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The scale is finally moving in the right direction, at the right pace, since I cheated the weekend before last... Gosh! Almost a week and a half of slow down all due to 1 night of pizza and wine... Will NOT be making that choice again!
The last week of gaining and loosing has got me thinking though. I know that I can't go back to eating the way that I had before but if 2 slices of pizza and a few glasses of wine caused me to gain so fast then what will it be like when it's time to phase off? Will the weight come back fast? Should I go 10 pounds under my desired final weight to allow for the inevitable gain of 5-10 pounds?

Thanks, schenectady. I'm glad that this meant something to you. Yeah, it is really disconcerting to realize how much in denial I was -- because, at the same time, I completely hated myself for my weight. I'm still not sure how both things can be true at the same time, but those jeans showed me that they were.

Cheers to hemming ourselves in with new, uber cute clothes! ;) (Yes, of course the pun was intended!)

Thinking of you LakeLover and sending lots of energy and wishing you a healthy recovery.

:carrot::carrot:

Lisa, this sounds yummy, I will have to try.
I really like the quote you posted yesterday about "pick your hard", it is so true, this is all hard -being over weight, being on program, maintenance and being healthy.

:):) that is awesome!

Great discussion about clothes and getting rid of clothes vs. saving. I can't get rid of them fast enough. I'm afraid that if I keep them it will mean the weight will come back on. I do wish I kept the pants I started IP in but I have pictures. I is amazing how in my head I was conviencing myself I was smaller than I was. Scary distortion.
Have a great tuesday everyone!

I know! This is where I am right now. I know IP says to expect a 3 - 5 lb bump due to glycogen stores being restored. So, while I feel like I am at a good weight now, I am trying to get a bit lower to allow for that bump + to be able to give myself a bit of a range for maintenance rather than 1 hard number (because I tend to get obsessive in that kind of situation) to maintain.

As to the lbs after the pizza and wine, remember that you had been in ketosis, meaning that your body is/was processing body fat for fuel rather than looking for carbs to burn. Your body, once you've phased off properly for maintenance, will be back to burning food more efficiently (than while in ketosis). This is why cheats & slips are so detrimental while you are in ketosis. You've worked so hard to force your body to switch over to burning body fat . . . only to jerk it back to having to deal with excess food. It is an awful lot to ask of your body, especially when it was finally doing what we all desperately want it to do. Stay on track now -- you'll do great.

Thank you for that explanation! That puts my mind at ease!!
I like the idea of a range rather than 1 number as well - leaning towards going a little under...
Congrats at meeting your goal and good luck with the last little bit!

It's funny - we're all kind of different. I lost in P2, didn't gain anything in P3 and have lost (by my scale, we'll see what coach's says) 2 lbs in 10 days on maintenance. I did go up 3 lbs in about 3 days when I started maintenance but it went away within just a couple of days. When our bodies decide to put on/take off weight is kind of a mystery to me!

I have been in maintenance for a little while now...a bit more than a couple months... and a range of weight is the way to go. I was a bit worried at first too. We can have so many reasons for little fluctuations in our weight that have nothing to do with body fat % that it's healthier to not obsess about a FEW pounds. My range choice is 6 lbs - 4 above goal, 2 below. Anything past that and I try to adjust my diet to fix it.

I had the same experience as Ruth Ann. I ended up losing weight in P3 and also in beginning maintenance. I have stayed close to my goal weight but have actually lost inches these past couple months - things are tightening up, I guess... :) My waist is now 25" (my coach & I just did my biweekly measurements yesterday) which is somewhere I haven't been since I was 23. So obviously my body is liking what I'm doing for maintenance and my body fat % is dropping still (very slowly though, of course - I'd like to hit 20% but that means about 1.2% to go - we'll see). I can't build muscle as fast as I used to because of exercise constraints, but whatever - I'm still quite healthy otherwise and pretty happy with the results.

Liana

Beck Diet Solution
May 13, 2014 - Tuesday Reality Check

If you’re not doing as well with healthy eating as you’d like and think, “I can’t even do it now, how will I ever be able to do it?” remind yourself that not being totally on track is NOT an indication that you can’t do it (now or in the future), it’s simply a sign that you need more practice. But like any skill, the more you practice, the better you’ll get. This is no different!

Too bad we don't have a 'Like' button here, eh?:yes:

GREAT WORDS!! Thank you! :)

http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/bar027...0/150/230/.png

I have been wishing there was a like button as well! :)

http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/bar027...0/150/230/.png

It's great to hear that losing weight can continue through P2 & P3. And to hear that things continue to tighten and evolve, assuming you are working for that, in maintenance is very heartening to imagine.

I feel like, mentally, I am ready for maintenance. I feel like I have lost my "fire" for losing/P1, does that make sense? The urgency and drive are gone. I am happy with where I am. As I said, I am now losing to shore up for any bump and to build a range-frame for maintenance. Well, that is not as motivating as "needing" to lose is. I am beginning to think about phasing off . . . but then I worry that I will end up in a place where I am 5 - 8 lbs over what I was striving for. I guess I am having trouble having faith that I won't gain the minute I get off P1. Hmmm . . . that may spell a stressful phase off and maintenance for me, at least at first. :(

This is great for combating the perfectionistic, all-or-nothing thinking that has led so many of us to giving up on diets in the past. Thanks, Lisa!

I'm graduated! Here is a throwback photo comparison from High School graduation and this past weekend, to show how far I've come!
Hopefully this photo works! http://gyazo.com/6c92cad5df6e967b5b572ae73d9582e0