I had my week 25 weigh-in yesterday. I am down 60 pounds! It didn't really hit me until I looked at my ticker. That is a lot of weight! I am having trouble wrapping my head around how much I have changed.

I was down 3.4 this week! After a slow Thanksgiving - New Years (not because of cheating, just slow), I have had a great January. It is nice to see how sometimes our bodies can slow down after a while, but then they seem to be able to pick up again. I didn't think that would happen.

Here is to a good week, friends!

Oh, congratulations L2W! If you think about it, it's not so unusual that the body goes through an adjustment period - as you lose body fat and (potentially) gain lean muscle you burn more calories even sleeping. So, at some stage the body has to shift back to losing weight.

Way to go on staying strong through the slowdowns!

Won't be long before it IS 6s though, Hella!

I am back...my goal was 40lbs which I hit right before Christmas...I failed myself by not phasing off properly and diving right into gorging, and chocolate and wine...Ugh...back up 10lbs...not going to be beat myself up. Started back on phase 1 yesterday. Hope to get the 10lbs off in 3 weeks and then properly phase off this time so that I form healthy eating habits with real food. Happy to still be down 30lbs.

I am sitting right on the edge of a cliff - a good cliff - I weight in at exactly 180 this week! I was down only .8, but I've had a number of what I would consider good weeks, so I'll take it. It was my 26th weigh-in! We are all going to hit 6 months in February. Isn't time flying?? I will miss my next weight-in, so hopefully, I will be well under 180 in two weeks.

I tried on size 10 in the brand of jeans I have been buying. I wanted to check how they fit. They buttoned and zipped, but way to much of a muffin top to buy them. But I was excited that they actually fastened.

Ariel How are you? I've missed your infectiously positive posts!

2BeSkinnyAgain Congrats on hitting goal and going beyond it! Are you phasing off?

Amanda I've enjoyed reading your posts on the bod pod and your c25K. It is interesting to learn how frame size and muscle structure can make a difference in your ideal weight. Keep up the good work!

Good for you for hitting goal, but really great for catching yourself so quickly before you ended up back where you started. Isn't that what it is all about...catching yourself when you just start to have your weight creep up?

WooT! Congrats on the not-quite 170s. Next week for sure, if not tomorrow! Right behind you, my friend, at 181.6 this morning - scales are finally moving again. Who'd have thought we'd be in the 170s, L2W !!!!! I am SO proud of all of us for sticking with it and getting healthy. Can't wait til you proudly wear your 10s.

Welcome back, MM. I'm glad you made the choice to come back before it got out of control. I think Christmas and New Year are such easy periods to take it for granted that we can keep control, when there are so many variables that can crop up - unexpected visitors, lots of no-no food kept in the house "just in case someone pops in", eating out, well-meaning family and friends. Good job on coming back before you gained more.


I think this IP journey is interesting, not just for what it does for us but the effect it has on family and friends around us. My sister had childhood onset Type 1 diabetes (she has a shortened telomere genetic issue) and has consistently gained weight in the last 10 years. Since I've been on IP she has been better with her diet choices and exercise and has lost nearly 10lbs (albeit she has to eat carbs). It amuses me greatly that she is protective of her wardrobe of clothes that I am now in wearable range of. Nothing like sibling rivalry when you perceive that the balance of weight is changing.

Hi mommymeg - Our statistics are about the same (height/starting weight/current weight) and I hope to be getting into maintenance around the same time as you! I am in major fact gathering mode right now trying to figure maintenance out. (It feels complicated.) But, I just signed up for myfitnesspal which I think alot of the maintainers use and I think will help.

Mommymeg - Good for you for catching yourself!!! That is something to celebrate.

Lose2Win - Congrats on making it to the almost 170's . My 26th WI is tomorrow. It is so crazy how fast 6 months fly by! Congrats to all of us for sticking to this!

Braiel - Congrats on the loss! It is definitely interesting to see the effects of the diet on my friends and family. The sad thing is some people are not as supportive as I thought they would be! But, the most amazing thing is that my 18 month old loves eating cucumbers, lettuce and celery JUST like her mommy and daddy. Leading by example has been an amazing thing for my 3 littles!

Shasta10 - I've been researching about maintenance too. There is so much information out there.

As for myself, I'm really trying to make it out of the overweight category. So yes I've surpassed my goal but I'd really like to hit a BMI of 24.9. I'm almost there so so close but these last few pounds are hanging on for dear life! That and I'm genuinely scared to phase off of the diet. What if I gain the weight back? I know that I have to change my eating habits, but naturally they've changed. When I see some food now, it actually makes me sick. It's so weird!

I don't actually get sick thinking about food but I am fearful about adding in carbs and fruits. I've thought of them as evil for so long (and for me, I think they are!) I have been trying to figure out why we have to have carbs at breakfast (my coach says to get the insulin spike in the morning...but I can't figure out why it isn't okay to have it at say lunch where for me having a sandwich would be so cool and one of the few things I actually miss) I find IP to be so easy to follow but don't like it that maintenance seems so complicated. What I keep falling back on is that if I slip up, then I just go back to phase 1 which I know and you know works!! That is what gives me comfort.

Have you looked at the thread of what the maintainers are eating? http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...rt-2-a-26.html

There are experienced and newbie maintainers. Just reading the last couple of pages has been helpful. It makes it more apparent how it all comes together. I can see how MyFitnessPal is going to help me. I've just started tracking on it.

How is everyone's journey coming along? It's been a bit quiet around here this month!

I'm posting for some motivation. I had my first WI where I actually gained a pound! I know that I've done well overall on IP but I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn't disappointed. I've always been 100% OP so I'm not sure where to go from here. Of course my coach was not very much help, she said to just keep at it. Should I be doing something?

Don't worry 2b, 1 lb is just a blip in the journey and could be attributed to almost anything, how much water you had before weigh in, TOM, the Big C (constipation not cancer ), saltier foods the previous day. Almost anything. Remember the journey is not linear, but a series of steps on a downward trend over a period of time. Tell your coach to breathe, lol. Sometimes if you have a small up or a week or two of no scale movement, your body is getting ready for a big whoosh! Just stay on plan & it will come.


Liana

Thanks for the encouragement, Liana . I know that it will come off eventually, I just haven't had an unsuccessful week yet. Oh, well! I'll be hoping for the big whoosh next week. I'm at the point where I'm ready to phase off, I just need these last few pounds to agree!

Hang in 2bskinnyagain! I had my first uptick of one pound about 4 weeks ago - freaked me out, cause I had no readily identifiable reason for it. But I went on to lose that one pound and continue to lose each week thereafter.

As Liana says, its quite normal to have some upticks, because what actually counts is the downward trend. You have made it right to brink with only this one WI uptick - not to worry -- just keep doing what got you this far and you'll make it over the goal line, no sweat!!!