Visit from Novak
 

Five years ago, I set out on my Ideal Protein journey, taking part in this forum as “Novak.” A year after I started IP, I wrote up a status, which I never posted. I came across it recently, and found myself wondering what was going on in the forum, so this morning I signed in. To my surprise, I came across a posting by “oneuh2” talking about my old “Life after Phase 1” thread. That’s when I decided to revise and post my 2011 status, with updates to 2015. I think the information is still relevant, and hopefully some will find my insights useful.

This might take a few posts, so bear with me. I think the information is still relevant, and hopefully some will find my insights useful. I saw a posting this morning that referred to me as “one of the most revered and successful past members.” I don’t know about the revered part, but I think I’ve been fairly successful. Today I am two pounds over my target weight of 135 and working my way back down, but I’ll talk about that later, in the update section. Others have not fared so well. Believe me, it is still work to maintain, and I have a lot to say about that. But let’s start with the one year status.

BACKGROUND

For those who don’t know my story, I lost my target 50 pounds in 16 weeks, then proceeded to lose another 5-6 pounds during the later phases. My sister followed up with a 30 pound loss to reach and exceed her goal. (That's us in the picture.) I have been on maintenance since June 5, 2010.

THE IP PROTOCOL

During the program, I followed the protocol for Phases 1 through 3 religiously. I did not cheat, I did not eat restricted IP foods, I did not try to game the system or play fast and loose with the guidelines. Since I don’t eat meat, I relied primarily on seafood and occasionally tofu or eggs for my non-IP protein. I mention all this because I believe the more you deviate from the protocol, the less you can expect to get the advertised results. For me, success meant getting in, getting the job done, and getting out. When on protocol, I made my points on this forum frequently, earning the nickname “Yoda.” So as you read about my experiences, please keep in mind your own dieting process to determine whether your outcomes might be similar to mine.

AN ASIDE FOR DIABETICS

I will also add that my sister’s husband (a type-2 diabetic) played fast and loose with the diet, and still managed to lose quite a bit of weight. He followed the alternative protocol for diabetics (though it’s really only required for type-1 diabetes), and gradually began adding alcoholic beverages to the mix and bending the rules while cooking. Loss while cheating is possible to achieve, though it greatly slows the diet’s process. But perhaps his worst move was to ignore the transitional phases. He regained his weight steadily, and I’m sure he’s at least as heavy as when he started. Do NOT overlook Phase 3. My coach Dr. Z is a diabetic and a nutritionist; she believes diabetics would benefit from a longer time in Phase 3 than the normal two weeks, and reported that she does an annual return to Phase 1 every January, and planned to do three week Phase 3 to better get her pancreas in sync.

NOTES

I will get into my year 1 maintenance approach in the next post, and I have some notes on the forum for another. Then I will put together a post addressing years 2-5. Some things have changed over time, some have not. But I have learned a great deal and would like to share some thoughts and experiences that might help those who worry about how to keep the momentum going in the long term. It is not easy, but it is doable. And totally worth it.

Novak

Hi Novak - nice of you to stop by!! Nice to see a familiar face :)

Look forward to reading about your thoughts and experiences, especially since I am only 5 days in!

Fabulous that you have appeared at this time!!!

Some of us here in the DC area were going to try to attend one of Dr. Zumbado's sessions on Maintenance -we were so impressed with the info you shared in the Life after P1 thread.

Thanks so much for returning to the forum and sharing more info -- post as many times as you desire - I am all eyes and ears!!

Jordanna! Awesome to see you. Yes, I've been out of the loop for a while, but five years seems like a good time to check in. I'll stop by your place, too.

Hope, five days is great! The decision to move out on this is the biggest step.

oneuh2 - your post about the workshop caught my eye this morning. I responded in that thread after I set this one up. I plan to be around for a few days, so I'm happy to help out if I can!

Novak - This couldn't be better timing! Your post, (#27 - if memory serves me well) in Life After Phase 1, really resonated with me. I am very interested to hear your thoughts and 5 year journey as I begin the transition phase(s).

