Thank you all for the welcome back. It is good to be amongst friends who understand this journey so very well.
Ishbel- Thank you for reminding me of the self compassion and not being judgemental... I keep reading of how one should treat their own self the way they would a friend. And just as I would never tell a friend 'you're sure looking fat today' I shouldn't say such things to myself. But we are our own worst critics.
I, too have tried so many diets that involved counting calories or points and would down them early in the day telling myself I would make it up later and then of course would not keep that promise. And the promises I make to myself are just as important as the promises I make to others. In order to trust myself I need to keep my promises to myself.
And while it's all been said before it's worth saying again because there is strength in repetition also. And I'll take strength where I can get it right now ;)
Maile- You are an excellent role model of how posting helps. Reimplementing and reinforcing good habits is high on the priority list right now. So, am writing down everything I eat on my weekly sheet and trying to check in here daily.
Mom2cs- I like your new avatar as well! Such a cute family :) Splitting my time between this thread, the rebooters and the daily... seeing as how I have a foot in each??...
Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday...

Hi Maintenance-I-Peeps! wow - what a busy week it's been. I'm glad it's Friday night! Two days to relax and unwind. I'd forgotten how hard the 9-5 routine is! Finally got a few minutes to sit down, cup of tea in hand, and get caught up here.

Ishbel - A belated but hearty Congratulations on both your year of weight maintenance, and your birthday. You're a great example of how this can be done. Folks like you and Maille inspire me.

Scorbett - Thanks for the advice about the yogourt making. I'll be getting my thermometer tomorrow, and giving it a shot. I'll be sure to take note of what's happening temperature-wise in the crock pot around the time frames you mentioned. It would seem that if I start the heating up process about 4-5pm or so, it'll time out so that I'm allowing sufficient time for the crock pot temp to raise and then fall again to get to the point were I add the live cultures and literally 'wrap it up' for the overnight stretch at around my usual bedtime. Fingers crossed... we'll see what happens.

Wingnut - You are so right - the 'mental' is a hugh part of both the weight loss and the maintenance journey. I can't really figure out what has changed with me, but my head is in a different place this time around. For both phases. I have a strong suspicion that I wouldn't have stuck through the last plateau, and gotten to my final goal weight without the support of this forum.... I'd have problem quit earlier than what I would have ultimately felt 100% satisfied with.

Greeniris - A belated Congrats to you, too, on having your beautiful Grandaughter returned into your son's care. That whole scenario must have been gut-wrenching. I'm so glad that everything has worked out ok, and the girl has a safe and happy home now.

Cheekyskeeter- Welcome to Maintenance!

Hi to Maille, capricious, escape, beck, joysh, gazelle and Momto2cs.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Cheers for now. :)

P.S. Have a girlfriend coming for dinner on Sunday. Just called her and asked how she felt about sharing a pizza with me? LOL - I'm being a little selfish, as I know she looks forward to my cooking something a little more exciting when she's at my place for a meal (she doesn't cook) - but it's been soooo long since I've had pizza.... and if I buy a Dr. Oetker's pizza it's the perfect size for a splurge for 2 people. :) Plus I'll make a veggie-based low-cal/low-fat soup to start I think... and a nice fresh side salad. And she's bring a dessert. I think I'm going to need a P1 day on Monday! :) But I'm looking forward to some pizza! And this way I won't overindulge on pizza toooo much... and there won't be slices of it left over to temp me!

I hope the pizza is good. That seems like a perfect way to do it.

Hey IPeeps! I've been out for a while, it's been crazy busy around here and I haven't exactly been an IPer lately! Feel like a bit of a fish out of water since I have been GAINING weight over the past 21 weeks! Of course it is all for the good cause of baby-growing. My gain has stayed healthy but I admit to going off the good path a few times - still working on sneaking in veggies when I can as my food aversions continue on (I used to love chicken & veggies!).

I am still running 15 mi/week (down from 25) and weightlifting 2-3x/week. I dropped from my running group as they got too fast for me!!! I do the dreadmill at ~11min/mi with a 2 minute walk/water stop every 20 minutes. I monitor my heartrate throughout. Still feel fantastic and have had no back problems so far, even with the almost ~20lb weight gain to date.

