Thanks for sharing the 5% article Maile. I've been thinking a lot about how to get into the 5% club, especially with Christmas approaching. Darb, thanks for your ideas on this as well. It's all helpful.

This will be my first Christmas in many years with no baking. I just don't trust myself to make cookies and breads, have them around the house and not eat them. I will make my husband's grandmother's cinnamon rolls (she passed this year so it will be extra important to him) but I think that will be my only sugary treat. We will undoubtably receive plenty of treats from others so hubby and cupcake will not be too deprived. It will be a weird Christmas with the focus completely shifting away from food for me.

Super glad to have this forum to "keep it public" and thereby up the chances of success! Thanks all for listening and sharing your challenges and successes.

Have any of you tried or heard of the Waterfall diet? I'm seriously considering attempting this but it is at least an 12 week commitment. Works for water retention- which put an absolute damper on my week this week. I spent 3 days on Phase 1 and one day very strict Phase 3 trying to bring my weight back to 'normal'. My hands and feet are puffy and tender so my inclination was that I am retaining water. Upped my water intake to 100 oz and still dealing with the puffiness. So what to do when you don't know what to do? Google. This led me to download the waterfall diet which seems quite sensible but would definitely eliminate any free day- so may have to save this for after the holidays. After reading a bit more about it I was happy to learn that the incessant sneezing I've inflicted upon my poor husband and family (as well as annoying the heck out of myself) could potentially be 'cured' by this as my body would stop it's outpouring of histamines if I stop putting whatever it's intolerant to in my mouth. I had noticed in the past that when I ingested sugar/ sweets it was almost instantaneous sneezing but sometimes when you're so hooked on the sugar you just don't care VERY glad to be out of that boat. VERY. And it is not nearly as bad now... but it would still be good to know if there is an intolerance to wheat, eggs, yeast or dairy (this one is my suspect) apparently these are the four that are most likely culprits...
Linden & Jennydoodle I'm pretty new to the tracking game (obviously from above statements) it seems apparent at this point that it's useful for much more than calories in/ out. The author of the Waterfall diet stated that you have to live without wheat, eggs, yeast, dairy, sugar, sugar substitute, coffee, black tea, fatty meats, salt, baking powder, baking soda for the first eight weeks to cleanse the system then add in wheat the ninth week- if there's a 'reaction' in the form of a weight spike then there is a food intolerance. Each week you try out a different culprit for five days to check for a reaction. When you've cycled all of them through you can minimally indulge in the coffee, tea, salt etc and also add in whatever you didn't react to while pretty much eliminating what you did react to... I would not be doing this diet to lose weight rather to repair the capillary walls which would hopefully lead to less significant weight retention. Sorry to be so long winded about this but I guess what I'm asking is- has anyone heard of or tried this diet? And if you retain water for other than the obvious (pms, not drinking enough water, high sodium intake) what do you do?
Thanks,
Shannon

You were on the Kona side of the island? When the volcano's active, which it has been since 1984, some off, mostly on, VOG is ever present. But fortunately for us on the windward side it usually blows to the kona side. But that's not always the case and if it's bad it can hit Maui and Oahu, 200 miles away. The newest eruption, November 7th, is spewing 10 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air daily. According to my son, carbon is good because it reflects the sun away from the earth. The opposite of creating a green house effect. Some people are studying how to create more volcanos. Not of much interest to those of us who are downwind of the VOG on occasion.

Take a look if you're interested? http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/20...ruption-video/

Here's the November 5th "normal" activity of Kiluaia/ http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/20...ardens-hawaii/

Shannon, that is quite interesting reading. I already know that I am very intolerent of wheat (huge instant weight gains) and I haven't eaten it in years.
I am very prone to sinus and ear infections and suspect it is dairy that causes them. So i am a bit leary of adding dairy back. But I love yogurt so really want to have it if possible. Keep use updated on what you decide to do.

My ticker says I am 7 pounds from goal but I think I really will need to go down 5 pounds below my original goal.
I am annoyed with myself because I spent all of July following the Richard Simmon's Foodmover to the letter and ended up gaining a pound and a half for the month. Then I noticed on the PCOS thread on 3 fat chicks people were talking about IP which I had never heard of. Later I noticed there are several signs outside clinics in the city, I just never noticed them before.
So I joined at the beginning of August.
If I had started in July I would be ready to phase off over my Christmas break, we get two weeks. I think phase 3 breakfast is going to be tough with my work schedule. But I guess we can't change the calendar.
I hope everyone is having a good day.

Pat

Sharon- I have not heard of this diet, but I do want to discuss. Right now I am running out the door, so when I have a little bit more time tonight, I will write you my thoughts.

Patns- The list of approved foods includes sheep or goat's milk, yogurt etc. I think I can work with that...
Got my fingers crossed for you that you'll get to where you want to be by the end of the month beginning of next!

Ok, never thought of that but it may be cow's milk only that is the issue. I was thinking dairy as any kind of milk product. I'll have to check out those other products.
Shannon, I'd be quite pleased if I could get to 135 by Christmas. Something about those half decades numbers, once I get over the 5 I'll be closer to 130 than 140.

