dlr: Glad those headaches are gone, may they take a few poounds with them this week!

Kooky: Eating in restaurants does get easier. Some days it takes more willpower then others.

Steph: I am sooo out of the fashion loop...what are boyfriend jeans? I guess I will need to learn all this soon since I will not be shopping in the plus section any more!

Slip: Fantastic job on the size 10's!!! Proud of you. And just so you know a few tears is sooo ok!!!

Lisa: I have seen your posts on other boards, welcome. Glad the reboot is working.

So DH and I went to Walmart today for groceries. I thought I would try to find some clothes while we were there. Didn't find any that fit well, so I was a little disappointed. It seems since I have lost weight I am finding it harder to find clothes then when I was in the plus sizes!!! Weird. Of course I read Slip's post about her size 10 pants and her tears. I realized that I didn't find clothes that fit like I wanted, (the shirts were not really my style and the pant legs on the pants were HUGE). So I am over being disappointed because the shirts were a large and the pants were size 14...I used to wear a 2X-3X shirts and 22 pants! This is a huge improvement and I have nothing to be sad about. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far and can't wait to see the end result!!

Want2b- 22 to 14 is amazing! You definitely should not be sad!!! I have my height to thank I am 5'7.5 and I carry my weight right now in my thighs. Have you tried Kohl's? I like Lauren Conrad's Collection. Today, I bought a dress, 2 jeans by Michael Kors and a pair of boyfriends jean capris by Kutz. Boyfriend jeans fit like old Levi's did, but they are often rolled up with a cuff.

I think I cried, because I am so happy. I never thought I would fit in 10s. Never in my wildest dreams when I started IP, did I envision 10s. The weight has been slow to shuffle off lately, but I felt like I was losing inches. Even better, 2 of the pants are white! I have not been able to find white capris or jeans that did not make my butt and thighs look like an overstuffed sausage.

Good morning, another gray and rainy day here. I am so looking forward to the sun, someday soon. School break in 14 days. I am hoping for warmth and sun by then. Until then, I will be watching some good basketball for the next two days. Off to make a fire in the fireplace and get some breakfast.

How goes the IP journey?

Anything in your near future that you are excited about?

Happy Sunday to all--

It is gloomy cold and rainy here as well. Going to do more house hunting today.

Next Friday I am going to visit the folks in Boston for a week next Friday. My brother is in charge of annual charity Boys and Girls Club of Stoneham hockey game where he and some of his friends play against the retired Boston Bruins players. I have never been able to go to it. So I am excited. It is also special because the 2 people dropping the first puck will be the 2 brothers from Stoneham MASS who lost their legs in the Boston Marathon--it will be very emotional for all.

We are also going to volunteer where my Dad had his kidney transplant because it is National Organ Donation Week-we sit at the table and hand out info about Organ Donation and then they have a Organ party for people who have donated or received a transplant - I have never been to the party. They have speakers and you talk to the Drs etc. It is the least we can do for what people have done for my Dad. It is a big deal to us otherwise he would not be around for the past 5 years.

So my brother has seen me with all the weight lost but my parents have not seen me since losing 53 lbs. They say me when I lost about 20lbs. They have seen photos but not me in the flesh! My mom is so excited to see me - we are going to do lots of clothes shopping - cheaper up there so I dont have to pay sales tax. I HATE trying on clothes but now that I am getting into smaller sizes it might be a little easier. I am in between sizes so some stores fit me better then others. Kohls and Walmart I have no luck but for some reason LL Bean and Kmart have been good. Kmart has a regular XXL in shirts which help me since my boobs have no deflated yet! hahhah

I have my TOM and I thought it wouldnt be as in tense anymore since losing weight but this week has been pretty intense. I hate when TOM messes up plans and how you are feeling.

Slipfree---Loved your story about crying with clothes. I was like that last weekend when I found normal sizes at LLBean. I cried when I got my tests results back this week. It was a happy cry and a big release for me.

Luccilove, sounds like a great weekend in Boston. How wonderful to pay tribute to the brothers, I remember seeing their mom on tv.

My friend will have his kidney transplant on April 10, in Boston. Can not express how grateful I am to his donor. Thank you for your service and giving back.

Funny Luccilove, I have only lost 2 inches in my actual bust. Have lost a ton from my back, but the girls remain!

You deserve to have a good cry about those test results! Such a relief. I probably wouldn't have cried about the clothes, I would have called my mom to share the news but she is on vacation. So, all that emotion had to go somewhere

Because of Kooky, I went out and bought a full length mirror. Am trying to get a reality gage on my size. Anyone else struggling with this? Ironic, since before I could definitely figure out if I was the heaviest in the room.

Good morning ladies! Great scale victory this morning. My home scale reads 137 - that's 6 lbs less than when I started back on IP on Tuesday. Of course this is mostly water from being off plan and eating junky stuff but I'm stoked! It's exactly the motivation I need to stick to Phase 1 for the next few weeks. It's been a tough weekend - been dreaming of pizza and Chicago Mix popcorn. Ugh! Stupid brain!

It's awesome to hear about everyone's positive clothes shopping experiences. All the hard work is paying off!

Slip, the body image thing is so weird. I still have moments where I look in the mirror and think, "wow I'm looking really thin!" and other moments when I see myself as that pudgy, bloated, stumpy girl I was before I started IP. Sometimes I see both in the same day. I had a friend tell me about a TED talk she watched where scientists said you can only lose 10% of your body weight at a time for your brain to register what's going on and to successfully maintain. I haven't watched it yet because it bummed me out, as I had more to lose than 10%.

