You look fantastic Shark!

Sounds like you have the right mindset!

Check in from time to time ok?

Thank you for the kind words and thoughts!! Shark you look great! and I am pretty much doing the same as you, maintaining. I'm having a hard time getting back in the swing of IP. Honestly I think it's because I am comfortable with myself. I weigh less than I have in 13 years, I even wore shorts in public for the first time in 15 years!!! I do want to lose more and I don't want to have to gain to give me that kick in my butt. I am doing a 5K with my fellow coworkers on Saturday, first time in my life! Of course I won't run the whole thing..more like walk, jog, walk...but it's a start.

Just reading back and caught some amazing things!

Welcome back Kelly - so sorry for your loss, but congrats on your promotion and really well done on not using food as a coping mechanism for the grief. Glad to see you return!

Lisa, congrats on the job and I'm glad you're back. This ol' place isn't the same without that steady hand at the helm.

Sharkie .. OMG girl. You look A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I hear you on the fatigue and "knowing" when you need to break and recoup. Stay strong and please don't disappear altogether. Glad the gym habit stuck - how's the running going? I am finally back to starting gym and running once more and need my old partner-in-crime to swap war stories with! Good luck in maintenance, lady!

Hope everyone is having a focused day. There is a lot more to IP or IP-style dieting than watching what you put in your mouth. There's a huge element of psychology that goes along with it. There will be days when you love it, days when you hate it, days when you think "oh, I'm quitting, I've had enough" and days when you simply can't resist temptation. Most of us have been there on previous diets, IP will be no different. Just have to keep on picking yourself up and getting back to good habits. We can do this!

Way to go Kwlly, and hurray for being confident in shorts! Right in time for the end of summer.

Thanks Briael! I'll definitely check in from time to time, and return when I'm ready to lose the last of the weight.

I'm currently taking a break from running- I *think* I have bursitis in my hip, and any running- or even walking on an incline- aggravates it further. I'm currently taking it easy on the ellipticals, and I have a doctors appointment for my hip in a week. Hopefully I'll be running 5ks just like you in no time!

What do you use to mix your shakes? I currently am using a hand shaker from GNC i think, with the metal round ball inside. I'm looking into getting a Magic Bullet, but it seems to offer more than what i really need it for presently. TY!

Still use a GNC shaker here, too. Hubby uses the original IP one. Some products need to be shaken more thoroughly than others, but they work well enough for us.

I use a Ninja. I bought it a couple of years ago, mostly for making margaritas (which it is perfect for ) . I put spinach in my shakes and the Ninja just obliterates it. I bought a very basic Magic Bullet for my daughter, and it has nowhere near the power the Ninja has.

I had my first real fall off the wagon last night. Well, not a full fall, more like I dangled one leg off the side of the wagon. Went to dinner at a friend's, where they were serving turkey burgers and sweet potato fries. I took my own carb-free cole slaw, and they asked me to bring the dessert. Turns out the burgers were made with BBQ sauce, covered in melted cheese, and had a grilled pineapple on top. I managed to not eat any sweet potatoes, but ate that whole darn burger and the pineapple (no bun). AND 3 bites of the dessert, which was not low carb at all. I don't know if I knocked myself at out ketosis, but I guess I'll find out over the next few days as I'm back OP.

My husband and I eat with friends somewhat frequently, and I actually find it harder to stay OP when eating in someone's home than when we go out to a restaurant. No one pushes me to eat things I shouldn't, but I just hate being "that person" who has to be picky about the meal. How do y'all manage eating in someone else's home?

http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BMF60...c+milk+frother

This is totally over the top, but I bought it this past January after seeing it used at a tea shop to heat and foam milk for lattes.

My go to breakfast is a chocolate RTD with an espresso shot that I used to heat in the microwave. The texture wasn't great due to the uneven heating and me being too lazy to open and stir several times. The machine has a magnetic disk that spins as the liquid heats. The constant stirring makes the creamiest mochas from an RTD and it is really easy to clean.

Well I did my first 5k on Saturday and I absolutely loved it!!! We already signed up for another one in October! I walk/jogged so I want to start going to the park every day or other day to build up my stamina. Who knew?!

Woo Hoo! *fist pump* Congrats Kellyc14!!


HereIstand: You just have to look at it in the same way as if you had a serious allergy like peanuts or have celiac disease. Actually it's a bit easier because you don't have to quiz anyone about the tiniest ingredients. We can pretty well tell when something is 'off the list.' Just pass on that without making a loud fuss and load up with the stuff you can have. Try not to make a big deal about it, but just say that you don't feel like eating that right now. Or if it's mixed in, scrape it off or pick it out. If your DH doesn't have a food problem perhaps he'd appreciate the little 'extras' that come off your plate. My DH & I feed each other stuff off our plates all the time - mainly at restaurants just to try a different flavour. If you have 'friends' that get seriously bent out of shape if they can't heap your plate with no-no's, time to have a serious private talk with them (so as not to embarrass them in front of other friends). Let them know your health is very important to you, and your doctor has given you instructions on how to improve it... and you NEED to follow those instructions.

Don't let them overload your plate, and if they do, don't touch it just leave it there. They will soon learn not to 'waste' it on you, lol.

Liana

Way to go, Kelly! Time to build up that tshirt collection.

Lol exactly!!!!

Kelly - that's awesome! We did a 5k fun run 2 years ago and I'd love to get back to it now that my knees can handle it

HIS - we have a very tight, supportive group of friends and I have had zero problem with being that person - going so far as to bringing my own food to dinners - so while DH had pizza I had a turkey burger or we just go out. Everyone has understood and we still see everyone fairly frequently .

It's funny that you mentioned celiac disease, because my daughter was diagnosed with it 20 years ago, and I never had any problem with monitoring her diet and making special requests. I don't know why it seems different with me. Maybe because it's ME? Or because "low-carb" seems so much less necessary than her gluten-free needs? I guess I will have to think about that. I know my personality is very laid-back, so it goes against my grain to not just go with the flow. It would be interesting to see how different personality types manage this diet.

To be clear, my friends are uber supportive. We had a meal with another couple last week and they asked about diet needs, and tried to be so helpful. She bought low-carb tortillas for the meal, and of course I couldn't eat them anyway. I felt bad.

Kellyc14, go you!! I have an appointment to be fitted for new running shoes early next month, and then I'll start my C25K program. I'm very excited about that. I'm already briskly walking 3-4 miles every morning, so I feel ready. I have two 5Ks picked out to run in November. Did you do anything different with the IP protocol?

Hi all

My second day of my 100 day VLCD. I made changes earlier in the year and walk 3.6 miles to work and back each day to work. I thought that would be enough to lose some of the weight but instead it increased my appetite so the 730 cals burnt were soon replaced with carbs.

My boyfriend calls me the Michelin man (hence the nickname) and is often unkind about my weight so I really want to lose the weight and then lose the man! (He doesn't know my second part of the plan yet!)

His latest jibe when I asked him how his ex coped with is unkind remarks and he said "there was nothing physically wrong with how she looked...just her personality"...should I be flattered or hurt? A compliment and an insult in one maybe

Anyway here I am on the bus to slimdom and hope to make some mates along the way xxx