Well. It's my turn to freak out.

I'm trying not to panic, but my scale popped up THREE pounds overnight, and put me above my scream weight of 160. I don't even know how that happened; yesterday I stayed within diet guidelines and I didn't have anything that was laden with sodium. The only thing I can think is that I drank a LOT of water yesterday, because I've really been slacking on my water intake and knew I needed to boost that up. But it was alarming to see that number on the scale this morning!! Now I'm debating whether I should just bite the bullet and do P1 for a while, and try to get closer to 150.... Today will definitely be a P1 day while I figure out what happened.

I'm going out to do a shorter run today, 3.5 miles, then head into town for a few things. (FYI: 3 cats go through a LOT of kitty litter.) I started undecorating the tree yesterday and need to get all the Christmas things put away. I sure miss all the twinkle lights once the holidays are over.

Okay, overnight- we know that's gotta be an anomaly- (I hope I am using that in the right context) Have you added any type of strength training to your routine? Maybe, without realizing it, in your recent tasks undecorating, you are using muscles that you don't normally? Any soreness that might indicate this to be the case? I know with my purging and cleaning and organizing, I've don't a few things that are causing me to notice a little soreness- (going up and down 3 flights of stairs as I go out to the trash repeatedly or taking boxes out to my truck for the goodwill bin) I'm sure those with more knowledge are going to give you pointers to consider. Do you have the scale that gives the body fat, muscle, etc? If you do, double check those numbers-remember, muscle weighs more than fat-I'm sure, especially since you are so diligent, this is just one of those weird things.

HIS -- As Destony says, overnight is a likely a momentary tic upward -- you mentioned cheese a couple posts back - that's high in sodium... and with the extra water intake, you probably are retaining some fluid.

And, when we step off program(a bit of holiday extras?), it sometimes takes 36 - 48 hours to show up on the scale... in truth, the daily ups and downs on the scale happen with great frequency and given the complex operations of the human body, it's pretty hard to figure out definite cause and effect without living in a research lab.

I don't think you need to panic - Following P1 for a day or two will resolve it - you know that. So there is no need to obsess over it. Those fluctuations are a regular part of maintenance life - I think that you have to figure out how to notice them and then tweak your eating behaviors without going crazy. It is hard. The freedom and flexibility of maintenance can be scary after the months of predictability and structure of P1.....

I recommend you read the posts by Novak about phasing off and maintenance - she is an IP model of success, and she shares very real experience in a candid informative manner. Even if you read her posts before, the info you will find there is 'just in time' guidance for you right now, HIS!

I have subscribed to her thread Life After Phase 1 so I can find it easily from my User CP page. In addition she came back here in March 2015 (less than a year ago) and shared some more of her long term maintenance experiences - A Visit from Novak. Also worth subscribing to for future reference - there are 3 installments - pretty long posts - for the 2015 visit.

finally, I would also share a quote by Ishbel, another very successful IPeep who you can find here on 3FC IP, because the quote is so apropos to this conversation.... Lisa used to have this as her signature quote, citing Ishbel as the author... without Lisa's presence so much lately, I have to bring this back as a reminder (I did not take the time to look this up for exact wording - but the following is at least 90percent accurate) Really - nothing was ever more true:

Losing weight is hard. Keeping it off is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard. - Ishbel

Nothing new with lifting or moving, and I'm not doing strength training (although I definitely should be!). My scale is just one of those old fashioned doctor's office scales.

I love how good we are at talking each other down off the ledge.

I put off my morning run for a while, and it turned out to be a good idea. I used the bathroom about a jillion times, for both reasons. Once everything seemed to be settled down, I did my run, which was totally unfun, what with the lack of fuel. Anyway, I weighed again when I got home - in the same clothes - and I had lost 2 pounds. So apparently the big jump was fluid and waste. (In retrospect, I remember thinking before bed last night that my tummy looked bloated.)

But, wow, 3 pounds overnight. I think that was a first for me. It's just so shocking when you step on there and see THAT NUMBER.

I'm still going to do P1 today, just for my own peace of mind, and see how things look tomorrow. For me, the eating in maintenance is not as hard as the daily (hourly?) mental gymnastics of constantly evaluating what's going in my mouth. I have to find a balance between obsession and mindlessness. I've bookmarked the Novak threads, and thank you for the links.

