Lori; I forgot to tell you that was cute about your autistic student. Kids are so very honest and cute. I went a little crazy buying clothes last year also. I still like to get new things now.
How fun that you are going to a HS reunuion tonight thinner and in new clothes.

Have fun at all of your reunions ladies!

Lizr: I have never tried vege shreds. Are you using them instead of cheese because they are low carbs and lower calories? Thanks for the recipes.
P4 was sort of scary at first..could be why I stay mainly in Phase 3.

Leganegan: Hope you feel better..You have found your way back and are doing it.

Does anyone use Bragg soy sauce? Is it supposed to be healthier or lower in salt?

We use Bragg sometimes. I think it is lower in sodium (not that I even worry about sodium) and has no mgs. It is an amino acid rather than fermented soy...

When I have made cauliflower breadsticks I have used boiled and then mashed cauliflower. I find grating it too messy!

Lori T- Work at a special needs school. Bless you for what you do and for allowing them to enjoy your squishy moving skin to meet their sensory needs. :)

PMS-ing bad today, staying in, the fiance took a fire shift (2 days in a row) he is a part timer trying to get as many shifts as he can. So just me and my furry man (my Yorkie pup and my parent's pup, my dog's sister ) at home on a Friday night. I find it easier to stay in than go out. I sound like an old lady and i am only 28. I've been in a funk lately, went to the Dr. today and he recommended I go talk to someone. I wanted to tell him why spend the money on talking to him when I have 3fatchicks ;) He put me on Wellbutrin... we will see if that helps. I am sure the eating healthy again, working out and getting out of this yo-yo pattern will help too. Thanks for listening!

P.S. Thanks for cauliflower crust recommendations, I have always wanted to try it i think i will this week.

LoL on your student Lori. I sometimes wonder how people who don't work in elementary schools get insights into cold hard reality.
In these jobs we get it pointed out to us all the time!


I do assessments at a large number of schools so the students don't know me. I went to a classroom to get a student yesterday and the little guy who answered the door said to his teacher;"Ït's a new librarian! I asked him why he thought I was a librarian and he said ;" Because our librarian is really old too!"
Nothing like a steady supply of plain unvarnished truth.

Happy belated Birthday Maile! Congrats on making it through with no gain! I use Bragg's soy... no gluten, lower in sodium... same great taste...
Legan- sorry to hear that you are feeling under the weather. Are you exercising? I find the extra endorphins after a work out can be great for equilibrating my moods... and PMS never helps ;)

For my cauliflower pizza I use my food processor's grating attachment and grate the whole head. Portion it out into 2 cup portions. Then fry the cauliflower with my 1 tsp oil for 6- 8 minutes until it's translucent. Use the food processor again to mix 1/2 C of cottage cheese with 1/4 C egg whites and oregano, parsley & hot sauce. Mix this in with the cooked cauliflower pour onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper keeping the 'crust' about 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 425 for a half hour. Yum.

Nova- I think our bodies happily settle in at a certain weight and will do their utmost to stay there. Hence why there can be plateaus when we are losing weight at the weight we were at for a significant period of time. My goal when I hit maintenance was to spend long enough at goal that my body would come to see it as an acceptable weight but it is definitely a fight to keep it there.
Well worth it though.

It is good to be back at the gym full time. After so much time away my muscles are screaming but it is reassuring they're still there :) I do find that challenging myself with my workouts makes tackling challenging my eating habits so much easier. I really, really missed it...

:) My husband and i belong to a 'dinner club' that hosts happy hour once month and parties for holidays and the like. (We both work at home so it gets us out once in a while.) We haven't been since we started IP. Last Friday at happy hour people were taking second looks at us because we look so different, and a sweet older lady (90+) said "I think i know you- but you used to be fat." I said, yes, that is me! It's fun seeing ourselves through the eyes of others- and i have learned alot about how i look at others through this process too. It's amazing really.

Does anybody do JUST Phase 4 without phase 2 and 3 days every week
 

Hi everyone.

I am curious- does anyone just follow the protocol for phase 4 as suggested? (Phase 1 after 'fun day' and phase 4 every other day?

People mention a lot of different combinations on phase 4 - as i am quickly approaching i am wondering if i should start with the recommended protocol or start with one of your variations.

Thanks!

Maddie: Not only are the very young honest..often the very old are honest. That was a cute comment. It is nice people noticed you were thinner. I have not heard of Phase 4 every other day. I do a Phase 1 until my weight goes down.

Cap: I am glad you are back full time at the gym. Exercise is wonderful. I have more energy and am happier when I exercise. I use the cuisinart to grate the cauliflower also..much faster.
Patns: Kids think I am old also! I think they would be shocked to know my age. That testing takes forever.
Leganegan: I had a friend on the wellbutrin who had good results. I hope it helps you and you feel better. As you say once you get eating healthier, exercise, and get rid of PMS, you will feel better. I admire your fiance for fighting fires. That is a hard job. We have lots of fires in the northwest now..The skies are smokey.

Moms and Cap: Thanks for the info on Braggs. I may try it.

Today is strength training, shopping for next week and cooking for next week..a typical weekend.

