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So nice to see you posting again, 65X65.
I think your point that " no one should concede success is not proportionately skewed in the direction of their own doing" is so right for me. The reason I slid backwards is because I began to make exceptions and rationalizations. What I discovered and what I know is that there are no places for that now, and maybe not much in the future. The slips have led to declines. Weight goes up and morale goes down. Morale goes down and eating goes up. It often brings me back to the same mind set in which I found myself over 100 pounds ago. The weight gain is no one's fault except mine. I got cocky when my body looked "normal" and decided I could free lance the food. WRONG, first trip down the slippery slope. So, I have gotten back on and lost 14 of the pounds I gained with 5 more to go. I journal my food and my emotions. I am back into all my smaller clothes and I have the next two pairs of jeans hanging in my bathroom. I tried them on this morning and will continue to until they fit. I have just learned I am nowhere near as smart as I thought I was. I NEED to follow the program, be it in Phase 1 or Maintenance because the wise people of IP know better than I! |
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Then get jiggy with it!!! It's actually a liberating and wonderful thing. And then you know..you can do it.:dancer::dancer: |
65X65 - you are right in that I need to work on understanding myself better, specifically why I sabotage my progress. I have lots of thoughts about it but no real 'ah-ha' moments yet. I do know that I was so in love with people telling m how great I looked that I got real cocky, thinking "I must be there already".
Well fine and dandy, if I am indeed there, why was I not transitioning to Phase 2 and 3 and 4 the way I should? I know that doing that will be key to my success towards the end. For now, one foot in front of the other, back on the 100% path to total health. |
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Schenectady: It's only in the past couple of years that I have thought of my repeated return to poor eating habits as self sabotage - clearly that IS what it is. Learning to believe that I deserve to reach and maintain my goal is part of the challenge- if I can adopt that view I think I can keep my eating behaviors in balance. |
Hi All! It's good to see some familiar names and "faces." Hi to Dana, Scorbett, 65, Schnectedy, Halfagain, whom I lost with the first time around.
I started in June 2012, reached goal in April and began maintenance in May 2013. I was pretty good for about a year, with brief reboots. Since Christmas 2013, I've been up and down 10-15 pounds from my lowest weight, which was 7 pounds under my stated goal. I've done 2 week reboots in Jan and in March, and in June I did a 5-week stint on P1 and got back down a little under my goal. Well, that came back and now I'm in another short P1 stint and it's almost gone again. I guess what I'm saying is that the struggle has not really gone away for me either. When I was not on IP during the summer I "allowed" myself lots of the foods that I used to love and watched myself doing the very behaviors with food that I thought I had left behind. If I look back at this year, I've eaten basically P3 and maintenance with a P1 1-2 week reboot every 3 months. I wonder if that is what my life will be like now. I guess I'm thankful to have this tool and thankful that I like the food. I'm mostly eating alternatives with a little IP foods that I love thrown in. I always feel better on this diet, and I enjoy the foods. I know life can get in the way, especially with illness and travel. For me, I've been overweight for such a long part of my life and my body grabs pounds when it can. I'm determined not to let it hold on to them. We just need to do the best that we can. I know that reading the forums and posting really helps. We are not alone in this journey. We CAN lick this together, one day at a time. Good Luck with all of your Restarts. I know you can do it! The time will pass and before you know it, you'll be where you want to be. :hug: |
A totally absorbing read, y'all! I realize from reading this that I have some things to be very grateful for. I have been lucky enough to realize I needed to tweak my food amounts and timing before things got truly out of hand and I have never been very overweight throughout my whole lifetime and have always loved healthy food. That certainly makes it much easier to maintain since I never had metabolic syndrome. If you know someone who seems to be on their way up the scale, please try to convince them to do something about it now! I agree with 65x65... as I am 50 - only a pup yet, lol... don't waste the precious time you have as we never know when it will be cut short.