Some specific questions...
In that post, you mentioned how Dr. Z spread her cheat "day" over a weekend, after 3 pm Fri - Sun. Did you do that? If so, how did that work for you?

What stabilization process have you adopted? For example, you mentioned Dr. Z doing P1 each Jan and then P3...have you adopted a method for handling any upticks on the scale?

I know we are all different - I'm just curious regarding your experience as one data point.

It sounds like I hired you to segue into my next posting. Hold on and I'll get there. Just arrived home...

Such "ideal" timing, Novak, as I started P2 this week and just spent the last week carefully reading and taking notes from the first two Life After P1 threads! Totally agreed with oneuh when she likened the process to reading a play -- thought Novak, wannabe, BevS were only characters until this thread popped up today! Looking forward to learning more from the forthcoming update -- thank you in advance :)

NOTE

The first part of this is year 1 in maintenance. This program was very effective for me for quite a while, and I recommend it. I also embraced the post-holiday/Disney vacation reset by going on Phase 1/3 (skip 2) at the beginning of the year to get back to set point. When I get to years 2-5 (which I am only now writing), I will discuss how the real world can creep in and upset the comfy little IP apple cart, and what to do about it. I am happy to entertain questions, but if I ask you to just stay tuned, be patient. I will plan to cover the point in a subsequent post.

MY MAINTENANCE APPROACH – Year 1

You can read about my approach to maintenance on the “Life After“ threads, which I established because I found no postings that helped me make my way after completing Phase 1. A veteran stopped by with a post on the daily thread one day, and I was all over her with questions. So a few of us stuck around and tried to get the ball rolling (primarily me, BevS and WannabeIP). I am happy to see that people have continued to support each other in the transitional phases, and have added to the knowledge base since my departure.

Basically, I have subscribed to the viewpoint that completing the diet has allowed me to go off and live my life the way I choose, without the rigidity of a specific protocol. I generally eat (and drink) what I want, when I want. IP has provided me with a new metabolism, educated me about watching the nutritional content of the foods I consume, and armed me with the tools I need to quickly take corrective action if my weight begins to creep up.

WHAT I EAT

I reserve my complex carbs for dinner, and keep the higher protein concentration at lunch. I follow the “good during the week” and “bad on the weekend” plan, with a no-carb day every Monday. That means I get to ignore the rules after 3:00 PM on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I have tended not to go wild with that, but it’s available if I choose to have pizza or eat cake or whatever might strike my fancy.

I have retained many of my IP habits, such as sticking with those wonderful Phase 3 breakfasts and enjoying kale chips several times a week (though now it’s usually with a glass of wine.) My lunches are not far from the Phase 3 plan either… I don’t eat sandwiches as a rule, except on the weekend or while vacationing. My usual dinner is pasta or seafood with veggies. Dessert may be fruit-based, or sometimes I fall back on a protein bar as a snack before bed. I have increased my overall protein intake since doing IP, which has been a good thing.

HAIR LOSS RECOVERY

I began shedding near the end of the diet, which my research told me was not without precedent. It was a bit disconcerting, but I doubt anyone noticed besides my hairdresser. I’d gotten a short haircut, which probably made the loss less traumatic, and I proceeded to restart taking the vitamins I took for strengthening my hair and nails prior to the diet. After a missed growth cycle, the hair not only grew back, but it did so with a vengeance. My hairdresser said there were about a million and a half little hairs growing in (though I don’t think she actually counted), and when they got long enough, it was going to be pretty crazy. I’m just getting to the point now where I can adequately direct them with a brush or curling iron. And it’s thicker than I ever remember it being, which pleases me no end since I’ve always felt my hair was too fine and thin to manage. So if it happens to you, don’t worry… it gets better.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

I will cover my experiences in years 2-5, including what happened when about 20 people at work decided to do the diet, with various levels of coaching/dedication/understanding. Some succeeded, some not so much. But I can tell you why that is, and how to avoid failure. IP may seem like magic, but there’s more at work in life, and you need to be able to deal with that, as well.

