New shorts that is a great feeling, today I am wearing a size 11 pant... never before first time... though I have worn some size 10s... but that is another story... okay so have to tell you about my food cheat dream... (I think I was watching masterchef before I went to bed)... so it was a fashion show and Gordon Ramsay was there, there was food involved but the only thing I can remember clearly is Gordon Ramsay holding my hand on the run way... ewwwwww...

Great work on the losses and congrats on hitting the 50lb mark, that was so exciting when I hit that goal and now onto the next goal... Sending you good vibes for your job interview... knock them dead.

That should help, it is funny that your coach didn't tell you that... hmmm...

Me too! I am limiting myself to a mid-week "check" and that is it. What I have been doing to help myself not get on the scale is as soon as I get up, I run to the kitchen and drink a big glass of water. This way, I know even if I did step on the scale after that, it wouldn't be accurate. This ritual has turned out to be an incredible deterant.

Ooooo good idea with the soy puffs. I love mixing half a bag of the chocolate with half a bag of the peanut for a Reeses Pieces-like effect... Now I have a choice to make! lol
And Jordanna, good idea with the flavored water. I just got a Mio the other day for the first time, that might be a nice little treat. Yay I am so excited now!!!

Shakes are fine, i just know the spaghetti is a double restricted and can only have 2 a week as it has a higher carb content. I make my puddings into shakes by just adding more water so they are bigger and more filling, so that's what i have for breakie everyday.

Me too, I haven't gone off plan at all and I only lost 1.6 lbs and it is only my second weigh in.

Hey Hey Everyone!

So only .2 of a loss this past week. Apparently having 2 servings of very low caloric alcohol will stall you...let that be a lesson to me! I'm still ok with it though as it was my planned cheat and I planned on accepting the consequences of it. Really it’s the only one I have planned for the rest of the diet. Here's to being back on a schedule.

This is SO darn hard but I find it's harder to KNOW what the scale is then to not know. I'm on my 3rd week of not weighing myself every day. When I do weigh myself everyday I'm very hard on myself as to "HOW COME IT'S NOT MORE". So not weighing myself takes the pressure off as I know the diet will work.

Hope everyone has a lighter day!

Carla

Hi everyone! Lots of new faces on the site which is awesome!!! It is a bit concerning to read that there are a lot of coaches not giving their clients all of the proper and complete information, yet they will take their money and throw packets of food at them without explaining what is restricted and how often should you restrict it etc... I am having issues phasing off properly myself as I tried a phase 3 day a couple weeks ago and gained 6 lbs of glycogen stores/water... I did not eat much at all. Leads me to believe I am more carb sensetive then I think, unless my body needs more time to get used to the carbs. I have pretty much been doing phase 2 during the work week and eating a modified Atkins type diet on the weekends as well as vodka and propel zero on Fri and Sat nights. I camp every weekend so food and cocktails are a big part of it. I have found that I don't gain eating this way (maybe a 1-2 lb fluctuation back and forth) but I know I do want to phase off the right way. I encourage everyone to stay OP today and congrats to all the SV's and NSV's!!!

[QUOTE=2RIDEROLLERCOAST;3936599]New shorts that is a great feeling, today I am wearing a size 11 pant... never before first time... though I have worn some size 10s... but that is another story... okay so have to tell you about my food cheat dream... (I think I was watching masterchef before I went to bed)... so it was a fashion show and Gordon Ramsay was there, there was food involved but the only thing I can remember clearly is Gordon Ramsay holding my hand on the run way... ewwwwww...

Too funny Jo!! Funny how our minds play games....congrats to the size 10-11. WTG!!

I just wanted to let you know how proud of you for not stepping on the scale every day. It is a hard thing to do but I think when we are the type to get down because of what the scale says that making it once a week helps us more than the every day weighing. You are doing great.

I remember that feeling in the beginning - saying I am eating so much less than before the diet and why isn't the weight falling off very very fast. One of the strategies some of us adopted because we were impatient was to avoid things like the chili and spaghetti. I relied on the vanilla box drinks a lot because I liked them and lost weight quicker with them. BUT as you can see, I haven't kept the weight off very well so a slower approach may be a good choice. For me, to stay focused I needed to see results. And now I'm starting all over again!
On a related note-- how's everyone's hair?? My thick healthy hair took a beating with IP. It is back to looking shiny and thick again -- BUT I look thick too and that's got to go!! So anyone found a solution to the bad
hair on IP problem?

I second this, my hair is not what it used to be and was wondering if anyone's coach had them add a supplement to help.

Very interesting:
What happens if we don’t eat enough protein?
Unlike fat and glucose, our body has little capacity to store protein. If we were to stop eating protein, our body would start to break down muscle for its needs within a day or so.
Is it OK to eat a lot more protein than the minimum recommendations?
This is the crucial question for people on diets that are higher in protein than usual, as low-carb diets tend to be. In a review of the research, the National Academy of Sciences reported that the only known danger from high-protein diets is for individuals with kidney disease. After careful study, they recommend that 10 percent to 35 percent of daily calories come from protein. They point out that increased protein could be helpful in treating obesity. There is also accumulating evidence that extra protein may help prevent osteoporosis.
Extra protein can be broken down into glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. On low carb diets, this happens continually. One benefit of obtaining glucose from protein is that it is absorbed into the bloodstream very slowly, so it doesn’t cause a rapid blood sugar increase.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nut.../a/protein.htm

Jordanna said:At least you came back before you gained it all back . Have you been following phase 4? I've kept in touch with others who phased off and those who are following phase 4 and phased out correctly are keeping the weight off

No that's the problem. I definitely did not phase off right. I really hope to do it better this time. But first I need to get back into a good schedule. It was 32 weeks the last time. I need real courage to get back on track.

Believe me I'm in it for the long haul, I still have over 80 lbs to lose, 30 to get back on track and be where I was pre-pregnancy and another 50 to get to goal so I understand about the courage to get back on track.

I suppose you have to look at it as a learning tool the first time around, you know the things you did right (following the program and getting the weight off) and the things you did wrong (not trusting in the maintenance to keep the weight off). Like anything sometimes it takes time to master but you'll get there and we'll all be there to support you along the way just like last time

Yes, im the same way !!! I need to see results in order to stay faithful. I need to feel like my hard work is paying off, I mean I made it through the fourth of july weekend - surrounded by my FAVORITE PORTUGESE FOODS !!

oh man, but the chili is restricted too ? I had no idea figures I like the stuff that is the worst for you ! My coach is nice & all but I feel like never gave me the low down on everything ... these forums are great but theres all different info about restricted foods !!

& as for my hair, I haven't noticed anything yet ? but I feel like my skins glowing from all the water