Size 6?!!!! That's definitely something to celebrate!

I just had my WI and I'm down 4lbs this week!!!! I haven't had a loss like that since the 190's! I'm so thrilled... that I've decided to try and go another 10lbs. My hubby joined me a few months ago and we've been doing IP together. He is ready to phase off and was waiting for me so we can do it together. Think he'll mind ;)?

Saharag Size 6! That's awesome! This is why you should post; we all start to realize what is possible! Congrats. I am currently at a 12 in my jeans, but I am looking forward to working my way down to single digits.

Stacynak So glad you are back! You did well to take a break and not gain weight!

My WI is not until Saturday, but my home scale has already started to move this week. I am hoping that that means I will do well this weekend. I feel like I am moving out of my slow down. January has been good.

Thank you so much! It's great to 100% back OP.

Hi everyone! Just started phase 3 this week and for the first time in my life am wearing size 4! :bravo:

Iron Woman Wow! That is absolutely amazing! WAY TO GO!!:carrot::carrot:

Congrats Ironwoman! How wonderful. :)

Congrats!!! What an awesome feeling!

:carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot:

That's wonderful, Iron Woman! Thanks for sharing! You've been missed here.

I've been watching all of you who started in similar weight ranges, and are currently just a little below me and hoping I'd catch up in size.

You could've knocked me down with a feather when I got into some stretch CK skinny jeans in a size 12 today. Finally, a pair of jeans that stretches over the larger parts but fits my waist perfectly.

So happy. I haven't been this size since I was 22. :)

That's a wonderful NSV, Amanda! :carrot::carrot: Enjoy!

I made goal 12/31, after having started on IP 8/1, and lurking on these boards ever since. I'm about halfway through Phase 3 and a little apprehensive about starting maintenance. I think I can safely say now, that I am into a size 8. The Levi's skinny jeans I got a few weeks ago are an 8, but I attribute them fitting to the fact that they had some Lycra in them. Today the size 6 suit I ordered online came, and fit beautifully. Not tight at all. I actually have more breathing room in them than I am used to. Just can't quite wrap my head around the idea that I am a size 8.

Yay, hellafat! You are always welcome here! Thanks for sharing your success! Looking forward to single digit jeans.

:bravo: Briael!!! I don't know about you......... but isn't it fun to go shopping now????

Congrats hellafat :carrot::carrot:!!! Keep us posted on maintenance, I'm apprehensive about it too!

Congrats Hellafat! I hear you on the not quite believing it. It seems like a dream that we'll wake from at some stage. Hope maintenance is going well for you. :)

I'd like to do more of it, but as I have so much farther to go I'm saving the worst splurges when I know where I'll end. There seems to be disparity between what the bod pod results say (165) and where I'd like to be (between 140 and 155) so we'll see as I get closer.

Right now I'm enjoying shopping in the family's wardrobe - my new "boyfriend jeans" courtesy of hubby's left-offs almost fit, so that'll be my next goal. :)

So hoping to be into the 170s this week, but I'm doubtful. :)

The whole concept of small sizes is so hard to wrap my brain around. In my muddled state of mind, I misspoke in my earlier post. My new suit was a size 8, not a 6. Both sizes seem to be much smaller than I had ever hoped to achieve again, so some transference set it. Just want to set the record straight. I'm thrilled to be fitting into size 8s in anything, with or without the help of Lycra. Had to clarify my mistake.

I had my week 25 weigh-in yesterday. I am down 60 pounds! :carrot::carrot: It didn't really hit me until I looked at my ticker. That is a lot of weight! I am having trouble wrapping my head around how much I have changed.

I was down 3.4 this week! After a slow Thanksgiving - New Years (not because of cheating, just slow), I have had a great January. It is nice to see how sometimes our bodies can slow down after a while, but then they seem to be able to pick up again. I didn't think that would happen.

Here is to a good week, friends!

Oh, congratulations L2W! If you think about it, it's not so unusual that the body goes through an adjustment period - as you lose body fat and (potentially) gain lean muscle you burn more calories even sleeping. So, at some stage the body has to shift back to losing weight.

Way to go on staying strong through the slowdowns! :)

Won't be long before it IS 6s though, Hella! :)

I am back...my goal was 40lbs which I hit right before Christmas...I failed myself by not phasing off properly and diving right into gorging, and chocolate and wine...Ugh...back up 10lbs...not going to be beat myself up. Started back on phase 1 yesterday. Hope to get the 10lbs off in 3 weeks and then properly phase off this time so that I form healthy eating habits with real food. Happy to still be down 30lbs.

I am sitting right on the edge of a cliff - a good cliff - I weight in at exactly 180 this week! I was down only .8, but I've had a number of what I would consider good weeks, so I'll take it. It was my 26th weigh-in! We are all going to hit 6 months in February. Isn't time flying?? I will miss my next weight-in, so hopefully, I will be well under 180 in two weeks.

