Question for everyone one here that is in maintenance, for you that have lost hair on the diet how long did it take before it started growing back and stopped coming out so much??

Hello all. I had to jump in on the carbs talk here because I eat a bananna everyday with the encouragement of my coach (also on the list) and it is higher carbs. Anyone else eat banannas?

Maile, Congratulations on starting YEAR 3!

LizzRR, Wow, 9 months goes by so quickly, congratulations on the new addition.

Ishbel, You are too kind. When I was going thru P1, the "refrain" on the boards was "it's not that you can never have <insert favorite not-so-healthy food that contributed to your needing to do IP>, just not now". While true, the silent corollary is "but you can never have it as often or in mass quantities". I still struggle on most "fun days" with that silent corollary, and I'm not sure hearing it out loud would have been beneficial during p1.

I think another random thought for p1 is coming to terms with the possibility of loose skin and putting your mind to understanding how it will work if you decide to just live with it rather than surgically remove it (recognizing there can be a real need to remove it sooner). I think Maile said it takes 2 years for you to get as good as it is going to get without surgery, which serves as one of my motivators to keep things under control for year 2 of p4. Well, there has been improvement at the one year mark, despite my "advanced age" (55).

Yeah, I lurk more than I post, but it is nice to see people's successes with maintenance or with getting back on track, as well as following the rhythm of people's lives, and my learning good stuff from everyone along the way.

Hi everyone! Jumping on the carb talk ... I had been having fruit and yogurt as part of my normal breakfast until I realized I was having problems with dairy (along with a lot of other things!). Lately I've been eating a banana each day, along with a generally high protein diet. I also eat GF pizza and baked potatoes on occasion, but pretty much stick to protein and veggies. For snacks, I have 5-10 almonds or a Quest bar.

Congrats, Liz, on the new addition to the family!

Wondering your thoughts! I have a body builder at work who tells me that our lean mass going down means we are losing muscle. My coach says that number stands for everything but fat and therefore is expected to go down due to water loss. I'm thrilled with this protocol and want only to defend anything negative does anyone have any info on this?

Also wanted to ask? I added the weight graphic in my signature and now I get tons of pop up advertisements making this site not as enjoyable ;( how do I get rid of them?

Congrats, I have been watching your signature to see when it would change. You guys give me much inspiration in here. 10 more days til I join you.

I have been starting to hang out on the Pregnant-Nursing forum, but it's not very active there. Trying to start a chat and "What are you eating" thread (my fave thread), but pretty quiet there.

Mailie - counting down to 3 years!

Crystalwolf, Lizzyrr and Infoplease. Thanks for your support. I am very pleased to have kept my 100 plus pounds off for two years. I am feeling positive that I will continue to keep it off. I have stayed in my range. I track on weightgrapher daily and watch that line go up or down. I still have lose stomach skin but am satisfied with my arms and legs.

Lizrr: are you back to cooking and inventing new recipes?

I have to look that up, sounds like it would be a useful program for me. For now I keep track of my daily weight in a notebook and intend to keep that up for maintenance. In the past when I have ignored the scale because I was afraid of what it said I have a started furious slide back up the numbers. I think daily weight tracking will be key for me in maintenance to keep track along with my food tracker to see what influences the scale and keep on top of things.

Lizrr: Congratulations on your new baby girl. You were always an inspiration on this forum.

Mailie: Congratulations on your maintenance.

I've reached a year since I've reached goal and are a couple of pounds over that limit. The good thing is I've been back 100% on Phase I for 2 weeks and my body remembers what to do. I'll stay on for another 4 weeks or so and phase off properly. This time around I'll stick to the Phase 4 guidelines instead of letting life get in the way.

This site is what keeps me focused.

Thanks again mainteners for your updates

I am right there with you on the loose stomach...especially after c-section #2, although even after I hit goal I felt the same, although I was only there for a few months before getting pregnant after a lifetime of obesity. I told my hubby that after maintaining for 2 years I want to entertain a tummy tuck. My legs & arms were also toned, weightlifting is great!

As for recipes, I am making a bunch of different "salads" for a weeks worth of quick eating along with a supply of lean, cooked meats - Sundays are cooking days! Kale, cranberry, green apple & pepitas w/OJ & apple cider vinegar; celery, green apple, & grapes w/light mayo & lemon juice (Waldorf salad); pineapple & cucumber w/lime juice. I have never been a big salad person, I am easing into it by adding fruit and using a heavy hand with the veggies.

I am not trying to rush my way back to goal, but I really did let my eating go south during my pregnancy. Now that my cravings (for carbs) and food aversions (for chicken/lean meats & veggies) are gone I am trying to really move the focus back to whole, fresh, healthy foods. I know it will be reflected on the scale. One thing I did learn in Phase 1 is how food is 90% of the weight loss equation. I am sitting at ~175lb right now and nursing (4 weeks post partum), so not trying to starve out my milk supply.

I need to remember to track my weight...usually to tired after a series of 3-hour nap shifts!

Totally agree! I need to stay involved here for the support, vent, advice, inspiration, and positive examples (Mailie!!). I strayed the past few months, but am back!

Mailie, congrats on 3 years! That's really impressive and is a testament to what can be done when you put you mind to it!!

Although I've not been posting much I'm still checking in here once in awhile. I think I've finally found a food plan that is working for me (with the help of the drugs for the Crohn's, at least) although I'm still tweaking things. Today I'm going to see if I can start adding a bit of yogurt back in. We'll see... I'm not eating as much salad as I had been since it can be hard on my system. I still have my cup of coffee in the morning, but add about 2 tablespoons of organic coconut oil into it.

I'm also trying to get back into exercising. I took a tennis lesson this week (my first ever!) and went to a spin class last evening (OMG!!! What a workout!!!! ) My weight has been holding right around 129-130 so I'm feeling a lot better than I was. My next goal is to get me back in the water to dive!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Bubbleblower: Thanks for the support. It sounds like you are figuring out what works for you. Your exercise is impressive. I have heard that the spin classes are killer workouts. You will hit that water soon.

Lizzyrr: You are so energetic while taking care of that baby! I had three c sections so I suspect that the loose skin was affected by those, as well as by weight loss. I would like a tummy tuck some day but as I am older I would rather focus on my face! Your salads sound yummy and creative.

Momat40: Way to go on the one year of maintenance. I hope your reboot goes well. That is an accomplishment.

crystalwolf: The weighgrapher.com shows not only your daily weight, but averages trend..so you see the day's weight, see your trend for a week, see your trend for a month. You don't feel so bad, if your weight goes up but your weekly trend is showing a pound down for the week.

Kcoe: I don't know how to get rid of the popups. I also do not have info on losing lean muscle mass. I had the pinch BMI test and thought the results meant that I was gaining muscle and losing fat.

Cassieleanne: I take a supplement called Hair and Nails which seems to help.

Have a great day everyone. I am so glad it is Friday.

Hey everyone! I've been MIA for a bit so thought I'd pop in to say hi. I'm still doing great in maintenance. I will try and catch up to see what everyone's up to. Lizrr congrats on the baby girl!! My brother and his wife had their baby boy almost 3 weeks ago and he was a big baby too 9.8 lbs.