Hi everyone! It's been a busy week, and other commitments have gotten in the way of my spending much time here.

My reboot has really morphed into more of a low carb diet... my calorie level is higher than what is would be P1-P2 and I find I'm not losing... but I'm not gaining either. And I'm not feeling deprived. So, all in all, I'm not too upset about the way the past few weeks have gone. I've been retraining myself to stay away from sweets, etc again. In fact, I've had two occasions recently of actually going to a nearby convenience store to buy something to snack on.... consciously intending to go off program... and then after surveying everything there, deciding there was really nothing I wanted - so I turned around and walked out again, and ate something I already had at home. LOL. My home-made ice cream came in useful for one of those trips. I enjoy it even more when I stick it in the freezer for a while after making - it takes longer to eat it, and I find that more satisfying.

I'm soon off for a regular Saturday morning 1-hr walk in my nearby part with a friend. Still doing my early morning DVD 'walking with Leslie Sansome' routines, but it's nice to get out into nature for this one. And we have a beautiful morning, so I know I'll thoroughly enjoy it.

Lizzy - btw - I'm sure Maille is talking about my 'healthy' icecream. Which is just a combo of protein powder, almond milk (unsweetened vanilla is what I use) and some light coconut milk + vanilla extract. I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker, which produces a soft serve consistency ice cream in about 15 minutes. As I said above, if I stick it in the freezer for about an hour it thickens more. You can vary the amounts used to suit yourself, and the nutritional values you want. I generally go with about enough of the protein powder for 15g protein, plus 1 cup almond milk and 1/4 cup coconut milk. Still has some fat content due to the coconut milk, but imo it's a 'healthy fat' and it's tempered by the protein level of the concoction.

Guess that's all for now - hope everyone here has a great day.

Hi, Bellamack! Hope things are going well for you.

Evepet - thanks for the healthy ice cream info. What sort of protein powder do you use? Other than the IP powders, have not found one I care for... Is your machine the Cuisinart ICE-21 model? I'm thinking I'm due for a reward for doing a good job on maintenance!

Yes, that seems to be the same one - this link shows the one I got :-
http://compare.ebay.ca/like/11101933...d=111019333438

It works very well, and produces a soft-serve ice cream after about 15 minute. These types of ice cream makers have a canister that has to be thoroughly chilled in the freezer prior to using - I store it in the freezer all the time, so it's always ready for use. Since it's thoroughly chilled, I find I can make the ice cream quickly without chilling the 'ice cream mixture' after I make it (many of the recipes call for chilling the mixture as well, to help the quick freezing process). Mine always seems to thoroughly set to soft-serve consistency even without chilling the mixture first (but my almond & coconut milk are always already chilled in the fridge)..but as I said the bowl has most always been chilling in the freezer for anywhere from min 24 hrs to up to 72 hrs + before using it. I have noticed that the more frozen the ice cream is, the less strong the flavor is - so you have to use extra flavor extract, etc. in order to have a full-flavored ice cream if you want it more thoroughly frozen.

As to protein powders, my favorites have been from Healthsmart Foods - their ChocoRite Protein Powders. I have regularly used their Cappuccino, Chocolate Supreme, and French Vanilla for the past year and they continue to be my favorites after having tried quite a few other brands of protein powder. Their nutritional values are a very good fit, and I love the fact that they also include a decent amount of fibre/serving. Here's a link to their Chocolate Supreme flavor - this is from our Canadian thelowcarbgrocery.com website, but I'm sure you can find the same products through Netrition.com.
http://www.thelowcarbgrocery.com/cat...th=132_222_578 You will note that a serving as per their nutritional label gives 24 gms protein- I generally use less than that - just enough to end up with around 15g protein/serving - whether in a shake or in the icecream.

all this talk of Crossfit has me jealous! I miss my sweaty workouts, still doing Bodypump (albeit Much lower weight), but cut out the cardio a few months ago (although those were not sweaty jog-walks). I have a little over 2 weeks to go until little girl is here! I am happy to report I have had no back pain, plantar fasciitis, or knee pain this pregnancy so far, these were all ailments I had with my first pregnancy. Can't say I have had the best diet, but my weight gain has been healthy and I am feeling pretty good.

Ishbel...ugh...you remind me I am waaaayy behind on going through all my junk! Definitely need to step things up before Sep 4th! Lol...I kicked my hubby out of our bed a few weeks ago...I needed a king bed all to myself! Me and my 5 pillows! It's an exercise in inertia to roll from one side to another!

Lizrr: I am so happy for you! Only two weeks to go and you are in great health. I remember it being impossible to turn over the last weeks as well. I think your lack of ailments in this pregnancy is due to you being in great shape and condition this time. Your little girl will soon be here.