ISHBEL!!!! HAPPY ANNIVERBIRTHDAY!

Lizr: I think that baby is growing!!! You are staying fit and healthy. How many more months until the baby is due? Pregnancy does weird things..I did not find many aversions, just lots of cravings of unhealthy food,,LOL.

Evepet: That pizza night sound good with that soup. I still love pizza.

Ishbel: too cute about the pink celebration! As I maintain, I also feel that self compassion is important, especially during the up pounds times.

Cap: tracking and posting will keep you focused and on track. Hope today goes well for you. I like this quote:
“Confidence is the result of hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.” ~ Roger Staubach

I had the pinch test yesterday at my gym. I have lost 6 pounds of fat..My Body Composition is down 2 Percent and is 21.5 which is optimal for my age. I have a normal BMI.The trainer told me that I have most certainly gained muscle weight. I have decided to change my goal weight to 130.
All of my clothes fit and I am in my range.

Have a great weekend everyone. We have rain and more rain.

Happy Saturday all!

Ishbel - congrats on your maintenance anniversary and happy birthday! What a fantastic accomplishment!

Greeniris - I am so happy for your family! Change is always a bit challenging, but I'm sure you will work through that and it sounds like this is best for your granddaughter. I love having my 3 grandsons nearby and seeing them often.

Evepet - enjoy your pizza! Good strategy to avoid leftovers!

LizRR - good to hear you are doing well. I have wondered how you and the baby are doing.

Good week so far. I don't officially weigh until tomorrow, but looks like I'll be down again, so moving closer to the bottom of my range and feeling like I made the right decision to just do my usual routine after my little gain from vacation.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

LizR- so happy for you that your pregnancy is going well :) It can be such a hard time physically and you are doing wonderfully in focusing on exercising and getting in what veggies you can... It's funny but I've noticed that things I ate during each pregnancy tend to be the favourites of each child... with my first there was decided cravings for ice cream and it is my eldest child's favourite thing by far... with my last I ate tons of greek salad and that little guy loves his veggies...
Maile- thank you for the quote. It is so very true. I remind myself too that I need to be patient with this process. 21.5 is excellent! Wow!

Capricious - I think I remember you from when I began IP early last summer. It IS hard to come back and admit how far off course we've gotten, but you did it and know now that we are all here for you. Maile & Ishbel are awesome mentors to us newer maintainers, and because of them I firmly believe that staying connected with 3FC is a must to achieve long-term success (for me at least). As for which threads you 'belong' on - wherever you feel the most comfortable and supported. For me that is here and on the Fab 50's. Occasionally I read/post on some of the others, but not often. I wish you the best!

cheeky - Yay! You made it:carrot:

Ishbel - Love reading your reflections & insights on the hows & whys, etc. I've learned so much from you, and I thank you for that. :hug: One of the things I'm working on is self-compassion... I think that's a tough one for most of us, but not insurmountable.

If you get too far below your goal weight, that dress might have to be taken in a bit! LOL

Molly - Hope your trip goes smoothly. FYI - there is a lot of flooding in the southern part of MI right now. Sounds like they got a tremendous amount of rain this week, but woke up to a bit of snow again this morning.

cscape - You did great losing the 70! Truly the hardest part of losing weight is keeping it off long-term. I too regained about 15 a short time ago. Now back on P1 and am down 6.5 so far.

evepet - Love your plan of inviting a gf over for pizza to ensure there are no leftovers!

LizRR - Great to hear from you! Sounds like you're doing really well, considering the food aversions. Am glad your back problems haven't resurfaced.

Nothing much to report here. Brought home a LOT of veggies last night so have more variety available. So anxious for spring weather - the garden seedlings have taken over in the house! Planning a laid-back kind of weekend...

EDIT - Maile, we must have posted at the same time. Awesome body composition/BMI! You've worked hard and I'm thrilled for you!