Thanks for the encouragement, the closer you get to goal the slower it goes it seems.

Shannon- I have not heard of this diet, but it sounds very much like the "elimination diet" used by allergists and nutritionists to help determine food allergies and intolerances.

A couple of years ago, I actually went as far as to get a blood test to see what I was intolerant to. I followed the diet exactly once I got my results back, but there were 2 problems. 1- It turned out that I was intolerant to items that I actually tested negative on (wheat, gluten, soy) and 2- My weight and allergies never stablized the way they were supposed to. But since I tested negative to these items, I just continued to eat them thinking I was only feeding my body "my good foods". Because these foods never left my system, I was not able to lose weight and my allergies never got better.

I had very bad allergies and was even getting shots. But it wasn't until I actually went on IP and went off of pretty much all foods that I was able to completely heal my body and rid them of everything I am intolerant of. About half way through P1 I realized that I felt completely fine without my shots, whereas before, I couldn't go more than a week without getting them, I felt that bad. IP was truly what my body needed to heal and rid itself of all the "bad" (bad for me, not bad as in junk) food that I just continually put in my system.

During P1 is actually where I discovered that soy affected me so bad. Every time I would eat and of the soy puffs or anything that was mainly soy, my weight would spike and I would feel kinda crappy. I kind of thought I had a wheat intolerance before IP, but it was confirmed when I had my mini phase off for vacation. In the past I have also followed "The Blood Type Diet" which is how I suspected wheat to be a problem. I am only moderately tolerant of dairy. I can handle small amounts of cheese, some cream in my coffee, etc... But I can't drink a glass of milk and have cream in my coffee and have some cheese. I can handle it in limited amounts. I have found that I can handle a container of Greek yogurt and some cream in my coffee, but that is it for the whole day.

Sorry this is getting so long winded. I am wondering if you wouldn't benefit by going back on P1 for a little bit (instead of the 12 week commitment of the Waterfall), maybe after the holiday's and clear out your system, then try to bring foods back in, one at a time. Either way, I think it will be seriously beneficial to you. And I think that you will see your allergies clear up. But personally, I would rather go back on P1 than the elimination diet And I think you can get the results you are looking for quicker.

Symptoms to look for: instant weight gain, tight rings (or where ever you hold water retention), the BIG C or the BIG D, sleepiness / letharic, feeling really full and/or bloated, an overall feeling of "crappiness"

I don't know if this was any help at all, but that has basically been my experience with figuring out what I can and cannot eat.

Thanks jennydoodle for the post! I did feel very good on Phase 1, even 2 & 3 and for the most part Ph4. Just the past week was terrible. Guess I shouldn't complain... it just goes that way sometimes.

Jenny, are you 0 type blood. Your intolerances are so close to mine. I can really only tolerate the bit of dairy allowed on IP. My ancestors were Scotch and Northern England the blood type plans says a lot of what is best for a person depends upon where your ancestors came from.

Hi Shannon, and thanks so much for a really provocative question, at least to me. I stayed up well after midnight researching. Although i'm not sure it the Waterfall program is what I'm looking for it helped me re-think a lot of things that have been going on since I started Phase 3. Of course, I should have just gone to bed and read the posts that come after it. Thank you so very much, all of you. I really don't know what I'd do without this tread.

Shannon..That Waterfall Diet sounds like it certainly would give you clues about possible allergies..but wow the 8 week cleansing would be difficult. Could you try the Phase 1 now and see if that helps..then try the other one later. I am no doctor, but the sneezing sounds like allergies of some kind.
Have you tried drinking lemon juice in hot water or generously using vinegar during lunch and dinner to eliminate water retention. Are you getting enough protein? Maybe you could try a mini elimination now with one thing.
Are you feeling any better today?

Jennydoodle..I enjoy learning about food allergies. You have learned a lot. I want to explore that more. I am staying away from dairy except for greek yogurt in the morning. I am especially staying away from sugar..that may not be an allergy, but I need to for my health.

Pauley..I am trying to do the same..cut down xmas baking. You do feel pressure as everyone else is giving out plates of goodies. Boy is Xmas a food holiday. I am buying treats for people rather than bake them. However, with my kids coming next week..that will change. I know they will want some family treats.

Linden..Unfortunately it was one of those nebulous TV news comments. Basically they said that scientists were expecting another big eruption on HI..but no details. However, I hsve not heard anything more. You live near the Tsunami zone..you must be near the water,

Woolberger..saw lots of vog driffting over to Oahu when I grew up. Now I see lots of freezing fog. They cancelled flights out of my town yesterday..I am wondering if I will make my Hi trip.

Patns: Hang in there..The last pounds seem to take forever..but you are doing so well. Hope you hit 135 by Xmas! Phase 3 breakfast can be done with work..you can do some things ahead of time, so they are quicker.

