HIS - :hug: I am sorry - positive thoughts that the x-ray comes back negative and it is just something minor that needs rest. With our membership to the rec center now, I am considering some light swimming on rest day - plus it will give DD11 something fun to do on Sunday afternoons :)

Linda - It really sounds like you are doing ok...keep an eye on clothing fit (where did you end up? Size 4 / 6?) and please believe me, that it does get a little easier.
Also, you know we all <3 you, but when I disappeared at the end of December for a bit...well, lets just say it was a breather I REALLY needed. No IP on Facebook, no 3FC...just me and my decisions, if that makes sense. That was about 3 weeks into maintenance though and I knew I was over thinking and just stressing way too much. I was getting mad reading certain posts - ie - 'I lost 10 more pounds in P3'...and the uber repetitive 'tell me exactly what to eat for my first P3 breakfast' posts :lol: so I knew I needed to take a break.
You're 4 days in...it does get better :)
My only other word of caution? advice? would be to keep a wary eye on what P4 'protocol' does to YOU. Jenny brings up a very important point, and that is that maintenance is not "one-size-fits-all". Some of us may need to follow a more Mediterranean approach, or Paleo, or low carb.
I am some-what of a pessimist at heart anyway, and also very skeptical / question EVERYTHING so I tend to wonder about the P4 'protocol' being set up to make the majority of people fail. (Please note - This is MY personal opinion, not backed by any scientific fact!) We've touched on this before...and I think we can all agree the one thing science IS starting to prove is that we are all different - and have different dietary needs, etc...
I've accepted that personally figuring out what is going to work best for me in maintenance is going to take time / experimenting - some will work, and some will fail.

For example - yesterday, I added a 1/2C oats to breakfast (trying to follow P4 protocol again after my P1 - P2 cleanup). I did ok through lunch, and then started getting hungry...and by the time I got home from DD11's dance practice, wanted to eat *all.the.things.!* (where did this terminology start? and why does it appeal to me so much :lol:)
...and it wasn't just cravings - I started with a serving of roasted chickpeas (new snack I found - really good!) then, a Quest shake (with melted Gheridelli super-dark chocolate) and was still feeling ugh, so had an egg, then celery w/ PBFit. I tried so HARD to stave off the hunger with healthier options...but I was still ravenous 20 minutes or so later so I took a spoon and went into the almond AND cashew butter.

I don't have a great analysis for this one because it could be a number of things...
- I was up at 5:30a (so I was exhausted)
- I ran
- I had carbs with breakfast
and, last but not least:
- my IUD-version of TOM started this morning!!!!! :devil:

Shocker, scale was up this morning ;)

*sigh* so with my period rearing its ugly head, that pretty well negates yesterdays changes & reactions as much of my hunger, yukkiness, and exhaustion is probable hormonal

sometimes being a woman stinks

Beth, heh, if it makes you feel any better... Yesterday, after the doctor's appointment, I was so mad/sad/aggravated, I didn't just want to eat all.the.foods - I DID eat all the foods. I'm not even going to say what I gorged on when I got home. I knew I was eating out of emotion and didn't care. Probably why I woke up with a headache this morning. :(

This no-running thing is proving to be a huge mental battle for me. I knew when I started the protocol last June that running would be an important tool for long-term weight management, and that it would give me goals to continue to work toward. I never had a Plan B. Now I have to wrap my head around eating much more strictly than I planned, and doing an exercise that I don't like and am not very good at. Every time I think about going to the pool, I literally feel sick to my stomach. I need a psych appointment. LOL.

Linda, I agree with everything Beth said. You will figure out how to make P4 work for YOU, and that may mean making a few adjustments to the protocol. Personally, I think that protocol is written for mostly sedentary, average-sized people who don't want to be bothered with tracking their food, so IP made some rules that are relatively easy to follow. But they're certainly not one-size-fits-all rules.

HIS- I am sorry to hear what you are going through and quite frankly, it sounds like you are going through the stages of grief (for running!) :) Believe me, I am ridiculously cranky when I cannot work out. However, can I offer something up?