It will be my 6 month maintenance anni in a couple days... Liana :carrot::carrot::carrot: |
Great thread. Very helpful but I wonder what my best plan for a re start is?? This is my 2nd maintainence. My weight was down to 180 when I started maintainence before summer and today I weigh in at 195. It blows my mind how fast the weight returns and the "feeling fat" feeling returns.
What do you suggest for a re boot. Strict phase 2.... This morning I had a quest bar and 2 hard boiled eggs. For lunch I plan cucumber and tuna. (I'm sure I'll be starving!) can I lose 15 pounds on phase 2 and 3 Help! I'm flailing. And failing" ((((((( |
Everyone is different...not only in metabolism but in how one might react to support... Knowing yourself is the only way to work out a steady line of behavior modification that is going to get you to the finish line. Being too easy on oneself is poison to most of us...or there would not be such an enormous group of people striving to find the way to achieve that end. Being too hard can be a de-motivator to others...
Among the reading one does to prepare for maintenance, I suggest the ginews.com site and the laura dolson "about.com" low carb diets. Both send out news and info. regularly. ginews.com is generally a few times a year (...maybe every 3-4 months), and the older editions are all on line. But, it is packed with incredible info, the latest from The Univ of Sydney in Australia, where most of the research has and is being done on low carb. Laura Dolson's newsletters have a lot of practical info...including a low carb pyramid. Recently one of them had an article about regain and one of the facts is that as we become smaller...we burn less calories. No brainer...we all know that. But there is the benefit from exercise and muscle building that gives us a break in that muscle takes more calories to maintain...and exercise esp weight training early in the day allows your engine to rev...and burn more all day. These are two things it's a good idea to incorporate in maintenance... **...and really..the P1-2-3 phases are truly OK to get the habit established. The key is low impact and moderately low intensity to start. There was even a paragraph in one of the recent readings I did about "losing with out exercising"... and about how the lack of building muscle is a sure way to regain.... ...and yes, I know there is a mentality one does not or should not exercise when on IP... But my Chiro encouraged it after week 6-8 and said building muscle was essential to maintenance. And indeed, even continued weight loss as the program progressed was dependent on building muscle. That was supported by the article I speak of ( which I will try to find and post a link) ...and my own experience. I did low impact circuit and cardio 6 days a week at a ladies gym that specializes in circuit training from about the 10th week on in my journey. Recently though, I felt I need more; so joined another gym where my husband goes...and upped my routine. I still do the ladies gym5 days a week, but now go to SNAP Fitness which is open 24-7. Am finding it is easier to get a harder workout there. I go 2X a week for 1.5 hrs and have increased my endurance and muscle since I began this. It is not fun...I must say..I hate exercise..DRD,Canadjineh, maile and many others love it..God bless you! I hate not maintaining more than I hate the exercise and like the scale and daily weighing....FINALLY..LOL...HAVE MADE MY PEACE WITH THE EXERCISE AS WELL!! And lastly, it is CRITICALLY important to understand how the IP program moves us into ketosis. Learning that the packets are not magic is essential in being able to maintain FOR LIFE with real food. Knowing calories, and nutritional values from an IP meal...(esp understanding IP dinners and P2 lunch.) This kind of eating is going to keep you where you need to be, but it is not magic. Some like the my fitness pal or other on line tools. I find them cumbersome and do fine logging in my head. What ever works for you. However; I do have rules for myself about what I will and won't eat 98% of the time...and shop accordingly. It's easier to keep some foods out of the house than it is to resist. Even if you have kids...it can be done to a high degree. Plus..they will learn that things like ice cream french fries and other less healthy foods are not something they should go to as a first thought for meals or snacks. Doesn't mean they can't have them ever...it just means teaching them and practicing: "We don't normally buy " those things"...but you can have them when you are out...occasionally, and we don't freak out about it...we just know better". People with kids who have allergies to nuts, are diagnosed with celiac or have other dietary restrictions limit what is in their groc cart out of necessity ...people who are determined to maintain a healthy foods in the home mentality refrain from certain foods by choice...This is not a bad life skill to pass on to the kids. Do you want them to suffer as you did?? Well..off to make gluten free gazpacho for my book group dinner tonight! They call me the "soup lady"....It keeps me on my game... And ensures I have something I want to eat at the gathering. Some things will not change...and that is not bad! EDIT: http://ginews.blogspot.com |