Hi All-
Checking after a long hiatus from posting
We are in Argentina on a two-week vacation. The first week we spent in Buenos Aires and we are now Mendoza which is in the wine country at the foot of the Andes, so beautiful!
Our vacation, though, hasn't gone as planned as the FIRST DAY I broke my foot! Had to spent two more days completely off it and now have a walking cast and crutches. Needless to say, we had to make some adjustments in what we are doing but still having a great time. My husband will be hiking the Andes and biking by himself while I hang out here in town.
The wine is fabulous. Tonight we are attending a very special dinner given by a world-renowned chef at a winery. Here's a link and check out the menu:

http://www.chefmun.com/chef-mun/

Needless to say there will be some major Phase 1 going on when I return but in the meantime Im having a great time.

Barbara

Hi Everyone! Happy Saturday! This is my second weekend in a row to stay home in my little town. Yesterday I went to Shreveport (an hour away) on school business and then stayed until the evening. I can't seem to keep myself away from trying on clothes in stores, even if I don't buy a lot. I bought one pair of summer off-white slacks that I can wear to work or for "dressing up." It's so much fun to try on different clothes and styles and see what my new style is!! So much of my life I bought a limited style - what fit! Now I have so many choices!

Did anyone else have that experience after reaching your goal? It's become my favorite form of entertainment. I thought of going to a movie, but decided to hit more stores instead!

Phase 3 breakfasts are going well. Today marks the beginning of the second week for P3. Next weekend (or after the weekend, I think, since I'm traveling next weekend) I'll begin P4!!

Kitkat, It's good to know I can keep eating these breakfasts. It will be fine to decrease the amounts. I get really full after breakfast right now, but know I need to jumpstart my system back into working.

It's always hard to leave a job that you've been in for a while and have done well at. I know they'll miss you. But the new person will be ok. He'll learn and you'll move on to other things. You've given your knowledge, skill, and energy and now will move on to shine in a new place!!

Evepet, What a great idea about the pizza!! I love pizza but it's one of those foods that I'm not sure how I'll trust myself with. I think eating it WITH someone and not having any leftovers might be the solution for me, too. Great idea!!!

Capricious, I think I also remember you from early summer! You'll take care of this because you know how to.

Cindy, I agree with you about staying on 3fC through maintenance. I know I need the support and the group conversation. Cindy, I know you are so relieved and happy to have your DG nearby. Enjoy it! I travel 4 hours to see my sweet twins. It's a journey of love every time! The others are much farther and that's hard.

cheeky - Congrats!

Ishbel Sounds like you had a great birthday!

Molly Be careful on your trip!

LizRR Love the newest pics of your baby belly!!

Maile, wow on the body composition!!!

Mamazu, Wow! Argentina!!! Enjoy every moment! It sounds wonderful!! Sorry about your foot, but you'll still have a great time!

Have a great day, Ipeeps!!

BTW, the family member who I am coaching (no IP clinic near her at all) has been OP for 6 weeks and has lost 24 pounds!! She's thrilled, and I am too!!:dancer::dancer::dancer:

Well I'm another oldie checking in. I am now up 15 pounds, 5 instently in phase 3, 5 with Christmas and 5 more with a Paleo "challenge".
I am hitting phase 1 again as none of my summer clothes will fit if it ever stops snowing here.

So glad to see so many people here with such excellent advice. After my Paleo venture I am actually looking forward to phase 1. I so missed my protein/ spinach shake for breakfast.

Great advice from mom2 about eating only what you really like, That means very few of the pkgs for me this time as I really burned out on them the first time through and my long winter of discontent after. But there is lots of good things I can make with my preferred brand of protein powder. I sent an order to Nashua for my favorite things, the oatmeal for my rhubarb dish and blueberry pancakes.
Maile and Liz, I am so impressed with how you stay on track with the exercise and others too who stay on track long term.

Cap, hopefully we will be able to get out soon in dryer snow free areas.I drive by the National Park everyday and so want to get back to walking there ( and trying not to startle the bison!)
Iris I have been following your battle this winter and and so glad you got back on track as I have been going through the same thing. Also you must be very relieved that your grand daughter is in a safer place.

I had not been posting on this thread because I have not been doing well with maintaining. But this is where the expert advice is so I know you won't mind if I rejoin you here. I didn't mention everyone but you all are such important role models with your calm steady approach to maintaining your healthy life style.