I hope some of you folks are finding this helpful.

I'm finding this super helpful, I love reading your story so far! :D

Novak - when you have a minute, do you mind letting me know what vitamins you took for hair and nail growth? Thanks in advance!

Also thank you so much for checking in! I made it almost to goal about three times now and every time I fail in maintenance and come back for another round. So looking forward to continuing to read your story. I read all of the Life after Phase 1 threads and they were great!

knm: PHYTO PHYTOPHANÈRE Hair and Nails Dietary Supplement

I have not used recently, but I used to purchase at Amazon. My hairdresser recommended it.

Thanks so much for popping by to update! As you've seen some of us having been reading the old threads to try and gain insight into what's coming next. I've been wondering what happened to y'all in the years since you were here, and I look forward to reading More about your journey!! :)

Stay tuned. Next post tomorrow morning, I hope! I love that so many folks are doing this. We were an exclusive club of lab rats a few years ago!

I'm looking forward to reading your posts. Thanks for coming back and giving the rest of us hope for life after P1.

I am just devouring this thread! Thank you Novak!

PS - you need to be a freelance writer!

I actually write fiction, but this is totally non-fiction!

Hi Novak! I was around the same time you were and I remember you well. I am 12 days into my restart because I did not follow transition wit the phases. I gained 80 pound back from the 120 pound I lost. I am not losing as fast as I did the last time, but I am following the plan. Thanks so much for posting, i feel I am home.

Love reading this and look forward to reading more about your journey!

Only 8 weeks in but I have a long way to go and I know this will be for lifetime. This thread will be at the top of my favorites bar!

REALITY SETS IN – Years 2-5 on Maintenance

I’m sure it was at least a year before I had my first piece of post-IP pizza, and only a family birthday party could get me to eat cake. I held on to my maintenance plan for quite some time, but cracks eventually emerged… not so much with sweets, but I am partial to cheese, crackers/bread, and wine. Gelato crept in more recently, too. Oh, and I just bought a snazzy new Margarita maker. I attend the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival every fall, and then I started to carry that consumption level through the holidays and a January Disney trip. I told myself I’d repair any damage during my annual reboot.

My weight has always been a problem, though never so much as just before I started the IP diet at 185. I am an emotional eater, and stress and depression are triggers for me. That has NOT changed. I’ve established a plus or minus 10 pound window I like to stay within, and if I creep up too far, I go back on Phase 1 until I get to where I need to be, which is under 135 (my original target). Rarely do I get over 145, but this last stretch got me over 152, and my wardrobe suddenly became very limited. It’s often difficult to reboot – I’ve had lots of false starts over the years. But in the interest of having something to wear, I put my head down this time and have been plugging away since late January at about 2 pounds a week. I’m at 136 (down a pound since yesterday!), and would like to lose another 8-10.

I have to fess up that it is VERY difficult to restart the program. IP is a wonderful tool that works, but the triggers are still tough to fight. I know what I need to do, I know how fast it can work, but depression and stress are very powerful obstacles. The diet itself is hard, but the other stuff is harder.

When I completed the program 5 years ago, I was thrilled. I had been keeping a spreadsheet and looked at my final totals of pounds lost, inches gone, blood pressure/cholesterol levels lowered, and clothing sizes shrunk – it actually brought me to tears. Plus I looked fabulous! I was so proud of my accomplishment. And it is a HUGE accomplishment. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I rode that high for a good long time, glancing at my reflection as I passed the storefront windows between the Metro and my office every day, trying to get used to the new body I was walking around in. When I’d trot up the escalator at the Metro stop, I couldn’t imagine how I’d schlepped another 60 pounds around with me for so long.

