Hi Ladies,
It's been ages since I checked in....so much life from a great tour (I'm a musician) to unimaginable loss upon return, to health issues....OY!!!!
Life is full of curve balls is my understatement for this month and last, but I thought it best to get back online and check in before I fall off the wagon too badly.
I haven't weighed in, but wearing the same clothes. However my weight has shifted back to the middle and arms again...so here we go again. Time for exercise.
Good to be back and I'll check in more regularly. Have a great day everyone.

Suunymae: I am married to a musician and my sons are musicians. I am glad you had a great tour..but am sorry about the facing health issues. This is the hardest part..when you cannot do the normal things due to life getting in the way..health or otherwise.

You are wise to check in. I hope your health issues improve. I also gain in the middle!

Good luck.

Scorbette: 3 hours of zumba is amazing. Did you find any results from those sore muscles? I have changed my weights and have sore muscles also, I am figuring they will go away but am watching the scale. How fun to win a spa visit and a fitbit.

Ishbel: I think you have made excellent gains. You are figuring out how a fun day works for you. Your indulgence now is not what you used to do in the past. This is an great sign of growth and strength.

You are so right to be compassionate with yourself. The longer I maintain, the more I try to be compassionate with myself during the periods where my motivation is not optimum or I am working on up pounds.

I know that old self is lurking somewhere..and needs to be managed!

I actually was window shopping today, not planning to do any real shopping, and just on a whim stepped into the local Gap to check out the jeans. Ironically, I had never even been into one of their stores. They go by waist size so I had no idea what I was looking for. A salesperson pulled out some 28 and 29 sizes and I thought, "No way are these going to fit!" Even in the past when I was thin I don't think I ever wore smaller than a 29. Well, they didn't fit. Neither size. I actually needed the 27. A little sizing chart they had showed it equivalent to a size 4. I still can't get over it. I think this is one of the most exciting parts of the whole IP process for me. I can get rid of my larger jeans and actually have a pair of jeans that fit!

I have been eating avocados and putting more oil on my salads. I also made a burger and grilled steak for my last few dinners and had pulled pork tonight. Oh, and red wine is back in my diet. I think it's going to be a balancing act for awhile determining the right mix of everything. I still haven't had a baked potato nor any grains outside of the bread with breakfast nor any fruit at other meals. I made an appointment for a full physical this Friday and to have my blood work redone. Hopefully this time they're do a complete panel. With all the stress I want to make sure I'm doing what I can to stay healthy. By now I had hoped to roll more exercise into my routine, but I keep making excuses. Time to get back on track with that.

Thanks for the extra hug. I think everything you're going through is completely normal. It's funny how I still can't quite believe the number on the scale and each morning expect to see it disappear. I know that what I consider a splurge these days pales in comparison to the old me. And in the 'old days' it would have been unheard of for me to not finish the whole thing of anything!

Thanks again, everyone, for the kind words re: my mom. She was a special friend and I will miss her for a long, long time. I try to find comfort in the belief that she is now back with her parents, my dad, and my sister.

Bubbleblower, That was so exciting to fit a size 4 pair of jeans. It sounds like you have figured out your eating and that it is working. It is a balancing act and
a journey of discovery.
I found comfort in believing that my dad's suffering had ended and that he was in peace. Your mom sounded like a wonderful friend as well as mother for you. Hugs.

I'm finally catching up on some old posts ...

I loved this blog, and it's oh so very true. I feel like I've permanently changed the way I eat and the way I view food. I don't feel like I'm on a forever diet, but rather have adjusted to a healthier lifestyle. Just like everything else we manage throughout our lives, eating and food management is a matter of balance. I don't feel deprived in the least and am just much more conscious about what I choose to eat.

I have Raynauds also. It was worse when I was on IP but it's a bit better lately. I'm glad it's finally starting to warm up around here!

I do this, too! One of the biggest changes for me is that I used to grab the first thing I could find when I was hungry. Now I think about the choices and actually take the time I need to prepare it if necessary.

I feel the same about the P3 breakfasts. I really feel they help to start the day off right and help to keep me on track throughout. And I have that same exact sense of fear every morning!

Several in my family have suffered from severe psoriasis throughout their lives. One brother commented to me last week that his has been much better since he started taking folic acid. Neither he nor I know whether it's related at all, but he thought it was interesting that the timing coincided. Might be worth checking out, and it can't hurt! Hope it eases up soon!

Bubbleblower - that is awesome about the sz 4s! Congratulations!!

Scorbett - 3 hours of zumba??? Wow, that is impressive! And congrats on winning some great prizes!

Sunnymae - welcome back! I'm sorry to hear you're having health issues. Hope it's something that can be resolved easily.

I had my first (annual) physical in more than 3 years (lost my insurance over 3 yrs ago) this morning, and the doc was thrilled with where I'm at right now! Technically, I'm no longer diabetic (or even pre-diabetic) p/the blood work results. Cholesterol #s are great, BP is right where it should be - whooo hooo!!! Still struggling with hot flashes/cold flashes/sleep & memory problems - probably all due to menopause. He suggested I try black cohosh for a month to see if it helps.

Happy hump day!

Greeniris YAY for awesome bloodwork. I was pre-diabetic and when the doc cleared me I had a HUGE HUGE grin on my face. WAY TO GO!

maile I agree, I no longer binge...although when I first started maintenance I can safely say my first month of maintenance fun days would be considered binging.

sunnymae welcome back!