Good Morning Everyone! I loved waking up and catching up on the posts.

Want2B, Slipfree, and Lucci- I'm so happy for you ladies and your smaller clothing sizes. It is a completely different experience shopping. It can be emotional, happy, and sometimes frustrating. Overall, it's great to read all of your success stories. The content of our board has really changed since the beginning.

Lucci- Your upcoming trip to Boston sounds like fun. It sounds like you've got a lot of really cool stuff packed into the weekend. Have fun!

Slipfree- Good job on getting the mirror. That should help you when you're trying on new clothes to see how things are fitting and to see the whole picture of how you look. When I first moved into my apartment in the 230's or 240's, I hated that my two closets have huge sliding glass doors with mirrors. I wanted to hide from myself because I hated how much it forced me to look at myself. Now the mirrors don't bother me and they are actually useful.

Steph- Congrats on losing 6 lbs! That's great! I am the same way about how I see myself in the mirror, but I think this happens to pretty much everyone. If it's not weight one worries about, it might be wrinkles or acne or pretty much anything.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Slip: Have not tried Kohl's, there isn't one near me. You US girls have all the fun stores!! LOL We are just going back to school this week from our 2 week spring break, hope the 14 days goes by fast for you.

Lucci: Good luck house hunting. Boston sounds busy but rewarding. I am sure your parents are excited to see the new you.

Steph: Glad the scale is moving again!

Kooky: You are so right about the content of the board changing. I love that we can talk about daily life, and our struggles to stay OP are easier, for the most part. I also think you being able to use your mirrors in a good way and not dreading them is a great thing.

I struggle with the size image I see in the mirror some days too. Some days I look and can see all I have accomplished, other days I think "my face has so many more wrinkles now". Of course the last one could be because I am turning 40 next month. I hated 30, but so far I am dealing with 40 much better. I can see that I am smaller but I still think I have a ways to go, and I am happy with my image now, I am not content to stay here.

Near future things to be excited about: None. LOL. I am really looking forward to be out of the 170's. My newphew is getting married at the end of August and I want to be at goal by then.

Want2be, I order from Kohl's online.

Luccilove, hope you find a house that you love.

I am completely overwhelmed by my totally full(of clothes)walk in closet. I have kept clothes of many sizes for 20 years. I have begun to shed clothing, but while working on it today, it seemed like a huge task. April vacation chore, I guess. It will take days.

The easiest and best thing I found when I had to do this...is take EVERYTHING OUT...!!!

Then start to put things back...and you will be surprised how easy it is to NOT put somethings back! You will love how airy and pleasant, and ORGANIZED it is to go into the closet in the AM and there are only things you wear NOW hanging there. The purging as you continue to go down is easier then too.....

Slip: Cleaning out the closet can be a huge task. For me I think it was a mental challenge too, I have lost weight before but never kept it off so that is always in the back of my mind. When I cleaned my closet I took all the pants/shorts out, tried them all on. If I didn't like them or didn't like how they fit, they were gone. If I couldn't fit into them yet, they went into a box for later. If they fit and I liked them I put them somewhere I knew I was going to reach for them. Then a couple of days later I did tops, same process. It seemed like it took a long time, but so worth it. Now once a month I go thru my closet and get rid of things that are too small or I don't wear, and I also try on stuff from the box that didn't fit yet. You will be surprised at how much will fit a month later. It is a lot easier to keep on top of things now. Good luck.

Thank goodness the ketosis energy kicked in today. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to peel my butt off the couch for weeks! I wish I had energy like this every day

Good morning everyone,

Off to professional development, yay(sarcasm).

Steph, wish I had some of that energy!

Have a great OP day.

Hi everyone!
I hope you had a good weekend. It was ugly and raining/snowing here but now the sun is out. Thank goodness!! I'm so ready for spring.
Things are good with me. Starting to work out with my trainer again this week. We just had a 30 minute session working on a lot of toning. Will have 2 more this week. This is opposed to my usual hour long sessions that also involve a lot of interval training. I believe my new approach will be compatible with phase 1. Not feeling light headed or too fatigued so far.
Well, have a wonderful day.
I read a lot but don't post as much. You're all a wonderful, inspirational bunch. I'm so lucky to be part of this group

"Happy" Monday..ugh! I miss the weekend.

I was looking through a FAQ about IP geared towards IP coaches and I found some information for Slipfree and Lucci.

Slipfree- The article says swelling in the extremities can be caused higher estrogen from the fat loss. It says you may want to consult with your Ob/Gyn and get a hormone evaluation. It may be that you need progesterone to help balance the temporary increase in estrogen. The other possibility is low blood pressure.

Lucci- There was a specific question about IP and elevated liver enzymes. The answer says that "during P1 & P2, the dieter is not getting enough glucose from the foods they are eating to supply the needs of the glucose-dependent tissues. To make up for the temporary shortcoming the body resorts to a number of "gluconeogenic pathways." Certain pathways (like the Glucose Alanine Cycle) require increased amounts of the liver enzyme ALT. This is not pathological or dangerous in any way. Other pathways require more AST. Temporary elevations of these two enzymes are not uncommon and the dieter and physician can be assured that they will always return to normal limits after about a month in P4."