Just before I started the diet, I had done a half marathon at Disney, in sleet and freezing rain. It was miserable. I’d done a marathon a year for about 10 years, then my sister and I switched over to the half as we got older and couldn’t find the time to train. But I’d never done it carrying so much weight. After my initial loss, I went for a walk on the bike path one summer day, and was feeling pretty good. I decided to see if I could walk/jog out 6 ½ miles and back to cover half marathon distance. I did. It was so much easier, and not just because of the weather. All along the way, I tried to envision myself trying it with a 50 pound bag of horse feed strapped to my body. This was so much easier! So my sister and I signed up for the Wine and Dine Half the next fall at EPCOT. What a difference! We promised we’d never let ourselves or each other get to that point again – that we’d always rein ourselves in and jump back into the program. We now had a tool that really worked.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

I have to go run some errands, but when I get back, I want to talk about how IP spread through my office, and how I am learning to get a handle on the triggers that make me feel like I need to eat something I love in order to feel better.

Perfect timing. I am starting phase 3 Sunday and have been trying to figure out the rest of my life.
I tried searching for your "life after phase 1" thread and can't seem to find it Any suggestions?
I would have liked to have lost a bit more but am happy with where I am now. I felt it was more important to go through the phases than lose more. The diet was easy, maintaining worries me.
Thanks for your insights. I too have been sneaking looks in those windows. Cant walk by a mirror any more without stopping. Love those new clothes.
Meeting with two friends this am who saw me for the first time in awhile and want in!

On the main IP forum in the very first Sticky thread at the top you will find lots of links to archived threads.

Life after Phase 1

It is post 27 in the link Cheryl just provided that we have been referring to but the whole thread is good if you have the time to read.

NOTE

Just got back from Target where I picked up some EAS low carb shakes on sale: 50 cents off per 4 pack, plus a $5 gift card for every 3 you purchase. I usually buy them by the case at BJ’s, but they only have vanilla and chocolate, and I was in the mood for more flavors. (Before I left the house, I had to make sure I wasn’t wearing tan slacks and a red top, because customers come up and ask me questions if I’m not careful.)

I’ll get into the really important part soon, but Largo posted something that leads in well to this section. At some point, your success will be noticed, and people will “want in.” By all means, you will probably be very gung ho about sharing because you are excited about this life changing program. IP as a protocol is almost foolproof if you follow it as closely as humanly possible. Just remember that it is up to each individual to implement it. If they succeed, help celebrate their accomplishments. If they don’t, it is because of choices they and no one else made… least of all you. When that happens, some might tell you or others that the program doesn’t work. Just smile and shrug your shoulders. You can mention that a lot of people you know disagree, if you feel you need to say something. But you know the truth, and you can be comforted by knowing that you now have a powerful tool in your weight loss arsenal, and when you do it properly, it will ALWAYS get you results.

CONTAGION

People at my office noticed the rapid and dramatic weight loss, and once they were sure I wasn’t suffering from a serious illness, folks began to ask about the diet. I was more than happy to share the information, and offered to help coach a few who were really serious about following the program. Pretty soon, about 20 people were on some form of the diet. A few actually went to my chiropractor’s office and worked with him, or found an IP program closer to home. These people knew about the phases, and how to properly follow the protocol. Others just bought the products and sort of followed the Phase 1 protocol, often with a “twist”.

Nearly everyone lost some amount of weight, often a significant amount. One person found that her travel to meet with dignitaries from other countries made it difficult to follow the protocol. She felt that turning down an extravagantly prepared dinner with her counterparts in Italy would have offended her hosts, and I am sure she was correct about that. She was always hungry, and never lost a thing, though her husband slimmed down nicely. Those who did the program with coaching and transitioned through the phases properly got to the same point I had – they entered into a maintenance program, presumably with the goal of maintaining their current weight for life. Those who kinda-sorta followed the protocol for a while lost weight, and then stopped. Almost immediately, they started gaining again.

