Linda - I need to invest in a good scale at some point lol that one sounds fantastic - be curious to see what your first stats are :)

Thanks for the hugs everyone - definitely been up and down lately. I can always feel good about sticking with IP though and looking at myself in the mirror :)

So yah, PCP isn't super concerned since I am still losing weight at a fairly fast clip. I am on the 'list' if an opening comes up between now and November. Of course, whatever was going on yesterday (could it be ovulation????) has stopped completely today :yikes: go figure. I think it was JUST because I was wearing white pants (can you say 'pantyliner' ;) )

Hi Everyone. I can see that you are all doing well! Hiking mountains, recumbent bike riding, sons don't know who you are...wow!

I went on vacation to the beach and gained about five lbs, but I am already down two lbs by just going back on Phase 3 a couple of days. I won't do any indulgence days until I have lost everything I gained. Before IP I would have said, "F it. I screwed up. Might as well eat anything I want now." But I didn't think that at all. I was so excited to be back to my structured Phase 3 routine. *Sigh* I think vacation just proves that I am most successful at maintaining my weight with structure.

Good luck to everyone!

Hello ladies...well i,m getting discouraged...day 22 onalternate...no cheats...not a single deviation...the scale will not move since inital big drop and my belly is bloAted. I have been dealing with the big C a little but still...arghhhhhhh
This weekend I walked 24km and this is wood country...hills and hills...saw a bear...my heart beat picked up a little...it ran away when it saw me...ehmmm..i also rowed my stand up board an hour each day...great abb workout and i went rowing with kayak...
Got home...got on scale...did not lose...i was so mad...my daughter said mom you know it works you did it the last time...i did not cheat but man did my mind munch on those doritos. Ifi dont exercice it does not work and if i do i still dont lose.
Last time i had less weight to lose and i lost on a regular basis and my belly become alot more flat faster...now nothing works...
Soory for the complaints but arghhhhi said i would commit and write here when i felt i would derail again so here i am holding on by a thread...thanks for your ears...well eyes.

Hi L13 - no cheats...not a single deviation. If I don't exercise it does not work and if i do i still don't lose.

24km = approx 15 miles - even over the course of 2 or 3 days, that is a lot of exercise (imvho). Are you adjusting your calories adequately to compensate for the additional exercise? You may not be losing b/c your body is holding onto everything for dear life to have enough energy for what it's going through - ie, you are in starvation mode.

:lol: Loveit! the dangers of wearing white pants. :rofl:
Seriously though, glad to hear the health scare is probably nothing to worry about.

MiWi - :cp::cp::cp: Thanks for sharing that. I really like that thought, and IMO, that's why IP can work so well, it changes our attitudes. Sure, we're all going to fall of the wagon, so to speak, but instead of the "Might as well eat anything", I know for me anyway, like you, I'm going to try to remember how hard it is to get where I am, and get right back on track.

Loser13 - Please do not get discouraged. You WILL get past this!
First thing I thought of, it sounds to me like a lot of exercise, are you adding an extra packet?
There are lots of things you can do to try to shake it up...there was a thread awhile ago that might be helpful:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...d-2-weeks.html

I'm sure lots of the smarter than me people here will chime in with advice. Just hang in there, :hug:

No need to apologize for complaining! This is a great outlet for all of us. I think we all know there is an emotional component to our eating.

I agree with what others have said. With that much exercise, I would think you would add a packet or an egg or something extra. I have also read that each time your body goes into ketosis, it takes a little longer to lose the weight, so if the weight loss seems slower than before, it doesn't mean something is necessarily wrong.

My oldest DD turned 19 yesterday :D just doesn't seem possible...

Looks like summer is finally on it's way out - rain / 80 today and looking like some true NoVa fall weather next week. Time to hit the thrift store again for fall / winter slacks for work. Also time to get 2 storage bins and a bag for donations & anything +14 is out of the house. Holding onto the XL T-shirts though - they are so comfortable to sleep in & still thinking about getting a quilt made :)

I was starving / hitting the IP wall and binged a bit yesterday :o
B - chocolate RTD / coffee
L - 4.5 oz pork roast w/ 1.5C rutabaga
S - vanilla pudding
S - 2 egg whites, 1C spinach
D - 8oz ground turkey, 2C green zucchini, spices (made zoodle spaghetti)
S - Chocolate decadence bar (proti thin)
S - proti diet blueberry pancake, 1/4C rhubarb compote

WHOA :lol:
looks like a lot but per MFP only came up to approx 1,300 in calories and with exercise was right on target

I just felt ugh & it was either eat more OP foods or...??? I didn't have a specific craving (ie - sticking my head in a bag of Doritos), but was hungry, hungry, hangry ;) I think what I wanted more than anything (off plan) was cantaloupe (& no, I did NOT eat any)

...and even though I was bloated from the zoodle spaghetti (my rings were tight), was still down -0.4 from yesterday morning

My body is doing the 3# +/- bounce since my loss on vacation. So thankful for the spreadsheet I started - seeing the information in black & white keeps me sane through days like yesterday.

