I need to come back! I feel like I'm struggling and when I heard Carla say she had to put on clothes from when she started to remember that she had lost weight, I could totally relate. I have been this size since June and think that I have forgotten! I cleaned out my closet the other day and got rid of everything that was too big and so I was trying things on saying "oh wow, I was this big?" but I wouldn't have remembered if I didn't try them on.

I have gained 2 lbs. I don't think it is bad right after Thanksgiving, but it also is a wakeup call. I have not been making the best choices in my eating and I don't feel as good as I did. I have had to miss my work out classes lately because of scheduling conflicts and need to make them a priority again. There is no possiblity of outside exercise here in Montana at the moment with more than a foot of snow and below zero temps

On an upside, my mom has been on the program for 6 weeks and has lost 20 lbs and 15 inches. She looks incredible and feels amazing. She has no more knee pain and isn't walking around huffing and puffing and asking us to slow down all the time. I am sooo proud. I gave her all of my clothes that didn't fit anymore and she will be in them very soon.

Thanks for listening!

So nice to see you here!! I was wondering how you and your mom were doing and, if you were having good holidays!

I am so happy for your mom. That is a wonderful she is doing so well and feeling it too. How much longer do you think see has on phase 1?

Yes!! I so need to remind myself from time to time how much I lost. I have kept 2 outfits, pants and skirt, to always look back at and say "really?? NEVER again!" Good for you making your closets represent you now.

I have been MISSING them too!! I was wondering where WannabeIP has been the past 2 weeks. I am assuming that they are all off enjoying their well earned holiday time! There are so many that have been a part of this group that have touch me at one point or another and I am grateful for and dearly miss them when they aren't involved as much.

I am so glad I was able to assist you! That is so touching to read. I often think about and wonder about who else is a part of our thread through their regular reading. It is so nice to be able to meet you!

I wish you well as you move through phase 4 and, really look forward to hearing more from you and getting to know you.
__________________
Carla

Dear Carla,
Wow! I am so impressed that you lost 84 pounds, but to have done it feeling so awful makes the accomplishment even more remarkable. I had no idea it was so very difficult for you, yet still you persevered. I was very lucky in that I felt physically better on the diet than left to my own carbo loaded diet. I have experienced some hair loss and had a few weeks of constipation, but that is it.

Are you still as physically miserable now that you have returned to Phase 1 and is there anything else that you can do to make this less physically challenging? I hope so.

In some of my research which is certainly not as extensive as yours, I cannot find too many health care professionals who approve of this diet and have not talked to any nutritionists who feel that this is a safe diet. Despite all that I still opted to try this diet based on the meeting a couple who were phenomenally successful on this diet and what I read on this forum. I also read Dr. Tran's diet and felt that there was a great deal of validity to his program. It is very hard to argue with success and there seems to be a lot of success going on in this forum.

I have read so many of your posts that I feel as though I know you already. I am trying to get out of my comfort zone of lurking and hiding and would love to get to know you better.

Thank you so much for being out there for me and for so many others,
Jane

Dear Carlasherea,
I love your picture. You look fantastic and very happy. Am I correct in that you were a poster girl for the Ideal Protein Diet Program in your area? I thought I remember reading that. That's great news that your mom is doing so well, too.

I like your idea of saving a few items of clothing to serve as a reminder of one's journey. Now that I have reached my goal, it is very bizarre feeling that I have the same body as I did before, but when I look in the mirror, I get jogged back into reality. Sometimes I can't get the fat girl feeling out of my head despite what my body looks like.

Tomorrow is the first day of my being on Phase 4! I still can't believe that I did it. It is so conflicting to hate and love being in control of my food destiny.

Good luck with getting back on track!
Jane

Thank you for your compliments. Yes, I am in week 3 and, again, I am starting to see the same start of the symptoms I had before. At least I know what to expect and I know that it will go away. The great thing is I lose! Unfortunately, at this stage of the game we are talking about all this for 1 or 2 pounds a week. It is ok. I need to lose it and, after all this, it isn't EVER coming back!

Today It was about 71 degrees (F). I wore a camisole long sleeve t-shirt, cashmere sweater, jeans, heavy socks and boots. I felt like a freak but, was so cold!