Sadly, as time has passed, most have gained back much of what they lost – at least one has done this twice. Some are no longer at my agency, so I don’t know about them, but the most successful is a guy who used to work for me, who is now a peer. I coached him largely via phone and email, as he was working in Houston for much of the time, and there were no clinics nearby. He was able to find an IP product source some distance away, and I helped with his shopping list. He used to call me from the supermarket when he couldn’t figure out what to put in his cart. It was kind of cute. He is at HQ now, and stops by every so often when he needs some encouragement during reboot mode. I think he just wants me to give him a kick in the rear like I did when he worked for me, but I’m now often in need of one myself. The key is, like me, he knows what to do and how to do it properly. He has a few kids, so he also understands the importance of controlling his weight to increase his odds of walking this Earth for a good, long time. That's really the best kick in the rear anyone could have.

This is good stuff... Thanks for sharing your experience! As a newbie here and to IP this gives us a peek to what obstacles we will face in the future and how to overcome! Don't stop posting please....

Thanks. I am trying to not come off as self-indulgent, recognizing the cathartic effects for me, but also not wanting to make is sound like I know what's best for everyone. I hope people can see that I am still struggling to know what's best for ME!

But I would have killed for someone to share this kind of peek into the future when I was on the program, so I'm going to keep plugging away until I'm done... I'm on a serious roll, and it is helping me in more ways than you know. I figure if folks don't want to read it, they can skip on down every time I make it pop to the top of the list with another post. :)

NOTE

I remind everyone that this is all based on my experience and choices regarding how to approach the IP program and hopefully maintain for the rest of my life. I know some maintainers are rigid carb and/or calorie counters, institute rigorous exercise programs, or devise whatever fits into their lives and works for them. These are wonderful approaches suited to people who have the stick-to-it-iveness to make it a routine part of their lives; I have the utmost admiration for this ability. Unfortunately, this is an attribute that many people lack, and I am absolutely one of those people. I have made many such efforts, but they often end up having a limited shelf life.

I kept up the marathon thing for quite some time, but to be honest, I don’t love running. There, I said it. Don’t get me wrong… I love being in shape enough to go out for an easy ten mile run early on Thanksgiving morning. It’s wonderful – the endorphins are pumping, my knees don’t hurt, the cardinals are fluttering, oncoming fellow joggers greet me with a smile, and all is right with the world. But I have not been in that kind of shape in quite a while, and the thought of getting back into that condition is daunting.

Anyway, I know that I am basically a lazy person, who has been around long enough to have developed questionable habits and routines that, quite frankly, I enjoy. Can I change them? Do I want to change them? The jury is still out at the moment... I will talk more about that later. But the bottom line is that I have subsequently had to adopt the reboot program I described earlier, triggered by my 10 pound warning signal. Is this the best way to do the program? To be honest, quite possibly not. But it is where my life is right now, and it is the best way I have found to manage the difficult job of maintaining within the parameters of my current life circumstances. (I see lots of self-described rebooters on the forum, so I am clearly not alone in my proclivities.)

REBOOTING

It’s easier to plan a reboot than muster up the motivation to actually do it. Out of curiosity, I just went back and reviewed my reboots since 2011 – at least those where I kept a spreadsheet. I know I became more lax about that as time passed, but I think it’s a good idea, and very beneficial if you are really trying to maintain. I can go back and check my measurements, weights and blood pressure against how long it took me to reboot, so I can assess my progress and make adjustments if I am not keeping up the pace I should.

Let me report out on my findings.

2010 – I achieved target weight of 135 in 16 weeks

2011 – I twice “rebooted”, though I didn’t really have to. I did an annual reboot to go from 135 to 125, which took 3 weeks in January, and 2 weeks when I did it again in May. The reason I decided to try and stay below 130 was because my blood pressure got crazy low there, and I was able to go off my meds. Plus I looked really awesome.

2012 – I don’t have a sheet for a January reboot, so I’m not sure I did one. In May, I went again from 135 to 125 in 2 weeks. I crept up over the summer, hitting 142 in August; it took me 3½ weeks to reach 131. I was up again to 141 in December – 1 week got me down to 136, which I’m sure I figured I would “fix” after the holidays and my Disney vacation.

