Hi 2014 IP Girls!!!!

Everyone sounds like they are working hard! We missed the big storm in STL, and even though my kids were bummed, I think it was a good thing not to be trapped inside with food!

SGRealtor - I think what I learned during phasing off was actually the skills to eat healthy in a more balanced way. P1 is an awesome fast-forward to weight loss, but I don't feel like IP does a great job (maybe it was just my coach but she was WEAK at anything other than P1...and even told me SHE NEVER phased off properly!) at teaching realistic healthy eating. I started using MyFitnessPal when I moved to P2, and that has been my best friend this past 1.5 years in maintenance. The times that I slack off with it are the times that I gain weight. But honestly, keeping the weight from creeping back on is hard! It's a been a bummer to accept that I COULD just eat whatever I want (which is what I used to do), even only do that 50% of the time....but I can't maintain my weight loss this way. I think I remember IP literature saying that our body wants to naturally gain about 7 lbs a year. That has certainly been my experience this year, even with USUALLY watching my eating.

My news is that I am every so slowly taking some of this extra gain off again, and doing it without P1 or drastically cutting my carbs. But it is SLOWWWWWWWWW. I'm such an impatient person! Luckily you all give me great motivation!

Keep up the hard work ladies!!!!!!

CenTxChk - you have been so stalwart with your program and have weathered many challenges along the way -- I keep telling you - you are an inspiration!

Sue - thanks for the reminder about IP foods - I will check ebay -- and either OhZoe or Ro22 posted a link to a 'virtual' clinic where you can have monthly check in's via phone with the coach and you can order foods for mail delivery. So I have several options - I am still working my way through my existing stores of IP foods... using many to make muffins.

I have been so sick over the past 2 weeks that I have really done little eating or planning ahead. Just making it through the storm with no caregiver help for my husband for a week. So now, I am trying to get back on a more predictable track. I think I am going to try to make it with the addition of some Quest chips from GNC, for now.... But as February progresses I may be back to you with an order.... :D

I have managed to drop 13 lbs since Jan 3rd - that's more than 3lbs a week, average, and I am about to drop into the 170's -- this is something compelling to keep me on track, I think.

I have been thinking more and more about the alternative P1 protocol, though. I think adding some yogurt and a piece of fruit might be a very welcome change, and I rather expect that following P1 exactly 100 percent will still be a very slow slope downward, just as it was last June.... I think I might feel a bit more patient with a bit more food variety..... just have to consider and decide.

I hope all are doing well -- I am so glad to come back here to 3FC and find you all are still present and as always - SO supportive!!!

Eve. -Thanks for the advice... I have MFP, but really don't use it. The problem for me is I phased myself off on Christmas Day with a bottle of home made wine LOL...Now I have that binge bug and I can't seem to get that back under control... I need to figure out how to deal with stress without a bag of pretzels or a loaf of bread.... But today I am starting day 3 of fully compliant Phase 1 ...hopefully into Ketosis soon and will get this pesky extra weight off and then phase off properly...

Cheryl - Hope you are feeling better... I know what you mean about the added foods. It is daunting that I need maybe 6 more months Phase 1...Ugh... I am so mad at myself that I went backwards and because I am so made I keep bingeing own carbs and sugar.... I keep telling myself I can do this...maybe I will listen this time...

My poor DS. Came home from work last night to find out his girlfriend broke up with him after over a year of dating. He is just heartbroken. After consoling him for some time we ended up going out to eat to try and get him a change of scenery and his mind off of things for a bit. He picks...Whataburger. Which is like the best burger place ever. It was between that or pizza so I was basically screwed either way. Proud of myself for going out to eat with my family and not eating a bite! Waited until I came home to cook something P1 compliant.

But then I dreamed I knocked myself out of ketosis last night and woke up this morning mad at myself. Took me a minute to remember I was all good! Hope I dreamed about eating that burger at least. ;) Can't remember the details, just knew I'd cheated.