I tried on size 10 in the brand of jeans I have been buying. I wanted to check how they fit. They buttoned and zipped, but way to much of a muffin top to buy them. But I was excited that they actually fastened.

Ariel How are you? I've missed your infectiously positive posts!

2BeSkinnyAgain Congrats on hitting goal and going beyond it!:carrot::carrot: Are you phasing off?

Amanda I've enjoyed reading your posts on the bod pod and your c25K. It is interesting to learn how frame size and muscle structure can make a difference in your ideal weight. Keep up the good work!

Good for you for hitting goal, but really great for catching yourself so quickly before you ended up back where you started. Isn't that what it is all about...catching yourself when you just start to have your weight creep up? :carrot::carrot:

WooT! Congrats on the not-quite 170s. Next week for sure, if not tomorrow! Right behind you, my friend, at 181.6 this morning - scales are finally moving again. Who'd have thought we'd be in the 170s, L2W !!!!! I am SO proud of all of us for sticking with it and getting healthy. Can't wait til you proudly wear your 10s. :)

Welcome back, MM. I'm glad you made the choice to come back before it got out of control. I think Christmas and New Year are such easy periods to take it for granted that we can keep control, when there are so many variables that can crop up - unexpected visitors, lots of no-no food kept in the house "just in case someone pops in", eating out, well-meaning family and friends. Good job on coming back before you gained more. :)


I think this IP journey is interesting, not just for what it does for us but the effect it has on family and friends around us. My sister had childhood onset Type 1 diabetes (she has a shortened telomere genetic issue) and has consistently gained weight in the last 10 years. Since I've been on IP she has been better with her diet choices and exercise and has lost nearly 10lbs (albeit she has to eat carbs). It amuses me greatly that she is protective of her wardrobe of clothes that I am now in wearable range of. Nothing like sibling rivalry when you perceive that the balance of weight is changing. :)

Hi mommymeg - Our statistics are about the same (height/starting weight/current weight) and I hope to be getting into maintenance around the same time as you! I am in major fact gathering mode right now trying to figure maintenance out. (It feels complicated.) But, I just signed up for myfitnesspal which I think alot of the maintainers use and I think will help.

Mommymeg - Good for you for catching yourself!!! That is something to celebrate.

Lose2Win - Congrats on making it to the almost 170's ;). My 26th WI is tomorrow. It is so crazy how fast 6 months fly by! Congrats to all of us for sticking to this!

Braiel - Congrats on the loss! It is definitely interesting to see the effects of the diet on my friends and family. The sad thing is some people are not as supportive as I thought they would be! But, the most amazing thing is that my 18 month old loves eating cucumbers, lettuce and celery JUST like her mommy and daddy. Leading by example has been an amazing thing for my 3 littles!

Shasta10 - I've been researching about maintenance too. There is so much information out there.

As for myself, I'm really trying to make it out of the overweight category. So yes I've surpassed my goal but I'd really like to hit a BMI of 24.9. I'm almost there so so close but these last few pounds are hanging on for dear life! That and I'm genuinely scared to phase off of the diet. What if I gain the weight back? I know that I have to change my eating habits, but naturally they've changed. When I see some food now, it actually makes me sick. It's so weird!

I don't actually get sick thinking about food but I am fearful about adding in carbs and fruits. I've thought of them as evil for so long (and for me, I think they are!) I have been trying to figure out why we have to have carbs at breakfast (my coach says to get the insulin spike in the morning...but I can't figure out why it isn't okay to have it at say lunch where for me having a sandwich would be so cool and one of the few things I actually miss) I find IP to be so easy to follow but don't like it that maintenance seems so complicated. What I keep falling back on is that if I slip up, then I just go back to phase 1 which I know and you know works!! That is what gives me comfort.

Have you looked at the thread of what the maintainers are eating? http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...rt-2-a-26.html

There are experienced and newbie maintainers. Just reading the last couple of pages has been helpful. It makes it more apparent how it all comes together. I can see how MyFitnessPal is going to help me. I've just started tracking on it.

How is everyone's journey coming along? It's been a bit quiet around here this month!

I'm posting for some motivation. I had my first WI where I actually gained a pound! I know that I've done well overall on IP but I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn't disappointed. I've always been 100% OP so I'm not sure where to go from here. Of course my coach was not very much help, she said to just keep at it. Should I be doing something?

Don't worry 2b, 1 lb is just a blip in the journey and could be attributed to almost anything, how much water you had before weigh in, TOM, the Big C (constipation not cancer ;)), saltier foods the previous day. Almost anything. Remember the journey is not linear, but a series of steps on a downward trend over a period of time. Tell your coach to breathe, lol. Sometimes if you have a small up or a week or two of no scale movement, your body is getting ready for a big whoosh! Just stay on plan & it will come.
:hug:

Liana

Thanks for the encouragement, Liana :). I know that it will come off eventually, I just haven't had an unsuccessful week yet. Oh, well! I'll be hoping for the big whoosh next week. I'm at the point where I'm ready to phase off, I just need these last few pounds to agree!

