I know what you mean, I'm thinking about all the things I can have too!

But I'm trying to think about it in a healthier way...

I can't wait to have a full breakfast again! But I'll try to eat more of a phase 3 breakfast when splurging rather than my usual carb fest.

And I can't wait until I can have spaghetti again! RainbowSmiles found a low carb pasta and tomato sauce that meets her approval, and I'm planning to eat that to satisfy my cravings once I'm in maintenance.

I can't wait to eat like a normal human being. A more self-aware and conscientious human being. :)

Winding down my month vacation at the beach. Managed to stay 100% OP. Some days have been a challenge with so much company all month and eating out. I want to continue this IP journey until mid May. Will be traveling most of April for a road trip out west. Hopefully my motivation continues. Dreading New Mexico and having to pass on having margaritas. I know if I go off plan I will say the heck with it until I get home. I want to phase off correctly this time and that doesn't include margaritas. I will be hosting Easter dinner so I will be able to control the menu. Wish me luck to stay 109% OP until Mid May.

I started my reboot Jan 1st and find myself struggling with a little diet fatigue. I have pretty much been 100% OP partly because that is the kind of person I am but mostly because I want the weight off before summer. Even though I have been using alternative products this go around, the weight has come off as easily as it did the last time but now that I am getting closer to my goal(within 15 lbs) I am already worrying about the maintenance part. That has always been the hard part of losing weight for me and going back to those old habits seems to be my major issue which I know many people struggle with. I am so looking forward to being able to eat a larger variety of food but I am really trying to work through the idea that I have to have a new "normal" kind of eating in my life. It really helps to read through this site often and read that so many of you are dealing with all the very same issues. Thanks!

Day 35 of reboot while on vacation at the beach for a month. I have been tempted many times but have managed to stay 100% OP. Going out to eat tonight with friends. Already looked at the menu online to determine what I will order. When you know before you go what you are ordering it is easier to stay on plan. I do miss the occasional glass if wine but that will gave to wait. I am keeping my eye on the prize. A closet of cute summer clothes that were too tight last year. When I get home I am cleaning out my closet of all the clothes I do not wear. I am so ready for summer. Bring it on.

Happy to be rebooting, hope you don't mind if I join you.
I've been travelling a ton with work lately & though I didn't regain anything, I didn't lose anything either. I've been waiting for today....back home and ready to give it my all!!

Had another successful night of being with friends, eating out and still managed to be social without giving in to wine. This 36 day reboot journey while at the beach for a month has been very successful. I feel so much better and have so much more energy not having preservatives in my body. I plan on continuing this journey until the first if May. Hopefully my motivation continues. Headed home next week then going on a road trip out West for 3 weeks. I am dreading that just because we will be stopping at different cities and would like not to have to worry about IP. I need to stay strong.

Hi Lori! I started my reboot on January 1 (well, Jan 2) also. I've been using a combination of alternatives and IP products. I buy one box of IP each week, then use alternatives from Nashua and Quest for the remainder. I started this reboot with 21 pounds to lose. I originally lost 80, as I was well under my goal. For me, it's coming off MUCH, much more slowly this time around. I'm a little more lax - I allow myself an extra Quest bar on very active days, that sort of thing. Yes, I have the same concerns about maintenance. I originally got to my goal 2 years ago this month and have kept most of the weight off in these 2 years, so I consider myself to be a success. Yet, I just have a tendency to put the weight on when I'm in maintenance. I've done a few mini-reboots during these two years, mostly 2-3 weeks on P1 to get back to goal or under goal. I guess I need to realize this will be my life or I have to exercise more to maintain. I think I'll be at my goal in one more month and then I'll face it.

Coffeebean, good luck on your trip. I know you can do it with a little planning. I'm leaving for Florida again in 4 days. It's always a little more difficult to stay on when out of the "normal" (what's normal?) routine. Preparation is the key. I've already had Nashua send a box of Anytime chocolate drinks to my sister's in Florida. Those RTDs are great for the road. So are bars, of course.

BTW - a poster from a few years ago gave me a great suggestion for days when I was visiting New York City in the summer. Just carry a drink packet with you. Buy a bottle of cold water. Drink half, then get the powder into the bottle. Shake it up and voila! You don't need to carry anything with you but the packet!

Have a great day, everyone!:)

I am on my week 6 of reboot. Last time I lost weight I did not phase off correctly. I plan to be successful this time around. It is a little scary to think about adding carbs back into my diet.

Well, first week of reboot on the diet is done and I'm down about 9 lbs! I'm hoping to get down to where I had planned to four years ago when I first started the diet. I lost 80 lbs but phased off in order to move halfway around the world. I don't regret it one bit as I spent the next two years of my life teaching and traveling around Southeast Asia. It was wonderful but now that I'm back home I have noticed the pounds creep back on. Once I noticed a 20 lbs gain I decided enough was enough and here I am. Time to finish what I started!