After my venture into Paleo I realize that what is important is what works for us as individuals. So many people who regain blame it on not phasing off properly. That is important but what is more important is monitoring what works for us. For me I realize now I will have to following a phase 2 type plan for at least 90% of my week.
With the stress I experienced giving up my protein/spinach shake with my long early morning commute I know that is not a bad thing at all. My ancestors didn't have protein powder. They also didn't get up at the crack of dawn and drive over an hour before their workday began either.

Pat

Welcome back!! You are so right - it's one of the biggest challenges of maintenance, finding what works for us individually! I tried following the IP recommendations strictly at first, but for me what works is more of a weight-watchers style menu, with lower carbs at lunch and lower fats at dinner. My snacks do not always follow the fat/carb separation rule but I try to have at least one snack that is strictly a veggie or a fruit. Calorie counting and balancing my fat/carb/protein intake over the whole day seems to work best.

Good luck on your reboot and figuring out your maintenance plan!

Hey pat! Nice to see you back. I definitely think posting and reading the forums helps keep you on track.

My PN program continues to be good. The "rules" include eating veggies and protein for every snack or meal, with some good fats. Carbs are only post workout. I have started having a bit of fruit and some higher carb veggies more often and it has not impacted my weight. I had to do progress pictures today and since January I have lost 10 inches. And I look better and feel stronger.

Maile-that is an excellent bodyfat. Clearly you are doing things right!

HI,
I'm starting phase 4 on tuesday, just thinking about what you said about
figuring out what works for each person personally.
I'm alittle scared to change anything, p3 is great! No cravings and staying
pretty much the same weight. How much different did you feel p4 was when
you started?

Thanks for any advice from any of you here in the Maintainers
thread, I really appreciate it!!!:)

D

Cindy and others following my traveling. I messed us up. I forgot (lose track of what day of the week it is being retired) and did not get to the office for vehicle registration. We will be gone when they are due, so I was going to do that. Now, we have to wait to leave until after I go on Monday morning. Bah humbug. Sooooooooo mad at myself as that puts us into possibly some bad weather on the last couple hundred miles of our trip on Tuesday. More rain and that doesn't sound good as Cindy was warning me about flooding down state Michigan.

Good to hear from Lizzr, Mama Zu and Patns. We miss you, and please, never be ashamed to join us. No one is perfect. Like pilots are always flying correcting the path they take, some times little corrections, some times big, we will all be doing the same on our journey and there's nothing wrong with it.

I am challenged right now with having cleaned out the refrigerator to not have perishable things that will either need to be taken or thrown out (gasp, I hate to waste). Adding another days worth of meals is tough. I did go to the store and picked up more asparagus for tonight. Tomorrow will be leftover salad. I'm out of bread for toast in the morning and finished my last lo-carb wrap. Seems like, my eating choices aren't as good right now as they should be trying to eat up stuff. I am ready to travel and get up to our place up in Michigan and get settled up there.

Okay, sorry about the me post. Just frustrated having been the one to AGAIN postpone our travels. Though one thing, I do prefer to NOT travel on the weekends, so there is one good thing about my mistake.

Molly

When I went to P4, I was very comfortable with P3 eating and stayed that way for a while until I mentally felt ready to add things into my menus, I find I've done that quite slowly and go back to the comfort of P3 quite often. Do what you're happy with. But makes sure you track your food, weigh yourself, and that way you'll know what is the right path and where you can go in the future. Also, never be afraid to come and ask questions or even talk about mistakes.

Molly

Thanks so much Molly!!

Sounds like a good plan!:)

D

Quick hello. I'm rebooting at 15 or so over... Like patns, my summer clothes do not fit...oops. Going to read more and get set to go. Day 2 of my reboot...

Thanks for the welcome back Molly. I am like that with food too, just don't want to waste anything. That leads to trouble if it is something not good for you. Are you planning on staying up north for a good stretch of time or do you have to go back to work on your place in the south?
I am trying to remember if you have an aci fryer. I think you do. If not someone else may chime in. I am thinking of buying one. When I looked at the reviews online someone said it gave off a strong plastic smell that went into the food. I have never read of anyone on this site mentioning that.

