In my experience, I did not need one size up. I stayed pretty steady in my size while I was maintaining my losses.

I was hoping to avoid the weight gain by doing Phase III along with working out (5 times last week) but still I gained 2.2 lbs this week. Ate around 13-1400 cals a day but still gained. My inches are the same because I measured but funnily enough, my jeans feel snug today. Sigh....I'm very sore from some of the workouts I've been doing so I know part of the weight gain is water from sore muscles .Any advice Jenny?

The good news is that my heart burn has stopped because I haven't had bread again. I started having plain oatmeal and it's making a huge difference. Looks like I cannot tolerate wheat any longer.

If you don't backslide and are able to maintain (which is not always easy or a given) -- my experience says "no" to this question. That is, your measurements should not climb IF (and that is a big IF) ... IF you are able to maintain your lower weight (within a few pounds) ... and by a few pounds I mean, If you keep your weight withiin say a 3% zone near the bottom of your journey -- if you do that ... your measurements will stay fairly stable. A least that has been the case for me!

That being said not all size 10's or 12's are created equal. Some clothes are stretchier and more forgiving and others less so. If I were in your shoes, I might only get rid of clothes that are obviously (clearly) too big and keep things that are more "in your range" ... so donate your 20's, 18's, 16's ... then keep (for now) your 14's, 12's and 10's. Then in 6 months to a year go through your closet again and see if you get get rid of your clearly too big 14's and marginally too big 12's.

Of course some people use the clothing thing as a "tool" to keep their weight down --- getting rid of everything except clothes that barely fit when they hit target ... then their clothes act like a bit of a warning system if their weight starts to creep up. I have heard a number of people post they they started back on P1 after their clothes started feeling tight. So there is that strategy too.

Your question made me wonder though ... what percentage of IP dieters (or any dieters) are able to maintain their low weights for a year? Any thoughts? Just based on annecdotal evidence I am guessing only about 10 to maybe 20% of all IP dieters maintain their losses (say within 3% of their target weight for a period of more than a year? Does this sound about right? Maybe it's a higher percentage tho -- perhaps I only read about the people that failed in maintenance and restart and the successful ones tend disappear from the boards ?? No idea.

Then there might be a higher percentage of people that only gained some of the weight back (maybe 25% to 50% of their original weight back ... before restarting). So it might just be an ongoing process for many. Certainly every pound we can keep off ... for every day ... is a positive. It's all relative ... right?

Agreed about the wheat. It wasn't until I phased off of IP that I realized that my body did not tolerate wheat. Even though I gained weight back and am doing a reboot, throughout that whole time I remained gluten free.

I think you are probably swollen from sore muscles and you are now replenishing your glycogen stores by eating carbs again. I also gained on P3, but my coach had told me it was expected. When I phased off, I was 133#, but P3 and beyond, I maintained around 136-137. I think you need to give it a little time for your body to adjust.

You may also want to play around with what your carb sources are. I know that in general, I do not tolerate grains well. Even though I stayed gluten free, I notice that both rice and legumes make me bloated, as does dairy. I think you need to play around with what you are eating and try eliminating different things to see if anything is affecting you. When I phase off again, I plan to get my carb sources from starchy veggies and fruits (potatoes, bananas, etc...) in lieu of grains as I have found that I just can't eat them on a regular basis. I will save them for special occasions and splurges.

Thanks Jenny. I agree with you 100%. I am totally enjoying my workouts and trying not to focus on the scale as much. I only weigh once a week, more than enough for me. This week I'm planning on having my carbs only for supper time, half a cup of brown rice, beans, sweet potatoes (not all at once of course) and for breakfast and lunches have only protein and veggies. My snacks will consist of fruit/veggies and greek yogut. Decided to cut off the oatmeal for lunch. Not sure if that will work to get rid of the 2 lbs but I will keep trying to see what does work. Maybe next week I will cut off the beans/rice if this doesn't work. I really like my rice and beans though.

For now I'm quite happy I phased off because the feeling I am getting from working out surpasses the feeling I got from IP. Like I said I'm not knocking the diet at all because it has truly helped me but I really needed a mental shift after 4 long years on it.

Thanks again and congrats on your reboot, sounds like you're doing great so far!

