Determined- I was referring to Wildflower saying they are TTC (trying to conceive) starting this month...
Maile- I think Sunnymae offered some solid advice. Confidence comes with time, each time you utilize will power to make the 'right' decision in regards to food the more you begin to trust yourself and with that trust is confidence you can do anything you want to do. You've already proven to yourself that you can lose the weight and your willpower 'muscle' is evident and clearly defined. Keep using it and you have no reason to worry. I have one pair of size six jeans in my closet, many size four and a few size two. The size six is quite loose and I keep them only for the day after a really bad free day. I don't want a 'security' blanket because to me it would be as though I'm enabling myself to feel okay about gaining weight. I like where I am. If I'm not able to fit in my clothes that is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. I trust that it won't get to that point because I weigh myself daily and take action if I see a number I don't like.
I was trying to find an article I'd read about the six steps to successful weight management that I'd found for you but couldn't locate it again. I did find a weight maintenance site though... http://www.maintainweightforever.com...y-not-forever/
There is a quote on this page that I love...
"You do not need to maintain your weight forever, just for one day...
Today"

Thanks for sharing this. I think this is a pretty good site. Some nice, succinct articles, helpful info and a few tools.

Missed the TTC post! Thanks for all of your insightful posts and words of encouragement!

hello ladies (and any men) I read posts all the time, but rarely post. I have been on maintenence since July 2011 and I am doing well, but really get sick of eating the same things all the time! I remember reading in the book about having soup for dinners- any ideas? I know I can't have cream soups, but how about progresso light soups? Any other ideas? Thanks

So funny you should mention this... I have this great love of soups in the evening now (just trying to follow the rules ) anyway...
WW brand makes a few really good ones- I really like the italian wedding it's by far my favorite with the Southwestern minestrone my second then the chicken noodle.
And today I discovered that Campbell's makes a 'light' Clam Chowder- I cannot express how excited I was to find this... it fits within the guidelines for carbs/ fat/ calories and it is by far my favorite kind of soup so I can't wait to try it.
I've made a butternut squash soup (thanks Martha Stewart for the recipe) that I loved a little too much maybe...
Wolfgang Puck brand has a good bean one...
And Subway if you want to eat out you can do so in style... I have a veggie or chicken salad with a bowl of whatever the 1 gram of fat soup of the day is and haven't been disappointed yet... usually tallies about 300 calories for the soup & salad.

Wow you look amazing in your new picture!

Sunnymae, Linden, and Cap..Thanks for your words of advice and encouragement. You helped me calm down and gave me tools to use. One I am going to focus on staying in my range and I should be fine. Two, it is a good idea to keep different sizes for different days..ie an up day might require a larger size. Great advice, ladies!
I also realize that I need to get used to wearing fitted pants. I think this could come from overweight years of wearing loose clothes. Pants are certainly a guideline as to whether or not you are staying on track.

So today I am wearing the new pants to work!

I like that Campbell's clam chowder soup also.

Linden..You are right, there are times one must say nothing to one's children's decisions. My son was a philosophy and music composition major..not very marketable.

Cap..Could not open the challenge..assume it will open later. I liked that site..Thanks for posting it.

I love the quote... and you have such a great attitude.

I finally feel like I am back in the zone. I think December was a train-wreck of a month. I had a few 1.5 cheat day weeks, when I would start eating what I wanted on a Friday night and then continue the fun into Saturday. I did this once early in the month for my company holiday party (and the food wasn't even worth it), then Christmas Eve. I started getting things back under control around New Year's, but still thought that I deserved at least half a cheat day, even if I was outside my goal range.

I don't quite know what happened to my strict rules about when/if I got a cheat day. Anyway, I skipped my cheat day this Saturday (watched people eat pizza and bday cake at a kid's bday party), and I'm happy to report that I lost 4 lbs this week and am back at 148 (goal range 145 - 150).

I feel so much better now that I'm back in control and back in my weight range. I think I needed to go through that to see what it felt like mentally. I didn't feel my clothes get too tight, although they were a little tighter - especially jeans out of the dryer.

Here are my reflections.