HIS - sorry for your scare today...I agree with everyone else that it would be very difficult to gain 3 # of fat in one day. I have been wondering about the scream weight, are you suppose to weigh daily and react to a single reading. The same question if you weigh weekly. It would seem that you would want to see more than 1 day at a weight before "freakin out".

NSV today - I was able to go into Christopher and Banks (reg size store) and leave with a petite XL buttun up fitted dress shirt (down fro 2XL). I was wearing very few button shirts because of the pull or gap that I would see over chest. Nice feeling. We finished our mall walk and DH is well over 2 miles now. We are not setting any speed records, but he is getting it done.

We the went to Red Robin for supper. My lettuce bun burgar and steammed broccoli - so good. I am full. (I actually feel like I might have over eaten). I also noticed amongolian bbq near by, I read on the forum tha that may be a goog alternative)

Good Morning and Happy New Year to one and all my 3FC family!! So, a couple of things, as I am sitting here with my coffee at 0430-did I mention that I have been on vacation all week? What gives, I should be able to sleep in! Apparently, not when Jinxy kitteh starts singing the song of his people... All week long, once his daddy gets up for work and goes downstairs, he knows that I should follow not far behind so he can eat- yes, I've created my monster- but he's so darn cunnin' -loved all my cats through the years, but this one- this one is like my baby and he knows it-anyhow- my brain goes to work lamenting on all that I still haven't accomplished this vacation that I had wanted to, like shampooing rugs, getting all the clothes listed on ebay, de-christmas the house, along with a bunch of other things-don't get me wrong, I've still gotten a lot done, but I want to get everything done before Monday when I go back to work. Saturday is a moot point. I have my w/i in the morning then we are off to Reading MA to Jordan's furniture (about a 2 hour drive) to look for a reclining love seat but also they have one of those really fancy Imax theaters so we are gong to see the new Star Wars movie also. DBF is a huge fan.
Well, today, I have my annual yearly physical. I'll be interested to see what they say. I'll have to remember to ask about the 30 point jump in the ALT/SGPT-I'm assuming it's because of the diet and will go back to normal once I'm in maintenance. 200 lbs a year ago when I went. (212 when I started IP in February)
I read something that struck a chord with me this morning on one of the FB pages for IP- "This is the first New Year that my resolution isn't to lose weight" or something like that- but I thought about it- for as long as I can remember, even as a kid- that was ALWAYS part of my New Year's resolutions. This year, think of how different our resolutions are- yet, on the same note- I guess as I think about it, mine will include keeping the weight off but, I want to run a 5K, save money (be a better budgeter) which is probably going to be doable once I get in to maintenance and not have the expense of the program that phase 1 brought. I shudder (but am still thankful) when I think about all of the money- though not wasted (as long as I keep the weight off) it has been a lot of money as we are all aware.
Tonight we are off to a friends house over the bridge-about a half hour ar so drive, for a New Years Eve get together. She's the one who made DS' wedding cake. I am hopeful that I will not be tempted by all the treats she will have out. I will do my best though-especially after how I felt Christmas night after all the sugar-and with my w/i coming up and being so close to goal- hopefully that will be enough to keep me out of harm's way. Tomorrow, there is the annual New Year's Polar Bear Plunge in the bay, it's at 3:00, so I am considering it-I haven't done it in years, and I had been using the excuse that it was too cold, I had a cold, or something like that- reality- didn't have a bathing suit I was willing to be in public in. We'll see- it also depends on how well I am doing with getting all my projects done. I think that I'll shelve de-christmasing until tomorrow- DBF will be home, so that will help it to move more quickly. I'll do the shampooing of carpets Saturday morning before we go so that they have all day to dry, and today I'll try to get the rest of the clothes listed. What a flippin' project that has been.
smd Congrats!!! Great NSV-oh what a feelin' huh??!!!!Glad to see that DH is doing well in his recovery.
HIS Glad to see that everything is in check. I don't blame you for the P1 day. Good thinking- I hope that I would have the presence of mind to do the same should I (when I) find myself in the same predicament.
Cheryl I love that quote. I remember that it was one of the first ones I had read when I joined the forums. Thanks for the reminders about Novak. I had seen that a while back and bookmarked it, but forgot to go back and read them.
Blue It's been a slow, painful process- taking pictures and trying to make sure that things will fit in the shipping boxes-(things I wish that I had known about before I started all of this ) so a lot of the time I wasted taking pictures getting things ready with notes- I have to redo in smaller lots so they will fit in the boxes- you can't get 6 pairs of jeans in to a medium flat rate box- I'd love to be able to put it all in bags and say for example: size 16 lot: 9 pairs of blue jeans, 27 assorted shirts-oxford, polo, scoop neck tee styles, 7 sweaters, 15 pairs of dress pants (various styles and materials) black, brown, beige, navy, 4 skirts (2 black, navy and beige) and be able to put a lump sum price, like a $100. on it- and do this with each of my sizes that I have- all the way down to the 12's and then once I get through all of what I have purged- I have to do it again, because I hung on to some things- don't purge when you are tired.... Just to get rid of it- and make a little money so I can "re-stock". Our local FB yard sale sites are flooded and I think they have outlived their appeal. If I can offer you one piece of advice- it would be to start now, while your piles are still on the small side and get things listed asap- because as I said- this is very very overwhelming. I cleaned out the shoes in the guest room closet and between what I had in my walk in and what was in there, I threw away some of them, kept what I really loved (including a pair of 30 year old Frye boots that I can't seem to part with) and filled a box with a bunch to go to Goodwill. Again, the daunting task of what I have to sell- I just said pffft- and boxed them- and like my clothes- I love shoes.....How many pairs of black heels did I really need? (In my defense-I was a VP in banking, so I had a certain image to uphold-and I did) I'm hopeful that I can have some of my favorite suits tailored for not too much money- but I have to be selective and say- do I really really really love it and is it a timeless piece?
Alrighty- that is enough time on the computer- time to get things moving- I will need a nap today if I plan to make midnight...Cheers my friends