This thread is a good read and really makes you think. We all have an addiction " food". Because we cannot simply go to rehab and give up our addiction we have to figure out the fine line of eating what we should instead of mindlessly putting food into our mouths. I know I will struggle with this forever and truly fear maintenance. I have lost and kept weight off for a year at most. I am hoping that this time I will finally be able to focus on the feeling of how awesomely great it feels to be thinner instead of the sensation of how good something may taste. I have so much self loathing when I am heavy that those thoughts consume my whole life. I don't want to ever feel that way again. I was on IP last year and lost some weight but I don't think I took it as serious as I am this time. Plus, I had a health screening and the women who took my blood pressure said that if she could legally take me by the hand to the ER due to my blood pressure she would. At that time I hated myself for the way I looked and felt and what she said sent it home for me. I had to do something and really take it seriously. I also agree with everyone that please do it now. I am 53 and losing now is much harder than when I was younger. I would assume that your skin may bounce back better too. LOl
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OP I am in the same boat, in 2011 I reached goal and gained it all back and just keep going up and down since.
I also believe it is an "addiction" but not like any other, it is as strong as a heroin addiction, but you must eat to live, you don't need any heroin to live, that is why it is so hard. When I am stressed I eat, when I am depressed I eat, etc. I think it is somewhat better than taking a drink, drug or smoke, but the reality is; being overweight is also "bad" for general health the one good thing about this thread is that I don't feel as bad about myself as I did before reading it. I too have been avoiding social events out of embarrassment moving forward and thank you for all your honest, heartfelt posts |
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Like your post was meant for me:)
I have "lurked" on this board for over a year when I began my IP journey. I was always an active, fit person but wasn't feeling comfortable with my body. I got to my lowest weight since I was in high school & was feeling so good about myself & my 25 lb weight loss. I phased off in February of this year &...long story short weighed myself this morning to be faced with the fact that I'm right back where I started. Then, checked the 3FC site & immediately came across this thread that seemed to be written just for me! Like many of you, I am restarting my IP journey with the knowledge of what didn't work last time in the back of my mind. I wish us all the strength & tenacity to make this journey a successful one.
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Scorbett I have missed you :)
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65X65......all I can say is WOW!!!:hug: |
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We can do this... we did it before. :hug: |
Hi all,
This is a great thread. Today is my first day of IP and this was at the top of the discussion list when I created my 3FC account. The OP really hit home for me. I have not done IP before, but for the past 10 years or so I have been losing and regaining weight constantly, usually regaining more than I lost! Last bout was WW, which worked slowly but surely until I stopped following the program. I am a chronic dieter and have tried everything. I know lots of people who have had success with IP and I hope I will have a success story to share a year from now as well. My problem has always been maintenance - as soon as I get to goal I go back to my old ways of eating and start gaining again. I do hope this time will be different and IP seems to have good plans in place for maintenance. Lots of love and support to everyone who has shared that they are either restarting IP or restarting their weight loss journeys as newbies on IP - we can do it! Lucy |
Hi disgal & Dana, we will move forward and not look back
One thing I must do is to hop on 3FC everyday, if only for a few minutes :) |
I agree. Staying active on this forum really helped me a lot my first go round.