Legan...have you tried upping your vitamin d? I find it had a major impact on mood and ip eating can be low in d. I take at least 1000 iu every day. I will up it as it gets darker up here in northern Alberta. I also added sublingual b12 to my routine. I think it gives me a boost in the morning. I even use a tanning booth occasionally. It is amazing how natural d helps.

I have been invited to a Spanish themed dinner tonight. The host is my good friend, and has done ip in the past. I was upfront with her that I probably would not eat anything on the menu- she reminded me she has lots of packets if I need them. Lol. Still not sure I want to spend the evening watch everyone else eat and drink!

Today is my 12 day on phase 1. I am beginning to see my ribs again. That is my gauge for loss. Staying off the scale though. I will weigh in Wednesday.

Off to spin class and the a normal Saturday taking kids to activities! Have a great saturday everyone!

Thanks again for the suggestions and recipes for the cauliflower crust. I am going to give it a try this weekend.

After so many years of working with young kids and so many with autism, I have heard lots of comments that have both made me giggle and at times kind of sad. Knowing their brutal honesty, it would be hard sometimes when a kiddo would say "why are you so fat?" or "you are very big!" I like hearing that I'm wrinkly instead of fat now!

Had a nice time at my reunion last night. My body isn't use to the amount of wine I had however, so I'm feeling a little puny this morning. One of the best parts of the evening were the comments I received about how great I looked. I realized that in the past I didn't really want to go because I saw how good some of the other women looked, but I think that last night I looked pretty darn good myself!

Hey Hey Everyone,

Sorry I've been MIA....I recieved the gift of a sinus infection and life has been a little foggy lately. SO not helpful at ALL!

maile Happy Belated Birthday!!!

Cap Don't be embarassed, I would hope that this is a safe place...we all struggle and I think it's great and very brave of you to share. Please pat yourself on the back :)

leganegan I found calcium really helped with PMS, my doctor told me to start taking it for PMS so I've always had a calcium supplement. I hope you feel better soon :hug:

maddiefoofoo I usually keep it to Phase 4 with small amounts of carbs for my supper, like a granola bar or extra fruit for the additional carbs. I do have potatoes, just not interested in rice and pasta anymore. I do have a cheat day which for me is just relaxing on the rules a lot and having more fruit. It was a 'balls to the wall' for a while but it just makes me feel sick and it's a headache to get my weight to come back down again. I usually only do one day of Phase 1 and then back into Phase 4. I have been known to have a Phase 3 day only because I want salad dressing and want to keep the carbs and oils seperate. You kinda have to find your own groove in maintenance, it truely is up to you and how your body reacts.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day...hopefully my fog will be gone soon...one more day of antibodics! :)

Later Skaters! :D

I was going to suggest the vitamin D and the B12 too.

The B12 is a wonderful destressor I find.

Being in almost northern Alberta I hear you on the increasing early darkness.
I love the long evenings in the spring and early summer but not the downside of it in the fall.

Maile and Lori, we have had to develop a thick skin in working with kids.
I filter my acceptance of their telling it like it is by convincing myself they think anyone over 15 is old!

I think working out is really what I need, I used to do it so much and now that I slowed down the past year with phase 1/2 I think I now realize how much the endorphins helped me. I did zumba last week, and just that night alone I already felt like my old self.

Thank you, he really loves it I just wish a county or city would hire him full time, he is so loyal and dedicated. Maybe we should move to the northwest for him to look for work! ;)

What a great feeling it must have been last night to look good and enjoy wine! You deserve it, I bet you looked better than any of the other ladies there.
My reunion was fun, DJ/ open bar at a new warehouse style gallery. I filled up on club soda and lime. I am not were I want to be but I think I looked pretty darn good in my new dress. It felt good talking to everyone this morning and hearing how tired and hungover they are...not me! :)

Thanks for all the advice guys, I am going to start taking vitamin D, Working out more and probably start yoga that I found for $45 a month unlimited classes.
Have a great Sunday.

I have been lurking a lot lately on my phone, so hard to post on that tiny thing! My home laptop is slowly dying and I am moving to a new job where my Internet access is limited. I went a little off the rails yesterday, I know it was a 'cheat day', but still...hopefully I calm down as I get further along in Maintenance and not act like its the end of the world!

I am thinking of Phase 1ing over most if the week to 'tighten up ship' before my 20th reunion on Saturday...good timing to hit goal so close to seeing folks 10 years after the last one when i was at my heaviest, now i am at my smallest!

I did 2 classes, step & body pump, at the gym this morning and feel fantastic! I would prefer the cardio after the weightlifting, but think I got a good workout from both classes. Yesterday I was able to run 4 miles OUTSIDE, which is quite a feat in TX as It's been 100+ until a day or 2 ago! Hopefully if this cold front sticks I can go back to taking my son to the park.

I used the veggie shreds because I still had them from Phase 1 days and thought they would 'season up' the crust, which it did! They are lower calories, etc than regular cheese, but not quite the same. I would prefer the real thing as a topping.

I am looking forward to my 20 year reunion this weekend! Hearing about yours is making me look forward to it even more...sounds like a blast! Ours is at Pat O'Brians across the street from the Alamo in downtown San Antonio in the bar/club area, so I do plan to have some fun!

Wishing you good health and no snot! I HATE getting those sinus problems...seems my allergies have kicked into high fear as I approach my 40's.