2013 – The “2012 creep” told me I needed to get serious again, so I took 9 weeks to get back to 125 from 145. This time I added Phase 3, since it was such a long duration reboot. By August, I was back to 142, and 2 weeks got me down to 135. December brought another 142 pound warning shot; 2 weeks got me to 132.

2014 – No January spreadsheet, but I probably did shed some holiday/vacation weight. In June, I was up to 147 (EEK!), and I did 9 weeks again to get back to 132.

2015 – As I have confessed, I got up around 153 this time, by maintaining an indulgence level that lasted from my first sip of Chardonnay at the Food & Wine Festival in November 2014, to the last Bloody Mary and crab cake eggs benedict to cap off my annual WDW vacation in January. There were of course some pretty major holidays in there, and I strung everything together filling up my free loaf of bread card at the Great Harvest Bakery. (I managed to earn the freebie, by the way.) I am into week 8 of working this off, and I have dropped 17 pounds. If I hold out for 125, I have 11 pounds to go. I haven’t decided yet… 128 might satisfy me.

So if you are in any way analytical, you may note some patterns in there, and not particularly good ones. The original diet gave me the metabolism to quickly snap back to a lower weight. That was very cool. But then, as always happens, things took a turn in my life, and this shows up in my reboot trends. My work situation changed drastically, and the job stress went through the roof. I had some minor cardiac issues, and ended up back on blood pressure medication – two varieties this time. Before long (and with the addition of other particularly stressful events in my personal life), I was on an anti-depressant as well.

We’ll put that aside for now, but I will come back to it in a subsequent post. What I want to note about reboots in general, is that they do tend to get more difficult over time, and many factors affect the motivational aspect. For me (and my sister), there is the psychological consideration of feeling that a reboot lacks the urgency of the initial weight loss. I honestly believe the latter was a matter of saving my life, while the reboot warning just tells me I’m pushing the envelope and need to rein myself in. Failing to recognize the seriousness of not managing my weight as I went along this last time got me into a bit of a pickle, and I am now paying the price.

Another reboot trend I see is that the length of time to lose has gotten longer. One IP truth for me is that I generally lose less quickly as I get closer to my goal. Another is that I am simply not the zealot I was the first time around. But let’s face it – I don’t want to be going on that strict a diet over and over. It’s effective, but not fun. So I have stopped measuring as a rule, I sometimes skip a lunch or don’t eat the amounts of salad and veggies I am supposed to consume. And yes, I might have a glass of wine. As long as I catch myself within the envelope, I may decide to be satisfied with a 2-3 pound average weekly loss rather than 3-5 pounds. Given how I know I am, sometimes that feels like a good trade. It is still more than I’ve lost on virtually any other diet I’ve tried, but it inflicts enough pain to make me remember why I need to manage myself more carefully.

At any rate, I’ve been thinking about all this and I want to talk about it in a subsequent post. I am realizing that I not only need to recognize the triggers that got me up to 185+ in the first place, but also how to manage them better in maintenance. They have not gone away. They are still powerful. But I’ve recently begun to implement a plan that I hope will make a big difference for me.

I love this. I think your approach would work for me, too.

Thanks for sharing your experience/journey, Novak. It's immensely helpful for those of us who are looking at the future and how we plan/manage maintenance. :)

Great posts, Novak. Thank-you very much!

Hi Novak: Good to 'meet' you, this thread has been interesting...

I'm a 1 yr maintainer (there's a few of us posting on the maintainers threads here). One thing my clinic mentioned is the 1 yr 'tune-up' every year to get any up-pounds off. At first I was thinking a cash grab, lol, but it's likely a good idea to put into planning that way nothing gets too out of control. At my clinic if you phased off properly at goal, there are no extra charges for the coaching/weighing/measuring weekly. I'm not sure if the tune-up was ever talked about when you first started IP, but it seems that that's the thing now, at least at the good clinics that have coaches who keep up with the latest IP info from head office..