It was important for me to feel slightly out of control. I was part of the lessons of life of maintenance. Looking back, I was stressed for several weeks, but somehow kept allowing myself the exceptions to the rules that I had set up. The guilt made it worse, not better. The food was not comforting, and I really didn't like the end result.

I kept flip-flopping about what to do in January. I think part of my mental issue is that I was considering going on strict Phase 1 in order to lose another 10lbs and get down to 135. I know that I would lose the remainder of the tummy/leg flab if I did that. I think I was secretly lashing out against myself all of December because of that decision looming over me. Well, here is what I've decided to do.

I think that I will aim to get back to my real goal weight of 145 before I make any more decisions. I haven't been there for over a month now. Then I can decide if I want to go to 140... I am not planning strict phase 1, but might introduce more phase 1 days during the week. I really like my phase 3 breakfasts, and I don't see the need to deprive myself of that if I am still within my goal range. Of course, I could change my mind tomorrow and decide to something totally different.

I hope everyone else is doing well. If there is one thing that I really learned over the past month. This program REALLY does work. It's only been since I strayed from the guidelines that I had any problems at all. The first two months of maintenance, I did exactly what the program called for and I was NEVER outside my range.

Thanks for listening to me ramble.

Pxl, thanks for sharing your reflections. I appreciate learning how each of you deal with your personal struggles with maintenance. As Dr. T shared in his book, phase four is a different contract with yourself. I hope I take the time as you have to set goals and to reflect upon results and make needed adjustments. We are worth it!

Jo

Wow. Thank you. I've been using a product from Acure, but it's not 100% argan oil. What a great price!

Good morning all! I just remembered the challenge starts today over at Fatsecret. I have been eating and binging for 4 days and the scale shows it. I hopped on it this morning after getting dressed as I forgot to earlier and I was up 7 pounds since last Wed.! I am going to do an all liquid day with 4 protein drinks to get my body used to this again. I really have to learn maintenance properly! Part of my problem is the mental game I play with myself that I need to learn to eat without buying IP products (or alternatives) for the rest of my life!! ugh. I am going to do this.

Thanks for your support and encouragement. It is nice to know I am not alone.

PS. I was over at FAtsecret and recorded my starting weight. It says the challenge starts in 16 hours so I assume we record how we did AFTER this first day. I have to get used to that site!

Right up there with theatre. But then unmarketable is what my parents said about literature. I seem to have survived. It isn't about the subject, is it? It's the passion. [I know this is totally off topic, and I apologize. But I spent my entire career in higher education and I feel really, really strongly about this. And maybe this will help someone when their kids get older? ]

And super congratulations on the fitted pants.

Good Morning! I guess I don't know what the "challenge" entails and have never been to fat secret. I can google it I'm sure, but can someone please give me a brief rundown on what the challenge is?

Good morning everyone! Well, I was planning to have my fun day today since LSU is playing tonight and my parents are planning a big thing at their house. But, that's not going to happen. Last Thursday, I received a text asking me if I could attend a planning session for my 20 year high school reunion, which is this year. So, my husband and I agreed to attend the Friday night planning session and decided to have dinner before since we already were without children. We had sushi before the metting and then had chips and salsa at the meeting. Wow, can you say fluid retention from that menu! I woke up the next morning so puffed up. I couldn't even turn my wedding ring; and since I've done IP, I've been worried it would fall off and I would lose it. So, Saturday was phase 1, Sunday was phase 2, and today is phase 3. I'm still up almost a lb from the sodium fest I had, but still better than the 6 lb gain I saw Saturday morning. I'm going to be drinking lots of water again today and will have to pass on all the party food tonight. I'm bringing cauliflower from my garden to go with my dinner.

I had this thought this morning: IP truly is our last diet because you have to be on it forever. I'm ok with that. It just means I have to be diligent about my weight and make smart choices. If I don't, there are consequences, and they show up immediately. The best part about it: I have the tools to correct it, I just have to do it.

Check out some of her other products too.....I want the bath and body oils.

http://www.qvc.com/Josie-Maran-Beaut...822+4294940676