Darbs 17 pounds and one pound away from goal weight! Way to go. Good luck with the last 6 pounds during the holidays. I am under my goal and going to stay there.

Lizr: You not only look pretty..but you look so happy!
Ish: Ditto for you.

Morning all! Just finished spin and now need to get organized for the festival of trees gala tonight! This time of year is crazy!

Wow! I haven't been on in forever! Well since Halloween. Why is life so busy and going by sooo fast. Holidays already starting in the states. Well, after hurricane Sandy, I thought our NYC trip would be ruined. But even though our first flight got cancelled we were able to fly out a couple days later and boy was it a great trip! And I enjoyed it, we ate and ate and ate and drank, but we walk, and walked and walked. so much my legs ached each morning upon waking. I think that helped keep my waistline in check. And I am 2lbs down from where I was Halloween. Phew!



Ishbel! Congrats!! What an exciting engagement, were you expecting it??

Yesterday marked one year till our wedding! I better start looking at dresses... dress shopping stresses me out. I think that is why I was so motivated to get my eating and weight under control, because I want to learn to maintain my weight before the wedding! I don't want weight to overwhelm and control my life.

Liz-You running pics look awesome! Wish we could all look like you during and after running!!! You must feel so on top of the world accomplishing that.
I don't know if my mind would let me run that long. I feel like it is a mind game, trying to ignore your brain telling you that you can't run one more mile...

I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving and enjoy the food and maintain at the same time!! Sounds like we are figuring out what works for our bodies. Now if my tummy would just tighten up!!!! I guess the hardcore workouts are going to have to come back into my life this winter...

Leganegan: I lived in NYC and loved to walk there. That is great that you are down 2 pounds from your Halloween weight. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

Momto2cs: We have a festival of trees gala here also. There are so many things going on over the holidays!

I cooked Chinese food last night with lots of soy sauce. Hopefully the water weight will come off soon! It was yummy though.

When I weighed in at the clinic on Friday, the coach was out with strep throat, so I met with the chiropractor who owns the clinic. I'd never met her because she'd been out on maternity leave. She was a fast-talking New Yorker, and I liked her energy. She said Phase 1 is extreme! We talked about IP and maintenance and the fact that I cannot eat cereal for breakfast because it triggers my carb cravings. It was kind of a fresh perspective and got me feeling pumped up about things. She said she likes to have people continue to weigh-in because it keeps their head in the game.

I am still up a few pounds from pre-vacation and I'm going on vacation again on Thursday. I'm planning to take some packets and roughly follow Phase 2 and hopefully I will maintain this way or possibly even lose. I am amazed at how much difference five pounds makes! My pants that fit before vacation are too snug to wear now!

I have been feeling Fantastic lately and have been stepping up my workouts out of sheer joy and the great feeling...but I forgot about "the hunger"...definitely need to stay on top of my eating, particularly supplementing with more protein. I have been loving unlimited veggies...hello cucumber-lemon ice cream!

Yesterday I was going to do my long run (12 miles), about 3 miles into it I randomly ran past an outdoor free bootcamp and decided to join in, then I finished with 3.5 miles afterward. Today was supposed to be Bodypump day, but I am skipping since the hour of burpees, pushups, frog jumps, duck walks, situps, planks, etc was a sufficient substitute! It was a lot of fun and I am going to incorporate that into my weekly routine. May do some speed work today on the treadmill (shorter run, faster pace) I want to break the 2hour barrier at my next half marathon!

Momto2cs...sounds like You have a season of sexy dresses ahead! I definitely try to channel your strength during burped sessions!

Loco pollo...I want some of your vacation time! I keep using mine for non-fun appointments! Jamaica sounds like a better time than cleaning up kid vomit!

Hope everyone has a great Turkey Day!

Locopollo do you go to Cynergy chiropractic? I think we may go to the same clinic. Your pics look great. I am starting maintenence on Thanksgiving of all days and decided to take a break for a couple weeks while traveling before I start phase 1 again to loose the last 10-15 lbs. Anyways, I am looking forward to joining you all here in maintenence even if its for a couple weeks. Cheers to everyone's success! YAY!

Yes, I do! I weigh in on Fridays at 8AM. Congratulations on starting maintenance! I am with you. I phased off for vacation, and I'm planning on going back to Phase 1 soon. Or maybe Phase 2.

And by that i mean burpee...lol

Hey everybody. I had my first 'treat' day yesterday. Boy, did I feel bloated last night. I'm hoping that today's strict Phase 1 day gets me back to feeling great like I did last week.

John..I hope you feel better. It is no fun to feel bloated. Phase 1 should have you feeling better quickly.

Locopollo: You sound like your chiropractor was helpful. I have also found that certain breads do not work well for me in the mornings. Cereal may be the same for you.

I would love to be heading to Jamaica. These rainy windy weeks are not fun.

Hi all,
Had my first cheat/fun day on Saturday followed by a Phase 1ish day yesterday. I'm still trying to figure out what a normal Phase 4 day should be. While there was a single page of instructions for each of Phases 1 thru 3, I have 7 pages for Phase 4. Some of the "rules" seem hard to incorporate...like don't have mayo with a sandwich but it's fine with protein only like chicken salad. How do you remember all this stuff?

I had a Phase 3 breakfast this morning and brought my Phase 2 salad to work for lunch. So, I'm heading for a Phase 3 day. Other than the cheat day followed by a Phase 1 day, what to you all do different in Phase 4?

The trick to phase 4 is not to mix fat-heavy foods with carb-heavy foods. For example, you can't have pasta with alfredo sauce....but you can have pasta with tomato sauce for one meal, and a protein with creamy sauce on it for another meal. I have been trying to prepare myself mentally for Phase 4, and I think the toughest thing will be figuring out what the right proportions are in my meals that make them fat-heavy or carb-heavy. It's a lot to learn!

Proportions are what I'm really struggling with too. It easier to stay with a Phase 3 eating plan than to venture into the "fat-heavy"/"carb-heavy" pool.