Ok - wonderful! Good to know. :) Sounds like something that would work well while I finish up P1, on some zucchini or cucumber slices. :)

I used the recipe I posted while still in Phase 1, just counted 1/4 cup of it as 1 cup of my veggies. All it is is cauliflower, garlic, a little oil and seasonings :)

I have heard of people gaining a lot replenishing the glycogen stores. I weighed again today and lost that bit I'd gained. Now to stay this way. I probably won't change much from what I'm doing on P3, except my evening snack probably.

Molly

Scorbette: Thanks for the recipe. I am going to try it..plus it can count as a vege.

You'll do great! I was terrified to transition to P4, but with the support of DH (talking me into eating food) and the amazing women on this thread, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I've been slowly adding calories while following the "carb/fat rules" and throwing in an occasional low carb/low fat day if the scale creeps up. I do find that I plan my food (almost obsessively since I'm only 3 weeks into maintenance) and track using MFP. Stay positive, you've made it so far!

It's funny - I am having the HARDEST time wrapping my brain around actually being able to eat certain foods! As I'm playing around with breakfast foods on MFP I keep avoiding recipes with any kind of flour (still in P1 mentality!) but then I have to remind myself that I CAN do flour recipes as long as they fit the worksheet.

I'm excited too - got an order of Mama Lupe's low carb tortillas today from Netrition. They actually SMELL like real tortillas and are nice and soft. I might actually make myself a nice breakfast burrito in the next day or so if I can make the P3 worksheet play nice :)

Scorbette: I just ordered the same Mama Lupe's tortillas..they only have 3 net carbs. I love the Touvain pita bread from that site.

Scorbett
I so understand what you mean. I have never added flour back. I still remain extremely low carb. Most of my meal only include protein veggies and fat. Overall I am pretty satisfied with that. Occasionally I eat a burger within a bun, etc. but that would be the exception rather than the rule.

I think I am just very carb resistant, although I have just never really taken the time to experiment with adding too much grain or sugar back into my diet.

I know this should be on the breakfast thread, but since we were talking about flour...I've made a delicious pancake using 1/3 c whole wheat flour, cinnamon, egg and 1/4 c 2% greek yogurt and a bit of baking powder as the liquid... Warmed up 1 c frozen or fresh blueberries and another 1/4 c yogurt with stevia as "whipped cream" and 1 Morningstar breakfast sausage patty. Yum.

Scorbett, do you have a hard time getting in all the calories MFP says to maintain weight? I'm trying to get my metabolism back up to reg burning levels, but struggle to get all my cal.

mommak8 - thanks for sharing the pancake recipe! Think I'll give it a try this weekend.

Scorbett - thank YOU for sharing the cauli hummus recipe:) Might take this to 'girls night out' on Friday.

Well, I'm back up a couple lbs. I just cannot make myself go back on P1 for more than a day, and still having a hard time with chocolate, though it's getting better. Last night my VIP said he wants to eat healthier with me for a while so lose a few lbs (he actually needs to lose at least 50, even after having lost 2 pants sizes in the past few months), so think we're going to do to P3 for a while. As long as I can have a decent breakfast and fruit, nuts or yogurt for a snack, it should work.

Speaking of food...better get my lunch while I still have some time left. Have a good afternoon!

I'm still in P3 (for one more week!) so I am still figuring out how my maintenance calories are going to work, but I'm not putting a TON of stock in the calorie estimates on MFP - it's VERY general and really just a guide. I set my calorie count at 1400 for P3, some days I get very close, others I'm closer to 1100 than 1400 and feeling stuffed. I'm using it more to track my total intake (calories, fat, protein, carbs/fiber) to make sure I'm getting NOURISHED enough. The scale will tell me if I need to pull back.

I really appreciate this thread, and although I haven't posted much in the past, I read daily. I am on my third week of P3, so I guess I could say I'm in maintenance. I have just not felt comfortable adding anything else back. I also started back to my normal exercise, which is fairly vigorous. I wish I could say that I am having difficulty getting all the calories in, but frankly I have been very hungry all the time. I have stuck to a normal P3 breakfast with protein and vegetables the rest of the day, but I am always "starving" 3 hours after eating. Has anyone else felt this way? Any advice?

I have to say that going back to vigorous exercise really stoked my appetite! I always have to pack extra snacks with me to make sure I am ready when "the hunger" hits and I actually pack a second lunch. It sounds like you should listen to your body and make sure you get proper nourishment now that you are in "the real world".

The pancake and hummus recipes sound good. Thanks for posting them, I will give them a try.
I have been on maintenance since August and have never really counted carbs or calories. That is one of the things I like about this program as opposed to having to count points or calories like I did on other weight loss programs. So far it has worked okay, but I tend to stick to P3 foods during the week, adding in a little extra fats and an occasional glass of wine. The weekends tend to be a little freer, but I also get in more exercise. I did start playing around on MFP and SparkPeople with logging in my food and activity this last week, mainly so I could see how many carbs and calories I actually am getting. I'm not a fan of having to do that often because I think I become more obsessed with what I am eating but I guess it is good to know where I should be aiming for should my weight start to fluctuate more often. I found that if I get a little crazy with the eating and the scale goes up, I reign it back in by eating P1 or close to it for a few days and that has taken care of the issue....at least so far.

I am hoping that someday I won't have to be "obsessed" with what I eat and that it becomes a more natural way of life for me, but not sure that will happen for awhile since I have been eating the old lifestyle for 30+ years. I love being able to read posts from so many other people that are going through the same changes I am and that really understand how important eating this way has become for me. I get frustrated when people ask me when I will start eating normal again and why I am so strict about what I eat. I have started telling people that this is my new "normal" and I love eating this way. So far that seems to shut them up, but I know there are those that are waiting for me to fail and re-gain the weight since I have done it before.

Thanks for listening....it's been one of those days!!

I still don't know how to post quotes! But thanks for the advice LizRR and for your thoughts Lori T. I really don't want to track my calories for now (I would be obsessed) but I think I, too, will continue mostly low carb with the occasional glass of wine as well. I also like eating this way. I feel much better and do not have cravings, just real hunger (which is good, I guess!). The exercise is important to me so I will just eat more protein and vegetables if I need them!