So after a couple hypoglycemic episodes and a trip to my PDoc, I started a modified P2 10/29 and am still trying to shake off the last stubborn 3 - 5 pounds.
I am going to wait until this Saturday to have my first P3 breakfast so I can cook & enjoy the meal - plus it safely puts me in P4 past Thanksgiving

As of this morning, I am 145. I would like to get to 140 - 142. I know it gets more difficult in P3 to continue to lose - but my ultimate goal is to be able to get back to the gym and do resistance training / weights again to lower my overall BF%.

1 major question I started thinking about as I fight these last couple pounds:
How long do you hold out doing more than a day of P1 once scream weight is hit...so lets assume I level out right about 143 - 145 & have a splurge meal and the next morning see 150 - 152...I understand that after a splurge meal / day you immediately drop back to P1 / P2 for a day and then resume healthy habits...but I am just curious if you don't see an immediate drop on the scale...or it hangs 2 -4 #'s higher than goal...how long folks hold out before doing something more extreme...a week? 10 days? 2 weeks? Do you use clothes fit as more of a guide than the scale?

I realize too how much work I put in at the gym could have an effect on my overall weight (building muscle), so clothing fit will be a consideration - TIA

Hysteria: For me a splurge meal, not a day, would usually add 2-3 lbs. at most. When I was first in Maintenance any carb consumption would cause a wild fluctuation in weight. I didn't panic. I did a day of P1 like we are told to do, then went back to Maint. eating (3:1 ratios) and within a few days the weight would come off. It still does. For some people it drops the next day. It never did for me. After a while on Maint. I slowly upped my carbs and calories and I didn't see the big ups and downs that I did when I first entered Maint. I started Maint. at 138.7. After a few months I settled in around 140. That was expected. Now I can go up to around 144 or back down to 139. It's unusual for me to maintain a steady weight day to day. Some things really set off gain, like a glass of wine(typically 2 lbs. the next day) and sodium. Just be patient and give your body time to adjust to being off P1. This will take a few months. The lean look will disappear and slight fluffiness will come back. This is the glycogen stores re-establishing themselves and is to be expected and there isn't a lot that can be done about that. Try not to stress about 2-3 lbs. You may still loose in P3, I did. And even if you don't your body may have had enough and you just won't loose those last few lbs.

When I see a gradual creep of up lbs (144 or so) and I always know what I am doing that causes that, I usually revert to a P2 style of eating for 3-4 days and I get back down to my comfort zone of around 140.

Avalon: per the above, I have been in Maint since 12/28/14 and the highest I have gotten is 148. That was after a vacation where I ate what I wanted. And I could feel it in my clothes. Not to the point that I couldn't wear them, but they were uncomfortably tight. That is my gauge as well as daily weighing. I did a small 2 week P1 reboot and got back down into the low 140's. So that was a 12% gain of what I had lost, but my scream weight is 148. If I get to scream weight again, I know I've been misbehaving and need to straighten up and fly right. So far that strategy has worked for me.

Destony: I didn't keep anything that wasn't my current size. I use my clothes as a gauge to keep me on the straight and narrow.

When I was maintaining, I would do P1 for however many days it took to get back down to my steady weight after a splurge. It was usually 1-2 days to get all the sodium and bad stuff out of my system, but sometimes it took more.

Also, I got rid of EVERYTHING that was too big once I hit maintenance. EVERYTHING! I use both my scale and clothes as my gauge. I have posted about how I ended up back on this reboot, but I can tell you that during my gaining stint, I was still wearing 80% of my wardrobe up until I hit about the 25# gain mark. I was doing A LOT of heavy weight lifting, so I know that I put on a lot of muscle (roughly 15#), which is probably why I was able to continue wearing most of my clothes (gaining muscle, losing fat). However, pants and jeans were the first things that I noticed fitting differently and then not fitting. Dresses and skirts have more give, which is probably why I could continue to wear most of them. It wasn't until I hit that 25# mark that I noticed my body significantly changed and then even dresses and skirts no longer fit well and I felt uncomfortable wearing them.

I'm in my 2nd week of P2, and working out the numbers for my planned breakfasts for P3, which I'll start next Monday.

My question is for people who exercise: How do you work out your pre-exercise carb needs vs. eating the whole breakfast at one sitting? I like to do my running in the morning, and normally, a runner would eat some carbs beforehand and then have a breakfast of protein + carbs afterward. In P3, we're not supposed to divide up the foods into two partial meals.

If it matters, I don't eat eggs often because they give me heartburn, so my planned breakfasts are oatmeal in a jar, french toast w/ yogurt and fruit, and cereal w/ yogurt and fruit. I really don't want to eat the grains before the run, because of the potential of the fiber interrupting the run, so I'd prefer to eat the fruit, and then grains/dairy later.