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So glad I found this thread today!!! I had a rough week last week---as I get closer to goal I find myself getting more relaxed. Agree that this website is much needed support to continue to visit after goal and if the weight shoots up 5-10 pounds...get right back on plan before it spirals out of control. After years of dieting (low-carbing) - this plan is pretty much how I was eating before but IP has less amounts of carbs/fats/serving sizes. Don't think I have been much in ketosis through this process as I am doing the diabetic plan but I feel so much stronger and healthier! My clothes are fitting better but I seem to still be between sizes - one size is too baggy another too tight. I may have to lower my goal by 5 pounds or so. I am Determined to maintain by tweaking my food amounts! Thanks to everyone who posted in this thread! :grouphug: |
Thanks, Taye168! In my previous 'fat 4 years' I ate a lot more servings of carbs than I should have - easily 4 servings of brown rice in a meal, and a half a bag of organic tortilla chips at a time wasn't a good idea either, lol. Yes, I ate 'healthy' as that has been my lifestyle and the way I was raised, but too much food is still too much food in the end! :corn: That coupled with my favorite carb/fat combo (3 servings of full fat cheese and 3 servings of tortilla chips) at night for 'snackies' did me in. I'm actually surprised I didn't gain faster... only 8 lbs a year.
I still eat good food, I just watch the amount I eat now, and don't combine my higher carb with my higher fat in one meal. It's the trick to maintenance alright! I just laugh when someone says you can lose weight just by eating healthier; that ain't the whole story. :lol3: Best wishes to all you gals re-working your food plan to get the regain off! You already know how to do this - just remember to study up a bit more on maintenance...;). Liana |
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I'm very interested to hear more about the reference to tweaking the timing of your food. Are you referencing the fat/carb split or something else? My only complaint on the IP program was the lack of information provided at phase 4. I understand & appreciate their rationale, but I am the kind of person who believes the more info the better! I am fully committed to re-losing the lbs I regained, & want a better plan for maintenance than I did before. Thanks for the words of encouragement - your maintenance meal plans never cease to amaze me:) |
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I hope my maintenance meal plans on the other thread might give some others ideas... Some people do well with structure - having their same favorites often and never worrying about figuring something out for dinner. Others (like me) want a fresh and new flavour experience all the time, lol, and use a lot of different foods and spices to get that. I am always experimenting with herb & spice flavour combos and different ethnic foods. Either approach works with IP maintenance - whichever keeps you from being stressed or bored with your food. Food should be a fuel, yes, but also a pleasurable experience. It could be the comfort of a recipe that's like an old friend, or the excitement of a new flavour experience - your choice. :chef: Liana |
Wow so many familiar posters. I am in the same boat. I regained 20 of the 30 I had lost. I am so fed up that I can't fit into my clothes. I seemed to have totally adjusted to IP so well that I completely stopped losing. So gave up and regained steadily while trying all the latest wonders out there diet wise.
I could have written most of what you all said, we all have reasons for why we gained. But what shocked me is how each decade makes this so much harder. I am in my mid 60s and still working. So time is a bit of an issue but an aging already bad metabolism is the pitts! But today felt chilly, I got annoyed at all the prep all the other food plans required and it suddenly felt like a light went on. I realized the IP type plan was so much easier when I was working. So I put an order in to Nashua for all my old favourites and felt as though a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Now if it also will fly off my belly I will be so pleased. This time the scale is not going to be part of my plan. I am just going to follow the protocol and see what I weigh by Christmas. I see some of you on BB and was so happy to see so many "old" IPers here. that was my second sigh that I can do this again! pat |
We are in this together! I'm hoping to phase off in December but we'll see how it goes, no rush getting to the finish line :) We are a little wiser this time around :)
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Nice to see you Pat! Welcome back.
Barb |
Indeed!! Older and WISER!! WE CAN DO THIS!!!:carrot::carrot::carrot:
I'm also hoping to lose this extra baggage by Christmas.... .....BEST. CHRISTMAS PRESENT. EVER!!!!;) Heading to Disney for a quick weekend getaway in Nov so it'd be nice to be wearing a SMALLER SIZE by then hahaha!!! :dizzy: (Hi Pat!! :wave: Welcome back!!) |
This thread is so inspirational! I'm so glad. I stopped in to see what was going on and realize I'm not alone in this.
