Stacy- For the first bit of hitting phase 4 it's pretty natural to feel a bit overwhelmed. And sometimes trying to make things as black & white as they were in Phase 1 is comforting. Phase 4, is many shades of gray though
My path was to have Phase 3 breakfast broken in two. So part in the early morning part mid morning. Usually yogurt & berries with a slight sprinkling of granola or bran buds, then a couple hours later a piece of toast with no sugar spread. Lunch almost always was a variation of salad. Greek, ceasar, warm spinach & peppers with feta, Garden with cheddar & italian dressing. I kept to the IP bars as a mid afternoon snack and supper was usually soup. Once in a while a chicken burger with a thin bun. I never was really brave enough to try pasta. I had rice every once in awhile though...And I kept up my veggie habit. Always 2 cups with lunch or snack and 2 cups with dinner. The veggies are the most important thing you can do for yourself- they'll keep you full. Which means a lot less pull from cravings.
As time went on my menu evolved. Ishbel is right in that you have to try different things and wait for a 'reaction' on the scale.
That said there has been a wealth of information passed along in the 6 volumes of the maintenance threads. One was that if you are eating less than 100 carbs total in the day you will most likely lose 100-150 you'll maintain and over 150 and you'll start to gain. Fat is usually in the neighborhood of 60 g. I think it was goodeatsandwine who posted a bit back in this volume the actual IP values for each meal but darned if I can find it.
Every body really is different though. I regularly ate 150 carbs and 60-70 g fat and kept my calorie count in the 1300-1700 region and would almost always lose a pound each week that I would promptly gain back plus some after the free day, then phase 1 back to my 'normal' weight, then lose the extra pound then cycle back again.
A carb is a carb regardless of whether it comes from a fruit, vegetable, a bean, rice or whole grain. Most things have at least some carbs in them. One thing to really watch for is if any of them cause a spike in you... which is they leave you hungry or wanting more of the same. If this happens you are more than likely sensitive to it and should leave it alone and try and find a different carb. Never eat a carb by itself. Eat it with protein and/ or veggie. Greek yogurt and nuts 'swing both ways' they can be considered a fat or protein.
Dakin- Congrats on the pound lost! Maintenance seems to be agreeing with you!
PurpleSky-The Jillian Michaels dvd is challenging. But a challenge isn't necessarily a bad thing. Chloe is right in that you can work up to finishing it. Do however much you're comfortable with and over the course of a week you'll see that each time you're comfortable with a little bit more.
capricious- thank you. its very comforting to know that. And the values of how much we should be getting each day is extremely helpful.
Another question for you all....
I generally had a really good day yesterday. My p3 breakfast spread out through the morning, a "sandwich" (turkey and swiss between two pieces of romaine) and veggies, and my grilled chicken w zucchini for dinner.
However... somewhere in the afternoon I decided to bake cupcakes and I had several licks of the spoon. Do we think this qualifies me for a phase 1 day today? Or do I have a really balanced day today?
Thanks for the help everyone!!!
Last edited by staceyjblack; 06-22-2012 at 09:22 AM.
Stacy: If you did not go ip a pound from your taste, I would not do Phase 1.I think you will be fine and just keep to Phase 4.
Have you done a free day yet? I do not track my carbs, but stick to low carb low glycemic fruits and veges. I stay away from sugar as much as possible. I do not always have a carb at night. Also I do have fats at night as I stir fry or roast veges with olive oil.
Also..I have been very cautious and tested various foods to see if adding them caused a gain.
Purple Sky: Elana's site is amazing.She is very creative in her recipes: spinach pie and butternut latkes. I am sorry to hear about your knee and feet pain. Have you been able to correlate the pain to eating any particular food? I am heading to my month 9 of maintenance..and I am still experimenting and cautious about adding foods.
Dakin: congratulations on losing a pound!!! Great job. I am glad school is out also. I find myself eating on a schedule. Good luck with the snacking.
