Me too Jennydoodle!

Do you think you can maintain on WW after phasing off? I ask because I didn't lose on WW, but maintained. My husband likes the WW recipes and I would love to have a little more freedom in maintenance.

Bella- I have no idea. But I can't imagine that following some of your favorite WW recipes would be a bad thing in maintenace. I think as long as they fit into the IP maintenance protocol, you should be good to go!

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Showgirl - I haven't done anything that formal, just the online calculators and the little machine they used at IP. I started at just around 23 and ended in the 22.somethings according to that. While I think I am "ok" where I am, healthwise, I still have some very visible stubborn fat areas (hips, thighs, tummy, lovehandles). While some of this could be permanent post babies, in my heart of hearts I think I can get the last 8-10 off and in doing so might get rid of the stubborn fat! I have been as low as 130 (difficult to maintain) but was content in the mid to upper 130s and picked that as my goal, with the hope of getting into the athletic or lower BMI range (21 or 20 in my dreams!). Maybe I will check into the testing though...I'd love to know!

Jennydoodle - I am contemplating doing Phase 3 or 4 as a different approach. I guess I just keep hoping I will magically wake up with willpower and that the Phase I will bring great losses and I can be done with restrictive dieting forever . . . if wishes were fishes . . . right?! ;-)

I forget who asked it (I think Showgirl), but the question about what it is I crave is a good one. I have thought about it a lot since this afternoon! Although it was initially nut butters, I don't crave anything in particular. I am able to bypass the pastas, ice cream, etc. generally (unless I find myself really hungry w/o a good option). Nothing is really calling my name. I think I am just a grazer, I am used to eating all day long. A bowl of grapes here, some turkey lunch meat there, a nonfat latte here, a salad there, etc. I am used to eating all day and making choices that fit within caloric restrictions. So now, I get the urge to eat (at first it was hunger, but mostly these days it is a desire to snack!!). If I weren't on IP, I could just have lo cal items like fruit. On IP (or the low carb diet), I end up snacking on things like nuts . . . which quickly drive the fat & calories too high for successful weight loss. I have tried doing a lettuce stir fry each time I have the desire but the gastrointestinal issues from SO much lettuce were bothersome.

As for weekends, I like to enjoy a few glasses of wine or a cocktail. That alone isn't IP but could be carb friendly . . . if it didn't often lead to eating stuff I shouldn't. Now, I am not out eating ice cream and fries, but just too many calories and less nutritional choices (and definitely none of it would be IP)!

I will continue to give it some thought but I suspect I won't lose at a faster rate than if I just buckle down and do a good old fashioned calorie restricted diet + exercise . . .

From what you are saying I am thinking you are in that really tough zone where you are pretty close to do and to get the rest off you are gonna have to be super committed.

Many times bmi calculators are wrong. They don't factor in muscle tone, bone frame, or age. Even so, to maintain at the lowest end would really demand a very clean diet and lots of regular intense exercise. Honestly, the lower you go the more athletic you have to be.

I don't know your age or bone frame but, for me (age 42, large bone frame, 136 pounds lean body mass already) I don't know if I will be able to easily get below 145 just because of how challenging that would be to maintain.

As for the grazing, graze on IP. Break your 5- 8 ounce of meat to a few 2-3 ounce portions. break out your veggies and salads more. make a latte with the vanilla pudding or ready made. prepare smoothies with ice from the pudding or drinks. blend them for more volume. break some of the puffs (zippers, southwest curls, ridges, puffs) into smaller snack pack baggies and nibble on a pack a few bits at a time during the day.

little changes just might help you get there.

I am (was) a grazer too and that has been, by far, the hardest habit to break. Especially on the weekends. It's not neccessarily junk food, but a handful here and there all weekend long would totally derail me. In the beginning it was really hard, but I think after 12 long weeks, it is getting easier. I just hope that by the time I get to maintenance, it is permanently broken.

What I have done to get past the feeling of wanting to graze is chew gum. It is not completely IP approved, but it helps me and I have been able to stay OP by doing so.

Thanks everyone! I am trying to break it up today . . . spreading it out and increasing protein supplements (I am using alternatives). I am also permitting myself the forbidden nut butter (up to 2 tbsp and in lieu of oil and a restricted) since I seem to have a nagging derailing craving if I make it forbidden lol!