That's kind of what we're all trying to figure out in maintenance - when to freak out. I do weigh every day, because I know that if I weigh weekly, 5 pounds can slip up on me before I know it. I'd rather keep 3 pounds in check than 8 or 10, you know? I've been thinking that I need to look at my weekly average, though, and that will probably give me a better feel for where I'm at. I know that over the last couple of weeks, I haven't averaged 155 (my goal weight), but have been hovering around 157/158. I'd prefer to get that number lower, but have made allowances for the holidays. In January, I'm going to strive to stay between 153 and 156.

Yay you on the dropped size! And kudos to your husband for persevering. My husband is very infirm, due to a serious motorcycle accident 12 years ago and resulting surgeries. It's a big day when he walks over a mile, and he's very weak because of the inactivity. So your husband is doing GREAT.

Oooh, I love those Red Robin burgers and broccoli! Now you've got me thinking I might need to make burgers for dinner tonight.

Linda - oh, those kitties! We love 'em, even though they treat us like their hired servants. My little Gus is a pill. He has pretty much single-handedly undecorated the Christmas tree for me.

I'm really glad I did a P1 day yesterday. I went to bed feeling better, physically and mentally, and this morning the scale was back down to 157. I will eat P1 again today, until tonight. My daughters informed me yesterday that they're coming over tonight for NYE, and they're bringing party food. So I will eat carefully all day, and then have a small splurge of probably some chips and queso tonight, nothing overboard. No alcohol. The idea of drinking my calories just doesn't appeal to me.

One, I decided to not join the challenge. I'm just not mentally in the game for an extended time of P1. I'm going to try to lose a couple of pounds in January just doing P3-ish eating and increasing my weekly running mileage.

I read Novak's posts and they reminded me of a big fear I have with this protocol - that doing P1 for repeated extended periods has less and less effectiveness each time you go back to that phase. She did P1 twice a year for 5 years, and each time it took longer to lose the weight. UGH. I think that's why I'm so obsessive about staying close to goal weight now. I really don't relish the idea of doing P1 for weeks, just to lose 8 pounds. bleh. I read on FB that some people do a pancreas reset every year, whether or not they're at goal, but I think if I'm within 3 pounds of my goal weight, it's unnecessary.

Beth, I miss your posts - hope all is well.