Evepet: Your icecream description has got me thinking of getting one of those cuisinart makers. That sounds like such a treat and ready in 15 minutes.
Not feeling deprived is key for me. I eat low carb also and stay away from sweets. Those were good Non Scale Victories with the convenience store. I was reflecting that I was glad that I was done going from store to store craving sweets as I did in the past.

Lizzy63: That ice cream maker sounds tempting. I am glad your maintenance is going well. Fortunately, my jury duties have had the cases cancelled.

Bellamack: Hope your reboot is going well.

M35A: as you are doing Paleo, i wondered if you have tried making zuchinni noodles. You get a small micro shredder which makes thin noodles. Then just pan fry them in a little oil. They are good with pasta sauce.

I am staying my range and feeling positive. I realized that I no longer feel guilty or panicked if the scale is up a few pounds. I may feel resigned and know I need to eat low carb, but I no longer berate myself as I did years ago.

Lizrr.... So happy for your decent pregnancy and the little princess will be here soon.

Maile - my reboot is going great. I had posted somewhere that I couldn't face putting over 200 on my ticker, psychologically I just couldn't. Tomorrow is 2nd WI and so far in 2 weeks I am down 6 lbs., 3 more to what my "Ticker" says I am at, then I will start posting the losses. CRAZY, I know, but this whole weight thing is mental for me

Hi everyone. Just returned from my usual 1-hr Sun am walk in the neighborhood park - beautiful morning. I ended up doing a lot of walking yesterday as well, as I walked a LOT doing errands... so I certainly am getting my walking exercise in this weekend.

Just wanted to say to Lizzy63 and Maille.... made the protein powder/almond/coconut milk ice cream last night again. Once it had hardened as much as possible in the Cuisinart ice cream maker, I put it in a plastic container (I used a fairly shallow one) to harden a bit more, and left it in the freezer about an hour. It hardens from the 'outside in'... so after an hour the outer edges are quite hard and the inside part still 'soft-serve' consistency. I've eaten it like that in the past and enjoyed it just fine but last night I tried something different at that point - I scraped it all out into my Ninja blender and whizzed it just a couple of seconds. It blended the harder and softer bits together and came out to a perfect consistency. It was fantastic! Maybe this sounds like a lot of rigmarole to go through - but to me it was worth it.

I'm a newbie (in fact, really don't start until tomorrow), but it is the Maintainers thread I go to for inspiration! I know people on this thread have successfully completed at least Phase I of IP so I really look up to you for advice! In looking at some of your profiles, it is amazing to me the very steady, consistent weekly losses that many of you had throughout Phase I. Tell me......did you follow IP 100%? Were there weeks when you followed 100% and did not see much of a loss? How did you keep your motivation up, going throughout the many months (even more than a year for some) that it took to reach your goal? Did you keep a journal? Thanks for any advice you can give as I start my journey!

Welcome, I followed IP right to goal. Some weeks were better than others, but trust the plan and youll be happy!
Be sure to get your water in. There is plenty of info and
support here! I visited daily and still do.
Best of luck to you! Last diet youll ever do!

D

Hi Everyone!

Just checking in. I'm back from my week of babysitting for the 2-yr old twins! It's always a little jolt to my system because even though I try, it's hard to eat exactly as I would eat at home. But it was a very fun week. Tomorrow morning I report to school at 9 AM for a week of meetings. Then on Friday I'll have my last trip of the summer to my niece's wedding in NY.

Today I had a semi P1 day. P1 until about 4:30 when I had an extra snack of some almond butter. But I drank, drank, drank water today. Just had a wonderful P1 dinner and I hope that the 2 pounds of water weight will be gone by the morning. I was able to swim a few times during the week, so I should be fine. I've got to wear the teeny-tiny dress for the wedding next weekend, so I've been extra careful.

Liz - you're really in the "home-stretch" now! 2 more weeks!

Evepet + others - That IP ice cream sounds wonderful!

Mailee - I'm not there yet, but hope to be soon at a place when I don't freak out at higher numbers on the scale. I know in my mind that I can take care of the little gains, but it's still a jolt.

Bellmack, you've got it covered and your losses show that. Yes, it's a "mental thing" for me too.

Slowsteady: Welcome to IP. Everyone has their own take on the diet. Some use alternative products; some use strictly IP. I lost 83 pounds (June 2012-March 2013) using only IP products and adhering to the program 100%. I found foods I liked a lot and stuck with them. The weight loss is perfect motivation to stay on the program. (OP) Yes, some weeks have bigger losses than others. Stick to it and the weight will come off. I kept a journal every day, although by January or Feb I learned about My Fitness Pal (an ipad app) and began using that. I still track what I eat. It keeps me in line.

Happy thoughts to all!!

