I have to agree how empowering it is to have the tools. My family was visiting the past weekend, and we went out to breakfast. My sister (who lost a lot of weight a few years ago with Atkins and has mostly kept it off) said, "you can't order pancakes, they are evil" And I said, "sure I can". She looked at me like I was crazy. I realized the big difference is that with other diets, the only way you keep it off is by living in fear of certain foods, but with IP we maintain our weight by managing what we eat. A very good feeling!

Hello out there allI of you experienced folks!

I am just starting Phase 2, and of course very interested in maintenance! Are any of you Type II Diabetics? Have you been able to both maintain your weight and keep your blood sugars under control on IP's maintenance plan?? Or have you kept your diet more carb controlled than the usual Phase 4? Thanks so much!

Deb

I have about 5# I want to lose after the holidays and am having trouble staying 100% on phase 1. I just really need to get my head right again. How have all of you phase 4ers done? I know I will do it, but it has been slower than it really needs to be if I would just do it.

I think the cold dark winter weather does something for my motivation too. I have been getting to the gym every day this week too. I need to get my regular routine again.

I am starting Phase 4 tomorrow after successfully completing the program and losing 87 pounds!!!

Can anyone help me out and give me some advice on how to eat and keep the weight off?

I am really stressing about Phase 4 --- and I know I shouldn't be.

Thanks!
Lorrie

I can so relate to your post!.. I was feeling the same way yesterday, only unlike you, I was being such a baby about it... feeling sorry for myself & thinking I might as well just phase out & forget about losing this jelly belly I've got left... I mean, I've been on Phase 1 for almost 8 months... I'm so happy with the whole rest of my body, but my belly just won't go away completely... oh, yeah, well sure, it's considerably smaller than when I started IP protocol, but there's still that darned pouch below my navel... when will it shrink away?..

But by nightfall, I had decided to stick with it & stop being a brat... so today is a new commitment to staying on protocol 100% & getting back to exercising regularly... I think you may be onto something about the winter weather, I don't have much motivation to move, let alone go outside & move!.. so if recognizing the problem is a big part of solving it, I'm confident about getting back to my regular routine again too!..

hugs

Aw aunt sheshie I feel the same way! However I've decided to phase out until summer. It's our busy time of the year at work and I'm running all over the place and need more calories or I'm starving by the end of my shift. I'd love to finish this and lose my belly but right now I need to be able to do my job. Once things slow down I'll move back to phase 1 until I hit my goal.

I am starting Phase 4 tomorrow after successfully completing the program and losing 87 pounds!!!

Can anyone help me out and give me some advice on how to eat and keep the weight off?

I am really stressing about Phase 4 --- and I know I shouldn't be.

Thanks!
Lorrie

Lorrie ... BREATHE! Your question is pretty general, so it's difficult to answer.

What has your coach said in answer to your Phase 4 questions? ( I may be forgetting that you aren't working with a coach; if so, sorry about that. )

What specifically do you have a question about?

Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner?

Carbs? Proteins? Fats?

A suggestion for now:
- Keep eating Phase 3 until you get some answers.
- Read this thread, and the original thread that is linked in the first post on page 1 of this thread.

I'm positive that you'll find that other people had the same questions you have and got useful answers.

If you're looking for something more structured to transition, cmsgrrl has reported that a book and website called The Metabolism Miracle is very similar to IP. It does have recipes and may have more concrete ideas on what to eat and when. I just checked; the book is available from online booksellers, including Indigo/Chapters. At Amazon, you can search inside it and see the table of contents.

You could take the Atkins OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) approach to making changes in your eating: Make one small change each week -- an increase in carbs (5-10 g/day) or returning a food to your diet. Pay attention to how you feel, continue to weigh yourself once/week (or daily if you don't get disempowered by the fluctuations).

Doing the one-change-at-a-time (OCAAT) approach you essentially build your own maintenance program , making small changes and paying attention to the effects. And one small change for one week is easy to correct. You'll never gain so much weight in a week from a small change in how you eat that you can't just "unchange" and lose it. You'll find that some foods agree with you and others make you feel crummy. You may discover that you need more "X" and less "Y". And you'll have the tools to make adjustments for the rest of your life! Not bad, eh?

Lorrie I have the cookbook beside me on the desk. She has levels 1, 2 & 3.
First level is less than 5 net carbs every 5 hours, second level is 11-20 net carbs every five hours so that the pancreas does not release insulin into the blood stream. This is the level she refers to as awakening the pancreas. There are examples of meals for each level. I plan on experimenting with level two when I get below 200 lbs. I currently weigh 204.4 so hopefully that will be soon.

Good luck in whatever you decide works best for you now that you have reached your goal. CONGRATULATIONS!

I started Phase 1 on New Years Day because I too had put on a little weight. I was in Ketosis in 2 days and had lost 4 lbs the first week. I am already back on Maintenance, but feel like I need to kick it in gear again, because this dreary winter weather is also really getting to me too! I know I feel better mentally when I am eating correctly so here goes. Today is Day 1 for me again.

