And yet another question? Exercise on phase4, I am assuming yes??

ABSOLUTELY!! In reality....Could /should start much earlier unless there is a medical reason not to...the routine needs to be established.
And last.Forever.

A lot of IPers seem to enjoy the initial caution of "No Exercise", and truth be told I too was one of those relieved to have an excuse to not have to jump in to that right away. The phrase "enjoy exercise" was an oxymoron to me.

The whole diet, dealing with the social issues and keeping focused was initially intimidating ...and I really had to force myself into a program of exercise once the coach said..."It's time..."

It's been stated by many on here, the reality is once your body adjusts exercise IS recommended for the majority of clients, and getting your head wrapped around doing it sooner rather than later is really important. I still don't love it, probably NEVER WILL. Do not get the high people talk about, everyone does not respond like that.

But the habit is now not a challenge to be faced during maintenance. Lord knows...there will be enough of those!!

Go buy some gorgeous sneakers...now! And figure out what you want to do and are likely to continue forever! My weight came off at about the same rate after I began as it did prior to beginning the exercise. It was limited to 30-40 min a day. And lots were losing bigger numbers on the scale all along than I ever did. Even at the beginning.... ...but I lost big number inches much faster than so many ...MUCH faster. Size mattered to me...It still does!

Hi everyone. Just a quick note to let you know that I conquered my past pattern of breaking P1 during the weekend, and have been doing well this past while. Ditto this weekend... everything has been 100% OP so far and I see no reason that anything will stray between now and bedtime.

Woke up early - and supercharged - today. Funny how some days are like that on P1. I'll be on P1 until Christmas time, which should be enough time to get back down to my original goal weight again.

I think I'm the poster child for what 'Not To Do' when you hit maintenance... I started out just fine for about three months, and then things went downhill as I fell to the temptation of too many sugars and carbs again. I'll definitely be watching myself like a hawk when it's time for me to re-phase out again. But meanwhile, my head is back in P1 and I'm just concentrating on this for now. Again - I appreciate everyone's encouragement and support so very much.

Cheers for now.

Have a GREAT trip. Honestly, other than the chips (in fish and chips) I didn't have a potato product the entire week we were there. There's lots of good options available.

I've been doing CrossFit since P3 (about 3 months now) and have been loving it. I never liked exercise of any type before this but now that I'm not having to lift so much body weight it is much more enjoyable.

I have a bit of a leg issue, so walking is tough but I am back on the treadmill as of today. I will gradually have to work up my time but slow and steady....right?

Very excited to start my Monday at my goal and I start maintenance on Thursday. I've done tons of research and it's a little scary but here's what I think the "Cole's Notes" version is...

Breakfast- same as P3
Lunch- same as P3 but add either a carb or fat
Dinner- same as P3 but add either a carb or fat (whatever wasn't used at lunch) and a fruit
Snack- IP snack or healthy snack (fruit??) Can I do a Quest bar?

Am I close? I have some concerns about the quantities but I will break my coaches ear on Thursday.

The thing I am still not sure about is...I can have all veggies now right? And I can have regular food but do I choose low fat? I assume continue with the WF dressings etc. The P4 sheet doesn't specify what foods anymore, so that's why I am assuming anything. I know I would keep lean meat, low carb and watch my portions.

Sorry for so many questions, I know I am overthinking this, and it will be okay in a week or two. Just want to wrap my head around maintenance.

Maxxy - do whatever exercise works for you. I am a walker, but if you have leg issues, biking would probably put less stress on your joints.

Your plan looks pretty good to me. You can have any veggies - I was so excited to have carrots when I got to maintenance! I generally avoid fat free or reduced fat foods because they tend to have added sugar to improve the flavor. I've never had a fruit at dinner, but I often have an apple for a snack or greek yogurt with berries. You can even have regular salad dressing.

You will do fine! You will be surprised at how much you can have when you make healthy choices.

Hey Hey Everyone,

Sorry I've been MIA, been under the weather lately and just overly busy but I'm still here!

Maxxy Careful with low fat, sometimes it is higher in sugar. For exercise, I run. I try for 3 times a week and generally get it but sometimes only twice in a week.

Lizzy Have a great vacation! 3 Weeks!! One day, one day...the most I've ever taken is 2.5 and it was REALLY tough to come back to work lol.

evepet Conquering the weekend! Way - to - go! Weekend warrior? I knew you could do it.