My workmate has one and loves it. I keep looking at them at the store....

We are working on moving up to Michigan. With all our cars to haul up and combining two fully furnished places, it will probably take a year (and DH has already decided he's not working any faster than a year's time LOL). I retired at the first of the year, so we will stay up north for a couple months then come back long enough to sort through more things, pack them up, and haul that and another car up (a couple weeks, which will be enough of the hot, humid south). That process will happen over and over until we get the 5, 6 or ?? cars up there. He doesn't pay the bills and doesn't listen when I tell him we really can't afford the two places and need to get this one in Georgia sold. We'll go at his speed.

Yes, I have an actifry. In fact, that's one of the things we haul back and forth with us. Love that actifry. Never have had any smells or tastes, even when it was new. DH likes the 1 tbsp of oil french fries. They don't get quite as crisp, but he likes them. I have never tried even one as when I was making them, I was still on P1 (haven't made any lately). I made turnip and rutabaga fries and they turned out fantastic. I do want to try some sweet potato fries, but DH doesn't like sweet potatoes. My favorite is peppers and onions, and sausage or shrimp or I've even done lobster (cut the tails into bite-sized pieces). Mmmmm. There's an actifry recipe site, http://www.afrecipes.net/ that gives you lots of ideas and an actifry facebook page. I had an actifry recipe thread going one time, but it's probably 20 pages back by now.

Molly

I just took it slow in the beginning of P4. I still do a P3 breakfast every day, at first I was just adding something little to my existing p2 lunches and dinners - some cheese or avocado at lunch on my salad, a sweet potato or a serving of rice at dinner. After a while I trusted that my body wasn't going to totally freak out and gain back 10 lbs :) I tracked (and still track) my calories every day on my fitness pal, so I never get mindless about what I'm eating. So far so good, I weigh myself every other day just to make sure I'm still under my "top" number....if I go over it, I know I can do a P1 day and keep things under control. The first couple of months of maintenance has been an exercise in trusting that the weight loss is real!

Hang in there!

Scorbett, I think that's the big issue here, at least for me. I'm so thrilled to have lost the weight that I'm hesitant to move to the maintenance phase. Of course, I still have one more week in P3 before I do so.

"Trusting that the weight loss is real" is a wonderful phrase.

I will probably do as you are doing and add just a bit to my P3 meals. Avocado, cheese, potato or sweet potato, maybe some brown rice... These are things that I will add. And it will be great to put carrots and string beans back into my salads!

Today I bagged another two giant bags of too-large clothing to make room for my new wardrobe. It's really strange to see those large articles of clothing. They always looked "regular" to me. Now they seem so big that I can hardly believe that I wore them!

The clothes that I now am wearing seem "regular" to me, although I know that one year ago I would never have though they would fit me! Life is strange and wonderful!

Hi everyone. It's been an unseasonably cold, drizzly, and windy day here in my area. Went out doing errands today with my winter parka on... and needed the hood up at one point due to cold and wind. Thankfully, it's supposed to start warming up a bit tomorrow, with some sunshine! :cool:

OK - enough of the weather report....

I got a little carried away around 3pm today when I got back from errands... settled down on the couch to read a magazine I'd picked up, enjoy a cup of coffee and have a couple of little whole wheat mini pitas. But they were so deliciously fresh, that I had two more.... then I remembered what I was no doubt doing to my blood sugar levels - I'd scarfed down about 20g of carb, while nibbling away on 4 little pitas. :devil: So I sat down and logged in the nutritional details at FatSecret.com to help keep myself honest. It sometimes makes me laugh at myself to know that I could sit down and review in great detail almost precisely what I've eaten day by day for a year now. :) But doing this sure does keep me honest, and pulls me up before I drift too far in to a massive carb attack.

