Hi, all! Survived Christmas week up 0.6 pounds. Not too worried about that... Especially since I lost 1.2 last week.
Ishbel - take care of yourself. Those orthopedic injuries can be very painful, and sometimes taking it easy is the best thing.
Can someone experienced with maintenance tell me how much of a range you allow yourself before it's time to go back to phase 1?
My goal was 150. I am now just under 145, and would like to stay around that weight. I am thinking I can manage the small fluctuations just by watching calorie intake. Maybe 147 as a high end?
If I can successfully maintain here for 6 months or so, I may choose to go down another 5 - 10 pounds, but I am concerned about being able to maintain, given that I am 50-ish and likely have a slower metabolism than some younger folks.
Lizzy63 I too am in my 50's. I was told to choose a three lb weight range for maintenance...but am a bit confused about it as well. I do know that ultimately you want to stay within that range, and the range gives your and your body the chance to fluctuate...which is normal. With this said though, I find myself just doing a Phase 1 day every week after my fun meal. I have not gone out of that range once....but do the P1 until I am at the low end...kind of like preparing for if there is a fluctuation? I will ask my coach about this this week. I also fell below my weight range last week....which was nice....though I had been sick with pneumonia, so I too am wondering about the range...I will wait to see if my weight continues to change on maintenance as I have lost a few while on maintenance..... At last WI I was at 130....my range is 131-134....
I wrote this long post feeling sorry for myself and it disappeared so that must mean I should change my attitude and move on! Anyone else here still have bad self-image/esteem issues after reaching goal. I had hoped that I could see myself differently if I was smaller, but I don't. I got all these compliments from family that hadn't seen me and if anything I feel worse. I don't get it!
Thanks, NewPath - I though I heard someone say + or - 3 pounds, but that would be a huge range, I think - like 142 - 148 for me. I like your approach, so I think I will try to stay between 144 - 147. Glad to hear you are not having difficulty maintaining, but sorry to hear that you haven't been well!
LoriKay - I think it's natural to take time for your body image to adjust. I am in a size 8 - 10 (depending on brand), but I don't really feel smaller than when I was a 16 - 18. I really did this for my health - high cholesterol and blood pressure - and I know that is much better, so I am OK with this.
Lizzy63: The National Weight Control Registry which publishes studies on maintenance recommends a 3 percent range of your goal weight..3 percent under and 3 percent over. For me that is 3 pounds. If i am in my range, I usually do not do P1. However, lately I have been at the higher end of my range and am working on moving to the lower end.
LoriKay: I hope you are feeling better. Losing weight is many faceted. It does not change many factors and stresses that you have to deal with in life.
Do you have more energy now that you have lost weight?
Evepet: I am glad your fun day went well...would love to see your pictures.
Newpath: I keep a 3 pound limit also.
Greeniris: thanks for your kind words.
On New Year's Eve I went to visit my IP coach. I had her do my measurements again as I wanted to see if I had gained muscle. My thigh is 1/4 inch bigger and my calf is 1/2 inch bigger..my ankles lost an inch. I am not sure if this means I am gaining muscle, but I think it does. This could be why I am in my high end of my range. It was good to see my IP coach again and to weigh in at good weight.
Happy New Years everyone. Here is to a healthy 2013!
Maile, I would not say that I have any more energy than I did before the weight loss. I've had a really hard time doing a p1 day since I don't really care. I'm trying to force myself to care but I don't.
On New Year's Eve I went to visit my IP coach. I had her do my measurements again as I wanted to see if I had gained muscle. My thigh is 1/4 inch bigger and my calf is 1/2 inch bigger..my ankles lost an inch. I am not sure if this means I am gaining muscle, but I think it does. This could be why I am in my high end of my range. It was good to see my IP coach again and to weigh in at good weight.
Happy New Years everyone. Here is to a healthy 2013!
Maile, you are an inspiration! The muscle thing is something I wonder about too. Once I hit phase 3, I'm going to add in weight lifting, and in my younger days (I'll be 50 in September), I would gain muscle. And I hope to do that now too.
How have you maintainers adjusted your maintenance weight to deal with that?
Happy New Years to all the maintainers! And thanks so much for posting here. We need to see how you guys do this.
Hi everyone. Happy New Year! Realized I was in dire need of eggs and egg whites plus a few other things yesterday, so went off to the closest supermarket. After picking up the 'essentials', I wandered around a bit... I was sort of hoping that something would jump out at me as possibly being an appropriate new snack food, now that I'm officially in maintenance.
Instead, I realized once again what a lot of KRAP is in the stores, once one wanders from the perimeter areas into the centre aisles. Loaded with carbs, sugars, fats. Phew! Almost sent my body into shock just reading those labels again. In the end, I stuck with a bag of apples, (which I enjoy with ricotta cheese), Greek yogourt, a bag of walnuts, and a bag of 'turkey bites' (which are a dehydrated turkey snack). I couldn't bring myself to even consider putting most of the stuff in my shopping cart. That certainly wasn't the case last year at this time... thank goodness the past 10 months with IP have changed me.
