Greeniris - Good luck with the reboot! Sounds like you have made the commitment, so I'm sure you will succeed. Let us know how it's going. ITA with Ishbel - rebooting seems to be just part of maintenance.

Scorbett - Glad to have you joining us in maintenance!

I have had a couple of bad days, calorie-wise. A little stressed about a job interview, and wham - a couple of days over 2,000 calories... (Just when you think you've got it under control, this stuff sneaks up on you!)

Anyhow, I'm going to balance out with a few lower calorie days, and we'll see where I'm at on Sunday when I weigh. I am below my maintenance range now, so perhaps it will be OK, but I need to nip this in the bud!

I will be honest.
I usually have a fun weekend. I try to keep the carbs down, but I like white wine and enough glasses of that =definite fun and sometimes snacking.

It usually takes me 3 real days of phase 1 to return to my normal maintaining weight. I continue my usual 60 minutes of exercise throughout.

I often considered trying to get down to 140, but the only conceivable way to do this would probably require a long time on phase 1 again with no fun weekends!

Although I have maintained this way pretty well for 2 years, I am tired of buying the ip food, even though I like it! I am slowly trying to work myself into a whole foods low carb, more consistent diet (which will probably be lower in wine, darn it). I am using precision nutritious program to help with this.

I think it's worth a try, and I know I can always revert back to ip if things start to really derail.

Ooops....I posted this on the volume 9 page before seeing this one is now up so I will repost on here. It has been quite awhile since I have posted on here, but I have still been reading the posts and it is so great and inspirational to see all of you that are now on maintenance or getting ever so much closer.
I have been on maintenance since August and did really well until AFTER the holidays when I think I just got too complacent and let the evil demon sugar creep back into my diet. I managed to stay within 3 lbs of my goal until 2 weeks ago and then kind of went nuts, so now I am doing a mini re-boot to get myself back on track and get the sugar cravings out of my system.
The blessing in all of this is that instead of needing to lose 95 lbs I only need to lose 5 or 6!
Maile and Ishbel...thanks for making it seem like the process of maintenance, while always a work in progress does seem to get easier. 6 months into it and I still feel like I have to be "obsessed" with what I eat or it will get out of hand quickly.
Congratulations to all of you who are new to maintenance or are preparing to get here. It's an awesome feeling and so worth the effort!

evepet I'm with you on not changing the mindset....stick around when you're in maintenance and keep posting in here anyway

scorbett1103 That is very kind of you I do struggle but it's not everyday nor is it every moment. Noon didn't come soon enough for me today! And I'm pretty sure I was HANGRY last night when I was 'cranky' with someone Welcome to almost maintenance.

Lizzy63 Great job on keeping an eye on it! It's about being balanced now You're doing awesome!

Lori T sometimes I feel obsessed too...but then some days it's just 'natural'....hard to explain. I fortune tell into 2 years and see myself being more 'natural' about my choices.

momto2cs WAY TO GO ON MAINTAINING!!! WOW, can't wait to say "almost 2 years"

Chloe222 *It always been just one day. *It's like at the beginning of IP my coach said "there is a beginning and an end to a diet" fun day has the same mind set...Saturday morning...fun...Sunday morning...Phase 1. *And I have to admit that I don't mind the Phase 1, it detoxes me from foods that I haven't distracted myself from yet.*

NOW, I am not balls to the wall (I was at first – for the first month). I just might eat more of what I'm already eating. For example, I have two toast in the morning on a regular day with the rest of my breakfast. I may have four toasts that morning with a fruit (mmm mango!) and forgo the rest of the breakfast. I will have chocolate on a Saturday. I have learned I can't have very much or I'll feel gross and almost nauseated. I am still learning 9.5 months into it. I canNOT have ice cream on fun day...it just doesn't serve me well. I'm slightly lactose intolerant apparently as cheese doesn't do to me what ice cream does.

After Phase 1 day...if I'm still up above my high range (1 lb or so) I might just have a shake for my breakfast and have no carb for supper but still have the fruit with yogurt for snack or what I like to call 'dessert' at 8:30. Sometimes during the week I just don't have a carb and sometimes I do (for supper...kind of a choice lately). If I'm super duper busy (I'm busy on a Tuesday then I'll have an IP bar for a snack instead of the fruit and yogurt. I personally use the packets for my one Phase 1 day and emergency snacks (I really like my fruit lol). Very rarely do I need to just have a shake on Monday for breakfast but for me if I need to cut some calories that’s what I’ll cut (and evening supper carb)

I don't know if that answers your question...I do sorta update my goal photo album with "ok it's been 3 months" "ok it's been 9 months" and I always review my older post to see what I was up to LOL so there is some info in there...

WOW big post! (sorry)

Ishbel....you said you do use IP food for your P1 days. I am curious whether others use IP food or just have P1ish days? I tend to just keep it very low carb but may still have greek yogurt and some berries for breakfast and veggies and protein the rest of the day. It has worked okay, but I think there may be a psychological piece to having the IP packets that makes me feel like I am back on track. It just gets kind of expensive to do that every week when I have a fun day.
Momto2cs...I see you also have maintained for a long time and it sounds like you are still using IP food for your P1 days. What is precision nutrition program?

I've gotten away from logging my intake every day, as I just couldn't commit to a log how bad I've done with the choc...
I'm sure that 5 lbs will come off quickly, but my comfort range was actually 3 - 5 lbs above where I was when I hit P4. So I'm actually looking to lose 12 - 15 lbs to give myself a bit of wiggle room, and a lower range to maintain. Refuse to buy bigger pants

Scorbett, you have been a model IP 'patient'! You have rocked the program, and helped so many others along the way (including me). Congratulations on your many successes!!!!