Just got back from my WI...down another 2.6 :dancer:
Must admit, I have been a bit --- well, not worried, but unsure this week; if you remember, my scale broke a couple of weeks ago, and I finally got a new one on the weekend. Couldn't really tell what my weight was, since all scales read differently, and I'm pretty sure my old one wasn't the best.
So it felt really good to see that loss. :)
I'm down 38lb so far, and I'm off on vacation next Thursday, I had set myself a goal of 40 by vacation. My next WI is early though, going in on Tuesday, but I just might do it :yes:

Nice thing too, my new scale reads pretty close to the clinic's scale (I weighed myself just before I left the house, same clothes, etc. and my scale is less than 1 lb lower than clinic
(Just FYI, for those of you looking for a new scale, mine is the EatSmart, really happy with it so far. Shows BF, Water, Muscle, etc, nice clear display, no variation in weight)

I agree that you probably need more calories. I have been slowly increasing my exercise (duration + intensity), and I usually have a hard-boiled egg with plenty of salt, or half of a RTD shake after my exercise. I'm having good weight loss - 3 lbs./week average. Now that I'm back to running, I will keep an eye on my weight loss and if it slows or stalls, I will add a full packet.

Are you using any 0/0/0 products? If so, maybe list them and we can see if those might be the problem.

Hey ladies. Thanks for all the responses. I feel really good reading your responses...it makes me really feel not alone....I am so glad I did not cheat when I got home....still cheat free...

Yep I do add an extra snack...I have a quest bar after my morning workout and if my walk is mor than an hour I will have a hardboiled egg.

Blueskiesahead....Thanks for the reference I will have a look at it.

HereIatand...once a week I will use WF salad dressing...one tbsp...thats it

My meat of choice is often chicken...I try to change it up...but not often. I love to puree my soup...I do use broth

Oops...not finished...broth has no carbs or fat and 1 g of protein...

One thing i did not mention is tha I do not get much sleep... I have trouble getting to sleep and stayin asleep...on a good night i get five hours...hopefully in a row...

Again thank you...your responses meant alot... I will not give up...not after all these days of no cheats.

Blueskiesahead Bravo! Great weight lossi will checkout the eatsmart scale..mine is an old ww..it works good...well when i use to go to ww our numbers were pretty good.

Hysteria i love that expression....stickinv your head in a bag of Doritos...now that I think about it I probably did it a few times when I wolfed down some sweet chilly heat Doritos.

Miwi...i have done this often...spiraled out of control...i used to say...well i'll eat pizza since i already messed up...then add chips...then licorice...and on and one...i called it the ´last supper' diet...îll have it ONE more time then îll stop...yeah whatever... That is why i dont want to cheat...i do not trust myself or should i say i know myself too well...having an extra egg or drink is alot better than having junk and getting those carb cravings again.

Let's keep doing this!

Happy Friday All! I've been super busy this week but trying to read these threads when I can to keep me motivated.
I had my first real struggle last Wednesday. I am usually prepared and bring my lunch to work but I wasn't able to make it home for dinner because the trains were cancelled here in Toronto because of a "package" left on the tracks. I've read others post that they keep an emergency packet or bar in their purse. I had nothing except a bottle of water and packet of solstic(energy crystals), and I was hungry. The only thing that stopped me from grabbing fast food is the thought, if I'm going off program, it's not going to be a hot dog stand.
I did finally get to eat by 8:30pm and stayed OP. The weird part is yesterday morning, I was ravenous and ended up eating 2 restricted bars. We'll see what the scale says at tomorrow's WI.
I do keep an emergency bar on me now just in case.
On another note, a lady who works on my floor just came over to say how great I look.
What a nice way to start the day! Hope everyone has a great day and stays OP as we all know this really works.

:yikes: Scary lrg :(

I guess as long as you were feeling ok (no dizziness / lightheaded-ness / etc from lack of food) it's not a big deal...& sorry, can't remember if you are alt-prod or through a clinic...if through a clinic maybe ask your coach too...but imvho, in a situation like that, eating a hot dog with some mustard (minus the bun) certainly wouldn't have been a choice to beat yourself up about. They would actually fit protocol if not for the fat content.

I know the feeling though - I panicked Tuesday afternoon when I was so hungry and realized I'd ate my emergency bar over the weekend (being lazy) & had forgotten to replace it

L13 - I only walk 2 miles a day (very brisk - 15 minute mile / 4.0 mph) and add a snack (approx 80 - 120 calories). Are you regularly walking / hiking 3 - 5 miles? An egg is 80 calories...a packet, 70 - 120. It may still not be enough depending on the level of your activity.
On any weight loss plan, getting enough rest is touted as a major factor for success. Is this insomnia normal (some people do function ok on less sleep than others) or something that needs to be looked into (sleep apnea?)?

Quiet weekend coming up - was suppose to be celebrating D19's birthday w/ a backyard cookout but her partner has bronchitis :( I'd already ordered the cake...but will just send it with them to the partners house ;)

I'd thought about a hike but this Saturday is suppose to be nasty (we need the rain!), so grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, and maybe a movie is on the agenda.
Sunday is suppose to be absolutely fall-perfect for NoVa...but it is also the return of football Sunday! & the Raven's kick-off against Denver at 4:25pm :broc:

Loser 13 -

When I am on P1 I have a lot of trouble sleeping and it has a huge affect my loss when I don't. If on the weekend if I would get in 12 hours in I would go down 3 lbs. overnight.

These things helped me:
- Magnesium Citrate in liquid form - releases any backed up constipation and also relaxes the body overall - really helped me sleep - I would take this sometimes the night before I knew I had time to sleep the next day - like a Friday or Sat. night. Tremendously helpful.
- My doctor said it would be totally fine for me to take over the counter sleep meds - I got the stuff at Walmart generic that is the main "sleepy" ingredient in Tylenol PM and Advil PM, but only that, not the extra ibuprofen or whatever. It lasted about 6 hours in my system, so by midnight if I was still laying in bed awake I could still take some and sleep for 6 hours before I had to wake up. It didn't make me groggy.

Good luck!