Since all of us maintainers on the threads have a 'scream weight' (that :fr: moment when you realize that you've gained 5 lbs or so and not temporarily from bloat either) we just reign things in at that point. Since the body is not a chemistry set in a closed system, there will be fluctuations, but we can't worry about those as it's normal biology. What we DO need to watch is the gradual creep and especially the mindset that 'just a little won't hurt/I'm only up a bit.'

As the Beck books encourage... best to get one's head in the right space for dealing with stresses, since we will always have some sort of stress, whether good or bad. Looks like you have figured this out :)

Liana

Good to meet you also. I have visited your maintainers thread.

On the annual tune-up as you refer to it, yes. My maintenance coach was Dr. Zumbado here in the DC area, with whom oneuh2 almost had a $75 workshop date before she and others were apparently "dis-invited" for coming from a clinic on the wrong side of the tracks. I think that's a shame, as she was an excellent coach (and free back in the old days), and her workshops inspired my Life After Phase 1 thread.

On the fluctuations, absolutely! I can be all over the map whether I'm on the diet or not. I know this because I am a chronic scale hopper, and have have seen how I can run my beloved Omron through its paces without even trying. So "beware the creep" is my mantra, whether in the bathroom or the crowded Metro.

Likewise with the stress. I have figured out it affects me, but I need to manage the really negative kind more effectively. By negative, I am referring to the kind that gets insidiously into my head as opposed to the external kind, such as serious family illness, death of a loved one, etc., which are obviously also negative.

Anyway, that's where I plan to go tomorrow. I'm about all posted out for today.

Novak - I am in such a much better place since listening to you. I think I can do maintenance when I get to that point. Thank you!

I am so happy to hear that, Rosemary. I know you can, too. :D

Novak: I read Life after Phase 1 several times. Thank you so much for coming back in and giving us a glimpse of our own futures. I am in my 3rd month of maintaining and these boards have been my source of inspiration. I look forward to reading your posts!

These boards were my coach, except for maintenance, when I was coached by Dr. Z. since there was nothing in the forum at that time. During the first 3 phases, my own chiropractor's coaching was marginal - I could weigh and measure myself more accurately at home, so that's what I did, and the forum filled in the rest of the blanks. I plan to do a hit and run here at the 5 year mark, so I hope it adds to the knowledge base for people on maintenance. Dr. Z said she only hands out a Phase 4 protocol if people insist on it. I chose instead to follow the path she described verbally, and tried to adapt in a way that would best ensure success, based on my lifestyle and challenges. The point is, it doesn't have to be laborious. You don't need to count and record and fill your busy day with additional tasks to succeed. For me, if I had to do that, I could never keep it up, and never be successful.

DISCLAIMER

I feel a need to state once again that these are my experiences and coping strategies, which may or may not work for you. We are all different, and juggle our lives in a stressful, complicated world.

I happen to be a single, independent, professional woman who is up at 3:30AM and commutes into Washington D.C. every day from the Virginia suburbs. My older sister (and diet partner) lives in the New Hampshire countryside with her husband of 40+ years and our younger sister (formerly a travel agent in Alaska) who suffered a tragic cardiac arrest 10 years ago that left her with virtually no short term memory. The day to day stresses my older sister faces as a full-time caregiver working part time as an EMT coordinator for the state and caring for a couple of retired show jumpers, are very different from mine. I manage an organization of 30+ analysts, trying to negotiate the US human space program through a fast-paced and sometimes hostile Washington political environment. We’re best friends, but our lives are kind of night and day, except that she is an early riser also.

Though we were able to follow the Phase 1-3 protocols (pretty much a no-brainer) together, maintaining within our day-to-day worlds differs a great deal. What works for one doesn’t always work for the other, or at least the timing doesn’t always sync up. I am currently in the mode of get it all off, do Phase 3, and head back to my 2011-2012 maintenance plan. She is in repeated false start mode, and we decided this morning that the timing just isn’t right, so she’s going to eat smart and hold at her current weight.