HereIStand- I also workout first thing in the morning. I did 2 hardboiled egg whites, 1/2 T. Almond Butter and 1/2 apple. Then post workout I did a protein shake and a banana. Obviously this was before I was on P1, but this is what I plan to go back to.

A huge thanks cat / jenny

cat - I've seen it both ways (full disclosure - I am NOT with an IP clinic)...starting out I am sure a splurge MEAL as opposed to an entire day will be the way to go I have never been a huge "foodie" per-se, so actual full splurge days would be super rare (ie Christmas, maybe) and these are patterns that I will need to be aware of for the rest of my life

I have a feeling every little blip on the scale at first is going to cause once I find a rhythm though it shouldn't be too bad

I also know its not safe or healthy to continue dipping in and out of ketosis / P1 and my body is going to have to find it's happy-place

I've been overweight my entire life - since I was 7 / 8 years old, so 145 is completely uncharted territory for me.

Sunflower - sounds like your increase in lbs is from inflammation not real fat lbs as your calorie intake is low. Are you having a recovery shake after your workout or a small handful of almonds? I'm curious why you are not having oatmeal or some carb in the morning and then burn it off during the day?

HereIstand - I run 3-4 times a week in the morning, one is usually a long run between 12-18km depending on training. For the long runs I do oatmeal, IP mango shake (I add 3:1water and blend) and usually save half for after. I found if I didn't have oatmeal in the morning I'd get light headed at night. One run is at night and I have a shake for dinner before I run. The other 2 mornings is before the gym and I do Greek yog, fruit, and either oatmeal or granola. I usually have some almonds after.

Destiny- I didnt go up a size phasing off. I think a clothing size is 10lbs. I have added lean muscle so although up in lbs clothes still fitting well.

Everyone is working so hard and doing awesome!

I'm trucking along, up 3lbs so trying to stick with P2 and let it come down.

I'm so use to having my morning shake (I work out at night) that I don't want to break that cycle. It's quick and easy and I still use the IP products for that. I have a shake with almond milk (1 cup, 1 heaping tablespoon of ground flax and a whole bunch of Kale), it keeps me full for several hours.

At lunch this week so far I decided to stay away from the oatmeal (trying to lose those 2 lbs I gained) but I suffered for it. I was hungry lots. I have been working out 5 times a week, twice with my trainer so I think you're right. Having come from 4 years of doing IP I am fearful of having the carbs. But I know I need the fuel for my workouts so will have some oatmeal today for lunch with my eggs, especially since my trainer is coming today.

It's all trial and error for me. I need to shift my focus on inches lost than the number on the scale. I feel great working out (best high ever) and my clothes are fitting the same (the soreness is not as intense after 2 weeks), so I know I haven't gained inches which is awesome after almost 2 weeks of Phasing off!

Hysteria: I work it the same as catlady. And after 1 yr & 9 months maintenance - it's all good. I go back to Alternative P2 (diabetic protocol) when I've been off the rails for a few days and it still works for me.
The only 'larger' clothes I keep are a couple of 'period jeans' for when I'm bloated at TOM (but they are still a non-stretch size 6 instead of my usual 4/2's). If I'm wearing those and it's NOT TOM, I get serious about my P2. (I tend to be a little lax on my P2 after Funmeals generally, but I am not very carb sensitive.)

BTW - Banff Mountain Film Festival was freakin' awesome!!! Did an outdoor photog workshop with National Geo photographers, watched some amazing films, laughed at some crazy interviews with climbers Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell, among others. Sooo worth the money (although I could have gone to Hawaii for a week for the same amount :eek) Finally after 25 years of watching the world Tour I made it to the 40th Epic Year in person. And great Indian and Mexican food....

Liana

Happy to report that my weight is starting to even out and the soreness from working out is almost completely gone. IT's showing on the scale too, down 1 lb this week, still up a lb from phasing off but I'm happy my inches are the same. What's working for me is keeping my carbs under 100g a day. I'm having steel cut oats instead of bread and having lots of fruits and protein. I am even eating rice and quinoa, just half a cup per serving. Now I just have to try and get that scale to move a few more lbs down to 130.

This week it was my birthday so I splurged and went to the Keg, had steak, shrimp, bread, the whole loaded baked potato AND the Keg gave us a complimentary dessert of creme brulee. OMG it was the best meal EVER and the best part is I didn't gain weight from it.....