Happy to be back here. I see some familiar faces!

It's great to see all the successful rebooters here! I usually make it through the week and then slip on the weekend and need to start all over on Monday again!
Hoping for once I can make it through a weekend - gonna be extra difficult this week with it being a long weekend too!

Lori - This is my first time with IP and I'm just starting maintenance but I have, like many others, lost weight in my past that I later gained so I am nervous also! I am in P3 and am up 4 pounds. I went off alittle early within a few pounds of my goal weight because I was stalled for a month, plus leaving for vacation for spring break (leaving today). I am really struggling with the mental part of IP maintenance. I don't want the carbs at breakfast, or even dinner for that matter. I've gotten used to giving them up but I'm afraid not to follow protocol. I've read so much where people say they gained because they didn't properly phase off. So, for now, I'm phasing off the proper way. I was okay eating the way I was in P1 but got pissed off when I had to avoid food and be so restrictive in social settings. So, I'm wondering if I can add in just alittle more slow carb foods, or fats, and then have a moderate fun day followed by P1 day. Who knows? But, I do know that this is for the rest of my life. Maybe that's the key. To know that we need to always be mindful

Is there such a thing as Carb Addicts Anonymous? Maybe that's the IP Forum, come to think of it! I would bet the vast majority of us struggle with this same affliction - I know I do. I was reading your post "....I start thinking of all the food I will be able to have wine, cake....." and it reminds me of something my Mom used to say when I was a child and would ask "can I have...." She'd correct me and say "not CAN you, but MAY you". Well, I feel it's actually the opposite question I'll need to ask myself once I reach maintenance and all of the food options are available to me again. I will need to remind myself "yes, you MAY have that.....but CAN you have that..." I MAY have the cake and sweets.....but to keep my addiction under control, CAN I have that? I have to realize there will be some things I just can't have. Like an alcoholic. They know they just can not have alcohol. It will be sugar for me. Obviously we all know white sugar (in which I include other non-healthy forms of 'sugar') is not nutritionally good for our bodies anyway, but if I keep even this one ingredient as a 'CAN'T HAVE' it will eliminate the source of (historically for me) most evil in trying to maintain a healthy diet after IP. There are other alternatives without feeling deprived. So....May I have it? Yes. Can I have it? No.

Most definitely tops on everyone's minds. I am a LONG way from maintenance, yet I think of it all the time. I desperately want to figure this out so I NEVER have to be back in the position I am in now - unhealthy, unfit, unhappy. I know I need to find that 'sweet spot'. Looking ahead, I think that will be a paleo/primal/clean eating plan.

Why am I on week 6 of my reboot and starting to feel hungrier now than I have EVER, even in week 1? Anyone else go through this? MAN it's been hard this week to stay OP! I also feel like I am fighting for every ounce this week. It is just not dropping off - even though I am still in ketosis, drinking lots of water and am still OP. I feel bloated. I have not incorporated ANY activity into my day as yet, and know I need to. Has anyone gone from sedentary to adding activity (I'm thinking starting with brisk walking now that the weather is cooperating), and found this one change effective in kickstarting the scale to move again?

shasta10-When I hit goal in 2012, I phased off correctly and really felt I had beat the monster, so to speak. I kept the weight off for almost 2 years, but my fun "day" started becoming a fun "weekend" and then the candy and sweets that I had worked so hard to eliminated crept back into my life. Basically life took over and instead of eating to fuel my body I was eating to comfort my body. I thought my health was more important than the temporary rewards I was getting from having that extra glass of wine, or dessert when we were out, but I am convinced that I have an addiction issue when it comes to sugar, so if I'm going to beat this and continue to feel as good as I do right now I am going to have to completely eliminate some things from my life. I have fought weight issues most of my adult life and I want to make sure I am in a position to enjoy my grandchildren and old age being active so I will do what I have to do this time to avoid getting on the scale and seeing a 50lb regain! I will phase off slowly and continue to work on the mental piece while I do and hopefully taking it one day at a time, I will be successful this go around!

I'm there with you. I find I get crazy hungry just before TOM. I know I'm not, like, physically hungry but I still want to eat everything in sight! Lately I've been drinking a lot of flavorful teas to help. Having a mug of bouillon is also a good strategy or having some shirataki noodles with my meals to help bulk them out. I also retain a lot of water so the scale lies to me until TOM is over then it's a big woosh!

I don't do any stressful exercise on P1 (I personally think C25K is out of the question - that can wait until maintenance) but I do walk a lot (no car), or bike, or ride my kick-scooter. I think gentle exercise is great for IP and very helpful for the scale. Start small and build up when you feel ready! Lots of paleo-style books talk about the negative stress of trying to build muscle while also cutting calories and I've come to believe it is true. It is a lot of stress on your body.