Hang in 2bskinnyagain! I had my first uptick of one pound about 4 weeks ago - freaked me out, cause I had no readily identifiable reason for it. But I went on to lose that one pound and continue to lose each week thereafter.

As Liana says, its quite normal to have some upticks, because what actually counts is the downward trend. You have made it right to brink with only this one WI uptick - not to worry -- just keep doing what got you this far and you'll make it over the goal line, no sweat!!!

It happens to all of us. No rhyme or reason, but lots of potential causes. Ride out the upticks, because you'll be on the downward rollercoaster soon enough! :)

Yep yep, we got past those upticks just fine. When you think how far we've come it's pretty amazing that we didn't have more of them. :)

With most of the journey behind me, and only 30 or so lbs (if it's possible with this frame) ahead I'm starting to feel some diet fatigue. I think it's mainly boredom with the same old same old every couple of days. With the running occupying 3 days of the week I decided to reintroduce some healthier fats/complex carbs to help keep me on track. Variable results though - scale is bouncing up and down the same 2 lbs but I can see where it is so it's not worrying me.

We just have to concentrate on building the good habits; trying not to be scared of reintroducing foods and the resultant rebuilding of the glycogen stores (and associated water that goes with the initial refill) and focus on making good choices most of the time. Don't know about you, but I know there will some treats in my future. Life is too short to live in a diet state forever, but having learned some coping mechanisms like having alternative treats available and restricting how much the package size is ... I'm hoping I can maintain within a 5lb either side. I love the term "scream" weight ... it has a future with my scales. :)

Been suspiciously quiet in August thread, so many of us hopped in the July one. Glad to see you back with us 2b. :)

Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement! These last few pounds are taking some serious dedication. I was wondering where everyone went! I'll have to head over to the July board to keep up. I tend to to be a bit of lurker, but reading everyone's posts is really motivational for me. So here is a sincere thank you to everyone on here! :hug:

From Ariel13
 

From: Ariel13 (accidently filed as a report instead of a post.)

It's interesting to me how all the "August People" that stuck with it are down 70 to 80 pounds or so. I am also in that category (though I started 1 day after Aug 31). Great Job Everyone!! Keep it up!

https://mindstar.com/scratch/WL_2015_02_26.jpg
https://mindstar.com/scratch/ML_2015_02_26.jpg

Hi august starters and Avalon - I also started in early September but we never had our own thread! I am still with the diet, went thru some diet fatigue over the holidays, then had some issues with dizziness, but pushed thru all of that. Now I'm in the home stretch to my original goal and even contemplating changing my goal because it puts me at the top end of the normal range (but a good BMI). Now I'm thinking what I could realistically maintain and trying to figure out how I will maintain. I've actually added back in some cheats (sanctioned by my coach) which includes wine. It has helped me stay on program because the hardest thing for me was the social side of things. Explaining to people why I couldn't have xyz. It's nice to have this group and to see your progress plotted out. Mine wasn't so linear but I made it downward with all of you!

Any pound lost is a good pound lost Shasta! It's all positive. Keep it up. You are only 5 pounds from your goal. I only wish I was that close!

You are doing great 2bskinnyagain!

And our gang in the July Starters thread wants to join up with June Aug and September to be the Summer 2014 Starters - we are so proud of what everyone has accomplished and we are looking forward to sharing our maintenance journeys together.

We'll start the new thread soon - maybe tomorrow, March 1 is a good starting date. Do you think you August and September starters would like to join us?

Absolutely! Thanks for including us. I would definitely like to be a part. We've gotten a little quiet here. I can tell by reading your July posts that you are all in a very similar place to where we are, so it seems natural to join together.

I think combining would be good because I'd like a mix of recent maintainers and those preparing like myself. Reading many of the posts, I think we all have same challenge to determine exactly what our goal weight should be and adjusting as we approach. In my case, I think I may have been overly ambitious and am thinking I may have reached mine vs trying 20 more pounds or it is possible I need to change what I am doing to proceed because of continuous headache, light-headedness and low energy and continuing to be told by my coach that I cannot workout, which isn't allowing me to achieve my other goals: 1) being healthy 2) having the energy to do the activities I enjoy (as much as I want) and 3) having the strength to do them the best I am capable of. None of these are true for me right now even though I continue to lose so I am complementing this diet with some medical/fitness and metabolic testing and hoping I can find guidance from that data and anybody else going through this too.

I would like to join the new group...I started Sept. 3, 2014.