Lizz YAY! Good to see you!! ! Sorry about making you feel bad about junk...if it makes you feel better we're preping for a basement renovation so everything from the basement is now upstairs in the VIP's manland which looks like a hoarders room. :/ I do have a clean storage room though lol

evepet I eat pretty low carb for maintenance. That is some kind of decision going for a walk and walking around and actively deciding. That's a HUGE huge NSV in my opinion. I'm tempted to buy an ice cream maker just so I can try out your protein ice cream. I usually just go down to the local tutti fruiti to get my weekly feed of 'ice cream' in the form of frozen yogurt. But your way might mean I get it more often .

bellamack It's all mental for me too Bella! :/ I often refer to it as a 'game' but also think of dieting like learning to play the piano (I think that's a diet beck thing but it stuck with me.) You just keep practicing utnil it become part of your regular being.

slownsteady I did my original Ph1 100% and hung out a lot in the 100% thread. If I was feeling strong I would venture to other threads and provide support but if I was having a really tough day I wouldn't read any of the other threads. I found the 100% and hanging out with those peeps really helped me stay strong. I also phased off for a vacation with about 5-6 weeks left of Phase 1 and enjoyed myself on vacation and then got the rest off. Worked for me

maile Just had a crazy week at work and the anxiety started up again and because I'm not eating my emotions it's coming out elsewhere. Because you commented on not feeling panicked...when did it stop for you? I think my work got me spinning out of control and then I started focusing on a # and it really threw me for a loop. I'm fine, I'm ok and I'm well below my goal but I was still 'EEEEKK' for some reason. The flashes come less often now then they did a year ago...but I'm also tired of having them LOL Do you think they will totally go away??

Hope everyone has a great day!

Hi, everyone!

LizRR - so excited for you!

Slownsteady - welcome! I pretty much religiously stayed on plan for the entire time it took me to lose my weight (4+ months - almost 60 lbs). Once I've made up my mind about something, I'm pretty determined... ( or stubborn, if you ask DH). I did track things on MFP starting around the 3rd month and still do to this day. That let's me review and adjust if I find the scale is going up...

Evepet - ran out and bought the ice cream maker yesterday. Tried your recipe yesterday - yum!

Then, today I decided to experiment - I mixed up a 6 oz. carton of fat free greek yogurt, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 4 packets of stevia, and a shot of raspberry sugar free syrup. Whisked it all together, dumped it in the machine, 15 minutes later - Wow!

I am going to have a ball with this thing! Maybe cocoa powder tomorrow? I so want to try peanut butter, but not yet - trying to lose a few pounds before my vacation.

Thank you, Evepet!

So glad that you're enjoying it! It's fun figuring out different combinations, but knowing that we control the fat, sugar, etc., that goes into it. I'm always keeping my eyes open these days for ice cream flavor options. BTW - I hadn't yet considered adding almond & coconut milk to the yogourt, but that sounds like a great idea. I've got all the ingredients, so I'll be trying it out soon.

Hi all,

Been off the radar, had my first vacation last week and had the major FOOD CREEP syndrome of starches and sugar. Weight totally responded with a giant leap upwards. Started P1 yesterday and got the headache last night and up at 4 am with headache. I remember now the P1 symptoms.

It felt good to be so disciplined yesterday and I need to get organized. The key for me is being organized with my eating plan.

Gluten sensitivity issue: I am gluten free most of the time. When I eat gluten, I notice a lot of symptoms that just don't make me feel good. This is one reason why IP has been very good for me, the omission of gluten and dairy (as well as low carb/low sugar).

Workingit50: It does feel good to be back on track and organized! Phase 1 does work! I also liked IP due it being gluten free and low sugar low carb. Good luck.

Ishbel and Joysh: I am now heading to maintaining one year and 9 months and being binge free for 2 years 9 months. I realized that if I see the scale go up, I no longer feel guilty..like I have blown it with a binge..mainly because I am continuing to eat low carb low sugar foods and am not blowing it.
In my first year of maintenance I did panic with the scale..I know the feeling that two pounds up might feel like the entire 100 pounds is back. I would keep looking at myself to make sure I was not fat. Now I seem to be calmer in my last months. I do not like up pounds...but feel more resigned that I need to eat lower carbs..but not panicky as I know I can get them off and I am still fitting my precious size 6. I sometimes put on my more fitted pants to remind myself that I need to keep fitting them and to eat low carb.

Ishbel: sorry your work is so stressful! I am heading back to school and will soon be just as stressed. I think with time your flashes will go away. That is wonderful that you are below your goal.

Lizzy63 and Evepet: Keep posting your ice cream discoveries. They sound excellent! Thanks for sharing.

Slowsteady: I stayed 100 percent on IP while I was losing. I did go to a bootcamp at a gym where I weighed daily. That helped.

Bellamack: I am so glad your reboot is going well! You are on your way. Weight is a mental issue and you are wise to do whatever you need to do with the tracker that keeps you positive. I am happy you are doing well.

Dreban: I like the comment that this is the last diet you will ever be on.