I used to hate swimming, but when I wanted to do a triathlon, I had to do it. Wouldn't you know, that the more I did it, the more I ended up enjoying it? I think if you start by "forcing" yourself to go to the pool, you just might end up finding another activity that you like. And guess what? Swimming is a h*ll of a workout. It is no joke. Swimming laps for 30 minutes is exhausting.

I would suggest finding an adult "swim session" with a coach. There are tons of them out there (surprisingly) because people are always looking for a coach / trainer to help them get faster for tri's. You will do drills and such, so it is not just "swimming". We used to do laps of just kicking with kick boards, regular laps, sprints, under water drills (to increase lung capacity), etc... You may like the "team" atmosphere better than just lugging yourself to the pool. Just a thought. :)

Yes, we have been on a very similar path / timing / etc... And I think we both recognize that it is important to note how you feel and if you are happy with your results.

Vacationing while on P1 is doable, but far from enjoyable. I hear ya! I don't think I have ever taken a vacation and stayed OP (while on P1). I do feel so much with the date vs. the number. And you're right, I may ultimately get there, but I am not going to force the issue. I know I can get through the next 25 days and I will see what happens when I get there.

I am more than happy to share my maintenance strategy! I just didn't want to derail anyone who is following the IP P4 methodology and "promote" something other than IP. This is an IP forum, and I wanted to respect that.

DISCLAIMER: This is my own plan and is not IP. Just because it works for me, doesn't mean that it will work for you or that I am advocating something different.

So, here goes. Right before I started my reboot, I had figured this out and it was working for me, but obviously, I needed to lose some weight, but it seemed pretty solid and even then I was thinking "oh! this would be a great way to maintain".

First: I figured out how many calories I should be eating. I calculated using 135 since that was my goal weight. Here is the formula I received from a nutritionist at my gym:

Weight / 2.2 = your weight in kilograms
Kilo weight x 0.9 x 24 (hours) = Daily Base Metabolic Rate (BMR)
BMR + 200 (if you exercise) = Cals per day

Now that you have your CPD, you need to figure out your macro breakdown. I plan to follow the breakdown of:
40% protein
35% carb
25% fat

The reason I chose this is because I do extremely intense exercise and I want to ensure that I am eating enough protein so that I am not burning my muscle, but building it. Also, through the years, I have discovered that my body REALLY doesn't like carbs. So while I will need them when I ramp my exercise back up, I don't want to take in enough that my body will store them.

The other popular breakdown is:
35% P
35% C
30% F

It is all individual.

Ok, so now, you take your calories and multiply by those percentages to get your calorie intake for each of the macros. To get the grams for each, you divide those calories by 4 for each P & C and by 9 for fat.

Now that you have the numbers, this is how I plan to apply them.

When I am ready to phase off, I am not going to go through the traditional P3 and beyond phasing. It is my plan to slowly, week by week, introduce carbs. Starting first with them around my workout. So in week 1, I will introduce about 50g of carb with some before and some after my workout (I work out at 6 am).

Then the 2nd week, I will add a carb at breakfast in addition to the carb around my workout. Then the 3rd week, I will introduce a carb at lunch, in addition to the workout and breakfast carb. Slowly adding in roughly 35-50 carbs a week until I hit my macro (roughly 135g).

Here is the other thing- I plan to basically be done eating my carbs by lunch. My afternoon snack will be protein and then dinner will be protein and non-starchy (unrestricted) veggies. This was KEY for me. I used to eat carbs at night all the time because I thought I needed them for my workout the next morning. Not so (at least for me). It was a GAME CHANGER switching my carbs to early in the day.

THEN, once I am at this point, I will evaluate what my body is doing and adjust from there. Maybe I can add more calories, maybe I need to reduce, who knows. I am sure it will take some tweaking, but I do feel that somewhere in the 1500-1600 calorie range and 135-150g of carbs is going to be where I land.

