Pull the breading off the calamari, Maile, lol... I do that with shrimp at a Chinese restaurant if there is no other choice. Sometimes I end up with a pile of crispy batter on my plate after a buffet... Looks like I am a pig, but really an easy way out of a 'bad batter' situation. I really shouldn't be eating the shrimp after it has touched the batter, (gluten wise) but I HAVE done it I admit :/
DH & I enjoyed staying on Molokai the most as it has the highest native Hawaiian population by percentage and has great heritage and culture and a lot of traditionally living people. It's waaaay quieter too. We also enjoyed camping on the Big Island and met a Hawaiian family that was living in a state park because their house had burned down and they didn't have the money to rebuild it yet. We got to know them a bit and they took us to the most amazing out of the way shoreline and we shared breakfasts every morning - they caught the fish with spear guns and brought poi bread and we provided mango & papaya we had gotten from a local landowner as well as a few other things. Love to go back, but there are so many other places to see first...
Liana

Congraulations, Sylvies! And Welcome to the Maintenance thread! What a great accomplishment!

Thanks so much, Joysh & Everybody. Love it around here!

Loving maintenance so far. Taking it very slow, making only very small changes. I am just enjoying the freedom, mentally. Daily weighing is keeping me reassured. So far, so good . . . a whole 3 days in.

Hooray! I'm so proud of you! You will do great in maintenance and I your plan to do things slowly sounds right to me. I kept things very much like P3 for a few weeks just adding a few things back in slowly until I thought I had the hang of maintenance. It seemed like so much food to eat to start with, was a little overwhelming. You'll get there too!

That makes total sense, thank you for confirming that I was thinking right! Sometimes I worry that I'm over or under thinking things or just not thinking at all. It's so awesome to have you all to help me out! And seeing how well you've done for so long is so motivational for me - reassures me that it can be done. I want to be just like you when I grow up.

Hope the remainder of your vacation goes as well as it has so far - sounds like you are having a blast.

Hey hey everyone!

I'm here, walking wanting to run but I have two more weeks before I attempt it. Essentially eating low carb but decided against eating P4 just yet due to breast feeding. Still not keeping up with this thread due to that. It will come in time I know.

Miss Heidi is a really good little gal (she's one month today), I'm on a baby forum now (go figure) and I have it pretty lucky considering some of these other FTMs are going thru! Although! No one told me it was ground hog day! Haha! I give all my girlfriends crap for not telling me that it's the same thing everyday...even thou I should have known that given my sisters have kiddies!

Here's a pic of us going out for our baby shower on Saturday. She's a keeper! ! I'm so in love with her!

Cute picture of you & Heidi, Ishbel!

What a cutie Heidi is Ishbel!

Maile...Hawaii is amazing and I am so glad you are enjoying your time. I am not sure if you have heard of L and L's but it is a very popular chain restaurant in Hawaii. Anyways, the BBW is to die for. Skip the mac salad and rice as they are loaded up with mayo etc. <y husband went to college there and we visit every couple of years and I always love stopping in for the chicken. Also, if you like sushi try some poke which is tuna in soy and sesame oil. Also to do for. You can get it from the grocery store.

Joysh I am so happy to hear you stuck it out. I am doing more phase 2/3 right now after doing 6 days phase 1 and plan on watching things when I am traveling. When I return from VK, I will let the scale give me the final answer and inform me of next steps which I imagine will be phase 1 for at least 2-3 weeks. I am nearing TOM, 3 days away according to my tracker, and weighing the exact same as I did last Monday. I really think I am majorly retaining water. My breasts feel feel sore and bigger than usual if that makes any sense. TOM sucks and never fails to make me feel like an elephant!

Congrats Sylves girl! You have worked so hard.

RuthAnn you deserve a VK...especially after the move.

Hello vachinyc and drd and canadjineh! It's great to see you all.

Hi back eandc! I totally hear ya on the TOM front. Mine is next week and I have been ravenous for days. I know it isn't "true" hunger", more like cravings. But I just can't seem to get satisfied. Scale is up a bit too. and the BigC.

So frustrating but hoping to keep it in perspective. I have on skinny pants today so that's something

Hope it's ok to post this question here...I posted in daily chat, but I know it's easy to get lost there. I am thinking about the weight that I would like to maintain...which is 135. Does that mean I should actually set my goal at 130 knowing there will be gain when I start adding carbs back? I'm not changing my ticker until I get ot 135 anyway (and I think it's going to come off VERY SLOWLY as I near it), but just trying to budget myself out with IP coaching (along with alternatives). TIA...I read these threads daily to get my brain in the game for maintenance!

Hi! For me I didn't gain anything when I added carbs back. I actually lost through all phases, most likely due to increased exercise. I think it depends on your body. I had an initial goal and then lowered it and for some reason my body was just done. My coach at the time said I needed to Phase off and I'm glad I did because the weight then came off. My body needed a change I guess.

Hi evemomma: Do what's comfy for you, if you are losing ok without stressing it won't hurt you to go 3-5 lbs lower than goal in case you do gain in glycogen storage. I also didn't gain & in fact lost in P3 & early maintenance, but I also had a similar situation to jelliehel in that I wasn't losing more at the time (although still in healthy weight range for my height) but once I added more 'regular' food in P3/P4, I lost again. I think Ruth Ann also lost a bit in maintenance, if I remember correctly. Just remember even though your weight may bump up at that time you aren't gaining fat, it is water to accompany the glycogen and you will still be healthy and may even still lose inches.

Liana

Hi All!

Ishbel! Love the photo! Heidi is adorable!

I am finally phasing off. I ended up doing almost 6 weeks on P1 to lose 12 pounds. Then one week on P2 and I finally feel like I'm where I want to be. Actually 2 more pounds off would be perfect so that the summer clothes not only fit, but fit comfortably. But as I begin swimming I know things will fall into place easily.

It was not that hard, but the weight came off very slowly. I'm going to be even more careful this time. I like the way I feel at this weight.

I bought my yogurts and blueberries and I'm looking forward to my regular (P3-type) breakfasts. I guess if I need to do a little reset here and there it's much better than having to do it all over again. I'm happy we have the tools to keep all of this in check.

I've got 2 more IP (type) drinks in my fridge, then it's P3 for me! This weekend I'll be in Houston for the twins granddaughters' 3rd birthday.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Of course, it's up to you. I keep my goal weight at 125, but I know I feel better 3-5 pounds under it, so that's what I'm going for. I, too, lost on P2 and P3. My gain in adding back carbs might have been only 1 pound but I also exercised. Exercise counts!

Hi everyone -
evemomma - I too lost weight during p2/p3 and into maintenance. I started phasing off a little before reaching goal but kept losing. P2 is so close to P1. Never gained the 3-5 pounds of water weight I was told to expect.

Joysh - So glad to hear your reboot is going well. I'm 2+ weeks into a 3+ week reboot. So far I'm down 7 lbs. Hoping for a total of 10 lbs. Trying to decide if I should move directly from P1 into P3. Really looking forward to yogurt and berries again.
Ishbel - Your baby is so cute and you look great!
RuthAnn/Canadjineh/Maile...thanks for all your posts. I check the board much more often than I post. It's so reassuring to see ya'll here.
Sylviesgirl - Welcome to maintenance!

THanks all for the advice!!!! I had my slowest loss yet this week and imagine that it will not speed up the closer I get -so it's good to keep 135 as my goal in mind! I really think that is a realistic weight for me and in the 'healthy bmi' range. I am looking forward to adding exercise and really need to find a starting point that won't slow my weight loss in P1. Gotta get myself TONED!!!!