I got the idea while in the supermarket of picking up a couple of cans of Campbell's Light Chicken Noodle soup, draining the solids off, and blending some protein powder into the liquids. Then putting blended liquids/protein powder (with a little xanthan gum added) into a sauce pan, adding back the solids, and heating. The goal being to increase the protein level of the soup so it's a better balance of protein/carb/fat. I wasn't very hungry (probably because of my attack on the mini pitas) for dinner tonight, and so I did this. I ended up with a bowl of chicken noodle soup in a cream base, because of the whey protein. It seemed like a hardier, more filling bowl of soup - probably because of the added protein. The nutritional values were: Cals 118; Fat 3.4g; Sat Fat 0.9g; Carbs 7.3g; Fibre 1.3g; Sugar 2.8g; Protein 14.25g; Sodium 536mcg; Potassium 414mcg; Chol 34mcg. I ate that with a salad, and feel quite satisfied. A can of the soup is two servings, so I have half of it leftover, probably for lunch tomorrow or Monday. I can't help but wonder if I should be using protein powder to supplement my protein intake this way in Maintenance? But - It's just so handy!

Molly - Sorry for your travel delay, and the upset with your meal planning, etc. Hope you don't run into too much bad weather.

Joysh - Two things I'm doing consistently this time that I never did before when I finished a dieting stage, is that I still track everything I eat to the best of my ability - and I weigh myself every morning. The combination of seeing what the scale shows me, and being able to review my previous (and current) day's eating really helps me feel more in control. I've not yet gone over my ceiling, but on days that I'm almost there I curb back the carb intake. Not a P1 or even a P2 day necessarily, but just more restricted. I find I have many days where my calorie breakdowns %s from carbs/proteins/fat are relatively even. I'm not sure if this is the best combo - I think the Zone diet is based on this? I seem somehow to just end up this way fairly often. I'm only three weeks in, but so far it's working. But I know that a daily morning weigh-in and consistent logging of my food/drink intake is crucial for me. Otherwise it's just too easy to ignore what's really going on.

Patns - Welcome back!

New Englander - I've read a lot of your posts over the course of my year here at 3FatChicks. :) Welcome!

MaMaZu - Your trip sounds wonderful! Sorry about the foot though.

DRegan - I remember being awfully nervous about being in Maintenance too. But like the others, I've been taking it quite slow and just sampling some of the things I've been missing and adding in this and that on occasion. I'm just entering my 4th week of Maintenance, so obviously a newbie. But what I'm doing so far seems to be keeping me where I want to be weight-wise, so I figure I'll just continue on the same path.

My exercise routines have suffered this past week or so, due to the problems I was having with my lower back. Now that it seems to be more or less mended again, I've got to get back to my former routine. I think that one of the abdominal exercises I was doing on the Vibracize machine may have been bad for my back and will likely avoid it for a while.

Guess that's it for now. Cheers everyone.

Thanks everyone for your maintenance advice!!!

Did some long awaited shopping today! I'm down to size 4
pants, totally unbelievable to me! Could never get past the 8's.
By the way I'm very short,5'1" lol!! :dizzy:

So I will be very careful going into maintenance because I want
to wear my new pants(capris) for along time!!!! I got rid of alot
of old clothes, so no going back now!! My DD was very helpful
and encouraging. She's got 4 inches on me, thank God! I tell
her how lucky she is to be 5'5", she loves being taller than me,
teenagers!
Ok thanks again! Enjoy the rest of he weekend everyone!:hug:

D

Hi everyone! I've been away for most of the last week, and finished up P3 while I was gone. I've started adding in foods little by little (cheese, a couple of almonds, more varied salad dressings, red wine, a cracker or two) but was really nervous getting any more adventurous without a scale in sight. ;) So far I'm exactly the same as when I left so that's good news - although I do know that flight time can sometimes cause weight to get a bit wonky.

I'm still doing P3 breakfasts and am sticking close to what has become my norm for lunch and dinners, and also still using bars as snacks in the mid-afternoon.

