I was just saying on the 100% thread that it's humbling to be learning to eat properly at 40-something years old. It's probably something I should have learned at home as a child, but my mom didn't know anything about healthy eating. Better late than never. I am finding maintenance to be amazingly uncomplicated. It has guidelines, I understand them. I've always been a person who can follow rules. I never had rules for eating well. That said, I'm also someone who can be happy eating the same thing over and over for days, weeks, before I get tired of it, which makes maintenance much easier. So grateful for IP's WOE plan!
eta WOE=way of eating, not "woe!" lol

I think we will all find that "place" where we have good instincts for what we can and can't eat, and hopefully continue to listen to them But for me at least, I can't look at it as being "obsessed" with what I eat. I am simply not one of those people that can eat without thinking it through. I will gain weight if I don't pay attention to what's going in, I'm just not a "naturally thin" person - if I was, I wouldn't have needed IP in the first place! So instead, I look at it as retraining my body and brain. By keeping track of what I'm eating, and paying attention to calories, carbs, fat and such, I will grow good instincts and that will make good choices more "natural" for me.

Thanks scorbett1103...that's a good way of looking at it. We are retraining our brains and our body. I certainly didn't get to be over 200lbs by thinking through and planning what I was going to eat all those years!

I too need to know what I'm eating and allows me to review what I'm doing and what I should be changing. So I track...you generally eat the same things within a month anyway (and I only track Monday to Friday - so I'm using my work schedule). My tracker remembers and I just plunk them into it. Last week the only thing that gave me comfort was that I could review what I ate in September and know what I was doing now wasn't that much different...but I was having less simple sugars then so I knew that I needed to simmer down on that "simmer down naw" <---SNL reference.

Just like weighing everyday, sometimes it gets to me (it's a work in progress) but I cannot go by clothes, stretchy jeans didn't do me any favours....getting me to 300 lbs.

ALSO, it took me a full year to get to start phasing off...I gave myself permission to take a year to get comfortable. Right now, I don't see me not tracking...I'm not 'obsessing' today, I did last week because my body wasn't doing what I was used to it doing. This week...WAY more relaxed lol.

I just didn't know what 1300-1600-1800 calories looked or felt like before...I conviently forget what I eat (or at least I did). This body is still 'new' to me. In fact, it's still adjusting...physio said my hip/back have a lot to do with my weight loss and she said we can't know how long it will take for it to settle as my entire body system has to 're-adjust'.

What I really think I learned...other then the obvious...is that hunger is nothing to be afraid of. It's ok to be hungry near lunch...it's lunch time!

Ok maintainers, now that I'm getting through my 2nd week of Phase 3, I've got some questions about structuring meals for Phase 4 - not so much WHAT to eat, but meals and snacks.

Do you all continue to use P3 breakfasts and work your meals around that, or do you also adjust your breakfast once you move into maintenance?

And how many snacks do you include each day? I'm putting together a list of 100 and 200 calorie snacks to make planning a little easier, but then I wasn't sure if folks did just an evening snack, or additional snacks during the day?

I've been topping out around 1300 calories for the day on P3, which INCLUDES 1 or 2 protein packet snacks (usually a bar or a pudding, and a Syntrax Nectar protein drink after exercise). I lost 1.2lbs in the last week, so I definitely need to increase my calories a bit to stabilize my weight - I figure the added carb at dinner and fat at lunch will account for about 200 calories each, but I probably need to be closer to 1800-1900 calories at my current activity level.

I would like to hear what the maintainers are eating also, Scorbett. I am struggling with what to have at dinner. I haven't been eating near the calories MFP says I can but am staying the same weight. I am still afraid of too many carbs.

Yeah, MFP puts me at just over 1900 calories if I'm also doing about 3 hrs per week of exercise total (I am probably close to that between running and the classes I want to take). I don't want to get fearful of adding carbs though - they are in a lot of GOOD things to eat (good for me!) so I just know to watch the scale, and deal with it head-on. I have to remind myself that it wasn't ENTIRELY the carbs that got me to the weight I was at - it was also NOT keeping tabs on myself along the way.

I'm new to this, but have been successfully getting around 1700 cal a day (i use my MFP daily number and don't account for the exercise, as I understand that food labels and my own measurements are probably underestimating...).
Breakfasts look the same, Lunch and dinner are around 400 cal each with good fats at lunch (read avocado egg salad over greens) and good carbs at dinner (read whole grains and sweet potato/squash) and fairly high protein at both(breakfast levels if I can). Then I have 2 snacks one mid afternoon and one evening. I err on the side of higher fat lower carbs for calories overall.

Hope this helps.

That is helpful - and right along the lines of what I was thinking too. My fats at lunch are probably going to be avocado, cheese or salad dressing, and my carbs at dinner will be brown rice, sweet potato or quinoa/other whole grain. I'm not a huge bread person at dinner, usually only eat rolls when we go out to eat.

I guess what I'm not sure of is how to structure the snacks. For example, some of my fave snacks the last time I dieted were:
-1/2 serving of fruit with some cheese
-2 or 3 graham cracker squares (about 1-1/2 serving) with a little nut butter and a banana slice on top of each square
-yogurt with fruit
-light Wheat Thins with Laughing Cow cheese

Not sure if these are on track, or if I should be avoiding mixing certain things.

scorbett1103 I guess it depends on how you handle your maintenance and how your body responds.

FOR ME, (my opinion only). Cheese is a fat so I keep it away from carbs (fruit/wheat thins). So I wouldn't put fruit and cheese or wheat thins and cheese together. Just my opinion, maybe someone else does it and it's fine for them. Maybe you can do it and it's fine for you.

I generally don't snack (keep my breakfast/lunch 'bigger') but if I choose to a cheese string/turkey stick before lunch would be what I would reach for. After lunch it would be a granola bar or a fruit maybe. I only have two fruits a day and keep them in the morning and after supper. I try to make sure there is at least 2 hours between fat and carb snacks/meals. So my night snack COULD be a fat snack (nuts/cheese or cheese string/turkey stick) but I like my fruit and yogurt so I keep it a carb snack with high protein.

Not sure if this helps but it's what I do.

Scorbette: I am eating Phase 3 breakfasts and usually have an afternoon snack of nuts. I do not have a night snack after dinner. I have a low carb bread or pancake or tortilla in the mornings.

Ishbel: I keep away from cheese also..except now and then a feta omellette or a greek salad.

Mommak8: avocado egg salad sounds like a good thing to try.

Beckie: I was very cautious about adding carbs back also...and still am.

Gazelle" 1 tsp of chia seeds at a meal, help me feel less hungry.

LoritT: I still get comments about when am I going to eat normally or why am I always eating salads. This is my new normal

Maile: What low carb bread do you use? Thanks!

Thanks, Maile! I definitely have so much to learn, and want to do it "right".

I think I read once that if left to our own devices most peple choose to eat about the same 8 things over and over. When I observed my choices I was surprised that was true for me.
The trick is to make sure the things we choose over and over are health choices and that's where the hard retraining comes in.
Glad you are finding that maintenaince is going well with your new understandings.

Pat

I use Pepperidge Farm Light Extra Fiber whole grain bread, it's 40 cal per slice, 9g carbs and 2g fiber (so 7g net carbs). I like that brand because it doesn't feel like light bread, and it's hearty enough to use in the French Toast bake recipe without falling apart.

I just got an order of Mama Lupe's low carb tortillas (60 cal per tortilla, 7g carbs and 4g fiber - 3g net carbs). I think I am going to make an egg burrito tomorrow for breakfast to try them out!