Glad you are enjoying your P3 breakfast. I do so much that I'm not interested in a cheat day because then I couldn't have my breakfast the next morning! I know what you mean about maintenance on this plan. Every other time I have lost weight i just went back to my old eating ways. This diet has taught me so much and I know that sugar and carbs are what made me fat. I do feel like I can maintain with the knowledge and maturity I have now.

Hey there, wonderful Maintainers! I have a question on cellulite. I'm getting close to goal (I've already lowered it once, and will probably lower it another five pounds, as I'm trying to get off the belly fat/hip fat), and I was wondering about the IP cellulite protocol. Is it necessary or did you find the cellulite just went away as you lost the last few pounds?

I'd rather not do an extra couple weeks on the cellulite protocol, as I'm itching to get to Phase 3 and maintenance, and start more exercise, and to be honest, eating some regular (healthy) food. But I'd like the cellulite to go away also. I'm almost 50 years old, and well, I have some on my upper arms that I'm most worried about, as I'd like to wear some short sleeve/sleeveless shirts. I'll start tricep exercises once I'm in Phase 3, but I'm not sure if that will do the trick or not. So any advice would be wonderful.

Thanks, everyone for you help!

I started doing Jillian 30 day shred the second week of P2 every day and I have really firmed up. I still have my loose skin but there is muscle under there! My pant size has gone down too. I haven't read much on the cellulite protocol but I think the exercise really helps. Good luck!

Thanks, Beck! I should try the shred. I'm going to start weight lifting, but maybe I should start the shred first and soon. I have been walking an hour plus every day on IP (not slow, but I've walked for decades, so I could do it on IP too), and my losses have been great, so maybe I could start the shred soon also.

Beck - is the 30 day shred OK for beginners, do you think? My current exercise is limited to walking the dog 30 - 40 minutes daily. A little worried this will be too much, but I like the idea of something I can do at home without any equipment.

Patns: I love to read your posts! Keep posting. You are a maintainer now. Part of being a maintainer is finding a way to get rid of up pounds. All of us have to work on up pounds as we go along. I hope your new eating plan works for you. Let us know how it works. I find the elliptical is a harder workout than the treadmill.

New England..Congratulations on your loss. Your reboot is going well.

Ishbel: I am glad you are taking care of Goose..but really happy that your hip is better with that gel..and that you get to bike and cc ski.

Starshine: we did not have the cellulite program at my center.

Becky: My muscle workouts also helped with the loose skin as time went on.

Fishette: It is funny how tastes change. Sometimes I look at the junk food that others are buying and have no desire for it. I am using many more spices now than I did before IP.

LoriKay: That is why Phase 1 is so nice to go back to on Mondays~

So my husband and I were depressed with the constant fog and ice. We decided to make a French Cognac Pepper Steak dinner, It was delicious. I enjoyed it, knowing full well that the heavy cream was high in fat and calories. The nice thing is that I did not feel guilty and woke up ready to let the scale tell me what I needed to do! Fortunately no gain!

Hey all, still a filling balloon, but I know it's for a good cause so no worries. I am going to have to start unbuttoning my pants in about a week or so, so the size 2s still fit....barely! There's a sale online at Old Navy I may hit up for some maternity clothes because my old stuff is much too big for me now. My dad was here last week, which was helpful but didn't give me much time for veggie prep. I am spending some time prepping mashed cauliflower and P3 breakfasts.

I kind of wish I had done the cellulite protocol, but I was ready to move on. I did weightlifting throughout P1, but at about 1/2 the usual weight. Now I am back to the old program and have muscle tone I can really see in my legs, arms, & shoulders...my stomach, well, that may take a little extra help, but I think weights or some kind of resistance training is great for tightening up.

I walked all summer and fall while on IP but winter in Wisconsin doesn't make it easy to walk outside. I love the 30 day shred. I was a little weak starting it on P2 but by P3 it was fine. It has cardio, strength and abs in three circuits. Lizzy, you can adjust it to your level as you go. Jillian has two girls with her doing it at different levels. 26 days in I can do a lot more. There are 3 levels of workouts too.

Give it a try!

Ah, good luck finding those small maternity clothes, Liz! You're doing fantastic.

And yes, I'm ready to move on, but I want the cellulite gone too, so we'll see if I can stomach Phase 1 for that much time and then do the cellulite protocol. I have my weight bench waiting for me, and I just long to get back to weight lifting. I started walking longer the past two days, so hopefully that helps push me to goal also.

Thanks for your take on this, Beck!

Good Monday Morning!

I posted this on the Fab 50 thread, but would like your thoughts on this as well. (Not sure I've posted on this thread that I've really been struggling with chocolate since beginning maintenance. I've been a serious chocoholic most of my adult life.)

"Good news...am working hard to get my choc intake down. Wondering for those of us that are 'true' chocoholics, if we should completely stop eating/drinking everything chocolate...including the IP/alternative choc drinks, puddings & bars. Seems to me that having them while successfully losing weight sort of gives us a false sense of 'safety' with it, then when we hit maintenance we can't have it at all because when we do, the cravings start up with a vengeance! Anyone else have thoughts about this? Or maybe I'm just weak in this area and need to toughen up. IDK. Choc seems to be the one thing I've really struggled with in maintenance."

Even having choc nearly every day (yes, really), I've been able to 'maintain' within a 6 lb range - a few lbs higher than where I'd like to be, but stable. This scares me because I know I'm playing with fire, but I just can't seem to control the cravings at times. Working on it though, and am making progress.

Beck81 - I can't walk during the winter either, due to cold & icy road conditions (& now a problem with my knee). Going to the gym a few times a week to work on core & upper body, and sneak in about 10 mins on the elliptical for some cardio. But I do want to check out the Shred...sounds interesting. Thanks for telling us about it!

Have a great Monday all!

greeniris, OMG Chocolate has been my demise in maintenance. I blame it on all the chocolate I was allowed to have during my 5 months of P1. I only liked IPs chocolate drink and double chocolate bar. Every day I had chocolate 3xs per day!!! Then P4 hit and it was practically gone...I've found some great protein bars to supplement my need for chocolate w/o sabotaging my weight (well, right now I'm in a reboot for having too much fun from Oct - Dec), which wasn't the fault of chocolate.

I will never give up chocolate. Zone makes a great chocolate protein bar, which is sold at Target. It's my go to...I'm even taking them on my upcoming vacation!!! <3 'em!!!

Hi - have you tried the chocolate peanut butter (powdered). It is allowed in Phase 3 & 4 and it only has 40 cal per serving (2 tbs).. I tried it this week and once mixed, it is very chocolately, almost like Nutella.

I will also start doing core work because my tailbone is killing me. Had my physical and Dr. said to try core work to strenthgten my back and core. Will see how that goes.

Phase 1 today (too much fun this weekend, but surprise loss this morning). I'll take it

New Englander & momat40 - Have you found that you have choc cravings after having the choc protein bars or powdered pb? I dread the thought of having to give it up totally, but the cravings are kicking my butt!

Cindy - I do not have the chocolate cravings like you, but I do have a pure protein chocolate deluxe bar most every day. Might be an acceptable substitute. Of course, you still can't overdo it - they are 180 calories each and 4.5 grams of fat...

My weakness is bread - and I do avoid it for the most part. If I buy dinner rolls, I get the ones in the ziplock bag and fix only one for me and one for DH - that way I am not tempted to grab another!

Just the opposite, it helped with the need for something chocolate. Then again, the time I wanted something chocolate was right before TOM. The need for chocolate then gets evil!!!! Once that passed, I'm good. I actually wanted my regular PB2 and not the chocolate one. Totally new person