The most miserable that I felt only lasted about 5 weeks. It was rough but, it was worth going through. I don't know if I will have to go through that again or not. I seem to be going to some of the later experiences and not the earlier stuff.

In general, I need a more balanced diet with carbs and fat. This is taking both. I also know from experience, I don't do well on low fat diets, that is where most of my issues are coming from, I think. I am trying to increase my omega oils but, at this stage of the game, calories also count. The more I eat the less of a gap I have for my body to draw on fat as added fuel and so the weight loss is not as dramatic. To increase the gap, I have to exercise more which may bring its own issues. I am trying that anyway.

I am so glad this diet is working well for you. I did feel much better on fewer carbs. I also think some of my "feeling better" is due to removing foods I may have some inherited allergies to. My parents and sisters all have a large number of food allergies. I haven't been tested yet but intend to be. For me, I feel best with a low carb and moderate fat diet. This may be just a bit too low for me.

I know what you mean about many doctors and nutritionist avoiding ketogenic diets. There are many doctors that are accepting this it is just happening slowly as they understand how it is different than earlier ketogenic concepts. This diet has a nice advantage of fewer reports of kidney and liver issues. That plus most people achieving a better cholesterol is slowly changing some opinions.

I am very glad you came out from lurking! I think you will enjoy interacting with all of us. I know I will enjoy getting to know more about you!

I am a bit on the freaked out this Saturday morning!

On my Thurday weigh in I officially made Phase 4 Maintenance.......Woo Yoo! I could not believe it. After 4months on being on IP and losing 35 pounds, I was ecstatic and scared. I had NEVER cheated once in the entire 16 weeks.

On Friday I had my office party for 20 people at my house and we had soooooooo much food & alcohol that it was mind blowing. When the evening began I was very satisfied because I had my protein drink just prior to everyone arriving. Once I had my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th...drink, the food floodgates were open & I ate everything with wild abandonment & continued to eat even while I was cleaning up.

The good news was that I sent everyone home with food especially the trillion desserts that we had that I couldn't stop eating, but the bad news was that I still love the carbs & can eat like I always ate in the past with mass quantities & a taste for the forbidden foods. I could not believe it. I've read that people lose their desire for the carbs & can only eat smaller portions. Not happening with me!

Shockingly, I only gained .8 pounds and went on Phase 1 today. If I am my normal weight tomorrow, do I go back to Phase 4 or do Phase 3? I am really bummed that I could be back to my old fat self in a blink of an eye & a few good back to back food binges. The dark side is only a few bites away.

Also, Phase 4 is a real mystery to me. My coach says that she just monitors herself and eats what she wants & goes back to the other phases when she gains, but the outline for Phase 4 is more regimented. I guess I need to do whatever works. What works for other Phase 4'ers?

Thanks for letting me "regurgitate" so to speak!

I am at phase 3 almost at phase 4. I started exercising again when i got to phase 3. Has anyone lost weight on phase 3 or 4 when they added back in exercise?

Don't bum out or panic...I am assuming that having 4 or more drinks in a party setting is not/will not be your typical "everyday" habit, so I think you can assume that eating everything you can get your hands on will not be either! The "loss of inhibition when drinking" is tied to all kinds of everything, you know!

You have demonstrated over the past 16 weeks that you are able make good decisions and I am TOTALLY confident you will continue to do that in phase 4. Remember, being in phase 4 is for the rest of your life, and you knew that going in.

and regarding that...my usual MO is to do the "cheat day" and then do phase 1 for one or more days until I can feel that I am back down to not just the right "weight' but when I feel that the food/effect has left my system. Since this sounds like a full fledged "blow out" (for which you should NOT feel guilty, it was planned for and fits into your new phase 4 life) it may be 1-2 days before you feel "right" again.

regarding protocol: I would advise starting on strict phase 4, and see how that feels for a couple weeks so you know what it feels like for your body and mentally. Then once you have a "baseline" you can do some experimenting with how you modify it for yourself. If you set a weight gain boundary, weigh yourself every day, and stick to that boundary, you will easily begin to get some data that tells you how much leeway you can allow yourself before the "creep" begins and put a stop to it right away.

