Hello everyone. Still on phase 1. I haven't posted in a few days mostly because my head was somewhere else. One of my sisters.. who I adore, had a heart attack.. I have kept on plan so far, but I'll be flying to be with her for at least 2 weeks, and I won't be able to do the diet while I'm there. Mainly my husband and I think that if I'm going there to help I shouldn't burden them with my dietary demands. She has five kids.
I'm leaving this sunday. My plan while I"m there is mostly to maintain my current weight, and then when I come back continue to lose until goal (I was only 4 lbs away sigh) If I get to do groceries myself I"ll try to do phase 3 while I'm there... but if not, then i'll have to pick the healthiest of what is available.

I have to say, it took me a little longer to get used to phase 1 this time around.. like bigpassport, I was hungry a lot longer this time around than during my first round, but the hunger had subsided the last few days. This has me dreading having to start again.

I don't know if anyone here likes rhubarb, I LOVE it and was really happy to see it (and buy it) this week at the grocery store. I had truly missed the rhubarb crumble (made with the oatmeal mix).

Also, before I started the diet I was obsessed with suncakes, but had forgotten about them completely until I received a promotional email today. I didn't remember exactly their nutritional info so I looked it up and was so happy to find they could totally work for phase 3 and 4, so I thought I'd mention them here in case anyone is interested. My faves are the cranberry and for 2 cakes (which are reaaaallly filling) you get 33 g carbs, 6 g protein, 1.5g fat and 176 mg calcium. The nutritional info varies a little for the different flavors.

Ok, so I have no idea if I'm going to be able to post while I'm gone, regardless I"ll be back on the boards when I return home.

This will be my first true test for maintenance.. so I'm a little nervous.

Pxlkitty and whoever else is thinking of doing phase 1 again, good luck. It is worth it.

Maile & Jenny, I hope you guys continue to do well! I will definitively keep you guys in mind if I try to talk myself out of exercising while I'm away. I think if anything, exercise will be my main tool to be able to control my weight if I cannot control what food is available.

Congratulations to those who just reached maintenance!

Hello All! I'm back! Got in very late Tuesday evening and feel like I've been going at a dead run ever since trying to get things organized & unpacked. I've been lurking, catching up on posts the past couple days but I knew this post would be a long one so needed to save it for when I had a moment. I apologize in advance but this is probably going to be a bit long winded...
I had no internet connection and a rarely available cell phone connection while I was in Maui. Couldn't read up on here, couldn't track and didn't have a scale to step on. The first few days I was absolutely paranoid and very regimented in sticking to my normal eating patterns. I jogged every morning for 5- 5.5 miles if the kids were awake I'd take them with me in the stroller if not I got to truly enjoy the peace that running next to the ocean provides. What a sense of calm. And that calm seemed to pervade my maintenance style. While I was conscious of what I was eating there were some days that were higher intake and I just tried to balance them with lower intake days. Enjoyed all the flavorful fruits- they are just not as tasty or abundant here! MIL and I clashed quite a bit which is unfortunate and I did find myself stress eating pistachios more often than I'd like to admit. MIL and I both made meals- hers were too high in fat & carbs for me to be willing to take part and mine were too 'healthy' for her. MIL & I actually got along quite well until I lost weight because we both love to eat but now there is a resentment toward me for having lost the weight and refusing to take part in an all food all the time mentality. I know that feeling, I can remember it... of being around someone who has lost weight and is eating healthfully. It makes you feel bad to be around them because you're overweight which you don't enjoy but you love the food and feel that you can't consume as much and if you do you feel guilty. Which definitely takes some of the fun out of eating and when that's your biggest source of happiness- well, you don't feel so kindly to the person who 'inflicted' it on you. And this was non stop. I don't think either of us much enjoyed it. We definitely each need a kitchen.
I did bring a bikini- and I did wear it! Figured what the heck, I'm not perfect but I worked darn hard to achieve what I've got and I'm going to be proud of it. And with that came a mental readjust, I am happy with me- there's always things I would change and improve but overall I'm pretty content with where I'm at. I didn't have a free day while I was away just the dinner, dessert & drinks a couple of times which I did follow up with a traditional Phase 1 day. To me the Phase 1 day once a week is needed. It is a mental reset. It gives me consciousness of how much I'm eating & what I'm eating and helps me stay on track throughout the rest of the week. That said I do feel like I have to 'bring it on' by indulging...
Stepped on the scale to discover I was 1.5 pounds above my weight range. Did a very strict Phase 3 day and just made it under. I would like to get it back in the middle and then go to weighing in once a week rather than daily. I really enjoyed my freedom from the scale... it's a necessary evil but I would like to start giving myself a bit more room as my mentality was much less anxious.