I started IP in April 2013 at 256lbs, by December 2013 I had lost 80lbs and had reached 176. My lowest weight in 20 years! I was so thrilled. I cleaned out my closet at 186lbs and replaced all my clothes, I didn't want to make it easy for myself to gain weight again. But sadly I allowed my severe back injury that occurred in mid-November derail my weight loss. After four excruciating months, lots of pain meds and major surgery, I had only put on 10lbs by March 2014 and remained steady at 186lbs for awhile. I was in a pretty good place, but couldn't seem to get back on plan. Just thinking of going back on plan made me panic about the food I wouldn't be able to eat while on IP, I was in complete diet burn out. And to top it all off, I was having serious relationship and work issues (my officemate is a newly recovering alcoholic and is now a food addict who eats ALL DAY LONG) and I was so STRESSED. So I started eating uncontrollably and gained an additional 30lbs by August 2014.�� My clothes were literally bursting at the seams at this point. I was down to five outfits that fit and were only semi-appropriate for work and I am not buying new clothes! I finally had to look in the mirror and say enough is enough. No matter what else is going on in my life, I deserve to be healthy and comfortable in my own body. In mid-August, I visited my primary care physician's office and noticed they offered the IP program. I had left my old clinic because my coach quit and my new coach was all wrong. I search for another clinic because I didn't think I could go to another office without paying the initiation fee again. But my doctor was more than happy to offer me the coaching and allow me to purchase food again without paying the fee again!!�� So I started again in August and have gone from 213lbs to 203lbs. I've had a few stumbles along the way and a vacation where I didn't follow the plan, but I'm getting there. I'm 99% on plan, and working towards being 100%. I realize now that I'm never going to be one of those people who can just eat whatever they want and will always have to incorporate IP eating in my diet. I'm always going to have to monitor my weight and adjust accordingly. I think self awareness will be the key to my success. Kudos to everyone for all the hard work and success so far. Keep up the good work. �� |
I am with you all. I will be restarting tomorrow, 9/7/14. I have been having such a hard time recommitting! Each day I start...then fall off. I was a rigid 100%er before...I'm not sure why I'm having this problem. Well, I have my packets out & ready...and I'm soooo ready to rock this reboot with all of you!! We can do this!!
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For me the first day is the hardest. Not because of the ketosis flu, but the mental game of it. Once you get through the first couple of days then it starts to become second nature. Good luck to all of us restarters! Stay strong and focus on how great we feel each day we stay on plan!
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Jacaline: I totally understand your feelings. I have lost and regained hundreds of pounds on every type of diet there is for many years. I am much older than you. All of the advice to you here is great. Don't focus on the past and make today a new day. Planning, planning, and more planning is helpful. Posting here for support is also invaluable. Is there any way you can find another IP coach who is more supportive? I always came away from my coach meetings feeling happier and more motivated.
I know you can do it. Take one tiny step and more will follow. Hello to Scorbette,Patns, and Dana. Life certainly gets in the way and detours us. I was happy to see you and hope your restart is going well. The good thing is that IP works. Thinking of all of you and sending warm hugs. |
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Maile:
Thanks for your gentle approach to everyone on this thread. You really understand the experience of feeling the "failure" of the yo-yo because you have lived it. Yes, sometimes lectures help but mostly it helps to know someone cares, has lived through it, and has overcome it. :bravo: |
I lost 60lbs the "conventional" way - calorie counting and lots of gym time but I regained it all when my (formerly) military husband had a change of duty station and our live was chaos for several weeks.