LizRR CONGRATS on your new bundle of pink joy!! I love her name, very excited for you!

mars735 I found a post somewhere on 3FC's about to maintain your weight, x 10 and if you are moderately active x11 etc etc. So I started with that mindset. I fluctuate but on average I know I'm around 1500-1600. When I started running (AHGAIN!) a few months ago it took a while for the running to show up on the scale, which was what happened the first time I started to run when I first hit maintenance. So I don't actually add too much for the exercise, maybe an extra fruit.

maile 2 YEARS!!! HOLY SMACKAROONS!! Girl, you bring me so much comfort, thanks for being the IP pioneer and sticking with the posting to show us that it can be done!

++++

Went on a mini weekend vacation with the VIP to Cypress Hills Saskatchewan (highest point of Canada east of the Rockies - known as Saskatchewan's Mountain HAHA (we're flatlanders here!)). It SNOWED, I was so disappointed...but we are high in elevation there so I should have known to pack warmer. But I couldn't do the hikes I wanted to do because it was so chilly. Very sad lol

VIP and I did our first 5k together, we both had Personal Records, mine was 31:37 which I'm very happy with. I didn't run with my heart rate monitor which was VERY MUCH out of my comfort zone and I think I ended up pushing myself pretty good, I shaved at least 8 minutes of my regular 5K

Yay for participation medals!! haha

That's really helpful to have those guidelines, Ishbe. After the 800-900 on Phase I, it feels like cheating to eat 1400-1600!

Hi everyone. I'm afraid this is going to be another "me" post as I'm still taking things day by day here. I'm still working on getting myself back to being healthy after being sick for so long, but I finally have about two weeks of exercise back under my belt. I found a combo spin/yoga class that I'm really enjoying and also have my second tennis lesson today (my serve needs a LOT of work!). I'm still tapering off the prednisone for another 2 weeks and had my very first ever acupuncture session yesterday (we'll see how that goes; I'm supposed to start with twice a week). Ideally, I'd like to get off of the Crohn's drugs for the long term by using herbs and vitamins and keeping my stress level down. I've tried a number of different GF products, but find I feel better just keeping the carb level down so I really don't want to add in too many substitute foods.

My closest friend is getting married this Saturday so another friend and I took her out for a spa day last weekend. I know we enjoyed it as much as she did!

All in all, maintenance is going fine. I was concerned about gaining weight on the prednisone, but other than what I really needed to gain back after being ill, it really doesn't seem to have caused any continued gain - thankfully! It would have been really distressing to see all of my hard work being undone.

Hope you all are having a good week!

Ishbel: I am so impressed with your 5k run! Plus you ran faster than your best time. You are in excellent health. Snow already? Too bad about your trip. I hear you on being overly busy. That has been my life this last week. Thanks for your support. you will join me at the 2 year anniversary.

Mars735: You will enjoy adding those extra calories and eating different foods!

Lizzy63: Good for you getting down pounds before your vacation. Have a great trip to Ireland.

Maxxy: Your plan looks good. You can have any vegetables. I choose low fat dairy products. I do eat normal salad dressings. Good luck on beginning your maintenance.

M35A: It is much more enjoyable to exercise when you are lighter! Glad your crossfit is going well.

Evepet: maintenance is discovery. You are learning the tools to maintain. I admire your strength in jumping back on Phase 1, making it through the weekends and getting back on track. You are doing very well!

So I was telling my husband that I was at the top end of my range and needed to go down a few pounds. He said, "Don't lose any more weight. You look wonderful." That was nice to hear. However, I am still working on those up pounds.

Bubbleblower: I am happy the medication does not seem to be causing a weight gain. I hope the acupuncture helps you. I like alternative herbal treatments when possible. You sound like you are exercising and getting your health figured out. A day at the spa was a perfect gift for your friend.

What do maintainers have for snacks?? Do you still use IP snacks or should I go away from IP foods totally?

So many questions.....

I still frequently use Quest bars as snacks. Sometimes I'll have some almonds, a glass of nonfat almond milk, or a piece of cheese. I found that I really wasn't using any IP products once I got to maintenance so I gave them away.

Does it matter what kind of Quest bar. I was told before that some of them were not acceptable to IP, or was that just during the Phase 1 period?

The "All Natural" line is within the IP guidelines but some of the others work as well as far as carb count, calories from fat, etc. My wife and I go through about 6 boxes a month as those are pretty much our "snacks" and a lot of times a P1 type of day instead of packets. I believe the Strawberry Cheesecake and Chocolate Peanut Butter are the lowest calorie bars in the "All Natural" line. I really like the Apple Pie but it's at the high end for calories (190 but still less than 30% from fat, but not in the All Natural group).

Most people counted the Quest Bars as a "restricted" during P1 even though a lot of them fell within the regular range.

Thanks Maile! Putting a toe in the water and enjoying it, though wary of enjoying it too much.