Hi all - it sure is nice to know I'm not alone! I lost 95 pounds from July 2012 until June 2013. After a few months on maintenance 5-10 pounds crept back on but I pretty much maintained that until around May of this year by basically eating low-carb. Then, I don't know what happened but I just starting testing my boundaries of food choices, and by August I was up about 35 pounds from my goal. I went back to my clinic and I'm about 10 pounds down but still want to get 20-25 pounds off. It's so scary how fast the weight can come back on, even when I was still watching what I ate about 75% of the time. It kind of makes me sad because I never really just went and ate what I REALLY wanted like sweets and bread. I know that if I had done THAT, I would have gained it all plus more back. So I know it will be a struggle the rest of my life to stay on track and keep this weight off. Coming here and reading all of your stories keeps me inspired and makes me want to stick with it. That's how I lost the 95 pounds the first time on IP and even though I don't post too much I'm here daily reading all of your posts. Thank you to everyone for sharing!

Hi exactor: You do know, it isn't just about low carb, it's actually even more about dissociation of carbs & fats. One meal is higher 3:1 carb to fat; the other is 3:1 higher fat to carb grams. Works better than mixing it up low carb. Check out the maintenance stickies and threads for a bit of a retool You can do this!

Liana

Hi Liana- I do totally understand what the IP protocol dictates for maintenance, but for me I feel so much better when I do not eat a lot of carbs even with the high carb, low fat meal and vice versa. When I would eat a carb meal, I would then just want to continue eating and had a really hard time stopping. I also would feel so bloated and the next day be up a few pounds. That in turn would make it hard for me to go back to eating a low carb meal or Phase I for that matter. I would just want to eat more carbs. Eating low (or lower carb) worked really well for me. I would usually keep my carbs around 80 to 100 g per day. And as far as the cheat day, if I tried to do a cheat day I found that I was eating WAY too much food and then the next day I just couldn't do Phase I because it was so hard to stick to it and I just didn't want to. So I would do a cheat meal every one in a while but kind of pick and choose some items and not completely pig out. What made me gain some weight back was when I did start eating more carbs which then made it hard for me to stop eating the carbs.

I have realized that so much of losing weight and sticking to our diet depends on the mindset that we are in. Eating too many carbs just does something to my brain and gives me an "I don't care" attitude. I don't why that is but when I eat lower carbs I feel that I am in so much more control of what I eat.

Hi everyone, although I am not new to IP I am new to posting on the forum. I started last Aug. and did great and lost 85lbs by June. Hit a plataue for a couple of months then there were family problems at the same time and gave up. Now I'm back up 15lbs and having a hard time getting back OP. Looking for some help to keep me on track I know the program works I think I just got frustrated with myself and lost the confidence

Hi exactor:
quote "Eating low (or lower carb) worked really well for me. I would usually keep my carbs around 80 to 100 g per day. And as far as the cheat day, if I tried to do a cheat day I found that I was eating WAY too much food and then the next day I just couldn't do Phase I because it was so hard to stick to it and I just didn't want to. So I would do a cheat meal every one in a while but kind of pick and choose some items and not completely pig out. "

True 'nuff! that's what most of us on the maintenance threads are doing anyhow... some who have just started are keeping their carbs even lower than that but a few of us are doing close to the same range ( I go slightly higher at 100-150 g after fibre subtraction - but I didn't have as much of a carb issue as a lot of others have had.) None of us even feel like doing a whole day of 'Funday" but do a Funmeal once in a while especially if there's an occasion. Maintenance (healthy weight from the get-go) is all about picking & choosing anyhow. No point in setting up cravings, alright! Good to know you got this figured out!

I've noticed too, when others (not necessarily IP'ers) have complained about gaining weight due to 'excess carbs' they have been mixing them with the fats. After all, the really tempting foods are a combination of those things in higher amounts. And that can really set off cravings too (see the book by Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Moss - Sugar, Salt, Fat - How the Food Giants Hooked Us).

Liana

Exactor - you wrote it so well, just what I was going through with the carbs. I was so dedicated to following the plan (with a few one off days or meals though rare they happened in the last months), I couldn't believe getting back on plan was so hard. I tried several times to get back on plan, only to drop back into old habits within days. I just wanted to let you know I was in the same place you are describing. I honestly don't know what clicked the first time I started IP and got to goal - why that all the sudden worked for me (it was spur of the moment, unexpected that I would start ANY diet that time). After seeing coming back was not working for me I decided to take baby steps. The IP alternative brand packets I felt were the mental or physical issue for me to overcome (thinking a year at least again on them), so I allowed myself to come back in P2 instead. I figured at least I'd be controlling my carbs, and I lost in P2 when I weighed 190, I figured it should still work now. Anyway I know long story but in a nut shell, I appreciate you sharing your insight so well.