Thank you Chloe; your comments mean a lot to me. It has been an up/down journey, that's for sure. I too hope to lower my goal weight a few lbs, but think I'm going to limit my P1 to a max of 4 or 5 weeks. Long enough to make going back into ketosis worth while.

Thank you Lizzy. It is amazing/scary how fast the extra sneaks up on us, isn't it?! I know you'll have this back under control in no time.

Hi Lori - you caught it quickly, and after being successful in maintenance for several months, you know exactly what to do to turn it around. I know what you mean about being obsessed...I'm the same way, and really looking forward to when it becomes a normal way of life so don't have to think about it constantly.

I always learn from your (and maile's) posts, so don't apologize for them!

I love the ip soups. I have not found an easier lunch-so I stick with it. I do use ip or alternatives for my phase 1 days.
Check out the precision nutrition website. The lean eating program is basically a year of online coaching that included workouts and diet. It looked interesting and I was needing a goal for 2013...

Great posting lately! Not much time to post but reading. Thanks everyone for all your great advice. Two weeks into maintenance for me and it is going well. I still haven't had a "fun" day yet. Not sure what I want and still a little afraid to.

I'll throw this out there since I'm sitting here plotting my calendar to maintenance

How long did you maintainers do Phase 2? I'm a little conflicted about whether to do the full 2 weeks, or do one week and then move to phase 3. For those that did the full 2 weeks, did you feel that was beneficial or do you wish you had moved on sooner?

scorbett,
I can give you backwards advise. I did P2 for about 3 days because I miscalculated phasing off for vacation and/or it took an extra week to get the last lb off. The critical piece is 2 weeks of P3.

LizRR has some notes on the purpose of P2 being to up the calories and to digest the real protein. Dr Tran's site says he now shortens the time. Wuv, I think, shortens or eliminates it for her clients.

At .8 from goal, you could really go on P2 for two weeks starting now.

If I had the time, I would do P2 for two weeks. I think it gives time to adjust to additional calories, before adding even more calories in P3. (I also think there should be some phases between P3 and P4 to ease into maintenance a meal/snack at a time, too, and I swear I will invent them one of these days.)

Of course, if you are just tired of it and you aren't losing inches, shortening P2 to just a week would be fine, especially since you are/have upped your exercise (am I remembering that right?). Since now P1 is to 100% of weight loss, P2 actually reads "up to 2 weeks", so it seems it is whatever you want.

Maybe someone has some new rules for it and will chime in.

Well, I'm new to this forum, but have been on plan since 9/5/12 and have lost 58 lbs I wanted to chime in on the Phase 2 question...

My coach's opinion on the purpose for phase 2 is to get used to being responsible for more of our daily intake. I have to agree! Just making sure my lunch (or breakfast, sometimes I did eggs if I was going to be away at lunch) was planned was a change of thinking and I feel like it prepared me mentally for moving into Phase 3, as well as adding the calories. I was fortunate to continue losing 1-2 lbs a week through phase 2. I also started tracking with My Fitness Pal during phase 2 for practice and just to see what was happening. It set me up beautifully for phase 3.

I start phase 4 Friday!!! There are so few guidelines compared to the rest of the program, but I'm excited and nervous and scared and happy and confused! Lol!

I'm glad to know that there are amazing people to motivate and inspire right here in my "magic box" (read computer). Thanks!

Thanks guys! I definitely plan on sticking to P3 for the full 2 weeks, but like you I have seen differing opinions on Phase 2. I did read Liz's post about the digestion factor and it makes sense that we'd need to ease our bodies into dealing with the harder-to-digest foods - I see it in the hospital all the time in patients who were on clear liquid diets or no food at all due to their illness or a procedure. The longer you don't give your body stuff that takes work to digest, the lazier it gets and you need to ease it back into regular eating.

Lori T I do use IP Packets for Phase 1 day, I've tried a few different ways to do Phase 1 day and find my weight creeps on. I use Phase 1 to significantly decrease my calorie intake and all sugar. So I do Phase 1 exactly as I did when I was in it originally. I also like IP packets, I look forward to my IP cereal pancake LOL

greeniris I'm with you on the pants, I don't even want to ADMIT how much I spent last year on a new wardrobe When I started maintenance I had two pairs of pants and three blouses...so I think that's one factor that keeps me on the straight and narrow...I don't want to spend THAT again! (don't get me wrong, it was fun...but at one point you look at your bank account and you think ok STOP!

I did keep my favorite jeans from when I was the other Ishbel...and a shirt. That I take out once in a while and look at.

scorbett1103 I agree with infoplease, you COULD start now...but I get the mental aspect of wanting to see a number BEFORE you start. I did a full two weeks and I know my clinic still pushes Phase 2 just not necessarily for two weeks. I didn't lose in Phase 2 but lost 5 in Phase 3 <shrug>.

Later Skaters!

Momto2csThanks, I will look at the precision nutrition website.
Ideal Protein has worked so well for me and I don't ever see myself going back to that old person I was a year ago, but could always use some extra motivation!
IshbelI agree that so far IP packets just seem to work best for those days I need P1. I think some of it is security in knowing just what I am eating and it is so very convenient.
greeniris Hang in there...none of us would be on this site or posting if we weren't going through the same thing, even if we are at different stages. It is a new lifestyle that, at least for me is trial and error at times and I have yoyo'd with my weight for many years and refuse to do it anymore!

I giggled when I read the comment about clothes because I could run my own clothing store with all the clothes I have purchased over the last year and beyond that for the years I went up and down in weight. I love how I look now and although my husband does too, and understood the need to buy a new wardrobe he was ready for me to reign it in a little!

**bumped**