CONGRATS on making it to phase 4!

Thank you for your comforting advice. You really calmed me down. I stayed on Phase 1 yesterday and felt totally miserable all day from my carbo overload, but when I weighed in this am, I was less than the morning of my party. Go figure that one! It was so empowering to feel that I am in control of my eating for the first time in 57 years. I am amazed and thrilled. Also, after being on IP for 16 weeks, it really was comforting to get back on Phase1, again. Who would of anticipated that? I was truly suspecting that once I had my food freedom that I would be out of control, again, as I was in the past. Phase 4 is truly a work in progress and thanks for holding my hand through it.
Jane

Was talking to my coach today and after some discussion she advised me to Phase to maintenance. So I start Phase 2 tomorrow for 3 days then do Phase 3 for 2 wks so by Christmas i will be starting my maintenance phase. We both agreed that after bouncing around with the same 5lbs. for the last 2 months that my body needed a rest from Phase 1. so I am going to maintenance and in a couple of months will go back to Phase 1 to get rid of the last 20 lbs.
So I will be reading all the posts here for info and tips in the last phases. Wish me luck!!

Welcome aboard....the more the merrier!
You have done so amazingly great losing 58 pounds and it seems as though your motivation is still going strong. I think that you will be really pleased with your progress in the next 3 phases. I lost 8 pounds during Phase 2-4 and am still losing even in Phase 4! The best part of these other phases is that the inches seem to melt off more than in Phase 1. At least it did for me.

I wish you good luck and know that Phase 2 will be as successful for you as Phase 1

Welcome and congrats on reaching phase 4!

I just got caught up on some reading (haven't been on the boards much lately) and I definitely related to what you have written. I see you've already gotten some good advice, but wanted to give my 2 cents, too.

I, too, have had some issues with compulsive-type eating, and frankly, phase 4 hasn't always been easy for me. Sometimes I think I lost weight so fast on phase 1 that I didn't take the time to think about the changes that were happening and the changes I would need to make. I started off in phase 4 following the protocol as closely as possible, but have slowly slipped into more of the mindset of your coach. I'm sure it works for some, but I seem to be more of an all or nothing type of person (either do phase 4 as written or not at all), so I think I need to get back to a more strict eating plan and I'm considering going back to phase 1 for a week or 2 to re-set my mind and habits. So, as someone who also did not lose their love of carbs, my advice is to let your cheat day be your cheat day (with a recovery day of course) and then go back to following phase 4 in a more regimented manner. I guess I like the security of an eating plan!

I've started Phase 3 today and just had my first piece of toast in 4 months! It was good , but I think I've anticipated it for so long that it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I've never been a big carb-craver but the smell of toast gets me drooling every time!

Thanks for replying, Katie. I was wondering if there were any Phase 4'ers out there who are still frequenting this site. I am not sure if they are finally in control of their eating and do not find this site useful or necessary for their success or if they have regained their weight and no longer wish to participate. It is very hard to determine this based on the posts on this thread and on the thread I started entitled, Shout Out to All Phase 4'ers, a couple of weeks ago. I know that Rocky Monarch really has it together and appreciate her extremely helpful advice and concern, but how are all the others doing? WHERE ARE YOU PHASE 4'ers????????? Please "weigh" in with your experiences!
We certainly are kindered spirits because I, too, am an all or nothing person who is a carb addict and compulsive overeater. I do well with regimentation and know that an open diet plan may lead me back to my former eating habits. I have been on Phase 4 for one week and have maintained my weight, but for the time being I am following Rocky Monarch's advice to stay the course with the recommended Phase 4 plan until I feel more in control.
I have a few questions for you, Katie. How long have you been on Phase 4? Have you gained any weight? Do you find it easy to get back on Phase 1 to maintain it. What are you struggling with and how our you resolving these issues? Sorry for the barrage of questions, but inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks for sharing,
Jane

Welcome! Savor those breakfasts. They are still my most favorite part of the day. I am looking forward to your becoming a Phase 4'er. Keep up the great work especially during these holiday times!
Jane