Many people who are on IP will tell you the same story. It is easy to fall back into bad eating habits and regain because society's eating habits are poor - we are surrounded by advertising and fast-food outlets tempting us to resume the junk food diet. Friends love you regardless of your weight so they can often be the biggest hurdle to overcome, especially in your 20s when it's hard to feel like "one of the crowd" when you are trying to eat in a different way than everyone else. One of the issues I recognised in myself was that I stopped stepping on the scales. When you don't know how much you're gaining it's easy to say "but it's just 2 lbs, I can lose that easily". The reality is that you won't, you will gain another two and increase the amount that you "can" lose. At some stage you will have to face those social events with the ability to say "No, that's not for me, but I appreciate you offering". When you eat out, order food you can have. Yes, it will probably come with sides that you can't, but you will eventually rewire your brain to say that you CAN leave food on the plate. Drinks are harder, because a social life when young often involves alcohol. Have one to be social then switch to sparkling water. Most people don't notice what you're drinking after the first couple anyway, so don't feel embarrassed to switch. Just keep getting back on target, as often as you need. This is for your long term health and you need to give yourself as many chances as it takes! This is a lifelong change we're all making and most people aren't going to succeed the first time unless they have a very strong support network and understanding friends and family. |
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My initial exercise routine was something I did not have to think about... Instead of trying to figure it out on my own, I joined a women's gym that has a circuit with 16 stations and cardio recoup pads in between the stations. All muscle groups are worked and the routine is adjusted by the trainers weekly in regard to settings and time on between stations to keep your body from getting used to the "tension"...the members do not have the ability to adjust equipment for themselves...you just go with it! It is tougher some weeks than others...and some people skip certain stations if it is too difficult.The place plays rockin' music(120 beats per minute), and the times at each station vary each week...some weeks it is 1X around at 90 seconds between prompts ...others it is 45 seconds and 2X around...and another times it might be 1 minute...then pick 4 more stations to repeat. One comes in and just does the circuit that is programed for the week...(I hear curves is a similar set up....but mine is an independently owned women's workout establishment...and was not ever a Curves and some members who have done curves say this is a better routine.) Of course when it's not busy you can do your own thing....and spend as long or as little as you want on each exercise. There is also a decent amount of cardio equip like treadmills, bikes and ellipticals. Also balls, hula hoops, kettleballs, weights and balance equipment, mats and the typical gym stuff. Several classes are offered daily .. walkfit class , fusion circuit, cardio blaster circuit and 1:1 Personal Trainers for anyone who wants either private or group training. It was a perfect place to get me back into it. Not at all intimidating and very friendly. The circuit takes about 40 minutes. I added a bit after a while to get me up to an hr 6 days a week. Regularly the owner has fitness challenges, weightloss challenges, (fundraisers too...wounded warriors ...breast cancer etc...) and the challenges are rewarded with real cash prizes! Originally I did circuit training routine as set by the management 3 days a week, and rode a recumb bike 45-60 min on the other 3 days. (reached 10 miles in 1 hr at level 4 difficulty at the 1 year mark. I had been at goal for 6 months by then. ) It is "fun" (sort of) and I've made friends after a year and a half of it and we celebrate birthdays, reirements and other events with coffee at a local coffee place from time to time after our 7 AM workouts. I still follow this 5 days, but now have added a more rigorous session of weights and strength training 2 X a week, and added 20 minutes on the rowing machine. These 2X a week sessions are taking an hr and a half. I can see the difference since I added this. My legs seemed to do well with and from the past 18 months... but I felt my upper body strength needed more development...thus the shift to adding the workouts on cybex equipment. Fortunately my second gym membership is only an add on fee to my husbands membership...$10/month for me. It is not so much fun though..(!!) ..and being a mix of men and women...everyone minds their own business. I am there with my hubby tho' ...so it is a shared hour and a half for us. I don't want to give up the circuit place and have not ...it's important to somewhat enjoy a workout...and the ladies place is a lot more social..and fun! If you can start with something like that...it is well worth it to get into the groove. I think there is a national network of "lady fitness" and "ladies workout express" franchises...which is what mine used to be part of. Best of luck...keep us all posted...just remember to go easy on yourself!! ...you will be doing this forever (should be anyway)...so you have the rest of your life to kick up the intensity...for now...just do something...get in the habit...make some new friends and get ready to focus on a "fit for life" routine....of which your diet and weight management at maintenance will only be one facet! |
Dragons to slay....
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1)Fear concerning the scale and 2) Fear/avoidance or dread of the gym... It's hard to maintain if you don't overcome these roadblocks to your life long success...;) Best wishes! |
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