Snacks for me are usually a pure protein bar, Granny Smith apple, or cocoa roast almonds. Have to be very careful with the almonds - easy to eat the whole jar!

Did you find it hard to get healthy meals while traveling in Ireland? I am headed there in a couple of weeks. I am excited about the trip, of course, but a little worried about gaining after 2+ weeks of vacation...

Maile - great insights on maintenance!

It, of course, has a lot to do with what you order. I love Fish and Chips and Shepard's Pie - both of which are high in carbs. Luckily I came back only 1/2lb over when I left but I'd gotten a renewed taste for things I really shouldn't have and that pushed me a little too far into the past. There are generally healthy options at most restaurants. It's a little tougher if you eat at pubs much as they tend to be more "comfort" foods. Tons of seafood choices so just a matter of asking them to go easy on the butter.

Enjoy the trip. This was our 2nd and we're already planning the next one. I think we'll try staying in one spot for a week and doing day trips instead of tearing around all over the country though. It's a small place put SO much to see.

I loved Dublin.. and like you I liked the fish and chips and shepard's pie..People were also friendly.

Lizzy63: Have a great trip. That is exciting.

Hi everyone! Just wanted to check in and see how everyone was doing. I finally have a diagnosis (celiac and Crohn's disease - the double whammy!) and think I'm finally on the mend, although there's no permanent cure. It's been kind of weird these days trying to keep my calories up so I don't drop too much weight. I've been hovering between 126 and 128 but I know a lot is also due to the loss of muscle since I really haven't been working out at all while I've been ill.

I've been finding new kinds of gluten free foods and learning to adjust to a diet that includes daily doses of meds. At least I'm recuperating in our nice new home, and hope to be diving and taking underwater photos again soon.

One thing this whole experience has taught me is that there is no substitute for good health, and that weight is just a number on a scale. Hope you all are doing well!

Bubbleblower- I am sorry to hear about the medical problems you have been dealing with. I agree that there is no substitute for good health. Good luck! I appreciate the positive attitude that you bring to all of this!

Bubleblower, that is a double whammy, so sorry to hear of your diagnosis. But you are well on your way to gluten free living and hope you feel better as you lean more about controlling the conditions. You are so right about the good health part of the journey. That should be our only goal.

I am no where near Maintenance, and you all may already be aware of this book, but I found a tremendous resource devoted to how to win the struggle to maintain weight loss, no matter the method you used to lose the weight. I actually only have read the first chapter or so (via the Kindle free "sample" download) but I definitely plan to download the full book. The title is "Refuse to Regain!" by Barbara Berkeley, MD. Take a look and see what you think!

Hi all, I start maintenance on Saturday. I'm so glad that Twinsmommy asked the question about snacks, I was just coming here to ask that question. From the materials I have read about maintenance, I am somewhat confused about the snacks and what they should be. I don't really want to do nuts as snacks and I think fruit would be a little much carb for me. Maybe some lowfat cheese and definitely leftover packets. Do you guys stick to the 'one restricted a day' thing in maintenance? I am thinking that eating more than one of those items a day may be too much since they can be nearly 200 calories each.

Anyway, glad to finally be joining this group! : )

CONGRATS AND WELCOME!!!
I added slowly in the beginning too.
Still do lower carbs. Mostly Paleo style
of eating has been working great for
me. I weigh daily and use mfp to track.
This way I can tell if my weight bobbles.
So far just a pound or two, then just
do a P1 day and it gets it off.

You'll get great advice here!!
Way to go!!!!!
Congrats again!!

D

Thanks DRegan! It has been a long journey! I really appreciate the fact that IP has you go through phases 2 & 3 to help the transition, particularly a week of Phase 3 has helped me adjust mentally to eating more food and gradually adding things. I am thinking that maybe having some greek yogurt as a snack with some of the Fiber One cereal in it might be good, that would be about 125 calories if I only do 4oz greek and 1/2 cup Fiber One. That is very filling. I have been having 8oz greek with a cup of Fiber One for breakfast along with my fruit and peanut butter. The Harris Teeter brand greek yogurt has 23 g protein for 8 oz., which is fantastic! (Plain and nonfat, of course.)

@EPARN...I did 17 days but was told that going over two weeks is not a reboot. My coach and I decided to go to 18 days...four days over since I was nearing TOM and she said it would help with bloat, water rentention, and any weight gain. I started phase 3 Saturday and will do a week.

Good luck on the reboot. They are only rought the first couple days.

Well hello everyone. I have been MIA from here for a long time. I had a great summer and played as much as I could. Now it's time for winter as it has snowed here already. I have been back at the gym for a solid week now and am feeling somewhat like myself again. I needed it. I am up 10 pounds and am trying to get it off without going on phase 1. We shall see how that goes. I will start posting here again as I need the support you all provided me in the past. I look forward to it

Mooselover: It was good to hear from you. Fall is a great time to hit the gym and get back on track. I have lost by eating low carb and not doing P1 with the packets.

AllisonS: Your yogurt /cereal snack sounds healthy. I would try it and see if it works for you. I am a nut person for snacks. Congrats on reaching maintenance.

slownsteady: That is my favorite book, It has wonderful tools for maintenance.

Bubbleblower: I was sorry to hear about your health. However, I am happy you know what to do to stay healthy. You are right,,being healthy is so important. I hope you are feeling better with the gluten free eating and with your medication. I bet you are enjoying your lovely new house.

So I am reminding myself that these statistics are real and that maintenance needs vigilance.


- The likelihood of regaining weight when you reach goal is 80% - 95%.

- When you've maintained for 2 years the likelihood of regain drops to 50%*.

- When you've maintained for 5 years the likelihood of regain drops to 27%*!

Thanks for the reality check, Maile! Those statistics are sobering! As I approach maintenance, my thoughts are turning to all of the foods that I have not had in a year. But I think I can be happy eating according the the Phase 4 guidelines. I am looking forward to adding some cheese to my lunch meal and having a multi vegetable supper every night! I am eliminating pasta and potatoes from my life altogether and am limiting bread to only "special" breads and cheat days, no white sandwich stuff. (The pasta, potato and bread elimination is more due to my past as a diabetic rather than concern over weight gain.) I do plan to enjoy foods that involve chocolate on my fun days, but not so much during the week. I have already planned a lunch at a favorite restaurant on my first fun day - the Lightfoot in Leesburg, VA - they have a wonderful special called 'Everyone's Favorite Salad' that is probably THE best salad in the world. It has stuff you would not normally combine, like cheese and fruit, so I am waiting for the fun day. But I do not think it is a terrible choice for a fun day, since it is mainly the fruit that is making it not strictly phase 4 "normal".

I have continued to lose a lot in Phases 2 and 3 despite being stalled out pretty much at the end of Phase 1. I am now a solid 5 pounds below my goal weight. I am OK with that, but it is time to stop losing! I have reset my mindset with regard to rebooting and have decided to do reboots at 125, which is lower than I had originally imagined.

I just hope I still have the upper body strength to carry all of those groceries now that I am going to be back to all "normal" food, LOL! I really cleaned out everything before I started this, so I do not really even have the canned goods I should have any more. So I will be restocking this weekend and doing a further "purge" of my cabinets, because my view on what I will be eating is a lot different than it was when I was just starting and emptied things out. I still have soups and so forth that will be headed to friends or a food bank. I am not as willing to eat premade things any more. I want to know what is in what I am eating, and even if it is just causing me a lot of work to eliminate excess sodium, I think it is worth it.

Hope you are all having a great week!

HOLY CRAP...those numbers are a real wake up call! Thanks for reminding us of the daily battle we all face.