Hello peeps! I'm so glad to be back! I've been away for too long, and have been missing my "fat chick support group". Things have been really hectic here with helping my munchkin finish up final bits of her college entrance essay, apply to 3 colleges (only 3 more to go), and study for the SAT's again because she wasn't happy with a score of 2000 out of 2400...

Over the holidays I managed to stay "mostly" OP, but I've been nervous because of the fact that I didn't bring my scale with me, there were IP foods made, but I didn't have measurements to determine what was was for serving sizes, and since I have fat eyeballs, they just aren't good at being able to gauge what an appropriate serving is. I am pretty sure that I went over on my protein on Thanksgiving day, and I have a feeling that the person that made the turkey basted the thing in butter since he said "When I put the stuffing into the bird and then into the oven, 7 people from weight watchers came over and staged an intervention... (Gotta love the comedians).

I'm super nervous about the weigh in this morning... I was actually dreaming of scales talking back to me and well it just wasn't pleasant.. I really need to just get back on track (I've been super strict and haven't had any restricted snacks the rest of the week, just to try to mitigate thanksgiving day.

I know it's not a race, it's a journey and this is just a week in the process, but I remember how AWFUL I felt that week that I had a .4 gain and I was OP.. I'm super scared that if I have a gain I'm going to beat myself up and not be able to find a way out of it mentally and emotionally. I'm nuts lol..

It's been GREAT to catch up and read everyone's successes (and lessons)! Here's to a wonderful OP IP December!

Maddy (aka Kawaii)

Wow, great job on your WI and total weight loss! If you can get through Thanksgiving with results like this, I'm sure your cruise will be a breeze. I've never been on a cruise, but I would think they'd be able to provide the basics like grilled chicken, steak, and eggs. I'm sure they have to have low carb options since so many people are on diets like ours and for people with food restrictions. Maybe you could call the cruise line ahead of time or check on their website to see how they handle special food requests. Good luck and congrats again!

I love San Diego and you should have lots of OP options, especially if you're renting a house. The restaurants there (depending on where you go) should have lots of fresh seafood and healthy options. The tough thing for me would be staying away from local specialties like fish tacos, Mexican food, and other good restaurants and all of the great microbrewed beer. You'll probably be walking a lot, so that will help. Enjoy your trip...sounds like fun!

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for the past few days. December is a crazy month for our house. Its my little one's birthday month, Christmas, family time, school concerts, party's, ect. I'm sure we all have busy households in December I may not be posting but I am checking in and reading comments when I can.

Glad to hear everyone is doing so wonderful! Hope you all continue to have a wonderful week

I just love that we are all human!!!

Slip, I am here until Thursday but that is up in the air as not sure if I will be able to fly with this infection moving into my lungs. This is by far the most challenging time I have had in awhile, dealing with myself. I hate not being able to breath and I am hopeful everyday that it is getting better. However, come 6 at night it seems like everything just falls apart. I am crossing my fingers and toes tonight and I am doing EVERYTHING doc's have told me to do.
I do want to eat a big bowl of something starchy..lol BUT I am NOT! Dangit!!!

Airportchick. Sounds terrible! Flying when you are sick is awful. I really can sympathize because I struggle with respiratory and sinus infections often. Is your whole family with you? How does that work with the kids's school?
Instead of starchy, how about soup made with chicken broth and veggies? Eggs usually taste good to me when I am feeling lousy. Some people swear by covering their feet with Vic's and putting on socks.

Kawaii aka Maddy,

How was your WI?

I'm back haha! I did relatively well over the break. My family was very supportive for thanksgiving day. My mom went out of her way to try some new veggies dishes that turned out awesome. Over the weekend though I went out with a lot of old friends that were in town and had some drinks and even duh duh duh PIZZA! It stopped the scale for a day or two but I didn't really gain anything. It was nice to just unwind a little and to be completely honest I probably will have a night or two like that again around Christmas. BUT, it hasn't deterred me from continuing to stay on plan the rest of the time and continuing to get healthier. Hope everyone is doing well!

Okay, let's talk about something nice! A bit of a celebration. What is the best thing that had happened to you since starting IP? Or who is one person really supporting you through this journey?

For me, it is my mom. Today, she planned out her Christmas dinner menu. She also planned out a meal for me OP. This is a tremendous change from October, when she did not want me to bring my own food to a birthday dinner. I think she sees how determined I am to win this weight war. It made my heart sing, that I will not have to worry about cooking and bringing food to my parents over the holiday. Her faith and support in my commitment to reach goal, is enough to inspire me again.

How about yours?

That's awesome that your mom is so supportive! I've noticed a lot of people being very supportive and respectful of what I'm doing. It makes me see that I have a lot of good people in my life who want the best for me. I think the best moment for me is realizing that I do have control over my body and that I can lose weight. At my heaviest I felt trapped in my own body and wasn't happy, but was feeling so poorly physically and mentally that I didn't see a way out.

I had a quick weigh in today, a day earlier than usual and in the afternoon instead of morning, but didn't get to finish my IP appointment because I had a doctor's appointment in the same office and they grabbed me because it was time for my appointment. I lost almost 3 lbs and which brings me to 21 lbs total for the 6 weeks I've been doing the program. I was a little disappointed because my losses in the beginning were around 5 lbs and now they've been around 2.5-3.
I talked to my doctor who has the IP clinic in his office. He was thrilled with my results, but we did some investigating in my food journal about why my losses have slowed. We figured out that 3 weeks in, I started putting 1 tbsp of chia seeds in my morning smoothie with the mango drink or strawberry drink + a couple of handfuls of raw kale or spinach. That was when my losses slowed. He said the chia seeds are definitely not ok for phase one even though they are super healthy. I'm a little frustrated because my coach had said they were ok, but at least we figured it out relatively early on. He said the kale or spinach is ok to add to the drink in the blender because greens are unlimited, but definitely no on the chia seeds.
I'm going to my regular IP appointment tomorrow morning to weigh again and have my measurements taken. I'm a little OCD, but I like to weigh in the same day every week.

Hey there Slip,

My WI went well! Donated 2.8 for the week bringing my total to 53.8 and had measurements done today, and I am down 25.25 inches (all together) around my leg, arm, bust, waist, and hip.

I'm 0.6lbs away from meeting the 20 by christmas challenge, and 1.7lbs away from my own first personal goal of being below 340 (that's the lowest weight that I've had recorded as an adult thus far. I can't believe that I'm already rounding the corner on 60lbs donated (FOR GOOD).... what a difference 10 weeks makes, eh??

Kooky, glad you found the culprit! Hopefully your losses will pick back up. But a loss of 3 pounds a week is still really good!

Jig, nice to see you I'm with you. I find that little cheats actually motivate me to stay OP in the long term. So far I've been able to get back on track.

Slip free, I guess the best thing that's happened to me are the compliments I'm getting from the people around me. Oh and fitting into pants that were way too small 2 months ago!

Congratulations! I bet it feels great to be so close to your lowest adult weight! I love that this program actually works and that we get measurements too. It's so exciting to see all of the numbers moving downward.

Thanks! Hopefully they pick back up. I have my real, full week, normally schedule weigh in this morning, so maybe I had a better week than I thought. Good thing for the food journal though so you can investigate when you aren't getting the results you want.