One interesting situation from a dinner out with my DH and another couple with whom we are close friends. My friend was saying how good I looked and saying that I shouldn't lose any more. Then she asked how much I weighed. I have never, ever shared my weight with anyone, especially my DH. Well, before I knew it, the words were formed and my weight was out of my mouth. No hesitation whatsoever. It was kind of a shock to me that I could feel that there was nothing to be ashamed of regarding my weight, since it was "normal" for once! And I was sitting at a table with all thin people, where normally I'd be feeling like the chubby one. (I'm still heavier than my friend, who is about my height and weighs around 10-125, but I'm comfortable where I am.) Anyway, it just was interesting to me since I know that normally I would have provided an evasive answer, such as, "I'll tell you later on when we're not in mixed company" - and then probably would never have gotten around to telling.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi. I'm happy to finally be joining your ranks!

Started P3 this weekend....OMG, those breakfasts are so filling and a struggle to finish. Yesterday I wasn't at all hungry the rest of the day, but ate anyway as I know I need to stick to the P3 plan.

Scorbett--like Joy I love the "trusting the weight loss is real" phrase. I was shopping yesterday as I have no spring/summer clothes that fit, and left the mall with size small tops and size 4 pants...and even 1 pair of size 2 pants! I look at myself in the mirror and part of me understands how I lost the weight and believes that it's really gone, but another part of me is waiting to wake up and realize it was a really nice dream but I'm still overweight. Acceptance will come....

Bubble--I too now have no problem sharing my weight with people....I also am comfortable sharing how much total weight I lost and where I started from. I guess it's because when I look in the mirror I am really happy with what I see, and also I want people who are unhappy with their own weight to know that such a weight loss is possible and I am living proof.

DRegan - I think of maintenance as phase 3 with extras. I eat everything, including the big breakfasts I had in phase 3, plus snacks, an occasional sweet potato, whole grain dinner roll, nuts etc. I still make sure to get I the 4 cups of veggies. I was careful with adding things in at first, but I religiously track everything on MFP. Initially I continued to lose and kept adding things in until I found a calorie level where I could maintain. A typical day would be the full phase 3 menu plus a coupe of apples, a protein bar, whole grain roll with dinner, and yogurt with fruit in the evening. Good luck!

Thanks so much Lizzy!
Sounds like a good plan!
I wouldnt mind losing a couple more, but I feel good so we
will just see how things go.

D

I'm not sure what prompted me to read the posts today. I do check back every month or so but haven't since I got back from Europe 6 weeks ago. I've stuck fairly close to goal but I'd pretty much decided to lose another 10 pounds when I got home and today, seeing so many great friends again. . . . Well, I sure would like the support.

I too am basically doing phase 3 with some extras. I've gotten really used to eating what feels like so much for breakfast and now I love it. I've still been dropping a little bit but think that's because I've added in exercise.

I'm leaving this afternoon for Jamaica and can't wait!

What's been weird for me is since moving to maintenance I've had a bad headache the entire time.....I haven't suffered with them since my high blood pressure has gone away. I've checked it and I'm still in the normal range....very strange.

Oh and I too am now comfortable telling people my weight. I've never shared that with anyone before.....not even my twin sister.

Dregan and Poco, I, too, am amazed at the size I'm wearing! Sizes 4 andf 6 pants just surprise me! And yes, we are living proof that it is possible. I am also amazed at the whole journey. One year ago I was unhappy with the way I looked and was praying for a magical way to change that. I guess it was around now that I first heard of ip.

Lizzy, thanks for this.

Good morning everyone! Have a wonderful Monday!

WOW HOPPIN' THREAD - L-O-V-E love LOVE it!

cheekyskeeter SOOOOO jealous of Jamaica! Beware the rum punch...:)

pocahontas812 Shopping is so much more fun now for me too! Sometimes...too much fun tee hee

Lizzy Way to make your maintenance rock....:)

patns :wave: if you hadn't of shown up this past weekend I'd have went looking for you. I was wondering where you went :)

evepet I'm with you on tracking...I know not everyone does but I do and still do. AND, I have said "ok missy, you ate it now you write it!" when I as avoiding writing it down lol

Lizz You are my hero!! :hug:

LINDEN I said "oooohhh" when I saw your name, HI!!! :wave: Welcome back...lots of support here! :)

maile Way to go on the pinch test...have you done measurements since your 1 year anni?