Gika- we were posting at the same time. I'm so sorry to read about your sister. My thoughts & prayers are with you both...

Cap Yay! You're back! We missed you. Hope you had a great time. Running by the ocean...sounds heavenly. And I'm so proud of you for maintaining intuitively. That's awesome to only be up 1.5 lbs after a long vacation! Hope re-entry to real life is gentle on you.

Jelly Pauley has been a regular buddy of mine lately on MFP. She's exercising and tracking and even lost a pound. Seems like she's doing great!

Gika So sorry to hear about your sis. Hope she recovers quickly...and that her 5 kids don't give you a heart attack! I'm confident you can maintain doing P3/P4 the best you can. If you can, try to escape to make a late night grocery run and you can keep supplied with some staples to get you through.

Maile Thanks for that blog excerpt. I'm looking forward to a day that I just know how much to eat and what kind of foods to eat so I can be on auto-pilot. I think that's quite a ways off for me though. You are doing great with your maintenance!

Scary idea for the day...Couch to 5k. I just might do it!

Thanks for the update... She's pretty local to me. And I guess I like to hear that maintaince is possible. LOL. Eventhough all you ladies have done so well... I feel that I'm getting closer and closer to joining you... Well. One day

Good Morning,

Just got back from Disney vacation and truly enjoyed being able to sit in airline seat , walk the parks, fit in the rides but did gain two pounds so alittle discouraged by how easy the weight comes back (the story of my life). So going to do phrase one for a couple of days. Should I expect my weight maintainance to be a struggle forever ?

I have to go on strict phase 1 starting today. Somehow the combo of TOM, traveling, stress, and everything else has culminated in a very bad number on the scale. I'm now 7lbs above the top of the range. Time to get serious. I have to do at least one week of phase 1 to see where I get. Bye bye breakfast!

My body needs a reset anyway. I did consider doing one of those three-day cleanse things where you only drink juices. I will try phase 1 first and then maybe consider a cleanse.

On a good note, hubby has been off wheat completely for almost two weeks. He hasn't had any headaches, and his ADD symptoms have been alleviated completely. He's so much happier. Of course, the man can eat wheat-free Oreos and not gain weight. Ah, sigh....

Hey there. So sorry to hear about your sister. Might I suggest that, since you are going there to help out, you help a little with the shopping/cooking so that you can get some things that work for you. Everyone will probably be better off. That said, I don't know the dynamics of your family. If people are going to freak out, then just get a lot of salad stuff and load up on that as people eat their own way.

Wow. Sounds like you had a good trip weight wise. I'm sorry about the MIL. I guess that's the downside of having a kitchen. I find that taking a trip where everyone can order what they want (cruise or restaurant) makes everyone happy nwhen you are agreeing on every meal, that's where the stress kicks in.

Good for you for wearing a bikini. Even at the lowest end of my weight range, I wouldn't be too comfortable doing that.

Gika: I am so sorry to hear about your sister. I am so glad you can go over and support her family. I think you have a good plan for eating and will do well, even though you will be doing lots of care taking. It is hard for you when you are only 4 pounds from goal. Hopefully you will just stay the same . I have never heard of suncakes and will check them out.