Couldn't agree more, Evepet! I end up eating a lot of Granny Smith apples, greek yogurt, berries, and pecans for snacks. I would love to have some other options.
I keep eating nuts for snacks..I never seem to be tired of them..humus and veges? I can't believe all of the junk in the stores either...much of what I used to buy. I even threw out my beloved chocolate covered Mac nuts this year.
Starshine..I am learning about this muscle thing as in the last weeks I am pushing my weight training. I am enjoying the new levels as it was getting too easy. I just need to figure out what this is doing to my body and weight.
LoriKay: I am so sorry you are having a hard time. Would staying off p1 for awhile help you feel better? You could try eating very low carb and not do the packets. Hugs to you. This weight business is not easy.
2012 blessed me in so many ways and well, 2013...I BE GITTIN' HITCHED!!!! YEEEEHAW!!!
evepet I like turkey/chicken sticks with cheese strings (one or the other or both). I generally keep my night snack to berries and yogurt. I have to stay away from nuts as they are a weakness so I won't eat them during the week.
maile interesting tidbit on what the national weight registry says about 'leeway' (or range) for maintenance. At TOPS you're allowed 3 lbs over your goal and 7 lbs below it. As I weigh in there at night after supper my goal is higher then what my goal is for myself in the morning. Generally keep it between a 4 lbs which meets your 3%. I don't need 10 lbs but I think it's for holiday planning (I've learned why people lose 10 lbs before they go on vacation lol) WAY to go on the muscle.
newpath Great job on maintenance, you sound very comfortable and I love that you get lots of support from your clinic!
lizzy Thanks for the words of "be careful"....you kinda tipped the scales in my decision making...I think I'll wait until the middle of Jan. I can keep my laser machine for a bit longer but not much longer, the FFIL (future father in law) needs it back for his own fibromyalgia . If it comes back, I'll be looking into purchasing the ultrasound machine evepet recommended.
LoriKay I'm sorry you are feeling blue. Have you googled "body image" and researched on how you can reframe your responses to compliments. I know you are not alone feeling this way.
SO, Christmas Day and New Years Eve were not 'free' day in moderation which has been my 'norm' for the last 7 months (these last two free days were more like free days when I first started free days). VIP and I discussed it cause I cannot believe that I used to go DAYS in this style of eating (way too much sugar!). I'm happy that it's over, that I can dump all the chocolate and crap in the house and not feel guilty. That although I don't want to go back to work, I am looking forward do being on a 'normal' schedule.
Today he and I listened to this youtube play list, VERY VERY interesting.
We watched the series and have plans on watching his "Sugar - The Bitter Truth" which is the one that's 1 1/2 hours.
VIP's son has been saying "Just cause you're on a diet doesn't mean I have to be" and my response has ALWAYS been "I'm not on a diet, I haven't lost weight in 8 months, I'm just eating better". He said it again today and VIP said "we're just making better choices buddy, I haven't lost weight in 2 weeks" (LOL) I sure hope we're making some sort of impression on him!
LoriKay: I am so sorry you are having a hard time. Would staying off p1 for awhile help you feel better? You could try eating very low carb and not do the packets. Hugs to you. This weight business is not easy.
I don't know. I keep eating fattening foods which makes me feel worse so then I eat more. I'm not on a good cycle. I'm not sure what I need to do to change my thinking but I know I need to do something!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ishbel
LoriKay I'm sorry you are feeling blue. Have you googled "body image" and researched on how you can reframe your responses to compliments. I know you are not alone feeling this way.
SO, Christmas Day and New Years Eve were not 'free' day in moderation which has been my 'norm' for the last 7 months (these last two free days were more like free days when I first started free days). VIP and I discussed it cause I cannot believe that I used to go DAYS in this style of eating (way too much sugar!). I'm happy that it's over, that I can dump all the chocolate and crap in the house and not feel guilty. That although I don't want to go back to work, I am looking forward do being on a 'normal' schedule.
Thanks. Maybe when I start back to work tomorrow I'll feel better about everything. Part of my issue is that I have a cold, the other part is that my husband is leaving to go hunting for several days and I hate when he leaves. I probably need to deal with emotions that I don't want to deal with.
I'm not quite in maintenance yet, but I wanted to get the opinion of those of you already there on something I'm tossing around.
I am about 8 pounds (as of last week) from my adjusted goal weight. I am feeling FANTASTIC and fitting into clothes that I never thought I'd see again. I am also getting the itch to start really exercising (I want to do a couple of 5ks this year and get back into cycling). I still have some areas that I'd like to see trim down, but I know that there's no guarantee WHERE the weight will come off and I'm not unhappy with my shape right now.