I say all this because, while I was a rigid, model dieter through the program in 2010, I am still feeling my own way 5 years later, and have not mastered a life-long maintenance approach. I can support my sister and provide advice, but she has to make things work her own way. We all do.

I live alone and have absolute control over the food that comes into my house, and how it is prepared. When I get home at the end of the day, there are no demands on me from other humans (just a couple of “starving” felines.) These are advantages many people do not have. I would not presume to advise anyone to change their lifestyle; more times than not, I believe people will ultimately fail if their maintenance plan does not fit seamlessly into their life circumstances.

So I am figuring out that I need to pause and decide how to revise my current plan. Having perused my reboot data yesterday, I know that I want to regain the metabolism I had in place for the 2 years after my weight loss. I want to say goodbye to weight “creep” and the seemingly perpetual reboots. More on this to come.

COACHING

This topic has come up, so I am going to address it head on. I am not an IP coach. I am not qualified to be an IP coach. Part of the game is supposed to be that a qualified health care or weight loss professional monitor your progress. As I have stated, I worked with my own chiropractor weekly and Dr. Z via workshop, but stopped going in to be weighed and measured by staff. To be honest, I was able to get more accurate, consistent data at home, which I wanted to become more physically self-aware. I was still seeing my doc for regular adjustments and he had just completed the diet, so he was keeping track of me. Otherwise, I depended on the forum and my own research.

I coached my sister because she had no IP provider nearby, and I had been on the program a few months when she started. I had demonstrated impressive results, and we were able to confer on a daily basis. I then coached a friend/colleague of 20+ years, and we also had regular contact. Note that he had met with a physician at the outset some distance away from his home, and she agreed to provide his IP products and be available for visits as necessary.

I do not and cannot coach others, though these days there are many people out there who can. So please, anyone who is coming into the program without medical supervision, I strongly encourage you to seek out someone who is trained to advise you and knows your medical status from the outset. The protocol is chemically sensitive, and it is important to do carefully, particularly if you have any health considerations and/or medications going in. I don’t know anyone who did not transition properly and kept the weight off.

As far as Phase 4 goes, I am probably even less qualified to coach anyone – as I hope I have clearly expressed. I decided to put my story out there, and let folks do with it what they will. Maybe it resonates, maybe not. I have had periods of “doing it right” and “doing it wrong.” I’m quite sure some people on the forum are mortified when they read about my loosey-goosey approach. So even if someone picks up a tip on how NOT to do it, that’s more maintenance help than I got from the forum back in 2010. But I take heart in one thing as I struggle through this on my own: I have not gained back all the weight, as so many others have. Not even close. And I don’t intend to.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

This was a bit of a side trip, but I still plan to post a couple more times today. I want to talk about addictive behavior and managing the triggers that get me into trouble. I also have notes on the forum, so I’ll do that also. Then I’m done. I dedicated the weekend to doing this because, as a research/information junkie, I feel knowledge sharing is important, and this place helped me change my life.

Novak -

I have to say, if anyone is put-off by any of your posts, I assume it can only be based on jealousy, because you go out of your way to be self-effacing, straightforward, honest and "non-preachy" - which is a very difficult thing to do, as sometimes sharing personal experience can be worded such that one can come off sounding like a 'know-it-all'. You do not. I am not as eloquent as you, so I am sure I sometimes unintentionally do!

The insight and information you are sharing is priceless! I wish I could convince you to continue your contributions on a regular basis! I think when you have decided you have shared everything you want to share, and this thread is closed, it should definitely be added as a sticky - along with your original Life After Phase I. How is that done? Do you message one of the moderators?

As I said before, I am devouring your posts! They resonate so much with me on so many levels - even having close sister ties like you do :) THANK YOU for opening up and sharing so much with us, both personal and IP informational. You have helped so many in immeasurable ways!

PS - as you see below, I have adopted your motto :)

I don't know the answer to your sticky question, but I suspect contacting a moderator is correct. Someone more forum savvy than I will have to confirm.

There's nothing better than a great sister :D