Cap: I loved early morning walks along the ocean also. There is something so joyous about being near the ocean. I am sorry your MIL was not treating you very well. People do seem threatened by someone eating healthy..especially when they are not. Great job on getting back in your range when you got back. I am trying to find airline tickets for HI to see my mother and am depressed about the high prices.


Pixl. Good luck on Pjhase 1 today!!! That is good news about your husband and the ADD being improved! I just gave wheat belly to a friend who has an ADD child so she could see if diet helped.

Endless Dieter: I think maintenance will bget easier with time..but for me it will always involving planning and monitoring. Isn't travel nice when you are compfortable in the airline seats?

Jelliemae: You have lost 137 pounds.. That is amazing! You are getting very close to your goal. Way to go!

Lee.Are you planning to do a 5k marathon?

I am having breakfast with my trainer from the gym. She has not seen me since I reached goal. It will be fun!

MOST DEFINITELY!!!! Maintenance is a guessing game, trying to figure out how many calories and carbs you can eat without gaining. The best thing to do is track it so you can see trends. Also, it is a huge countability factor. If you have a good or bad week, you can look back and notice trends. I am totally old fashioned and keep a hand written journal. But I think just about all of us keep track of our food in maintenance.

Yes, this is exactly what I was trying to express in my post earlier. My weight loss journey might be finished, but I am just getting started on my "mental journey".

I am following this conversation with interest as I need to phase off soon. Actually I am doing phase 2 now but find that not much different than phase 1.

I know maintenance is a mental process that we have to be very conscious of. I have been on another diet board for years and the common theme there has always been that losing weight is easy, it's the maintenance that is hard. I know there is truth in that but it has always annoyed me too because losing weight is incredibly hard for me.

I know I am a carb addict and gain instantly when I have them, they also lead to incredible binges.

On the threads here many people on phase 1 say the hard part will not last forever, all those foods will still be there when you get to maintenance. In my case I know that will not be true. There are many high carb foods that have to be permanently off my menu because once I start eating them it is too hard to stop.

But aside from the mental process with food, isn't the real plus with being at this stage of the game the energy you get with X number of pounds off?

I find myself zooming all over the large building my office is in without even realizing I had decided to get something. I spent many years as an elementary teacher and had become a master of getting the kids to get everything for me. I would plan ahead if I needed to move around for something as to how to do it with the least effort.

I was in a carb induced sluggish mode for ever. I hope getting out of this will continue to be an incentive to be very conscious of what I am eating. I know my "free" days will be few and far between because it will be too hard to rein myself in after.
I will have a "free" meal once or twice a week and see how that works. I hope phase 3 works well for me because that will likely be how I will normally eat.

I hope once I am out of ketosis these good intentions don't fly out the window but I will have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

I am so glad you all are sticking with this thread and are providing such thoughtful info on the ongoing journey.

I was going through Finn Steven's thread from the beginning and copying recipes I want to keep using, ones without the IP pkgs. I noticed posts from the time he started it by people who were here just a few months ago and have totally disappeared. It made me wonder how many people actually complete the program and work through maintenance. It could be they complete the program and get on with a normal life. But I really appreciate the opportunity you all give on looking ahead to life after phase 1.

Pat

I responded to this earlier but now i don't see it. I have no idea what happened. I hope you enjoyed breakfast with your trainer.

I am following "Udi's gluten free" on facebook. There are many stories of success after people give up wheat. I read that one child with autism went from no words to 4 words wtihin 30 days of giving up wheat, and now has 100 words. How amazing!!

I had soy patty crumbled on lettuce leaves with WF chipotle ranch and a salad for lunch. Oatmeal for breakfast. I can do this phase 1 thing. Mentally, I am not looking forward to it. I need my "diet bubble" attitude back. I guess it will take a few days.

Oh, the Nashua nutrition oatmeal looks like it would be unrestricted. I'm going to count it as that and go on with life.