Glad to see some other restarter experience. I have restarted today. I lost about 70 pounds between October 2012 and March 2013 and I have at this point gained it all back plus a lot. I am going to my doctor today so I'll have a starting weight... it is scary for me to be starting again but this is my last ditch effort before seriously considering WLS. Which I really, really don't want.
FYI I am about 380-390 is my best guess.

Thank you, KG, for your wisdom and the very clear way you wrote it.

I'm wondering how many restarters are using Beck Diet Solution.

Beck certainly helps me with my whole thought-process around weight loss/weight maintenance.

And as we all know:

I did not read or follow it the first time on IP. I have the book now (recently received), and have read some of it, worked through some of the daily tasks (actually did them, not just read them). I have more to read and do, so the absorption of the information is not complete. We shall see how it goes as I get further into it.

I have not posted in a LONG time. I joined in 2010 (september). I lost around 80 pounds from September 2010 to February of 2011 (size 18 to size 6, 250 to 167). I never maintained 167 for more than a few days, instantly in phase 4 went to around 173-175. I maintained that for about a year but had to do phase one constantly for a week or more at a time.

Then I slowly went to about 182-184 and maintained that for another year and a half or so, still doing phase 1 constantly. Stayed in size 8 for most of this (some were tight)

Then the last 10 months of maintenance the scale shot up to about 205 (almost half of what I lost and I am wearing a size 12). I really have not done more than a day or two of phase one in a row for those 10 months.

Today is the end of two perfect days of phase one (using alternatives). I have five years of IP experience and not sure what happened.

I had such a grip for so many years and not sure what happened. I desperately want to get back to the size 8/10 range and drop 20 pounds or 25. I would like to say that it gets easier, but it seemed to just get easier to get further from focusing on maintenance.

Darbs, when I was getting ready for maintenance, I read all of the maintainers threads and read about your journey. I know that you can get this weight back down. Congrats on your two great Phase 1 days. Just take it one meal at a time. Nice to see you posting again.

Thanks for posting this. I'm almost dine with a reboot, just a few more pounds. This is my second reboot. I phased off the last one when my scale was below 150 (was 149.6) and it never saw below 150 again.

DH and I had a talk the other day about going forward. He and I both like to eat out. We've always done it - he used to work from 2 - 8 Monday thru Saturday at a liquor store, so Sunday was our only day together. Now he's out of work, so we were sometimes going for pizza on Friday, bar food Saturday and Chinese on Sunday with ice cream, wine or hard cider sprinkled in there too. So, I'm going to make my lunches ahead, to make sure I have something for work- that way I won't be as likely to make it a three day indulgence weekend. We won't go out to eat as often, and when we do not go off the rails. Especially with crap food - a nice restaurant.

I also need to keep in mind how much this rebooting stinks. I miss my food! I keep thinking of increasing my goal, but changing my mind the next minute.

Hi Darbs!

I'm back too!

I also maintained for about a year. Gained about 30, lost it. Now I'm up about over 40. I'm so frustrated with myself! I thought I "had maintenance down pat"! But I got sloppy. When I look back I think my "one cheat day" started to get extended to a FEW days a week! GRRR!! I am FINALLY realizing that I will ALWAYS have an issue with food, and that I MUST monitor it ALL THE TIME....FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!
I had resisted going back on IP for a long time because I remembered being soooo tired of the same ol' food selections (alternatives). I decided to "suck it up", as this program is the ONLY diet that seems to show results (and faster than any other). I've been back 5 weeks (down 16 so far), and I FEEL ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!

I need to remember how crappy I felt just 5 weeks ago. I have to remember how when sitting on the couch I used to put a pillow on my lap because otherwise I'd see my ROLLS! EWWE!! These things I remind myself of DAILY because I don't want to feel that way EVER AGAIN!

Also, I think it's important to mention that when I was contemplating starting over again, one of my fears was having to do P1 after my "cheat day"....and I just squirmed at the thought of what I had to eat that 1 or 2 days following a
cheat day! THAT ALONE deterred me. HOWEVER..... since my last time on IP alternatives, there have been many welcome YUMMY food additions!!

I don't think we had Quest Bars back then. And there are a few yummy items from HealthSmart and Weight Loss Systems this time around too!!

I'm looking ahead to maintenance thinking ....."oh yeah, with these additional foods I KNOW I can do Phase 1 easily and not feel deprived"!!

We can all do this.....and learn from what we have all already gone thru....and come out on TOP this time!!

Best wishes and welcome back!!

Thanks for all of these stories....I think it is important to read this section when starting maintenance and throughout maintenance.

I am already having trouble with the "cheat day" turning into 2.
But also, like you, I enjoy the P1 treats on regular days and really don't mind them on P1 days.

After a "cheat" meal day, I actually look forward to a P1 day. But can already attest to P1 days getting off track with unexpected meals, treats, etc. Oh I can have just one---will do better tomorrow....ahhh!

I suggest everyone read and work the Beck Diet Solution for extra help!