Liz if you're out there...

++++++++++

Made liz's mac and cheese recipe and used tofu noodles instead of miracle (just a mistake in purchasing) added ricotta (another mistake and just added it)....the VIP just texted me "lunch was amazing" - usually I get "It's good/great or I'd eat that again" I've never had 'amazing' lol So I phoned him and said "so those were tofu noodles" LMAO! He said they were 'really great, glad you made double so I can have it again tomorrow'.

We've noticed that we haven't been eating red meat a lot and I have a few friends who eat like we do (although not from Ideal Protein) who have warned me "careful with the red meat, you'll be on iron pills like me". SO, I think we're having steak on Friday (looking forward to that) and I realized I can make the big mac bowl and use real thousand island dressing. I found a little recipe for minute steaks and bok choy. Anyone else have favorites?

I'm a big fan of "cook once, eat three times" So I will make a decent sized beef roast (trimmed of all visible fat) in the crockpot. I rub it with a mixture of chili powder, cumin, thyme and sea salt, put it in the crock with 1 cup water and 1 cup old coffee, and let it do it's thing on low for about 6 hours. We have beef roast for dinner that night, then I slice up the rest and either freeze it or store it in the fridge. Some of it will be put on a salad with some asparagus and tomato, then the last third will be cut into strips and tossed into a stir fry.

It definitely can't hurt and I'm willing to try ANYTHING. I'm going to look into it.

Bubbleblower size 4s are awesome! I've been mainly wearing size 6s but a few pairs of pants I've had to go to a 4 as well. Feels nice to be in a single digit instead of my old 14s+.

Mac and cheese?? I'm going to have to search for that recipe....I used to love mac and cheese. My hubby made a pasta last night with some sausage and shrimp....it was delicious.

I haven't been having any real 'fun days'. I have been sticking to my P3 breakfasts and then just eat fairly light lunches and dinners. I've been having a sandwich for lunch with some veggies on the side (still LOVE cucumbers) and then for dinner it's usually pasta or chicken/steak with veggies and sometimes rice. We do go out at least once a week sometimes twice depending on hubby's shiftwork but I don't go crazy with my eating. I have twice gone for sushi where I did feel quite bloated after and was worried about the scale which did show slightly higher the next day but it all seems to go back down within a day or two. I track everything on an app on my phone...think it's called MyNetDiary. I have been exercising a bit and doing a ton of yardwork so that probably helps keep things stable.

So I had a bit of a NSV this morning. I went to my Doctor's office as she's been wanting to run bloodwork for a couple of months now (and I kept forgetting to go in and do it). Well the nurse there has always been a bit....what's the word....nasty to me (and everyone else for that matter). I've been going there for about 17 years and have never had her say a nice word to me. Well this morning I walked in and when I went up to her to say why I was here she said 'oh my gawd you've lost a ton of weight'. I smiled and said I know (which is my standard answer). She asked me a ton of questions and kept saying how fantastic I look and making sure that I wasn't planning on losing any more. It's nice to be at a weight where people think I'll be TOO skinny if I lose any more. I haven't been in that situation since I was in my teens. Feels awesome. I have to admit I am looking particularly good today lol as I'm wearing a new outfit and high heeled sandals which is something I would never have worn before. Her comments have put an even bigger spring in my step. Start of a great day! I'm heading over to a big shoe sale that's being held at the fairgrounds....see if I can't get myself a few more pairs of sexy shoes.

Cheeky skeeter
We must be about the same size. I also am usually a 6, occasionally a 4.
I have tried in the past to really get to a size 4, but generally I find I am too tall for the clothes!

On days I feel "big" I look back at my size 12 pants and try to remind myself where I could be.

I find the same thing...I fit in 4s but when they're full length pants they seem too short. Capris are good though! And....like you said looking back at my old pants I'm just fine in my 6s.

I somehow totally missed this earlier in the week! I was not nearly as sore as I had expected, but I was definitely feeling it in my legs and my knees the next morning. I was a dancer when I was younger so I ALWAYS stretch for 15-20 minutes after any exercise, I think that helps keep some of the soreness at bay. The scale was up a bit this week but I'm still in my range and my clothes don't feel any different. I am honestly more excited about the Fitbit than the spa gift card! I've been wearing it every day and it's a great tool for gauging whether I'm moving enough. Plus I love that it syncs up with My Fitness Pal.

It's official, lunch and I are not friends. I can come up with a thousand things for breakfast and dinner, but for some reason lunch always stumps me. I don't mind salads but after a while I want something different and I just can't seem to get a handle on what to do. I think I just need to get back on the meal planning bandwagon (I used to plan a week at a time) and get ahead of my brain on this one.

Scorbett
I stuck with my ip soup, veggies and a salad for lunch for a long time. Too much planning!

I now try to make enough dinner that I have a small serving without carbs for lunch (usually 3 oz protein and whatever veggies we had). I still have a salad with cucumber and 1/4 avocado every day.

I find a really tough workout will give me a scale up of a couple of pounds. I know it's water as the same couple drop if I take a day or 2 off from the gym.

I mainly focus on my fluctuation point. I like to stay in the 145-150 range. Either end has no real bearing on my clothes or appearance.