Happy Halloween Maintainers!

65: The cooking class sounds fabulous! I'll have to watch for similar opportunities around here.

You all have given me LOTS of reading material. I hope all the books are available on Kindle (and hope Beck Diet becomes Kindle available SOON!)

I've decided to embrace the stall, rather than fighting it. If I've learned nothing else from IP, it is the power of surrender. I'm firmly planted in maintenance until January, when I will reassess and decide if the 17 lbs to get me to "normal" BMI are the direction I will head.

I weighed this morning and the scale is still stuck (fluctuating up/down the same 2 lbs. Today it was down .9). If I'm gonna maintain whether I do P1 or P2 or P3 or P4, I'd prefer a bit of flexibility.

So, tonite I'm having a planned (long-time planned) fun meal with some friends at a Mexican restaurant. Interesting how the guacamole I was looking forward to doesn't sound nearly as enticing as it did leading up to today! I'll still have some but probably on a salad with meat - and maybe a chip or two but not a basket or two (like in my former life ).

I listened to a fascinating podcast yesterday/today. Thought I'd share. The interview was with the author of "Grain Brain"
Here is the link to the podcast
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergr...vid-perlmutter
It can also be downloaded through iTunes in podcasts, if you prefer to use a mobile device (my preference)

Good to see you are doing well. Thanks for keeping up with me on MFP.

Well, I've eaten something this Halloween that I'll bet no one else has!

This morning I got to visit my gastroenterologist and swallow a Pill Cam! Yep, a teeny, tiny video camera with a lens and a little flash. Pretty amazing! (And pretty freaky!) I'll go back this afternoon to turn in the monitor. It should provide some really good color pics of my small intestine.

I'm traveling for the first time since mid-September this month, just heading north to bring the rest of my clothes, etc. from my friend's place. I'm happy to not have quite the level of angst about traveling as I did the last time since my system has settled down a lot since then.

Hope you all have a great Halloween - and a great weekend!

My Halloween strategy was to buy 100 calorie packs of microwavable popcorn for the kiddies. Safer than having a bag of candy around the house, especially since MY MICROWAVE IS BROKEN so I can't eat them even if I wanted to, LOL! But also, it made me feel better to hand out something somewhat healthy to the kids.

Congrats AlisonS on making it through Halloween with a great plan & a little help from your microwave!

Bubbleblower, just one question: how many carbs in that little camera? (Glad things have settled down so that you can travel without the worry.

Lisa, Thank-you for the link. I'm downloading it now. I can so relate to your guacamole experience. It sounds like you overcame its power over you I hope you had a fabulous time (and enjoyed the food). It sounds like you are doing great. 0.9 lbs off is good!!

Maile, I hope you survived Pajama Day--or was that Halloween?

Mars: I did survive but it was tiring. It was both Halloween and Red ribbon pajama day. The kids absolutely loved wearing pjs. Thank goodness today is report card day and no students. I also discovered that I get cold more easily now. I really layer up to stay warm and love socks! I also have questions on using sweetners, but still indulge in WF syrups.

Allsion: Popcorn was a good idea...plus it kept candy out of your house!

Bubbleblower: that was some Halloween treat you consumed. Science is amazing. I am glad you are feeling well enough to travel. Enjoy your trip.

Lisa: I hope you enjoyed your fun night at the Mexican restaurant. It is funny how your tastes can change. Nice job on losing .9 and good luck with those frustrating stalls.

65x65 Your paleo cooking class sounds fun and healthy. Plus your husband likes the food.

Crystalwolf: I did survive the day, but was exhausted. I got one of those spiral machines and found it cumbersome. The small micropeeler is much easier to use.

Workingit50: I have heard good reports on both the Mediteranean and the Paleo ways of eating.

My doctor just told me I needed to take 4000 mgs of Vitamin D a day..I was way under that.

Sounds like people resisted a tempting candy fest. I did, when I am on P1 I go all in with no cheats.

Lisa: sorry about the weight stall, how frustrating. I had to stop P1 despite not getting to "goal" weight due to the sloooow, stalled weight loss. I maintained until I really fell off wagon in Sept/Oct and now back at it. But what a difference when the scale moves again. Feels good!

bubbleblower: really interesting about the camera, hope the pics were revealing of good news.

Going out of town for the day, always a bit of struggle when out of my controlled environment. Weekends are tough for me anyone!

LOL! Didn't even think about that! What I did think about was that I felt like I was swallowing a teeny R2D2!

I'm a total wimp when it comes to the cold nowadays. I'm loving the mid-80 temps in FL and I'm trying to enjoy the 50-70 degree fall weather in NoVA this weekend. I'm glad I'm going home before it gets really cold!

Thanks! And yes, it's great to be able to get out and not worry so much about being sick.