Thanks for words of encouragement. Second day back on phrase one and lost the two pounds that I gained on vacation. Going to stay on phrase one for a couple of weeks to give myself alittle buffer (hope to hit 199 mark then try phrasing off again). And yes it was wonderful to travel and fit in the airline seat. I just hope one day I can be as successful as many of posters on this site.

Bigpassport- thank you for the welcome back- and the well wishes when I was away- it's always nice to feel missed I was so happy to read of your success with the reboot and your new size!! You did so well with it. Getting through not really losing for the first week and plugging away until you saw results- that's awesome. Are you still Phase 1ing it?
Maile- I thought a lot of you while I was away. Partially because I know you're from Hawaii, some because you were an excellent role model- when you go away you always come back the same which seemed indicative that you didn't 'change' while you were away. I do still eat my vegetables twice a day- although sometimes I have carrots now ( that was a more difficult transition than it may seem after having them be 'forbidden' for so long ). Veggies are the surest way to keep myself satiated and that to me is the name of the game in avoiding cravings in the evening. I liked your blog excerpt. The part about mourning the food especially struck a chord. After I had my first baby as happy as I was to have her - I definitely mourned the loss of my freedom. As happy as I am to have this new body I still mourn the loss of free eating. Both seem a part of accepting responsibility in my life...
I hope you manage to find some discounted airfare to see your Mom... And when do you get to see how your school pictures turned out? You're very right about wearing color. I lived in black so long I felt like it was the only color could wear. It's been great to add in some pinks, yellows and greens. I bought a bright fuschia workout tank that almost hurts the eyes it's so bright- but people are always telling me how much they like it- and I am thoroughly enjoying color after all that black.
Jenny- when is your girls trip? It must be coming up soon? You are very strong willed to see the Advocare through to the end- good for you for finishing what you start! Accepting our new selves, and that while we are smaller we may not be perfect, has definitely been one of the harder parts of maintenance. I read an article in Oxygen magazine that helped. I tend to focus on the parts of myself that I don't like and want to 'fix' (such as my lower abdomen where my mommy apron still lives and refuses to die) it suggested that when I find myself doing this I follow it up by focusing on a body part that I do like (after what feels like a zillion push ups I do like my shoulders & arms). I know that after all the exercise that you've done, the size that you wear (a 2/4!!! That's awesome!) you've got a lot going for you- and you deserve to revel in it!
Pxlkitty- I'm sorry that you are struggling but I'm so glad that you are still fighting! You've been such a constant source of support for me since Phase 1 (and I started that 10 months ago!). You had started a bit before me so you must be coming up on a year? I wish you the strongest success with your reboot you deserve the calm that comes with being in your window. And I'm sure that a week of Phase 1, TOM subsiding, and (hopefully) less stress will bring you back to your comfort zone. You are absolutely right when you say that when going away it's best if everyone can choose their own meals. The in laws are pretty traditional Italian and don't really believe in eating out but I had no idea how stressful it would be trying to have something for everyone.
Pauley- loved the quote about choose your hard. Finding the groove of balancing 'bad' eating with good was great to read about. Thought of you, too while I was in Maui ( cause I know you're going there as well and you have big plans for rocking a two piece). You'd asked before I left if I was planning on wearing one and I wrote no and gave every reason why I shouldn't. But I went and tried them on again after all that and decided that maybe I should be brave. And I' m so glad I was- I can only wish the same for you since you were my inspiration!
Calypso, TracyAWC & Matolmama- it is truly something to see this thread grow stronger and stronger with every new 'graduate' that comes in and to see so many that have been here for months.

Endless dieter- I must have been writing while you were posting. Congrats on losing the two pounds you gained while you were away! I think it is mostly water that we gain while away as there is more sodium in restaurant food and it causes a gain. Good for you for going for 199- here's hoping it's a quick journey for you!
jellmae- I can't believe how close you're getting and you look great in your new avatar!
2ride- I wonder if maybe your body reacted so well to the extra calories because of the principles of refeeding? And less stress with your food choices? Great news about the loss though any which way that it came about!
Pat- have you decided when you're going to start phasing out???