HIS - Hope that P1 day put you back on track, no way that 3 lb spike was real!
Cheryl - I remember reading some of Novak's threads back when I started, thanks for the link to the Life after Phase 1 thread. Bookmarked
I'm not there yet, but definitely starting to look ahead and I know it will be very helpful.
Linda - stay strong around that sugar tonight, you can do it!! Polar Bear Plunge - go for it!!! You'll look great on a bathing suit, and probably that freezing water will make you shrink a size anyway!

WI this morning, down 2.4
Of course, thats over 2 weeks, since I had to skip last week. Even so! And some inches too, the size 10 pants I'm wearing today - definitely loose.
My coach was really impressed, said that's fantastic for over the holidays! She was asking if I still want to lose, she thinks I could stop anytime, I look good . We talked abut it for awhile - I'm still losing pretty steadily, both lbs and inches, haven't hit a stall yet, so I'll probably keep going. I'd like to be solidly in a size 8 ( some ft now, some still tight). Coach said a lot of people have a hard time losing that last few lbs, and that's a sign that they're done - that's a familiar story here!
Anyway, 9 lbs to goal

Blue!! YAY!!!! That's awesome- size 10's loose!! Wonderful!!! Congratulations!!!! 9 lbs, that's so cool!!!
HIS Thanks for that insight on the Novak post. I need to share that with a couple of people I care about that are/have just thrown caution to the wind...I'm so glad to see you're feeling better about things- it IS amazing how much power that little box on the floor wields over us- I mean, for me, and a couple others have mentioned it too- even a couple of ounces throws me in to a tizzy. That is ridiculous in reality- I know we have to be attentive, but the ounces- that's a bit much, I know this but it still really has some amazing power....
Okay, that was my break- back to listing things-I've got a roll going, getting some things figured out, redoing some stuff-now, please oh mighty ebay auction gods- please sell some stuff.

Linda - all this talk of selling clothes.... just have to share this with you.
In early Dec, I put some things on local GS facebook page. Sold a couple of things, couple of sweaters, winter coats. Not much else. So I took the ad down. Now, I have a LOT of handknit sweaters that I've made over the years, and have been holding onto, even though I haven't really been wearing many of them, even before the weight loss. So a few days ago, I got an email from someone interested in a Christmas sweater they had seen, and she asked if I had any other sweaters, Of course, i said sure. So this morning she came over, bought 6, and will come back in Jan for the rest. She upcycles them into mittens, hats, etc. So while we were chatting, I asked for her website/FB page to see what she's does with them, she said she also takes old leather coats and makes purses. She showed me the one she had with her (nice!). So I said, well I have this red leather jacket, are you interested, and she said YES! Anyway, I said, well, maybe you could make a purse for me out of it, and we could do a swap for some of the sweaters
First of all, I made a few $$$. Second, there is less of a pile on my spare bed. Third, there will be even less of a pile when she comes back for the rest. Fourth, I am going to get a new red purse
All in all, a good day.

Just a quick post to say Happy New Year to you 2015 Starters!! DH and I are off to the orthopedist for follow up's - for him it's a broken rib in addition to his slow recuperation from the fall from lawn tractor and then a bad bout of aspiration pneumonia. Hoping he will be cleared to return to PT this week. For me, it's follow up re my knee injury and sciatic pain, plus a look at my recovery from carpal tunnel release surgery. I think I would recover better with less computer time, but oh well...

Last year I was so happy going into the new year having already lost 50 lbs and knowing that I was on a good routine to continue losing. I am sure that a number of the IPeeps are feeling the same this year.

For me, today and tomorrow are the last two days to purge the kitchen of stuff that I cannot have in the house while on IP - I begin my reboot on Saturday - a busy day of cleaning and some organizing to get things in order for a good start to the new year. My focus for 2016 is to successfully reboot and properly phase off, and get a structured fitness routine in play that is as stabilizing for me as my P1 experience of IP was in 2014/15. I want to improve my muscle mass and benefit from a more active metabolism, and I want to get back to regular dancing. Also want to finish up some financial projects -- anyone interested in buying a house on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina..... ? If I can sell it, I can move forward to all sorts of stuff as next chapters in my life. PM me if you are interested.....

We have a few sign ups for the challenge - don't worry about not participating, HIS - you need to do what feels right for you, and this is something that's definitely got potential to help me. You are at that tough point of transition into maintenance, and there are other tools that can help you.

