[HereIStand]

Originally Posted by canadjineh

Just as long as you don't see the first three ribs (just below the collar bones, above your breasts) - THEN you're too skinny.

Liana

Those first three are really prominent on me. I don't think I'm too skinny, but I think that age and gravity have caused my breasts to hang lower, and that makes that upper rib area look gaunt.

First day of P2 went well yesterday. Some people report being more hungry on P2, but I felt great and had no trouble staying OP all day.

I tried a new protocol food last night - Wonderslim Cheesecake pudding. Oh I wish I had found this sooner!

Today is a walking day for me (3-4 miles, depending on how I feel), and then I work this evening. I have to figure out how to eat my two real meals around my work schedule, but I'm sure I can manage it. I'm supposed to run tomorrow and then again on Friday, according to the C25K program, but with the race on Saturday, I think I'll run on W/Th and then rest on Friday. Weather forecast looks nice for Saturday so I hope that holds.

Hope everyone's having a great week so far. I can't wait until we're all posting together on the maintainer's thread!

[Ro22]

HIS - I forgot who (may have been Amber) shared this from their doctor (plastic surgeon), but they said that after losing the weight, your body will go through an adjustment period of about 6 months - this was in response to looking gaunt. The gist of it was that gaunt look will take care of itself during the adjustment period (assuming as Liana noted, you didn't overdo the weight loss, which sounds like you didn't).

[HereIStand]

Originally Posted by Ro22

HIS - I forgot who (may have been Amber) shared this from their doctor (plastic surgeon), but they said that after losing the weight, your body will go through an adjustment period of about 6 months - this was in response to looking gaunt. The gist of it was that gaunt look will take care of itself during the adjustment period (assuming as Liana noted, you didn't overdo the weight loss, which sounds like you didn't).

Oh, that's interesting! I'm definitely not underweight. I'm about 5-10 pounds over my healthiest weight, when I played basketball in high school. I think that at my age (57), the weight is just distributed differently now. I'll try to post a recent picture. You can see I'm not overly thin, but my upper body is definitely more slender than my hips and thighs.

And I have read that once we re-introduce carbs and the glycogen stores fill up again, that fills in a lot of the angles.

[Ro22]

Originally Posted by HereIStand

Oh, that's interesting! I'm definitely not underweight. I'm about 5-10 pounds over my healthiest weight, when I played basketball in high school. I think that at my age (57), the weight is just distributed differently now. I'll try to post a recent picture. You can see I'm not overly thin, but my upper body is definitely more slender than my hips and thighs.

And I have read that once we re-introduce carbs and the glycogen stores fill up again, that fills in a lot of the angles.

Dramatic pictures - Congrats!!!
I played basketball in high school too! My primary sport was softball actually though. I played professional baseball - I was in the movie "A League of Their Own" and it branched out from there. Phil Niekro was our manager so this was really run as professionally as they could run it.

I have same type of body shape although you look like you lost more evenly than me. I get super small on top in the same areas you describe even though I want to lose more fat off my thighs and butt. I wish we could spot-reduce! My face gets especially gaunt and friends and family always comment about it as they think I overdo it even though I am just trying to get smaller below the waist. I'm sure you will go through an adjustment period. I am anxious to get back there myself!

[mamacitaof2]

HIS great pictures!

Ro I'm with you - I loose from the top down. The place I want to lose the most (thighs) is the last place I'm seeing progress. I'm finally starting to see the inches come off my thighs.

[HereIStand]

Originally Posted by Ro22

Dramatic pictures - Congrats!!!
I played basketball in high school too! My primary sport was softball actually though. I played professional baseball - I was in the movie "A League of Their Own" and it branched out from there. Phil Niekro was our manager so this was really run as professionally as they could run it.

Very cool! My cousin played "pro" women's softball back in the 70s-90s; she was the star pitcher for the Raybestos Brakettes (a semi-pro team back in the day), and is in the softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. I wish softball had been an Olympic event back then, because she would be have been on the team. She's the women's coach for Yale now.

I have same type of body shape although you look like you lost more evenly than me. I get super small on top in the same areas you describe even though I want to lose more fat off my thighs and butt. I wish we could spot-reduce! My face gets especially gaunt and friends and family always comment about it as they think I overdo it even though I am just trying to get smaller below the waist. I'm sure you will go through an adjustment period. I am anxious to get back there myself!

I'm hopeful that the running will eventually slim my thighs just a bit more. I'm not unhappy with how I look in clothes now, though, so if nothing changes, I'm okay with it. Mainly I just want to be healthy enough to run, and get enough muscle that my running improves to a realistic point for my age.

[Ro22]

Originally Posted by mamacitaof2

HIS great pictures!

Ro I'm with you - I loose from the top down. The place I want to lose the most (thighs) is the last place I'm seeing progress. I'm finally starting to see the inches come off my thighs.