+++++

I'm hopeful that someone has gotten a hold of spring, they are saying +12 for this week. Of course they've said that almost everyday lately but hey...you always gotta have hope right? :)

Good Day Maintaining I-Peeps. :)

Really enjoyed my pizza last night... small pizza, and my friend and I ate 2 pieces each, which finished it. It was good - but not as good as I remember. It's disappointing really to have a splurge fun day and look forward to eating something that just doesn't taste the way you remember. :devil:

This morning the scale for the first time does have me 1 lb over my ceiling. My sodium intake yesterday was outrageous, so I've no doubt I'm retaining water. Definitely bloaty today.

So it's a P1 day for me to get back under 150 lbs.

Other than that, all is 'business as usual' here.

Hope you all have a great day. Cheers for now.

Hi everyone - lunch time for me and thought I'd pop in while eating. Had a DUH moment after I popped my IP soup into the microwave and opened the fridge to get my veggies out...saw my leftover eggplant lasagna I brought for lunch today! Well, won't have to worry about bringing anything for lunch tomorrow now ~

patns - so good to hear from you again! Welcome back.

Linden - Welcome back to you too!!

evepet - I hear you re: the pizza not tasting as good as you remembered. But now you know and it will be that much easier to pass pizza up in the future.

I think Spring is finally moving this way - the 60's are actually in the forecast for a couple days this week! Most of the snow is gone and the sun is shining brightly today - Lovin' it! Will walk around the building a couple of times after the mail is delivered in a bit.

WI is tomorrow a.m. - down 6.5 lbs at home from WI 2 weeks ago. BUT, I still don't think I'm in ketosis! Very strange - still having cravings, hungry quite often (some is mental though, not physical), no energy, not sleeping well (VIP says I'm snoring to beat the band most nights :( Idk, guess as long as the up lbs are coming off that is what counts. Have a great afternoon!

Cindy, Losing 6.5 pounds is great. I hope you start feeling better and get some rest. I am an eggplant lasagna fan and like to make it.

Evepet: There is no doubt that sodium can cause a gain due to water retention.
Pizza is loaded with it.

Thanks everyone for your support on my stats. I had not done the pinch BMI test for two years at my gym. In the last two years which includes one and one half year of maintenance, I have lost 15 pounds of weight, one percent of BMI to 23 and 2 percent of fat or 6 pounds...and 6 mm skinfolds.

Ishbel: Are you healthy and out of pain?

Joysh, Dreggan, Bubbleblower: have fun buying clothes in those small sizes!

Cheekyskeeter: Have a great trip to Jamaica. I would not tell people my weight either in past years.

So I went to out of town meetings yesterday. I drove so I could escape lunch. Just as I predicted,lunch was spaghetti with a lettuce only salad loaded with heavy dressing, and chocolate chip cookies. Then there is the candy on the tables and donuts with the coffee. I had a healthy lunch in the park.

Patns and New England: It is good to hear from you. Heaven knows how much money I have spent on getting new clothes because my current ones would not fit!!! I hope you both are having a great week.

Linden: welcome back. Have you left Germany?

It is still cold here also.

Good morning, everyone! Glad everyone is doing well!! I love coming to this thread and reading how everyone is doing.

I've been adding in food little by little and had my first avocados last night on a salad. They were good, but it's funny how many foods aren't tasting as great as I remember them! My appetite seems to be much more even these days, and even when I get hungry it seems to be much more manageable than in the past. I'm able to be a lot more patient and picky in terms of what I'll eat.

I still need to get back into a steady exercise routine, but that's tough to do right now with everything going on with packing and moving. I really need to start toning my legs, arms, and tummy back up - but at least my weight is staying stable.

Have a great day!

Good morning - just taking a couple minutes to share that I officially lost 7 lbs & 4 inches in the last 2 weeks! Whoot Whoot!!! Hopefully the next 2 weeks are as productive :D

Bubbleblower - I'm pretty sure packing and moving is quite a bit of exercise for you. May not be what you think you need, but you are burning lots of calories in the process.

Wonderful to see you back! I have wondered what was going on with you for quite a while.
I am on the run as usual this morning but will pop back in later, just got so excited to see another familiar face.

Pat

Yes Linden! Welcome back!