Thanks 3FC & the great posters for wonderful support and great information. I'm 2 weeks into Phase 4 and swing from excitement at adding variety back to my diet, to anxiety & missing the structure of Phase I. I'm wondering how others decide how many calories to eat each day to maintain weight. Thanks! Marjorie

I let 'My Fitness Pal' figure out how many calories I should have.

I don't count calories but watch carbs. Enjoy your Phase 4. It is a change to get away from the structure of Phase 1. I hated to give up crispy cereal pancakes. Eventually you will really enjoy it. Good luck.

Cheekyskeeter: Glad to hear that your maintenance is going well.

Maile - adding my congratulations on reaching your 3rd year - what an amazing accomplishment!

I also use MFP. I would initially evaluate weekly - look at average calories and whether I gained or lost, and adjust accordingly. It also makes you think about what you're putting in your mouth when you record everything. I put it all down, even when I'd rather not...

I am officially on vacation for the next 3 weeks!! Managed to take of 4 pounds in 8 days of phase 1 and ready to indulge a bit, but not too much. Don't think I've had a potato in over a year, but will probably be hard to avoid in Ireland. On my way on Wednesday.

Inspiration personified!!

Thanks Maile...you and others like you who take time to check in are pulling the train with hope for the rest of us! Keep reminding us of how well you are holding! Set the bar high...we know once we reach the finish line we are not done yet.

You too Lizzy...you are holding and working the day to day stuff nicely and keeping us aware the battle is going to be part of us. Making it OK to say it's ongoing is also great inspiration and example of how we go on after IP structure ends.

Howdy! I officially start maintenance next week. It seems a little scary. Phase 1-3 were so limited, I didn't have an issue. Are there any suggested food list, daily meal suggestions etc etc

Thanks

It's so nice coming back on here and seeing familiar faces doing so well- I'm proud of you gals!!

Hi...and so good to hear another maintenance success!
Congrats and thanks a bunch for sharing with us that maintenance is doable.
You maintainers are really important to us who are still on the drive in!

Hi, Maxxy - All that freedom is a little scary at first... At least it was for me. My approach was to think of it as phase 3 with "extras." Stick to phase 3, but add healthy choices here and there - a piece of fruit or some nuts for a snack, etc. if you are not monitoring your calories with MFP or something similar, you may want to do that. By monitoring and weighing regularly, you will be able to adjust your plan until you find what works for you. You'll do great!

65x65 - looks like you are very close to goal - way to go!

Maxxy, I have been on maintenance only 1 week myself, so it's not like I'm an expert, but this is how my week went:

Breakfast - kept the Phase 3 breakfast I have been eating, 8oz greek yogurt with a cup of cereal or 2 waffles and a cup of berries and a tablespoon of peanut butter.

Lunch - Phase 1-3 ish salad with tomatoes and cheese (low fat)

Dinner - soup with minimal or no meat but all vegetables including those not on Phases 1-3 like carrots

Snacks - bars, 1/4 cup walnuts, greek yogurt with pumpkin and sweetener, apples, 6 Premium whole wheat rounds

I had my first "fun day" yesterday - I did not do anything special for breakfast but lunch was a salad that mixed high fat and high carb items and then dinner was bread/cheese/chocolate. Today is my Phase 1 day and I had crispy cereal for breakfast. Next fun day will probably be a similar type salad for lunch and possibly pizza or something for dinner. I also did over 600 calories of exercise yesterday and probably will do that again today. I am still way under on calories for the week according to My Fitness Pal, though the fun day calorie estimates may not be exact.

I actually felt a little sick after dinner last night. My blood sugar was 114 this morning, it usually runs in the 70s. But still, not bad considering.

Yes...Thx. I was almost there, when with in days got diagnosed with a "Redundant mega colon" and a suspicious cecal bascule volvulos which is something as I age will become more risky. One more test tomorrow afternoon to check for internal colon ischemia in the twisted area...and then a plan going forward. Eventual surgery...But ... NOT NOW!

Am anxious to get this P1 behind me and only expect to be back on for about a month then to begin a proper phase off. Reading all you maintainers experiences has kept me motivated to get back on. Am terrified of not finishing off right and needing major steps again to get to goal so I can stay there.. Thanks for taking the time to connect with all of us. Your track record is impressive!!!

Am I to track calories on my fitness pal? If so, what's my limit?

And no carb and fats together,right?

I wasn't doing alternatives but could I now have an alternative shake with fruit and a carb for breakfast?

So scared!! I hope you don't get sick of all my questions. My coach will help me out on Thursday when I go in but I want to get a jump on it.

You don't have to track calories, but I find it helpful and many others here do the same. How many calories depends on your metabolism, level of activity, etc... Don't remember how I came up with this, but I started at maintenance weight x 11 and found I could go higher (continued to lose at that level).

The rule is no carbs & fats together, but I make some limited exceptions.

And there is no reason why you can't use alternatives. I like the Pure Protein bars and shakes for snacks. One of these days, I plan to stop using protein products all together, but it's really convenient.

As long as you are weighing weekly, you will know when you need to adjust and you won't get too far off track in a week, so I wouldn't worry too much.

There are a lot of BMR calculators on the web..incl one at MFP. Like the WebMD one because it takes age and gender into account and noticed a few that did not when I researched this at one time...
http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool...ism-calculator

It's great because on any of them you can put current weight in and see what your calorie deficit now probably is...and also can gauge what you'll want to strive for at goal..... and prepare in your head for the difference in maintenance for your new life since we will DEFINITELY need less than we ever have before...unless you plan on being in training for a marathon 24/7 -- 365...or plan to regain.