Well, I have decided that I am becoming slightly obsessed with reading about maintenance. If anyone is interested ikeepitoff.com is an informative site. The site promotes developing the study and science of maintenance..and correctly points out that most diets just tell you to keep doing what did to lose weight for maintenance. There are some studies showing that weight loss skills differ from maintenance skills. True. I am glad IP gives us tools for Phase 4 to work with!

Off to a French restaurant tonight..

Yup! O+! Too funny the way that works. I am Italian/Irish, but it seems I got mostly the Italian genes as I am very much like father and his mother and sisters.

Maile- Thank you for the advice about the vinegar! I had completely forgotten that one! It's definitely allergies of some sort but the hard part of allergies is figuring out what. I've been to an allergist who poked me with many different samples of things to see what reacted... They're not seasonal as I was having them all year round... Biggest things? I have to have enough water- if I let my mouth get even remotely dry I will be sneezing until I cry... and sugar. Bad, bad, bad sugar. It's awful that something so appealing should be so terrible for me. I think you've got it right in avoiding it altogether. Thank you for the site ikeepitoff. I, too, have been reading a lot about maintenance. Just seems incredibly important to keep it at the forefront. To be positive about it and to enjoy it. I don't think eating healthy is a life sentence but rather a change to be embraced. And it brings me joy to watch my one and two year olds fighting over a tupperware container of bell peppers.
Thank you everyone for your comments about the rainbow diet they are much appreciated!

Ladies, it's good to be back!!

This is the first day that I feel that I've been able to sit down and rest since before my cruise. I highly recommend cruising. You do all the work and pay for things before, then get to really relax. I think, more than anything, it's more of a vacation for the woman than most other things. When we camp or go RV'ing, I'm always planning the food shopping, the cooking, etc. My DH does a lot too, but I feel like I'm helping with those things, then taking on additional things. The cruise felt like having servants and babysitters 24hrs each day.

We rented a mini-van in FL and went to the Kennedy Space Center, but had purchased shore excursions both days in the Bahamas. Pros of planned excursions -- you don't have to think, everything has already been paid for, someone will always take your picture for you, and you don't have to worry about getting back to the boat ontime. Cons -- there is a lot of waiting around for everyone to get back together, sometimes they build in too much extra time and sometimes there isn't as much as you would like.

The Carnival ship itself was good. The food was ok, not great except when we went to the steakhouse (costs extra, but well worth it). The waiters in general were amazing. The room stewards, ditto. The piano bar was the best part.

As for food, I mostly did low-carb throughout the week since I decided you can see carbs on a plate much more easily than you can see fat. I did go off-track two days during that week instead of my planned one, but decided to let that go completely and not feel guilty.

Here is what I learned. For me, the free day has to be REALLY free. If I follow all the rules, and then do either a special meal or a special dessert only, I have mental issues the following day getting back on track. I found myself thinking "I was only bad for one meal, I only had ONE dessert, etc.". This was a very interesting revelation for me. If I go completley nuts, I am SO good the next day. Whenever I think about what I want on that day, my reaction is "Nope! Think of ALL the stuff you got to eat yesterday."

So, today is a free day and I am going nuts. I did eat a little off-plan last night at our holiday party, so I'm seeing this as an experiment. If I have a free night plus a free day, I want to see what the damage is. I will most likely have to pay for this with several Phase 1 or Phase 2 days, but that is ok with me. I'm still learning, this is life-long.

I am planning to do all of my christmas baking this year, as it is what I send to family and give to neighbors in lieu of presents. I normally don't like to eat things that I am baking, and then I package everything and get it out of the house as quickly as possible. This has worked for me in the past. Baked goods were never my problem, though. My problem was always sitting down with a bag of potato chips and a tub of cream cheese when I was depressed...

I agree with you that this sounds like the elimination diet. Many people have sensitivities that don't show up as allergies. I have a toxic reaction to seafood that doesn't show up as an allergy, but OH BOY do I get sick. Actually, on the cruise, I think I ate something that had a tiny bit of seafood in it. I ws throwing up/diarrhea for 2 hrs, went to medical center, got the "shot in the butt" for nausea, and then was quarantined for 24 hrs in case it was contagious. Not many vacations have provided me a souvenir letter that starts out:

"Dear Ms. Marsh,

In accordance with CDC guidelines..."

I wish you all the best, and I agree with the studies showing that weight loss skills differ from maintenance skills. In fact, that's why the 5% thing resonated with me. I've lost weight a few times in my life, now I'm trying to KEEP IT OFF forever. This is a whole new things.

I am still figuring out what works for me. It may or may not be what works for others. For example, I have to go "all out" on my free day so that I don't feel deprived and so that I focus back completely the day after... Another thing, they say that variety is a means to success while you are losing weight, but that consistency is more successful during maintenance. I am developing menus that work well for us during teh week and will start to rotate between those. I've found that a few days of "low carb" dinners are actually helping me be more successful than having carbs every night. I also found a stuffed chicken breast (frozen) at our local warehouse store that will become one of standard weeknight meals.

I hope you enjoyed your french restaurant.