I could use some phasing off advice if you all are willing to help!

So, before I started IP I had decided (with my vivid and hopeful imagination) that I was going to get to a size 6, but I was more realistically shooting for size 8. Now, I have 6 pounds to go and I'm in a 10. I have quite wide hip bones and carry most of my weight on my bottom half, so I already know the 6 is not a possibility (at least not one that I'm going to try for), but I'm also questioning the likelihood that I will get to 8 by the time I reach goal.

I've decided I don't want to switch to phase 2 until I'm at least at my goal. So, my dilemma is when (date-wise) to switch. I'm in a wedding on 10/9 and I would either like to be in phase 1 (since I know what I'm doing), phase 2 (since it's a lot like phase 1), or phase 4 (after figuring out the protocol and could use a cheat day to enjoy some wine and wedding cake). Here's my issues with those options:
-staying on phase 1/phase 2- I would be willing to do it if it's the best option (and it would probably get me closer to my size 8 goal), but, being so close to goal, I've been really looking forward to the big breakky!
-phase 4- in order to have a couple of days of phase 4 under my belt before the wedding and 2 weeks each in phase 2 and phase 3, I will need to switch to phase 2 by 9/9 and I doubt I'll have lost 6 pounds by then.

I could also phase off now, and then get back on phase 1 for a while after the wedding until I get to the size 8 I've been wanting. Novak, I know you had said that you and your sister had lost sizes during phase 3, which, if that's the norm, would sort of solve my conundrum.

Anyway, sorry for the long post and I hope it doesn't sound like whining in any way. Since I've been doing this on my own, I no longer have a coach to discuss these things with and am feeling a bit confused! Any advice you're willing to offer will be greatly appreciated!

I just moved to phase 2 over the weekend and will start phase 3 on Saturday. From everything I've read, shortening phase 2 is ok but phase 3 needs to be 2 full weeks to correctly retrain your pancreas. If you went this route, you would have an extra week of phase 4 before the wedding. If you've been on phase 4 for a while and decide you want to lose more, you know how to do it and can always go back to phase 1. I plan to take a month or two on phase 4 to give my body a break, then I will make the same decision. Hope this helps!

A couple of things... you are much taller than I am and our body types are different. I can only tell you what my experience "reshaping" experience was after Phase 1, which may or may not be the same for you. I am curious about tying your target to a certain size... is size 6 (or size 8, for that matter) a previous comfortable clothing size or something you just have in your head? It's difficult to predict how your clothes will fit at a particular weight on IP, so I'm trying to understand that goal... is it a dress you are wearing at the wedding?

Your BMI right now is already under the "ideal" 22, but that might not be ideal for you. I don't know. If you can get the clothing size out of the discussion, I'd go ahead and phase out on September 9, do the two weeks of Phase 2, two weeks of Phase 3, then move to Phase 4 before the wedding. Remember that Phase 2 is still a weight loss phase, and you may well continue to lose (albeit more slowly) in Phase 3.

What this will allow you to do is see how your body reshapes during the month before the wedding. Do Phase 4, have your cheat day, and decide how you feel about where you are. After that, you have several options. You may very well feel perfectly comfortable with the outcome, in which case you just maintain. Or, if you really want to drop a few more pounds (if for some reason you didn't reach your goal), do a few days of Phase 1 or 2 and see what happens. That adjustment might be all you need.

Going back on a full-blown Phase 1 seems like it would be overkill, though if you are considering an annual Phase 1/Phase 3 scenario after the holidays, that would be a good time to make a larger adjustment as you take off any added weight from the holidays.

Does that help?

thanks all for the advice. yesterday I was actually HUNGRY in the morning and was psyched to make a lovely spinach/goat cheese omelete, with a slice of spelt toast and fresh fruit. This morning it's back to "please don't make me eat". But I'm hopeful that yesterday was a good sign of the future!

My weight loss slowed down quite a bit in phase 1 as I have been on IP since March. My coach wanted me to go to phase 2 as the change up usually lets you lose faster again. After the phase 2 slows down, back to phase 1 to finish up. It worked, as yesterday I lost almost 4#, the most I've lost in a week for some time.

It seems that the results of going through the phases is a very personal thing and people's bodies react differently. I am like many in that for weighing 190#, I am much smaller than I have ever been at this weight. I wear a size 12. The smallest I have been in about 20 years. I would really like to get to 170, which is a liveable weight for me.

That is fantastic YY, whoot whoot on -4, phasing off is a funny beast... kinda scarey but really good. Yes I agree it is personal as it depends on how set a person is with a number, I had a number that I wanted to see before I would phase off which happened to be my goal, I still continued to lose and I now sit just below my goal. I am sometimes almost tempted to go to 120 as I havent seen that number since forever but I have introduced exercise so we shall see what happens... I still weigh daily but I dont get flustered by it, testing the waters see what my body is happy with.

Thanks! I hadn't thought of that. I would probably have a better understanding of phase 4 before traveling that way, too.

Thanks - it does help. A lot.