First time this whole month I feel like I am in hardcore ketosis. Bad breath, clear skin and sleeping like a rock. WI is this morning. Hopeful to see some good numbers finally. Of course, I did over do it on the sodium last night and am feeling it in my fingers this morning. Will keep you posted!

Good job CenTxChk for staying the course!!!!!!

SgRealtor, the holidays are SO hard! I decided not to track my food from a little before Christmas to Jan 2...and I went up 5 lbs!!! Just like that...grrrr. I wasn't eating crazily, but definitely indulging and it bit me back for sure! Another month in and I still have 2lbs to go to get back to pre-Christmas weight. I did better last year when I watched more carefully. I let myself have a few days but not a whole 3 weeks. Moral of my story: start the holiday season 5 lbs down from target weight, lol!

Cheryl, that would be a short cool woman in a black dress..for me! Your losses sound great. Sorry you were without help for your DH during the bad weather.

Sue, it is so very hard to start back up. The important thing is that you don't give up and keep working on you!

I struggled the month of January to get back at it. But it's day 5 now and I think I am ready. After 2.5 days of migraine and being bed ridden I don't want to go through that again anytime soon by getting out of ketosis and having to get back into it! I just have to accept that to get where I want to be I need to stick with it for the next 3-4months (I'm only 10lbs from maintenance now, but want to lose an additional 20).

We definitely have to research and understand what we need to do in maintenance while in P1. Because we don't need to take time to calculate and figure out what we can and can't eat in P1, we have time to figure out how we can eat in P4. IP certainly doesn't provide you with menu plans and specific macros and it does take work on our part to figure out what works for us.

I had my first client phase off recently, this is his first week in maintenance. It was pretty sudden as he was going to be travelling, and without his wife to make sure he ate what he was supposed too! He did phase off properly with two weeks in P2 and 2 in P3. I gave them the Maintenance package when he started P2, and kept at them about going through it and doing the exercises, but while they provide some good general information it's certainly not tailored to an individual. I told them to use a calorie counting program. Figure out BMR, slowly up calories to figure out specific stable range. Work out a dozen or so daily menus that follow carb/fat separation and calorie goals. And don't make the mistake of eating everything you haven't been able to in P1-3 in the first 2 weeks of P4! Which is easy to want to do. Other than making up menus for them I'm not sure what else to say. And I'm not doing that, he's a super picky eater!! But they know if they want to bring in the menus with macro info I will look it over with them...

Cen, it's funny when we have dreams of cheating and feeling badly about it! I've done that before. I hope your DS doesn't hurt for too long.

Thanks DD, I hope my DS heals quickly too. He is going out with some friends tonight. Keeping him busy!

I lost 5.2 lbs for this week. Mostly fluid...in fact, I didn't lose any fat! I was adding in some to much fat that I quickly got used to in maintenance. Not all about the carbs people. Tweaking my plan for the next week to see where I can end up and decide where to go from there.

Congrats Sue on day 3!! And Cheryl I keep seeing losses on MFP. So proud of you girl!!

So glad to see everyone on our 2014 starters thread!

I weighed just below 180 this AM - so thrilled to be in the 170's that I ate all carb today. Being my own worst self saboteur!

But, I posted in MFP anyway and held very lose to 1000 calories total. Could have been a much worse binge. Back to Day 1 tomorrow....

This is hard - but I am in for the duration! Don't worry Sue - I will be here with you for the 6 months.

CenTxChk - you continue to inspire me!

