Everyone Thanks for the congrats on TOPS! Now I have to write a speech...I'm ok with public speaking...just not excited about something so personal. I'll be fine though I'm sure!

maile it's not behaving today, up again....grrrrrr

patns TOPS rallys sure can be a lot of fun and hugely inspirational...when someone walks across the stage to get their 40 year "KOPS" - Keep Off Pounds...not only do you realize it's doable..but it's a lifetime committment! I really like this forum but I know I need it AND my once weekly support group. Couldn't have done it without them fo' so'!

Lori I love when people post too! Sometimes this thread is hopping sometimes it's not. Keep posting !

mommak Sorry, can't tell you what to expect on your TOM...pretty sure that's very specific to each of us. You'll be fine, it will be ok...and you will learn what to expect for the next time.

evepet you're so full of knowledge and info, thanks for that. I have always been very specific about my morning rituals (I think because I'm mindless if I am having breakfast at a specific time with specific food there is less thinking) and I'm also the same way about bedtime rituals. When I wake up in the middle of the night on Wednesdays I can get myself back to sleep by thinking about something OTHER than work (sometimes just a little fella shoveling 'crap' out of my head - kinda like sheep) but that never works on Sunday. So the jury is still out on Melatonin, but it's removed for now.

+++++++++++++++

The scale is up again. GRRR There are so many variables when your weight is fluctuating. I fear trying to blame to many things at once and removing TOO many things and making it harder on myself. So I'm trying to breathe through it with self talk "it's ok...I'm not over goal...I won't gain back 300 lbs over night...I'm in control...this will be 'ok'". Even the VIP gave me the pat on the hand "you will be fine, just keep doing what you're doing". When I review my food...there were reasons...but maybe it will take a while for my body to remember that I removed simple sugar (which the decision was only 10 days ago and I only had it on fun days...and my last one was 6 days ago...might take a while for it to settle).

FACE THE FEAR!!! ADAPT AND OVERCOME!!! lol

C'est la vie!

Ishbel-
I want to add my congratulations. You have done so awesome! I've always thought princesses were more adored than the queen (Think Diana v. the Queen Mother!)
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Can anyone advise me on dinner out tonight? I'm 4 days into maintenance and DH wants to go for Mexican. So used to doing fajita meat (beef, chicken or shrimp) and peppers, lettuce from prior phases. Now P4 rules. Thinking still I can do chicken or shrimp meat, but what else? Thinking maybe 2 small (5 inch) flour tortillas, OR rice with saffron would be ok. OR could I do some other traditional fajita dressings instead of the flour tortillas or rice, i.e. could I do the grilled peppers, lettuce, or maybe onions, tomatoes/pico? Sour cream and guac. are traditional sides, but I'm thinking too much fat for dinner, yes? So far in P4, I'm keeping dinners to lean meat and carbs (not too many) and reserving fat for bkfst, lunch. Think I'm doing something right: -1.2lbs from P3 entry weight, glycogen restores seem back, & have so much more energy than ever had on P1&2. Still unsure for tonight as I haven't eaten dinner out yet for maintenance, don't know the rules as well. Thanks for any input!!!

As I am understanding, yes you want to skip the fats at dinner and moderate your carbs. Having small tortilla or some rice on the side should be fine. The Pico de Gallo is just tomato, onion and cilantro so you don't have to regulate that, but if you have fats at lunch then definitely avoid the sour cream and guacamole. Assuming this is not going to be your "fun" day of course

Ha ha, scorbett, I just did a shout out to you on the daily! TY so much for the response. No fun days for me yet, got to wrap my head around maintenance rules first. Plus I might go back to P2 in a couple of weeks if my hair quits falling out! Hair loss slowed last 2 days, but still more than normal. Oddly, so far I've found P3&4 pretty simple, easy rules. That's what makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong, lol!

LOL I know what you mean! I actually feel pretty good about P4 at this point, though I'm sure I will have questions about particular foods along the way. Other than finding my daily calorie "sweet spot" I feel like P4 will be ok. Its those P3 breakfasts that are getting me!!! I am SO thankful for the breakfast thread, I'd be eating the same thing every day otherwise!

Ishbel - Congrats - being a princess sounds fantastic! Should we address you as "your highness" now?

Mommak8 - hard to say about TOM. I do not notice much fluctuation at all, but that may be because I am getting near menopause and most likely not ovulating any more. I think pushing water also minimizes the fluid retention. You'll figure it out soon enough.

Where do you all find the chia seeds? No idea if they would be at the grocery, and if so, in what section. I'd like to give this a try.

I've seen them by Bob's Red Mill, they should be in the natural foods/health foods section. Same place you would find the Kashi, maybe the gluten free stuff.

Maile I have been eating 2tsp of chia seeds. Do you do 1Tbls?

Bob's Red Mill has chia seeds and I have even bought them at the regular grocery store where the supplements are. Lots of different brands.

Ishbel Hang in there with the weight fluctuation. I still weigh myself daily even though I have been told not to because it is normal to fluctuate and I tend to get a little freaked out. There are so many reasons it can be bouncing around that as long as it is just a couple pounds we shouldn't be stressing too much. I have also had to make the decision to eliminate simple sugars entirely, at least for now. They are a demon for me and once I start I have a hard time stopping. I have friends that can have just 1 piece of candy or A cookie and then stop. NOT ME!! Our hormones can dictate weight as well so just do what you always do and it will be fine. At least that's what I keep telling myself!

