have them was when I was in Hawaii... and I sure did enjoy them... but I try to stick with low cal/ low carb drinks cause I do like to dance now and again And the two go hand in hand...
Ishbel- I have to admit that after you talked about being in the 100% page to help you out with phase 1 days... I started stalking it... It is a helpful reminder that my seven days is but a pittance. And such a great reminder to stay strong in the face of cravings, self doubt and diet weariness. Because there is a tremendous payoff to be had. Self confidence, self efficacy and determination. I really do believe these returns to Phase 1 in maintenance (be it the one day a week or a reboot) bring it all back. The work ethic and the focus and the determination. To be the masters of ourselves. (Super duper cheesy but true...) Guess I'm an old fashioned kind of girl who believes nothing worth having is going to come easy... and maintenance constantly proves this to me...
There's been a lot of discussion re the scale issue (please refer to the reboot page if you'd like to see it)... definitely to each their own... If once a week works for you and keeps you on track great, bi weekly is what I will be aiming for after I'm done this run of Phase 1... Enough to have an honest reminder of where I stand- without driving myself crrrrazzzzzy
Getting a couple pounds under goal then not wanting the scale to go up and just keep it there is totally normal. All of the sudden your goal weight changes from x amount to x-3. It's addictive a bit seeing a lower #...
Cassi- Thank you for posting in here! I can honestly pinpoint my Hawaiin vacation as a turning point in maintenance. Without the scale, no internet to track, it was up to me to follow as best I could. And I thought I did. Til I came home and had an extra 2 pounds on me that I never did manage to get rid of. My mentality changed...
All I can say is get back on Phase 1 and recommit to it. Bloody well easier said than done but it's vital. Because it really is all a head game... And when you tell yourself that you are going to make it to x weight on Phase 1 or that you are going to spend x amount of weeks on Phase 1 and you follow through on that you will trust yourself again. Good old self efficacy. Number one quality in maintenance. Keep your promises to yourself.
You were worth it to lose the weight. You're worth it to keep it off!! It's one looong day at a time but hey you can join me in stalking the 100% thread!
BusyMom- I HATED Phase 2. My ultimate nemesis that one. The only time that I didn't lose in the whole course of the program was first week of Phase 2. It was less convenient. It was less tasty. Yep, definitely could have ditched that Phase altogether and would've been happier for it. My second week I did pull off a loss by having either eggs or fish as my protein. Boring but it worked. And with your big loss from last week your body is probably evening out a bit. I would completely expect to see a loss next week!
PurpleSky- No, I wouldn't expect that nuts will satisfy a chocolate craving- body says I want something sweet and you're giving me savory- but you're right- the hope is that with time the nuts will indeed usurp the chocolate cravings... might just take awhile...
NewEnglander- You sound like you're dealing with your bout of steroids pretty well all things considered... And you're very right in that if you do bloat or gain due to excess appetite Phase 1 awaits... Your sweet tooth sounds as bad as mine! You could try making your own nutella... if you have a food processor it's fairly simple and it would be an OP snack as it's just nuts and cocoa... But that might be a bad idea... cause if you're anything like me what you make always tastes better than what you buy and it's harder to stop...

I weight 2x per week. I have found that to be a nice happy medium. I weigh on Sat. morning before the weekend begins and on T/W/R (one of those days) to get a mid week check to make sure I am back on track before the next weekend begins. As long as I am hanging around my original goal of 135, I do not change my profile and do not update any weigh ins. IF I were to gain, say 10# and go back on P1 full blown, I would change it then. But I have always been in and around 135 so to me I am at my maintenance weight.

I gained in P2 too. You are not alone. Welcome to Maintenance (well, almost!). Now the real work begins

And yes, seeing that "all time low #" is extremely addictive and you will spend lots of time and energy hoping to see it again. Believe me, I was there.

I have seen my all time low, once and only once, and I am now beyond trying to get there again. Because, quite frankly, I am still wearing the same clothes, same size etc... as I was when I saw 131.8. Absolutely nothing has changed, except the number on the scale. I have moved on and accepted seeing 134-136 as my normal weight. And I also have no desire to be on P1 for any longer than a day or 2 just to see that number again.

I remember some did not like P2. I was used to eating like one egg or a small amt of chicken at lunch so I just increased the amt. and ditched the packet. I very much enjoyed P3, so I basically stayed in it. Works for me. I got a little lazy during P2 though and for some reason the decrease in the structure lead me to 2 restricted sometimes. P2 and P3 are different for everyone. They tell you to expect a gain but some lose. I found that I preferred something light like eggs for lunch. The meat just tasted too heavy for me at lunch.