Here's my conundrum: I really feel ready to ramp up the exercise, to a point where staying on Phase 1 is not going to be wise given the low calories. I can probably start the Couch to 5K program and get through the first few weeks without making too many changes, but there will come a point where the calories won't be enough - and that's not including the fact that I have a 3 month gym membership that I'd like to make good use of. My activity level has been very low before and during IP, so I have a lot of ground to make up to build my endurance and overall fitness. On the flip side, my current goal weight is probably higher than I could get to if I pushed through Phase 1 for a bit longer, but I would not be able to train in time for a few of the races I'd like to compete in.
What is the consensus on phasing off at my current goal weight so that I could train and run this spring to fall, and then possibly coming back to P1 later in the year if I feel there's a little more weight to lose, versus staying on P1 until I really feel like I don't have any more to lose? My lowest healthy weight was 155, but even then I had jiggly thighs - part of me wonders whether I could see those thighs trim down and hit a lower weight, but the other side of me would like to see my current parts toned up a lot more before I make that decision.
[QUOTE=Maile;4570787]I
Starshine..I am learning about this muscle thing as in the last weeks I am pushing my weight training. I am enjoying the new levels as it was getting too easy. I just need to figure out what this is doing to my body and weight.
/QUOTE]
Thanks, Maile! I look forward to seeing what you figure out. I hope I'll have to figure things out in terms of muscle gained too, once I'm in maintenance.
Good question, Scorbett! I'm sure you'll get some wise answers.
I'm not quite in maintenance yet, but I wanted to get the opinion of those of you already there on something I'm tossing around.
I am about 8 pounds (as of last week) from my adjusted goal weight. I am feeling FANTASTIC and fitting into clothes that I never thought I'd see again. I am also getting the itch to start really exercising (I want to do a couple of 5ks this year and get back into cycling). I still have some areas that I'd like to see trim down, but I know that there's no guarantee WHERE the weight will come off and I'm not unhappy with my shape right now.
Here's my conundrum: I really feel ready to ramp up the exercise, to a point where staying on Phase 1 is not going to be wise given the low calories. I can probably start the Couch to 5K program and get through the first few weeks without making too many changes, but there will come a point where the calories won't be enough - and that's not including the fact that I have a 3 month gym membership that I'd like to make good use of. My activity level has been very low before and during IP, so I have a lot of ground to make up to build my endurance and overall fitness. On the flip side, my current goal weight is probably higher than I could get to if I pushed through Phase 1 for a bit longer, but I would not be able to train in time for a few of the races I'd like to compete in.
What is the consensus on phasing off at my current goal weight so that I could train and run this spring to fall, and then possibly coming back to P1 later in the year if I feel there's a little more weight to lose, versus staying on P1 until I really feel like I don't have any more to lose? My lowest healthy weight was 155, but even then I had jiggly thighs - part of me wonders whether I could see those thighs trim down and hit a lower weight, but the other side of me would like to see my current parts toned up a lot more before I make that decision.
Any input or your experiences welcome!
I would suggest modifying P1 with extra protein while you are working up to heavier exercise. This would look like a packet prior to and after an hour of strenuous exercise or have a couple of whole eggs prior and a packet after, then regular p1 lunch and p1 dinner and snack (one of the packets can be restricted). I used the higher calorie IP packets also -- IP mango ready to drink and the strawberry wafers. Try to go for something that is mainly whey protein. I lost more consistently doing this (I am a slow loser) than before I added the exercise. I felt pretty good doing this. Be sure to check your body fat as you do this so you can see if the trend is too much lean mass lost. At that point consider if you want to phase off if you are not yet at goal. My last 8 lbs took about 5 weeks; I would bet it will take you less.
Remember at maintenance you are going to float around a weight range, so if you phase off now, that range would take you either side of 170. I'm betting you would be happier (equals more motivated to work at it) at either side of 160.
The thigh stuff is the last to go (for me) and the first to come back once you add more carbs. But things continue to keep moving around each day, so what you see now may not be what you see after a few months in maintenance, even if your weight is the same.
So, add exercise with the P1 modifications and go to original goal. If at anytime this doesn't work (you feel bad, you look too thin), THEN phase off. You don't need to do a full 2 weeks of P2 (protocol has changed), so you are always only two weeks away from maintenance. Stay with the protein on either side of exercise during P3, too.
My thoughts, anyway, based on recommendation of my coach and my experience.
Last edited by infoplease; 01-02-2013 at 02:54 AM.
I do add a packet currently with the VERY light exercise I've started to incorporate (100 calorie burn or less), I'm just concerned what will happen once I am exercising more intensely - if I'm pushing hard enough that I would need to add two packets or more, I feel like I should be burning off a p3/p4 diet instead of staying p1. I plan on at LEAST getting to 160, the question is more should I push on beyond that (change my goal weight to 150-ish), or phase off there and then revisit phase 1 after what will likely be my last race in September. Sort of a "last 10" run once I see where my body settles with consistent exercise.
The muscle thing is something I wonder about too. Once I hit phase 3, I'm going to add in weight lifting, and in my younger days (I'll be 50 in September), I would gain muscle. And I hope to do that now too. 