The first time I did IP (a year ago, measurements taking from Aug '14 to Jan '15) I lost 5.5 inches on my thighs. I had never done a diet where I got that type of reduction in inches. That translated into my being 2 sizes smaller than I had ever been in my adult life even though I was 5 pounds heavier than my previous lowest weight. This is why I am back on this program in spite of getting ill the first time - I don't have scientific proof the diet caused my issues and I love the results I get with it. This time I am just being much more vigilant with blood work and not trusting the clinic that this is medically supervised. I have taken the medical supervision aspect into my own hands. Funny enough, I had to convince the doctor's office I go to now that I wanted to do this vs their prescription of either low cal or Optifast and now they are becoming believers and are looking into offering this program.

[jennydoodle]

I'm in the same boat, I lose from the top down. I've had people comment and say they can really "see it in my face". Ugh. That is probably the last place I want to lose fat from.

IP has been the most effective diet I have ever done where I lost as many inches as pounds. When I phased off back in 2011, I think I had lost 35 pounds and 31 inches. I took measurements from my chest (right under breasts), waist, stomach, hips, right arm and right thigh. It was amazing to see the inches melting away.

Still going strong on my reboot. Day 9 and feeling good. The quest "cookies" have been keeping me very satisfied, much more so than drinking shakes. So far, I haven't been having any restricted items because, quite frankly, I do not miss them. When I did IP before, the restricted items were really the only thing I "ate". The majority of the time, I was drinking my packets (never cared for their "food" products) so the bars were a true treat. Now that I have been eating the "cookies" and having the Quest chips, I truly do not miss having a bar. I may get to a point where my body tells me to add one, but until then, I see no need to add it.

[jaimie1980]

So to compare the IP plan with my plan (My clinic is called profile):

I can have: 4 shakes/pudding meal replacements a day (100 cals/each with 15g protein), + one bar (there are other meal replacements such as fiber drinks, jello, etc, I just chose to go with the shakes and bars).
For lunch I am supposed to have 2c of veggies (no root veggies) and a meal replacement at the same time.
For supper, its 3-4 oz (3 of red meat, 4 of white meat/fish) lean protein, and 2c veggies.
Also supposed to have around 100 oz of water a day.
There are no vitamins/supplements.
They recommend 30 mins of exercise 3x a week.

Is this pretty much what you ladies follow, only with more protein at supper and one less meal replacement?

[jennydoodle]

jaimie1980- yes, that is pretty much the IP protocol. I actually exercise and do an extra packet post workout, so I do 4 packets (one of those can be a bar) and 1 lean protein meal, which sounds pretty much like what you are doing.

[oneuh2]

HIS - I have to say that your results look fantastic, and I do not see notable difference between your upper body and lower body.... you look pretty well proportioned to me.


Like RO22 I recall the comment about the 6 month adjustment of skin -- it might have been CenTxChk who reported that, or she mentioned it again after talking to a plastic surgeon about body sculpting post 100lb+ weight loss..... But I have to say that a noticeable part of the gaunt look will fill back out more quickly than 6 months, as your glycogen returns. Most all of us Summer 2014 Starters who were in for the long haul were experiencing that same gaunt and/or deflated sense that you describe -- the discussions of it began around March as I recall... as we got within 20 - 25 lbs of goals.... I can say that I felt that filling out of my skin to begin to happen around mid Sept when I had been out of ketosis for about a month, really. So try to be patient and not too judgmental about your how your body looks until after you phase off and get into maintenance. Changes do take place.

RO22 -- pro baseball!!! You never cease to amaze me!!!

[HereIStand]

Oneuh2, thanks! Good to know.

Transitioning to P2 has some unique challenges, at least for me. As I've said in other posts, I'm often in the car right around meal times, particularly lunch and dinner. On P1, it was easy to take a shake or bar for one of those meals, but now in P2, I have to eat real food, which isn't easy on the go. Last night my dinner meal (which I had to scarf down right before leaving for work) ended up being a mix of a ProtiDiet soup packet over chicken and broccoli. (It was DELICIOUS, btw.) So I guess on some days I will still be doing meals that are partially packets and partially real protein.

The scale... last week I was stuck around 157, now I'm stuck around 156. I quit eating Quest bars a couple of weeks ago because I was eliminating most restricted foods, but I think I need that fiber (you know what I'm talking about), so I'm having one tonight. Gotta get things moving before Saturday's race - don't want to have a problem that morning!

[hysteria_625]

Just as long as you don't see the first three ribs (just below the collar bones, above your breasts) - THEN you're too skinny.
If you have bonier protuberances like your elbow epicondyles or wrist bones you will more likely have the collar bone and shoulder (acromial process) more prominent too.

Very interesting Liana - I have those bone protuberances (wrists, collar bones) but after reading this / before I got in the shower I stood and looked - oh yes, those 3 ribs are definitely there, even when I don't pull my arms back. BUT my bf% was still 32% when they did it on the bio metric scale the other week - and I still have plenty of flap & flop around my belly / thighs... Go figure

Linda - we got this! Trust me, I understand the fright, especially seeing as how I should be P4 going through December. We will need to hold each other accountable, now more than ever I think. I am hoping to have a gym schedule in place by that point with cardio and weights.