Jennydoodle - question just for you since I know you crossfit. Your exercise is more vigorous than anything I am doing, so I was curious about your muscle soreness. I am sore more easily and longer right now. I am not doing anything too intense but man do I feel it (its good, of course, just different). Curious if you have experienced that yourself?

I will let you know next week. I am up 8 pounds from my goal...currently 153 instead of 145 I do think some of it is water weight as I can't get my rings on.

I really hope some whooshes away if I stay true to phase 1 again. Today is day 1, hopefully for the last time!

Yes, I crossfit, but I do not have muscle soreness unless we are lifting very heavy. However, since starting IP, I have really scaled my weights back to be less intense. For example, a workout may call for 135# deadlifts and I will only do 95#. I very rarely feel sore. I have been exercising for years, so maybe that is why???

Hmmm, i don't know. I have been exercising for years as well. I guess it must just be the biking...that is a new activity for me and I don't have that super sore i just went all out feeling, but a lingering soreness and aching knees (not what you'd think when cycling, right?!). Guess its just my old body getting broken in to something new!!

Colliep, none of those calculators that tell me how many calories I can eat, work for me. I log every bite of food into myfitnesspal . com and then carefully figure out at what point of calories and carbs I can lose a few ounces here or there. I lose best at 800 calories and generally stall at 1000 calories unless the calories are almost all protein sources with just a few veggies. Don't rely on those BMR calculators say. I'm supposed to shed 2 pounds a week eating close to 1500 calories. I would gain 2, not lose 2 if I did that. One day I ate 1200-1300 range and gained a pound overnight.

Figure out your body if you really want to get those last pounds off. Life someone else said, why not commit yourself to it for the next month and hopefully you'll be closer to where you want to be. Then you can figure out maintenance. I maintain just fine on WW, which I attend once a week for scale accountability. But I have to eat seriously low carb to budge these last pounds.

I had a lot of muscle soreness in the beggining as well. Almost achy and restless at night also. I was only walking at first and then after 2 or so weeks moved to the elliptical. I stretched a lot but it went away after a few weeks. I believe it said to increase the cal/mag vitamins if it continues and that should help as well. You should check before you do though. Good luck!

Coliep - I am in the same boat kind of as you. When I started IP on 8/8/2011, I only wanted to lose about 20 pounds (started at 137 and trying to get to 115) but my real reason for doing this is because I have some dimples in my butt and a little spare tire around my gut that I could not get worked off (and trust me! I work out very hard several times a week). I was getting frustrated that I couldn't get that last bit of fat off and wanted to try this plan. I have always been a low carb and calories kind of girl but I find myself "cheating" on the IP a little here and there. For instance, the other night I cheated with some special K 90 calorie honey nut bars. I try to rationalize it by saying at least I don't cheat with high carb stuff (like donuts and cake and stuff). But it is still bad. I have decided to buckle back down and give this program the 100% I know I should! I can see the difference in my body over the past couple of weeks and when I woke up this morning, I was down 2.6 pounds from my WI on Monday. So, hopefully it will continue to go well as long as I stick to the plan completely! Hang in there!!! You can get that last bit off too!!!

Thanks for the feedback. Each day I say I am going to be 100% OP. Each day I am not. Some days I am close, but that's kinda like be kinda pregnant, eh?! Today I was really naughty and succuumbed and ate a piece of the train cake we baked for the kids' school. I now have a lovely headache from the sugar. Thank God it wasn't iced or anything.

Anyway, one must wonder . . . when will I learn. Good question. But, that said, Michelle your words are inspiring. I really needed to hear from someone losing the last few that even buckling down from an existing low carb diet to OP IP that weight came off. Perhaps this can be my new motivation . . .

I think I can . . . I think I can . . . I think I can . . .

Calee - your estimate sounds too high and your actual sounds too low to me. Now we all now everybody is different and so an estimate is just an estimate; however, I have heard of people who have undergone an actual test to determine their metabolic rate. This might be a valuable tool for you since if what your describing cannot be attributed to anything other than your calories, than I suspect you have the lower than "normal" range and perhaps diet is not your only resource . . . just a thought.