My doctor just told me the same thing. I wasn't taking nearly enough.

My doctor was out of town - and now I am as well - so I'll see the results next week. I'm definitely ready for good news!

I know exactly what you mean about struggling when out of your controlled environment. I'm the same way. I always look forward to getting home to my own kitchen.

Maile, my doctor has me on the prescription Vitamin D, which is 50,000 units once a week. Not sure why they do it that way rather than spread it out, but just FYI. My former endocrinologist used to do it the same way.

I ended up with NO KIDS on Halloween (well, I might have missed some, I was working that night until 7pm) so I have some popcorn to give away. I will probably just take it in to work and leave it by the microwave.

Lisa, good luck with the Mexican. I think it is hard to eat healthy at Mexican restaurants, so looking for any tips you have. My fun day was yesterday and I had a very good taco salad at a local restaurant that was somewhat healthy. They used beef tenderloin for the meat rather than a ground beef (I estimate there was only 3-4 ounces on there), some beans, a little bit of sliced avocado lettuce, tomato, onion and only 4-5 homemade "crisps" strips rather than a tortilla shell.

Mars, thanks for the kudos! : )

Bubble, this may be too personal, but do they try to retrieve that camera thing, or is it a one time use only thing? I wish I had realized that you were going to be in my neck of the woods - I live in Reston. For anyone who travels to the northern VA area, you can count on me to bring over IP products and provide restaurant recommendations, if needed. : )

I am doing my Phase 1 day today, but I usually do more than one. We'll see where the scale is tomorrow! I am going to be away for Thanksgiving and then at Disney between Thanksgiving and Christmas and then will be away for Christmas also. I'm not nervous about it from a weight standpoint, thanks to the tool of Phase 1.

Hi Alison...always good to hear from you and great to know things are still holding well! You (and others...Maile {!!} Ishbel...etc!!) are a great inspiration and example of the maintenance mentality!

As for Mexican...depends on if it's a chain I guess..but I've found if I can order a plain salad...and grilled "skirt" steak it works. That cut is really lean...and if they have it on the menu, gets you through being social for an evening at Mexican..and is pretty good on a salad!

Good advice 85x65. Hangar steak is lean. I order shrimp tostadas and don't eat the tortilla. Thanks for your support.

Bubbleblower and Alison: My dr said that being low in vit D can cause bone density loss. My bone scan was normal but showed a loss. This of course ticked me off as I have developed more muscles which is supposed to help bone density. One of my drs. gave me that once a week stuff. This one likes Usana ..very expensive pharmacy grade vitamins.

Workingit 50: I carried IP packs with me everywhere during the holidays.

Good luck with the daylight savings time change. Do Canadians do the same thing?

65x65: Thanks for the great tip re eating out Mexican.
Maile: Thanks as always for the great tips! I'm curious to know what you think of calcium supplementation. I'm on the fence as to whether it has proven benefits.

Re Vitamin D, really interesting to hear everyone's usage. I was low for a while and after my level was in the normal range, I still take 1000 units/day in the form of tiny OTC chewable tablets. I think it's a good idea to check our levels at some point after getting into the normal range. Maybe it's old school but I worry about overdosing on fat soluble vitamins like A,D,E because I think the body doesn't get rid of the excess so easily.

Today will be a real test for me of post Fun Day P1. While shopping at the Farmer's Market, i indulged in a longstanding temptation and had Carmel Corn. Then the Halloween party....The social stuff is always the most difficult for me. The contrast between how I feel on normal P4 with ~100g carb max, vs the fun day sugar hangover will hopefully motivate me to limit the fun a little bit next time.

A question: do folks do their post fun day P1 with IP foods or just use normal protein with 20-30g of carb? Do you observe the ~800-900 calories, or allow in a little more protein? Thanks!

Got through my day out of town, higher on calories and extra IP snacks and did not get in my water. I did find a chain that gave me a new option. Smashburger, everyone had big burgers with fries and I had a 5 oz plain patty for $2.

It worked. Not as pretty as the other meals decorated so nicely with buns, cheese and such but I was able to sit and enjoy a meal with everyone.

Today, I will be drowning myself in water to make up for several days of low consumption.

I don't do fun days so I don't do P1 days. That said, if I see my weight going up at all I go back to a P3 for a day or two (or three) until things settle out.

Alison: The cameras are one time use only. From what I understand they pretty much disintegrate by the time they have mad the whole trip.
I lived in Reston for over 30 years. It's nice to see the fall colors, but I'm finding I really don't tolerate cold well anymore.

Thanks bubbleblower--my goal is to move away from fun days. It's the key to long term weight issues, as I can revert with surprising ease to binge-style eating.
Really inspiring to read about how people are managing while traveling and/or out of their routines.