Jellymae: You look wonderful. You have had such great success. I know the last 25 pounds are slow, but you are doing it!
Cap: Did you read that new post about coconut rice? She hand grated the cauliflower. In Elana's site she recommends a food processor. I might experiment.
Sarabean: How fun to be in your first house.
Sandy: My dr told me to walk half an hour before the colonoscopy..It is supposed to help the procedure. Mine was painless.
Chloe: Your exercise program is inspiring. Do you like having a person al trainer? I have thought of doing that.
Momto2s: Keeping your weight off for one year is so amazing. Your maintenance is really working!
It feels good to be home and in control of what I eat..unfortunately that means I have to start cooking again.LOL. My weight stayed the same. Good.
staceyjblack, This is a much less strict phase. You can eat. You can probably have a full cupcake and not have to do P1 the next day. This is an area where you play around and see what the scale does. I have a sugar problem. Some have a wheat problem so the scale might not look good next day and they might dial it back. This is a tricky part of the transition. I remember being hesitant about certain foods that I did not need to be. But, I will say if you can have a cupcake and not have to do a slight P1 or P3 the next day, yayyy you. This is a good thing.
Thank you Chloe222 and capricious. I am going to dabble into one of those videos. But, I have to wait a bit. Looks like my knee and bottom of feet pain decided to return so I have to wait. Earlier this week I had the good exercise aches. (but I could get up and down from the toilet just fine) and now it is switching to something else. Maybe TOM. Maybe Fibro. Big brain fog problem. You have probably noticed in some of my posts. All the videos are nicely priced on Amazon.
I wanted to wait a bit to share but I do believe I may have past the hurdle with my crazy person addiction problem. As a matter of fact I have 1 or less bar a day now and it's usually the Simply Bar. Really liking that Lemon Coconut one now. I do rely on protein shakes instead. Cheaper and they work. Always feel good after. That CSP shake is a staple now and a quick go to during the day. Other snacks include baby carrots with hummous (the carrots provide just enough sweetness and crunch for me) and almonds. I rely on all of these for in between or if I need something while prepping a meal.
Lately, I have been learning about coconut oil. In the month or so since starting P4 I have been rebuilding my pantry. Had to chuck the remaining stuff I did not have the heart to throw away in Jan. Took a while but I think I am there. I seem to need choice in my life, so I have a few protein powders (Jay Robb is the best. MRM is cheaper) and a few flax things (seed, meal, oil) and Coconut things (oil, water, flour). And now I have a few exercise choices.
Really want to work on getting those Endorphins up and dancing. My skin appears to be coming in. Waist improving.
Transitioning to P4 is a challenge but also new, fun and exciting.
Purple Sky: Elana's site is amazing.She is very creative in her recipes: spinach pie and butternut latkes. I am sorry to hear about your knee and feet pain. Have you been able to correlate the pain to eating any particular food? I am heading to my month 9 of maintenance..and I am still experimenting and cautious about adding foods.
See, brain fog. Completely forgot I mentioned feet and knee stuff. Good question. I had this problem earlier this year. I have had knee stuff for years. And now they are crunchy again. But, the bottom of the feet one is annoying and possibly related to the Fibro I may or may not have.
Also just got this. http://www.liveprimal.com/LPrecipes.pdf
Paleo recipes. While they have certain limitations that may differ from the way some of us may eat, it is similar enough to give me ideas.
Cap - thanks for sharing your interesting number combinations. I went back through my iPad ap that I use for tracking. VERY SIMILAR, and all I was doing was following the rules and keeping it between 1250-1800 (generally 1600 this 5th week of maintenance)
So I ran again this week, I couldn't get enough food in yesterday to make up for a 500 calorie deficit so I am adjusting for that (loved that I was like "you have room you can eat it, nah I'm not hungry" is that considered an NSV?). As a result I'm hungry today so I'm eating a carb snack at about 330 (I have room in my daily intake for it).