I have not checked this myself yet but I heard the app expert on Today Show talking about a good app for tracking fitness and food - it is called Lark and it is like a little personal assistant who texts you with helpful messages plus it pulls info from your other health related apps to work with you.... sounds very appealing. I gotta check it out!

Destony - your line up of vacation To Do's seems HUGE!!! You have done a lot and will get more done before Monday, by the look of it. Pat yourself on the back for what you have accomplished and don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Blue - congrats on the losses you have to show for the holiday period - no matter that it is 2 weeks - it is the right direction and that's what counts.

gotta go now - check y'all later if I can, and no matter what...

Happy New Year!!!:

blue - only 9 pounds! YAY!!! Yes, if the weight is still coming off fairly easily, it's probably a sign that you're not at goal yet. Do you think you might reach goal by the end of January? And have you started thinking about P2 yet, or does it seem too far off?

Linda, it's crazy, really, how a few ounces can mess with your head. I don't stress too much about +2 pounds, but more than that makes me loco in the coco. It's like we traded a food addiction for a scale addiction.

one, goodness, I hadn't realized how challenging 2015 was for the health of you and your husband! Here's hoping for better health in 2016. I wish I could buy your SC house.

Good morning and Happy 2016 to everyone!

My evening did not go as planned.... My daughters showed up around 8 pm with NO FOOD. I had been putting off dinner since I wasn't sure what they were bringing, so I was ravenous by 7 pm and ended up eating a couple handfuls of candy. (This was always my problem when fat - put off eating until I was starving, and then devour whatever what was quick and easy.) I finally made a real dinner (turkey and some mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts). Then the girls sat drinking wine, which I declined. Around 9 pm I had a Combat bar and made sure to drink a ton of water. I was dreading the scale this morning but it was up only 3/4 pound.

I looked at my weight log for the month of December, and over the last 3 weeks, I never got down below 157, so my weekly average has definitely been trending slightly upward. Goal for January is to average around 155. Then I'll work at getting it a couple of pounds lower in February.

Other than weight management, do y'all have any goals or big plans for 2016? DH and I want to take a big trip to Alaska in 2017, so to save money for that, our vacations will be modest this year. We will probably go to FL in May, which is an annual trip to see his parents. I'm looking forward to running there - NO hills!

2016 - BEST YEAR EVER!! Happy - Healthy - Skinny ---- You all deserve it!

Happy 2016 to all!

His - Sounds like you have a plan for 2016. We did Alaska several years ago and it was a great trip. Are you planning on doing on your own or cruise or combination? We did a one way cruise from Vancouver to Whittier and then did our own thing. We spent the first night in Anchorage then rented a car and drove to Denali. We stayed at a Hostel there (had a private cabin) then did the tour in the national park. We stopped for food in Anchorage before we would have stayed longer but our food supply was low and everything was so expensive there. We then went to Homer and stayed at a bed and breakfast there. Later back to Anchorage for a few days - we spent one day on the the train to Seward. Very nice trip. Saw lots of wide open spaces and wild life.

One - hope your preparations for your reboot are going well. I am looking forward the the challenge as when I lose the 25# I will have reached onderland.

Blue - I like the idea of upcycling old cloths. Please post a picture of your new purse when you get it. I love RED.

Linda - I too wake up early every day. My fitbit has been showing me sleeping only about 4 hours per night. I hope all your appointments went well today. I am not brave enough to do a polar plunge.

No WI for me this week - But the scale at home is moving in the right direction. NYE was a non event at our house. I was so tired that I went to bed at 9 PM, woke up again at 4:30, but then tried to go back to sleep. I am going to try to take the dog for a walk this morning. I am not sure how the sidewalks are after the snow. I don't do New Years Resolutions - One of the reasons I started IP in November. Unofficially, I am 30# lighter because of it. (plus what I would have gained during the holidays).

I want to clean up the spare bedroom to day and still need to do the refrig. We have guests for dinner tomorrow and are going by friends on Sunday. I am struggling with how to tell them about the diet -- all other gatherings have been a large "pockluck style". I think DH is going to explain that I am on a strict diet and will bring my own meal. Thoughts? Had to turn down dinner at my MIL last night because I know that what she cooks is not OP. (she cooks very healthy - great for P4, but too many carrots, carbs, etc.

Time to check out the sidewalks. Happy New Year.