There you have it ;) Nothing extraordinary, but I think it is solid. And I think that my body will respond better if I slowly introduce carbs back in. I think understanding what macro count works for your body and the timing of them is what can make or break maintenance. I plan that this will be my 90% of the time way of eating. I fully intend to incorporate P1 days after splurges, special occasions, vacations, holidays, etc...

What do you think?

No :( - I wish I was closer and could hug you :hug: I really hope you have a good support system & also think Jenny makes a very valid point...but understand not liking a particular exercise...I never learned how to ride a bike very well so it is something I avoid - I am a 'fish out of water' though but have become kind of *eh* about public pools over the last 5 years or so - kind of skive me out


^^^ THIS! and it seems as though most coaches don't have a clue what to do with their clients once they get to P4...I'm always amazed when I see someone post "I am the first client to graduate from my clinic" :?: WHA? I think to myseld 'Hope it only opened a few months ago' kwim...but the truth of the matter is, imvho, we are an elite group here :broc:

Jenny - I think that plan looks fantastic - during my mini reboot, I found the macros 50 / 30 / 20 (P, C, F) seemed to work really well - but I'm not sure with the running how maintainable that would be on a consistent basis. I too don't do real well with a lot of carb - at least, grain carbs...and even the chickpea snack I had last night I think set me off - but I'm willing to try those again (Superbowl Sunday is the plan) - I'm also thinking about trying more dairy-alternatives - almond milk yogurt, as opposed to the Oikos 0/0/0 - I've already switched to Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk for protein shakes / OIAJ.

Jennydoodle. I love your plan for maintenance. That was kind of the way I had been doing it before I lost it and started breaking the plan and forgot what I was doing. MFP really helps with all of this. I have 14 pounds to goal but feel good about having my plan ready. thanks.

Arrived home from Calgary and caring for the 2GS. I can't believe I stayed on protocol the whole time. I was rewarded with a 2.5 pound loss. It was tough but worth it.

Now should have some clear sailing until the middle of March when I hope I can phase off.

Jenny - one question about your plan...you have BMR +200 for exercise - so regardless of what you do on a given day, BMR +200 is it, correct?

Leslie - :crossed: for you phasing off in March & congrats on the -2.5 & surviving the GS's ;)

Upped protein yesterday = normal, non-starved afternoon / evening...but I just couldn't sleep last night and woke up at 4:08a with a roaring stomach. Even DH commented as he was getting ready for work...idk :?: I was hungry but forced myself to wait until I could have my full breakfast and am still a little hungry. It's weight resistance day, so am having a cup of hot tea and will have 1/2 a combat bar before my workout.

Jenny, I found your plan really interesting. Ironically, I had just read an article about carb loading for runs, and it said that a runner shouldn't just load up on pasta or rice the night before a race, but that they need to incorporate more carbs all day, two days before the race. The body can store carbs over many hours. That dovetails with you having your carbs in the morning, rather than evening.

My P1 day yesterday went very well. I was surprised that I wasn't more irritable about it. The only hard part was the evening; I had had my last food (a bar) at work at 7 pm, and when I got home at 9, I was so hungry. Ended up eating some marinated cucumbers right before bed. The scale dropped two pounds so it was worth it.

I'm doing P1 again today, at least for breakfast/lunch/snack. Will have to see what happens at dinner time. I'm going up to Oklahoma today to see my grandson and may end up having dinner with my son and DIL. I decided to take a break from daily life and maybe it will stop my brain from fretting about not running.

I keep hoping I'll wake up in the morning and be pain free, but it hasn't happened yet. Pretty achey today. Probably because I did a lot of walking and climbed stairs at work last night. I sure wish I knew for certain what I was dealing with. Doc says the x-rays show no fracture, but we still don't know if it's a small stress fracture or what. Been thinking that when I get back into running, I may need a much more cushioned shoe. More $$$. Ugh.