I'm not doing cardio to lose weight, I'm doing it to make my heart better. WHICH is a challenge as apparently I've had no problem going back to "omg you need to go to the gym at least 5 times a week" where now I have to remind myself that it’s ok if I only go 2-3 times a week as I'm doing it for heart health not to lose weight.
I haven't added any strength in there, I decided to give myself a month or so doing cardio.
I'll use all your suggestions on videos during the winter...when I don't want to leave my house to go to the gym (or outside) to run. I do really like Yoga Booty Ballet (if anyone is interested). It was a lot of fun doing it, not sure what my heart rate would be now with that video.
Study after study shows you can exercise to fatigue and it does nothing for weight loss.
You new philosophy is much better-it is for health, stress relief, etc! Plus it often helps with maintaining weight.
Be careful eating your workout calories. Most days I eat less than 1300 calories and I do at least an hour of exercise. I don't put the burned calories into my daily equation.
Remember. Sitting on the couch burns 200-300 calories an hour. Exercising might burn 500. That is a difference of only 200 or 300 calories.
I have had many phase 1 days when I ate 800 calories and worked out for hours and had no weight loss. The body is sneaky!
Study after study shows you can exercise to fatigue and it does nothing for weight loss.
You new philosophy is much better-it is for health, stress relief, etc! Plus it often helps with maintaining weight.
Be careful eating your workout calories. Most days I eat less than 1300 calories and I do at least an hour of exercise. I don't put the burned calories into my daily equation.
Remember. Sitting on the couch burns 200-300 calories an hour. Exercising might burn 500. That is a difference of only 200 or 300 calories.
I have had many phase 1 days when I ate 800 calories and worked out for hours and had no weight loss. The body is sneaky!
Good point! Although I don't think I have enough muscle to burn 200-300 calories sitting on a couch lol
my additional calories are only the IP bar/simply bar and/or maybe an extra fruit...I don't think I'm eating that much extra, thanks though I am watching it
I eat flucuating between 1300 - 1800 mostly 1600 and the 1700-1800 is on workout days because of the strawberry wafer which I am WANTING someone to see me eat.
Actually I have a friend who keeps the local military healthy and fit helping me with my game plan too, which causes more work in a "thats my friend" way. She's given me some workbooks from her workshops that I'm suppose to read though LOL.
Also looking forward to my clinic having the the machine that will show me my approximate BMR. At least I'll have a starting point to play with, although so far 1600 is about right (SO FAR!) lol
Are the strawberry wafers that good? My clinic has not brought them in yet.
The tanita machine has my Bmr in the 1600 calorie range...I am not sure how accurate that is. I will have do some reading about it. My clinic uses that scale for all the weigh ins, mainly to monitor lesb muscle mass loss.
It's nice your fiend wants to help you out, but it is hard too as everyone has a different idea of what works and it's so hard to know who is right-est!
Are the strawberry wafers that good? My clinic has not brought them in yet.
The tanita machine has my Bmr in the 1600 calorie range...I am not sure how accurate that is. I will have do some reading about it. My clinic uses that scale for all the weigh ins, mainly to monitor lesb muscle mass loss.
It's nice your fiend wants to help you out, but it is hard too as everyone has a different idea of what works and it's so hard to know who is right-est!
Yes they are that good! Remember the icey squares? Just like them!
I'm only allowed to have them if I have a good run so it must be over 450 calories burned. So if i do anything less, its the simply bar cause its lower cals.
She's pretty good, one of my besties, she supported me during Phase 1 and actually is supporting someone else doing Herbal Magic....she says whatever you need to get it off....she says I've learned how to lose weight now I have to learn to eat while excersising . So when we looked over snacks that would be good choices she pointed out which ones would follow my rules. She was impressed with your simply bars actually and is picking some up this weekend. She doesn't necessarily believe in the BMR machine either as she's actually done it for herself doing it properly somewhere in her training but she did say it was a good place to start "as everyone has to figure it out for themselves, but once you got it figured you'll be regimented like the rest of the athletes!". Who knew, me an athlete again! Woot woot!