The sizes I've been targeting are mostly just something I have in my head. I've never been a size 6, and haven't been a size 8 since early high school. My body shape has changed somewhat since then, so now as I near goal, I'm thinking a 6 or 8 is not as easily attainable for me as I had originally thought. The dress I'm wearing in the wedding is a 14 (ordered before starting IP), and it will need to be altered either way, so I'm not concerned about that. I basically went into IP with a size in mind instead of a weight (which, looking back, probably wasn't the best approach/mindset on my part), but had to pick a weight goal per my coach.

I had done reading on here before I started that a lot of people were wearing smaller sizes at their current weights after doing IP than they had years ago when they were at the same weight. I tried to calculate that for myself at the beginning by going 1-2 sizes lower than I was when I was at 155 a couple of years ago (I realize now this was silly to do), but when I was 155 before, I had gotten to it through weight lifting. So, while IP got me to this weight much more quickly than weight training, I retained muscle both ways and now am at the same size as I was. (I hope none of this sounds like complaining! I am thrilled with my results from IP and am so thankful I learned about it! I was headed in a bad direction before, and I just don't think I would have had the motivation to do this through weight lifting again!)

Anyway, since the original goal in my mind was a size, I seem to have gotten myself hung up on it, so I think you're right about getting the size out of the discussion, phasing out before the wedding, and seeing how I feel after that. I am planning on doing a yearly phase 1/phase 3 after the holidays, so, like you said, could try to lose more at that time if I feel I need to.


Thanks again to both of you - I appreciate you taking the time to help!

I should have talked to your coach! I was stalled in phase 1 and have lost 2 lbs already in phase 2. Switched because of an upcoming trip and really didn't want to-- my IP doc never said I might lose more weight in phase 2. Yippy!! This is good news.. Don't you just love IP??

Hey everyone, I've been very sporadic in my posting but since I just moved to phase 2 I thought this thread would be a huge help.(I recently moved from south Mississippi to DC for grad school.) After being here for a month and basically not seeing the scale move at all, I decided to move to phase 2 last Sunday even though I was only at 151. Since then I have basically lost a pound a day and yesterday hit 149 for the first time since junior high when I was dancing with a ballet company (I was still heavy for a classical ballarina and the artistic director never missed a chance to tell me) anyway I digress. I say all of this to say I have it in my head that I have to weigh 145 at the end of this. When I started everyone thought that weight would be too small for me. So I also put a size with it I wanted to be a comfortable size 8. Well size 8 came and went over a month and a half ago I'm in a 6 now. I wish I had just had a size in mind so I wouldn't feel like a failure if I don't get to my weight goal. How do you guys balance this? I see others are having the opposite issue they get to a weight but not a size. I didn't think I'd have any trouble stopping when I lost enough but it's been harder than I thought just because I have that number goal in my head. Also, when I look in the mirror I don't always see the new smaller me. A lot of times I still see the bigger girl I used to be. Do any of you have this problem? I have to take friends or my bf shopping with me because I can't be trusted when trying on clothes. I don't mean to sound complainy I love IP it has changed my life. I'm just having trouble with the mental aspects of this change.

This is great to hear. I'm stalling out in phase 1 and think next Tuesday I will move to phase 2 anyway. In fact, my weight is up, but I'm not sure how much is water retention or the big C, but I'm getting frustrated. I thought that losing as much as I could on phase 1 would be smart, but it looks like switching things up might be my answer as well.

See thread I bumped... how much do you *feel* you've lost

So I decided last night after my weigh-in to move to Phase 2 starting today! I am 2.4 lbs away from my goal and hoping to shed them in the next two weeks (since my Phase 2 sheet says to do a minimum of 2 weeks). I'm very happy to join you "Life After Phase 1" ladies and am already looking forward to the yummy breakfasts in Phase 3 that you have all been raving about! Quick question...what does the yearly Phase 1/Phase 3 after the holidays consist of (how many days/weeks of each do you normally do)??

Dr. Z suggests 7-10 days on Phase 1, then 2 weeks Phase 3. She said next time around, because she is diabetic, she will probably extend Phase 3 by an additional week.

I've yet to do this drill, so I will assume a week on Phase 1 and two on Phase 3... unless for some reason my weight is up more than I expect it will be after the holidays and a trip to Disney.

Congrats on the transition!

Well, phase 2 is going well, I've lost 3.4 pounds in the last week, that is much more than I had been losing on phase 1 for a long time. It makes me wonder, if people who are stalled in phase 1 switched to phase 2, just to shake things up, then moved back to phase 1, would they benefit?

Saturday morning will be my big breakfast! I swear, I am such a dork. I had the best time grocery shopping last night for my phase 3 food. I was like a kid in a toy store! I took my time, read lots of labels, and have a good selection to get me started.

Yes, some folks have reported that it DID help shake things up.

Hey, I remember that shopping trip! It took me forever, because I hadn't shopped those aisles for so long, they'd rearranged the store! But as fun as the shopping was, the eating was much better. What will your first big breakfast be?