So Sorry for DS..... :D On the food dreams. I have had them too! LOL

Yes that sounds like a plan. I was so strict last Christmas and didn't have a bite of anything.....This year my neighbors brought me a bottle of homemade wine and I started with that...then the cookies I baked called my name, then it was carb load city from that point out... I couldn't keep my hands of anything. Stuff that never tempted me before I craved... So dang annoying... Had myself up to 215....which was 20 up from my lowest in August..... Ugh.. Back on track now...will feel good when I am back under 200

No I am not giving up.... I refuse to ... And Everything in my closet is size 14 LOL. I am not buying new fat clothes...:o:o. Although I had to wear a lot more stretch stuff last week. I think that may have been what finally set me straight is that I have 2 pair of well fitting work pants now and I leave for Dallas for a work convention March 4th... I need pants for 5 days of meetings and workshops LOL...

Cheryl. - Thanks my friend...I know we will do this.. Congrats to getting back in the 170's...


So I think I need to change my stats to match what I truly am.. I had gone up to 215 during this holiday binge...fun is over and back to work....Totally IP compliant since Wednesday now and I feel so much better.... I had been feeling bloated and off... My system is welcoming back the good eating habits. LOL and I am down to 211 so I am happy.... Think I will make Monday my official WI day. Since I don't WI at a clinic anymore. Also I did get rid of all my Non IP foods that I felt were causing me to binge.... There are a few quest bars I kept for the occasional quest cookie...but I am counting them as super restricteds since the formula change...Only treating my self to them once in a while.. It feels good to be in control and have the pantry full of items I can eat...

I am so glad to see you are still here SG! I ordered from Nashua and back on the plan. I fell off the wagon. Gained some back but not all, thank goodness! That whole throwing away larger clothes helps me because I realize the error of my ways when my pants are tight. I fit in my 16 pants but not my 14. But I didn't stop until the 16s were tight. I'm NOT buying 18s!!!! I have been crazy busy but I'll try to stop in from time to time to check in! You can do this! Set backs are just mistakes. We haven't failed until we stop trying!

You ladies are so smart. While I've gotten rid of most of my larger sizes, I still have things left. In fact I have a pair of 16's tucked away in a drawer I can't seem to part with. Heck, I still have some size 22 dresses. I really just need to get rid of those things.

You know, I still haven't resized my wedding ring either. Shows how confident I feel about keep my weight off, huh?

Inching closer to goal. Maybe this week! Of course I leave for Mexico in 2 wks so I am sure I will be P1ing it again soon. ;)

Hey DeterminedDieter: There's a bunch of us who posted tips and our whole day's food plans & menus & macros copied from MFP on the Maintainers P4 What Are You Eating? thread.
Maybe it will give some of your clients some P4 menu ideas...
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...g-today-3.html

Liana

Thanks Liana, that's a great idea!

I made it through a week! Hoping for smooth sailing from now until goal. My sister wants me to start an exercise video program with her, even though we are provinces apart, but I am concerned that it will show slower losses on the scale and that will be discouraging... But I feel like I need to do something, feeling the winter blues. Maybe I should just get more fresh air. I have the gear to be warm in pretty cold temps. And it's actually supposed to go up to 1 degree Celsius today!!! Weird for here, we've actually had a mostly mid January with only a couple of really cold but normal days.

I hope everyone has a great OP Monday :)

Nat - we can do this! It really did help tossing the big clothes...Its so much easier to reach for something that fits then to wear the tight stuff and realize the error of your ways LOL.... I still am getting my 14 jeans on although much easier this week after a almost a full week on program. Even thought the scale was up this morning, the bloating seems to be way down... Makes a difference in the clothes...

Forgot how fast I go thru veggies when I am 100% on track...back to the store today for some lettuce LOL....

Happy Groundhog's Day!!!!

Boy do I feel it (well, the movie anyway) since I was back up to 135 yesterday. But low and behold it is my TOM...I am down a little today to 133.4.

Talking about getting rid of bigger sizes....I was SCARED to get rid of my large jeans when I lost weight initially. But I'm glad I did. I think the biggest reason that I realized I needed a reboot right now was that I only have two pair of jeans that fit!

WTG on eating on plan SGRealtor! It is a LOT of veggies and meat for sure!

Have a great day all!