Jenny - hi! been reading your posts over on the reboot thread - Ro's cookies do sound good...I am on an "ice cream" binge right now using the protein powders yah - stupid Quest when I have a couple extra dollars, I've still be picking up cases of the old-formula bars from my local grocer, but the selection is dwindling quickly. I know heading into P4 it isn't that big of a deal - and truthfully I am probably going to gravitate towards a more 'natural' protein bar (the chemicals almost kept me from doing IP in the first place...glad I went ahead and did it though!)

Jaimie - that is pretty strict. Best of luck and I am sure we will all be curious to see your progress!

HIS - I had the SAME day yesterday - work, running, getting out to vote, needing to run errands at lunch...ended up eating a Quest bar and bag of peppers for lunch and then a shake around mid-afternoon to match the calories. No, you definitely don't want to go into the race Saturday bloated or otherwise Hope the bar turns the trick, so to speak.

Ro - that is awesome! A League of Their Own...! Thanks for sharing and glad your reboot is going ok and you are listening to your body

one - yes, thanks for dropping in and sharing I remember reading through that period, March - May this year, which for many of you (Summer 2014 starters) at the time was about 8 - 10 months of straight IP & if I remember correctly, a couple folks even had some cheats during that time...I find it interesting that seems to be a prominent issue and wonder about changing body chemistry, et al

What a day yesterday! So bummed I wasn't able to get out and enjoy the incredible "Indian summer" weather...part procrastination on my part, but also just didn't have the energy no "episode" to speak of, but if I got hungry, I ate - mostly cucumbers and some extra boiled eggs. I ended up eating 5 eggs yesterday

The problem was I scheduled a telework day last week b/c I unexpectedly needed to meet with DD10's special-ed teacher. One team member was off and the other, who was suppose to be in, ended up home with a sick baby...I know the department doesn't like not having at least 1 person from a team physically in the office. Then, of course, Murphy's Law, things happen at the office I needed to be there for and were more difficult dealing with from home. I got done what I needed to though, so win! Stressed myself out in the process though...

...and stress is still going to be a MAJOR problem going into maintenance - hoping some heavier exercise will help (once the calories increase)

So today is a new experiment...breakfast was 2 hard boiled eggs with semi-bulletproof coffee.

I am on the fence about the whole butter / oil thing - that is an awful LOT of fat (440 k/cal & 50g fat if you do 2T of butter / oil) - some people swear by it though, so I don't completely knock the theory...

anyway, I added 2t (not T!) of coconut oil to my coffee this morning.
I know this is 100% no where near P2 compliant...but I've felt really good today and actually had energy. It's only 1pm, but I don't feel like I'm crashing.
We'll see what, if any effect this has tomorrow morning.

Maybe it's mental - maybe I'm mental

[jennydoodle]

Hysteria- do tell. what is Quest ice cream???? Is it P1 compliant? I've had bulletproof coffee before (made with Ghee) and it is really good and it kept me full for HOURS. How funny because back in 11 when I started IP for the first time, the biggest drawback for me was eating processed / fake foods. I'm so glad I did because I did have great success and it is my own fault that I am back on a reboot. That being said, Quest is one of the cleaner products on the market, so even in maintenance, I will probably supplement with it to keep my protein grams up. A girl can only eat so much chicken...

I'm still plugging along on my reboot, day 10. My mid-week check shows me down another pound, so that made me happy. Official weigh day is Sat. I am hoping for at least another .6 to get me to an even 10# lost.

[hysteria_625]

Originally Posted by jennydoodle

Hysteria- do tell. what is Quest ice cream???? Is it P1 compliant? I've had bulletproof coffee before (made with Ghee) and it is really good and it kept me full for HOURS. How funny because back in 11 when I started IP for the first time, the biggest drawback for me was eating processed / fake foods. I'm so glad I did because I did have great success and it is my own fault that I am back on a reboot. That being said, Quest is one of the cleaner products on the market, so even in maintenance, I will probably supplement with it to keep my protein grams up. A girl can only eat so much chicken...

I'm still plugging along on my reboot, day 10. My mid-week check shows me down another pound, so that made me happy. Official weigh day is Sat. I am hoping for at least another .6 to get me to an even 10# lost.

I am sure you will have a fantastic official WI

I've been on a peanut butter kick - but this works with both Quest protein powder and the pudding powders.
1 scoop Quest PB (or pudding powder)
1 packet organic stevia
4oz water
ice...sorry, I use the bowl I am eating out of, but a good guesstimate would be 1.5C...& I had to experiment b/c too much ice thins the flavor (but makes a TON), too little and it stays 'pudding-like'
Place everything into a blender and blend...again, I can only give instructions based on what I use, but on my mini Cuisinart, it is "GRIND". I usually hold it for a minute, stir, then another 30 seconds.