Thanks purple!
I'm exhausted today...I think it's pms. My symptoms come in cycles, I'm not always cranky lol....anyone else like that?
Chloe: Your exercise program is inspiring. Do you like having a person al trainer? I have thought of doing that.
Having a personal trainer really helps my husband and me to keep up our exercise program. One of the best things is how they switch it up when there's a physical issue and they have alternative exercises. For example, somehow I hurt my shoulder yesterday - didn't do anything special and can't pinpoint how it happened, but it did. Had a very different workout to gently stretch the shoulder, chest, back, etc. Still worked lower body and core and had extra long post workout stretch. This trainer uses traditional weights as well as many newer belts, pulleys, tools to keep it interesting. He's also tough. I have 2 trainers; the second is for power plate, a vibrating plate that I do a full body workout on 3X/wk and it really works out kinks and is supposed to provide "accelerated results". Think it is especially helpful as we age. Many sports teams use it. My weight loss is slower than others and I do have extra protein shakes the days I work out.
[quote=Ishbel;4380660]
I'll use all your suggestions on videos during the winter...when I don't want to leave my house to go to the gym (or outside) to run. I do really like Yoga Booty Ballet (if anyone is interested). It was a lot of fun doing it, not sure what my heart rate would be now with that video. /quote]
I just ordered the Yoga Booty Ballet - I like new dvds, and thought after reading some reviews, I could use something that was a little easier and blended yoga and ballet. The word repeated the most was "fun" in varous descriptions so I ordered it. I need more "fun" in my life. Thanks for the recommendation.
I use this scale and it indicates I have a BMR of 1430. Not sure if its accurate, but it's a start. Omron HBF-514C Full Body Composition Sensing Monitor and Scale
Cost was $69 w/ free S&H. I weigh daily and enjoy using this. If I'm up during the week, its fine, I don't fret. Interesting to watch changes in % body fat vs % muscle, etc. Even if it's not totally accurate, I think its close and shows me my trajectory. That's always positive. Started with 40% body fat, now around 25.4%
Good morning all!
Maile- I am glad that you are back! What a wonderful job in keeping your weight so stable even while away though! You really have got the knack of this...
I make my cauliflower rice using my food processor's grating attachment. I've tried using the S blade in it as well. The rice was smaller but I didn't like the texture as much. Guess it all boils down to personal preference. I discovered that my 2 year old son loves my cauliflower rice too. I thought it would be too spicy for him so I've never tried giving it to him- he came along while I was up from my chair and started devouring it. Always amazes me how similar his tastebuds are to mine...
Mom2cs & Ishbel- interesting dialogue re: exercise & calorie burn. I can see that while exercise may not aid in weight loss ( it can in fact have the opposite effect of weight gain because unfortunately many of us will overcompensate in calorie intake- I've been guilty of this mistake... Cause sometimes I'll be starving later in the day...) it certainly does help with mood, muscle, mindset and maintenance. The toned effect can't be achieved any other way
Chloe- great job on the reduction of bf%!! That's a huge improvement!
PurpleSky- reading your posts makes me smile. We are very alike in our tastes. I gravitate towards sweets as well and therefore have to really limit myself with them.
I like all of the sites you mentioned. There was one that was new that I'll have to check out. I found the same like you that I do better with the CSP shake as a snack... More filling with less cravings...
I went to Brave with my two daughters last night. Ahhh. Movie popcorn. Licorice. M&M's. All the old time favorites sit there and stare me in the face. And I can't help but look at the packaging and think how wrong it is that things that are so awful for us are served up in these pretty shiny packages with promises of delight for the tastebuds. It's after it hits the mouth and is inside that havoc begins. It's not even just the weight gain but the change in hormones that these products bring. But I still need to consciously remind myself that it is in the best interest of health to reject these foods and not because I'm 'not allowed'.
in case you're lurking 
I really am harmless.
