Oh! I forgot the best part!! They told me I could consume breakfast throughout the morning if I didn't think I could eat that much!!!

My coach is on another island and I've never met her. I do my own weighing and measuring and report in once a week. I've sent her daily menus of what I eat for a reaction. Nada. I just faithfully order the low carb packets and supplements and I'm lucky if she remembers to send them in a timely manner. I wonder sometimes what people who go to her think?

Oh, and "the best part" is prime.

A naturally thin girl at work yesterday asked about my weight loss. She was very supportive and then shared how she eats, so I’m sharing it with you all. This is going to sound familiar:
1. She eats very small portions.
2. She eats every 2-3 hours.
3. She stops eating BEFORE she feels full. There is a difference in feeling not hungry and feeling full. If you eat until you FEEL full, you are actually over-full.
4. If she eats something she shouldn’t (in her case, cookies), she cuts back the next day.

What a blessing IP is for those of us who are not naturally thin. Not only has it given us the ability to attain a normal weight, but it has given us the tools to remain there! Who knew that even thin people have an eating strategy? I always thought they had good metabolisms and could eat whatever they wanted. Well, better late than never to teach this old dog some new tricks!

Love and Kisses,
Mary

Whoa! Sounds like they didn't have any training at all!

I would agree with Bev on this, big breakfast needs to be consumed at one sitting, spiking your sugars at one time (morning) only, this is to reset your pancreas, most important step ......must be done correctly!!!!

Oh, yeah, I totally agree with both of you, I'm just shocked that he's giving out such terribly bad advice. From the fact that he said I could just eat yogurt if I didn't want to add the carbs back in phase three...but that if I ate the whole breakfast, I could only have ONE OUNCE of yogurt. I said, do you mean one cup, and he said no, he means an ounce.

I actually heard from someone there that I'm the only person who has made it this far in their program....which I thought was strange. I know its because of all of you!

Soooo...I've had some "interesting" life after experiences I thought I'd share for those that are apprehensive about phasing out. I have been testing myself over the last week or so to see what my new body can handle. Here's some of the kinda weird things that have happened-

1. I had greasy fast food Chinese one night, because I could, and nothing bad happened. I had sweet & sour chicken (breaded and deep fried of course), veggies in butter, and rice. Wasn't as great as I thought it would be.
2. My son had a birthday and I wanted to have some cake, because I could, and so I had about a 1/4 of a piece that I would normally have had pre-IP, with no ice cream. I had a teensy bit of frosting and my mouth couldn't take it, it literally hurt!! I scraped off the frosting and ate the little bit of cake. Nothing bad happened.
3. I decided that I would have a Diet Coke one day, because I could. I have avoided aspartame without exception since I started IP. I could only stomach two small sips! It tasted terrible to me and I just couldn't do it.
4. I decided to try a grilled cheese (yes real cheese!) one night. It wasn't a great as I thought it would be and my stomach hurt for two hours afterward! No desire for a grilled cheese anymore.

So, my point is that my tastes have changed for the good since being on IP. Just listen to your body and you will do what's right, don't stress over it. I think I'm done testing myself and plan to continue with a healthy diet!!

I read your post yesterday, and again today and liked it even better the second time around. It's a great affirmation.

I'm checking in to mention that I am still grateful for all the help I got here the first time I tried Phase 2 even though I decided to go back to Phase 1 for just a little while longer. But I incorporated a number of your suggestions and have been having a little more success.

I had originally planned to give the program 4 months, ending about a month before I left for Germany. I'm going to stick to that because no matter what weight I am on the 15th of November, I think it's realistic to have a month of stability before I start to shop and eat in a country that revels in sausage, potatoes, butter, and salt. [They also walk a lot more than we do.]

And probably more important, I won't have the underpinning of being able to check labels for nutrients (that's not required) or uses a German source that is comparable to the USDA data I rely on.

So, as of Saturday morning I'm back of Phase 2 and will proceed through to Phase 4.

To be honest, I'm looking forward to this new adventure. Heaven knows my systemic reaction to Phase 1 has been atypical. It will be really interesting to see what happens when I end up, in Phase 3, eating more calories than I have in almost 3 years.

All of the above is by way of saying, emphatically, how very, very much I appreciate your generosity and encouragement.

I have a question and I am sure you very smart IPers have answered it before but if you could please answer me too. I am going on a trip on Friday the 22nd. I want to be through phase 3 by the time I leave. I was reading and it said that you must be on phase 3 for 14 days for your pancreas to reset, is this this absolute requirement or would 12 days be enough? Also can I start back at the gym working on weights and walking on the tread mill now while in phase 3? Thanks so much you guys are so helpful with all of your knowledge!!

Well, all I have ever read is do the full 14 days of Phase 3. Twelve days probably would be long enough, but I would want to complete the full program. As far as the exercise goes, you could have been doing the weights and treadmill in Phase 2 as well, as long as your heart rate wasn't going too high. In Phase 3 you should be fine as you are no longer in ketosis and your calories have increased quite a bit.

Thanks so much the help with this matter. My coach had to told me pretty much no weights until phase 3 so I am excited to get in the gym and tighten things up. I just finished my first breakfast and am really full. The yogurt was so yummy!!!! Have a great day!!!

Must admit that I've been enjoying the freedom of Phase 4. Yesterday I hosted my family's Thanksgiving dinner and I decided that I deserved to be able to enjoy it since I'm in Maintenance. I snacked on multigrain tortilla chips and beer nuts in the afternoon (didn't go overboard) and had 1/2 cup turkey, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup stuffing, green and yellow beans, 2 tbsp gravy, 2 small rolls with butter and a slice of pumpkin pie and a sliver of white birthday cake for dessert. Today I'm doing a strict Phase 1 to compensate. It felt good to be able to eat all these foods and know that I now have the tools and knowledge to (1) control myself and (2) make up for it the next day. It was weird to only have chocolate RTDs for breakfast and lunch today! I'm looking forward to indulging in my big breakfast again tomorrow! Hope everyone is well!

Oh, my gosh, you're making me soooo hungry! One more week of Phase 2, then breakfasts, then maintenance right before before vacay and our Thanksgiving. Can't wait! Thanks for the teaser!

Mary

Bumpity bump bump.