Hi Lizzy64. Re Chia seeds? If for some reason your local supermarket doesn't carry them, you can most likely find at any health food store. My local supermarket does carry some Bob's Red Mill products, but not chia seeds - at least not yet. I can't help but notice that they're carrying more and more of these natural foods, so fingers crossed...

Lizzy63 Nah, I'm ok not being called that...it's an inside joke in my family though (has been for years)...whenever I do anything 'unladylike' I always say "yup! I'm a princess". In fact, the pendant I'm wearing in my avatar is a crown from disney, it says "princess" lol

lori Thanks for the pep talk, you're right, daily weighing is bad, but for the last few months it's been pretty much a gentle slope down from Monday to Friday (so this is 'new' - but not insurmountable... ) So the bouncing around is causing anxiety but it will be ok (thanks to all for listening I'd definately get people rolling their eyes at me off line lol). I generally keep the simple sugars out except for fun day...however even with a fun day the next week I want MORE sugar (I'm pretty good keeping it out during the week and on Phase 1 day)...so I may feel like I'm doing well with some chocolate, but the next week it's double the amounts etc etc.

Nolawhodatchick Looks like scorbett looked after ya already I'm assuming you're already out eating.

Blah...I've had a bad week - some bad food choices and slacking off my workouts. It has been a more stressful week than normal, but it ended up in a fantastic performance review...let's see how that will roll into my yearly raise!

I skipped out on my workout Tue, Thur, & Fri (today) but have a "date" to have a 7-mile run tomorrow with my cousin. I guess sometimes these "blah" weeks are the kick in the butt you need to remotivate, I am sooooooo glad it's the weekend! I refuse to "blame it on the pregnancy", I keep hearing how I should just eat whatever or I should stop exercising, etc. In fact, I have WAAAAAY more energy when I workout in the morning and I seriously doubt that fried foods and ice cream are "good for the baby".

Sorry for the rant...but that's what friends are for! On the plus side, had my 12-week sonogram yesterday and it looks like I am going to have a little girl!

Princess Ishbel! I LOVE IT!

Lizr: Such fun to hear you are having a baby girl! I hope you get a raise from that great review on your job. Sorry about the blah week. I think it is the end of winter blues. I skipped my workout yesterday also and need to get moving today.

Ishbel: That scale is not behaving! I hope it starts working for you. I have been there when you feel like gaining a pound feels like you have gained 100 pounds back. Hang in there. There are so many reasons for fluctuation. When I am worried I look at my poster: You can crumble or you can conquer. Don't forget you are a princess!

Mommak8, Evepet, LoriT,Scorbette, Lizzy63: I am eating 2 tsps of chia seeds. I tried 1 tblsp and felt too full. But I have read about people having 2 Tbl a day for health benefits. I literally could not find chia seeds in my small town. Both health food sections in stores were out of chia seeds. I ordered them from Amazon. I am watching to see if there is any weight gain from adding them..I probably should cut back on my almond butter, but do not want to! I now love almond butter over peanut butter.

I heard a news program which said that with the new health care program in the US, companies will be able to fine you if you are overweight and do not exercise. You could be charged 30 percent more for your health insurance if you do not follow the company's wellness diet and exercise plan. I think we should reward people for maintenance and not punish others.

This is not actually correct - misinformation meant to stir people into a frenzy. I work in healthcare. What is happening is that they are starting to structure healthcare costs more like car insurance. Rates will be set at a particular level. Discounts will be taken off for good, long term health habits (non-smoker, regular checkups, etc). By extension, people who are looking after their health will pay less. People who are at higher risk of making the insurance company pay out, pay more.

Because it's pretty much the reverse of how healthcare premiums have been charged up to this point, companies (including the hospital I work in) have started to work up to it by surcharging people with health risks. At my hospital, last year if you were a smoker and unwilling to utilize the FREE quit-smoking program they offered (whether the program worked was irrelevant, but they had to be willing to complete the program) you were surcharged extra money on your yearly premium. This year, in addition to the smoking surcharge, they required us to have had a routine physical, get a biometric screening, and complete a questionnaire online about our health habits. If you did that, you didn't pay the surcharge. Whatever the results of the tests were didn't matter - just that you saw your doctor, got an assessment and did the survey.

Legally speaking, a company cannot use health insurance as a means of making money - i.e. they cannot force you to pay for a program in order to "earn" lower insurance rates. But just like car insurance charges high risk people more to insure their cars, health insurance companies are moving toward doing the same for people who are high risk of costing the insurance money.

Good morning all,

Some of you already know me since I've been around since the first of last year. I have been lurking on here for a few weeks and am now in day 4 of Phase 3. After 55 weeks of strict IP program, I'm finding it psychologically scary doing anything but following the P1 protocol. Like all of you, I don't want to gain again. I am tracking my eating on MFP. I weighed this morning and am up .6 from one week ago. I believe that is to be somewhat expected as my body transitions. My muscle was also up to the highest point since I started and I know muscle weighs more than fat. Plus I have some extra stress right now.

Enough about me. I will keep reading what you all have to say and keep moving along with the program. I am really enjoying trying all those great breakfast ideas Liz has posted.

Have a great weekend.
Molly