Jenny, thanks for the thoughts about swimming. When I had my last stress fracture (tibia), I swam for several weeks, so I know I can do it. I just don't enjoy it. I'll look into what our gym offers for classes. I know they have a water yoga class in the warm therapy pool that might be fun. :) I know several of the physical therapists in the rehab department, and I'm going to ask one of them for some ideas about alternative exercises.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Yes and no. I exercise 5x week and it for BASICALLY the same amount of time each day, so yes, I would eat the same amount every day (even on rest days). However, since you are training for a half, I would bump up the calories another 100-200 on long run days. You would probably have to play around with it and see how your body feels and what happens on the scale (overall picture- not daily fluctuations).

The reason that they told us 200 was because that is for activity for around 30-60 minutes, which is what Crossfit is, and that is what we do at our gym.

The balance is finding the right amount of calories (& macros) to support your exercise without adding fat / weight. Tricky.

Yes! This ^^^

I used to think that if I was going to work out first thing in the morning, that I had to load up all my carbs at night, so I was basically doing the opposite of my plan. I was eating B & L as high protein, higher fat meals, then started loading in the carbs after 4:00 pm. But actually, it is all about what is in your glycogen stores. And if you are exercising, and you are continually replenishing them, it doesn't matter when you eat them. Plain & simple. No wonder I needed a reboot. I was eating so many carbs at night and they were just turning into FAT FAT FAT.

So glad you guys are supportive of my maintenance plan. Of course, once I am implementing it, I will be on here updating and getting support ;)

I have a had a long, arduous road since the first time I phased off IP, and thankfully, I learned some things (about nutrition, about myself) along the way. I am hoping that the journey is not for nothing, because I do feel much more confident going into maintenance this time.

Last time, it was like all h*ll breaking loose. I had no idea what I was doing, all I could think about was eating all of the foods I had been denied while on P1 and I feel into this horribly viscous cycle of binging on the weekends and then doing P1 during the week. Granted, I maintained my losses for 15 months doing this, but in the end it caught up to me and I realized that this was not the way to live. Plus, I really wasn't eating healthy, which is a much higher priority for me now.

Wow - truth told I am having a hard time staying under 1,800 and feeling ok - it's the days I flirt with 2k+ that seem to cause some issues...and at the end of the day I am maintaining within 3 pounds.

Man...running 5+ miles a day on 1,650 (my BMR using your calc is approx 1,450) ...oof. Really surprised cross fit is that low given the intensity of most of the workouts.

It is a handy tool to have though - think I will continue to flirt with the upper limits of my calorie intake while I can ;)

HIS - glad the P1 day went ok & really hope you are able to get some mental relief tonight / this weekend

I think that is a basic guideline, but it is really all individual and takes some trial and error. You may be one of those lucky people who can handle eating more. In my gaining time, I was eating between 1800-2000 (with CF) and gaining. There are people who can add 400-600 cals to their BMR and do great. I'm not one of those people :(

Maybe try adding 75-100 calories a day each week and see where you start to gain. That would probably be the most effective way to know where your set point is.

Sorry - not trying to sound 'braggy' or anything :p idk - I guess I get a little more leeway at 5'6.5 (?) - I am also fairly happy with my weight / size (6 or 8, depending) and have been able to maintain 144 - 148 with the running / cross training 6 days a week.

The biggest question remains will 6 days a week be maintainable for long periods of time... :?:

I am well aware that at some point, life may interfere with this (injury, new job, DD11's sports...) and I will need to get serious about scaling k/cals back to BMR levels so again, sincerely appreciate your input :)

Ugh - so STRESS
:fr::stress::stress::stress::bomb::bomb::bomb: :frypan: :frypan: :frypan:

So, I didn't open all my mail in December and apparently our water billing went from quarterly to monthly.
I was 2 days late paying a $90 bill (I wasn't expecting until this month) and they shut.off.my.water yesterday sometime around 4:30p
So now, they just came to restore water and because of the pressure change, a pipe connection busted and I am waiting on a plumber to come and fix it...
Oh man :( what a day...calgon, take me away