65 & Mars well said! For me personally I know I will always have to be aware of my eating. I lost 60 lbs five years ago and gained it back. A person slips back into old patterns... with me I actually eat fairly healthy and love exercise but when my energy is low I tend to grab processed food because I don't feel like cooking. Then there are the days I'm tired, lonely or depressed and chocolate has been my drug of choice... I need to find different coping mechanisms this time around and being on Phase one helps me work on these... One of my strategies is going to be plan, plan, plan!! That means having fresh groceries in the fridge and getting a lot of cooking done on the weekendsl This is something that I have been thinking a lot about and have to admit I'm a little nervous but for now I will focus on the last 21 lbs and continue to lurk on the maintenance thread.

Do keep lurking, Hiker! I think you're spot on about keeping your refrig well-stocked and planning. Everything you wrote applies to me, incl previous regains.

We can get derailed by our drive to perfection. When OP, I skimp on the things I love, like certain kinds of tofu, butternut squash, apples. In the busyness of the week, I often let the refrigerator go bare (I hate to waste veggies so never overbuy). That sets me up for feeling deprived and going off plan, sometimes in a major way. I've lately made it a priority to keep my refrigerator stocked with healthy treats that I enjoy. Success in maintenance is not about feeling deprived, rather allowing ourselves to enjoy a new way of feeling nourished in body & mind.

You will do fine...just look where your head is now...the body will have no choice but to follow!!!

Thanks!! I feel better already!

I've been indulging in health/fitness books lately too! Right now I'm partway thru Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. The first part is all about the mental training needed to get to where you want to go body-wise. The brain is such an important aspect, and I know I tend to under utilize it! We are what we think about, so it's time to put some more productive thoughts in my head. Really good info about positive thinking and the importance of setting goals. I'm really enjoying it, and I can see this shaping how my life P4 will look like.

Also, I am wearing my "mini-goal" jeans today! Tomorrow, I will be debuting some new, SMALLER clothing to work. Now I'm off to begin my list of goals. Life is good, my friends.

...I was messing around on Pinterest last night to see if I could find a recipe to make my own quest bars (you can) but what I was even more excited to find is that there are a bunch of recipes for hacking Quest bars into things like cinnamon buns, cookies, etc

Can't wait to try!!!

Love this conversation! The biggest change in my life is cooking every night. I used to view this as such a chore. After 6 months on IP, I have realized that my cooking is so much better than the quick, pick up on the way home, processed food.

In all the diets I have been on- I have never embraced the preparation component. Preparing healthy food has been key to changing my mindset. I only have two repeat meals, otherwise I try new recipes or make up new combos. I need variety on a regular basis. Spices are my new friends. New veggies help too. I love roasted fennel.

I have thought a lot about maintenance. Coach set May 17 as the beginning of phasing off. He said that it takes 28 days. Time to prepare and read, read, read.

Amber...my take is you are someone who should go slow at first...the fact that you GOT heavy and how...may not be as clear to you at the moment as it will be later on. Test the waters carefully...there is no rush. And what you learn about your metabolism may need some time to sink in as you design your maintenance for life.

Keep in mind...the reality...

Annik - It has taken me a long time to be able to deal reasonably with the issue of daily weighing, or not. For me in the beginning, I would get frustrated or upset when the scale did not reflect what I thought it should (or wanted?)?

I now do weigh every day for just information and to keep me honest. I have discovered that stepping on the scale every day is a way to remind me as I start my day that I have an important task. Think and reflect before eating.

The weight on the scale is only one thing that lets me know how I am doing and I add it to how I feel, how my clothes feel, how much energy I have, etc.

I refuse to allow what I see on the scale to take away any of my precious thoughts and plans! Sometimes it is even a good kick in the you-know-what!

Cooking every night has been a big change for me too! Before IP, I hardly had the energy to cook anything after working all day, let alone the healthy-mostly-from-scratch cooking I do now! I can see now how the lack of water & poor food choices affect my energy levels. And it has been a real eye-opener to see just how much sugar has invaded our foods. I even found sugar in pre-made turkey burgers! More incentive to keep up the good cooking during maintenance. I have been enjoying the challenge of how to meet my taste buds' wishes with the foods we are allowed to have.

How exciting that you'll be phasing off soon! I'll be phasing off right behind you as I've already decided to not do IP over the summer. Whether I have met my "goal" or not, I will be in much better shape come June 1 than when I started

Like-like-like
Wise words...demonstrate maturity and realism in approaching a lifelong task...by breaking it up into small bits. It becomes manageable.

I have been having a glass of Waist Watchers Vanilla Creme soda with dinner...it's such a treat after drinking water all day! I'm hoping it's OP. It has 0 sugar, 0 carbs, 0 caffeine, and 0 sodium. It is sweetened with Splenda. So good!

Good for you Shenectady! That's how I look at it, too. When I stop daily weighing, I start to drift.

Yet I understand completely why some people don't do it. If you go at it with a particular frame of mind, it can seem like 'defeating' information.

I try to look at the information as 'data' -- scientific data-- that I don't get emotionally involved with.

The graph -- with all it's bumps-- is the scientific evidence that weight loss is not strictly linear. So as long as I am sticking to plan, the bumps are ok...and 'normal'.

Sidebar: I have drifted from daily recording of my food choices. Someone was writing about My Fitness Pal. I am inspired to follow up. The recording helps keep me on track and honest. (I have a mind with a mind of its own! The recording helps me prevent playing games against the programme...and keeps me honest. Thank goodness for modern technology...this tracking detail is so much easier!)

xo

I am a total bear today. I even yelled at the beeping microwave! Might have been hunger although I ate breakfast late. TOM is here for the third time in 2 months. I used to get it every three months. Just had a huge salad and finishing my soup. Hoping the calm will come over me soon for the families sake. Doesn't help that this week is my most stressful work week of the year and my house is a mess.

My original goal was 175, now I am shooting for 160. I want to be able to wear all size 10s comfortably. I am off for the summer, much more active and I will be able get a real handle on maintenance before school starts again in Sept. Summers are much less stress for me. Planning on joining a gym too. I have an added incentive to hit goal and maintain- two family weddings in the next year. One wedding in the fall and the other next August. I am determined not to be the fat aunt in those pictures.

You are so right about water and food choices equaling energy. I used to be exhausted. I have found that I like cooking, so it is here to stay. Plus, believe it or not, even on IP- I am saving $$. Not stopping for pizza or DD coffee add up to savings.