LOL @ you Svelting --- yes, breathing for sure is a good thing.

Just did a little freak out on starting Phase 4 that's all. I was feeling like my strings were being cut, but I have since toughened up and realized that I am the one who did the work and it's up to me to continue to work hard.

As for my coach --- well I am very saddened to say that she admitted to me that she did not learn about Phases 3 and 4 in depth! What the heck does that mean? Well it means that she has been given me "squat" in way of answers to all my questions.

I basically researched Phases 3 and 4 on my own --- along with the help of a dear friend who has been on Phase 4 for about 3 months now.

I am following Canada's Food Guide (on the advice of my personal trainer at our local complex where I am taking 1 hour workout sessions with her twice a week) and have found that this is working for me just fine.

I am eating carbs at lunch (having a fat-free ham or tuna sandwich on Country Harvest bread with a little bit of fat-free mayo and some carrots). Now this goes against Dr. Tran's comments about eating no carbs at lunch.

I am nearing my first week on Phase 4 and I am happy to report that I am down 2 pounds. What's it from? Well I guess it's a mish-mash of things. I am eating right (making wise food choices) and I am also working out. I believe the working out is the most beneficial.

I have worked so hard and have come a long way and I am not going back to the person I used to be!

Thanks so much for caring!

Lorrie

P.S. Wishing you all the best in your journey too!!!

I am down about 2#, but I have been eating just enough carbs to keep me from really losing like you should in phase 1. I did get some ketostix, which I have never used. I thought it might motivate me to stay on phase 1 better. I know if I would just stay 100% for 2-3 days, the carb cravings would leave and I would be fine on the plan.

I need to get this down, as there will always be times when I go up a couple pounds in relation to some celebration or event. It is life. Good luck with your phase 1.

Aunt Sheshie says:
"I can so relate to your post!.. I was feeling the same way yesterday, only unlike you, I was being such a baby about it... feeling sorry for myself & thinking I might as well just phase out & forget about losing this jelly belly I've got left... I mean, I've been on Phase 1 for almost 8 months... I'm so happy with the whole rest of my body, but my belly just won't go away completely... oh, yeah, well sure, it's considerably smaller than when I started IP protocol, but there's still that darned pouch below my navel... when will it shrink away?..

But by nightfall, I had decided to stick with it & stop being a brat... so today is a new commitment to staying on protocol 100% & getting back to exercising regularly... I think you may be onto something about the winter weather, I don't have much motivation to move, let alone go outside & move!.. so if recognizing the problem is a big part of solving it, I'm confident about getting back to my regular routine again too!.. "

It does help to see that others are feeling the same way as I am. I too found that the 5# gained over the holidays mostly went to my belly. I have a vacation coming in March and I do not want to have this tummy for wearing a swimsuit! Hang in there. We can both do this.

hi all,
seems we have a new crop of phase 3 and 4's! CONGRATS on all your hard work. I hope you will all join this thread and share your experiences. I am almost 5 months into phase 4, have not gained any weight, and still learning. I'm looking forward to this ongoing journey (for the rest of my life!) and hope you can share your NSV's and other insights as we go along!

Hi all,

I transitioned to Phase 3 a week ago, and have been having some serious stomach upset. Prior to being on the program I learned I was allergic to nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant), and am intolerant of dairy and gluten. I was hoping some of that would have reversed during this process but no such luck. I'm pretty sure the greek yogurt is what's getting to me this week so I'll be shopping for soy or coconut yogurt & milk. Has anybody tried coconut products? I stayed away from them in the past because the fat content seemed high, but have since read some pretty wonderful things about the benefits of coconut.

By the way, the Udi's brand gluten-free bread is actually tasty and the closest thing to bread texture of any that I've tried. Rice bread is better used as a doorstop. I'll be experimenting with coconut flour for bread next, got a great cookbook.

Thank you for this thread - I've got a week left in phase 3 and then I'll be ready for maintenance!

Lorrie, I've heard that there are multiple levels of training for coaches. If I recall correctly there was supposed to be some advanced training (phases 3 & 4?) late last summer or in the fall in our area. Unfortunately for the coaches AND FOR THE CLIENTS(!!!) Tran didn't come to North America, or at least to Ontario, and the training has yet to take place. Hundreds of people phasing off and know one here really knows how to help us.

Be careful about the Canada's Food Guide, food pyramid or whatever they're calling it these days. Given that IP worked well for you, the CFG recommendations around grain (breads, cereals, pasta, flour) consumption may be more than you need if you want to maintain your weight. If you're interested, I posted some information (a semi-rant) about grains in this thread a while ago.

The reason for the dairy is to get some fat. There's only two non-dairy fat sources listed on the phase 3 sheet, margarine and oils. I use the dairy products and coconut oil, milk, and cream. Coconut oil was thought to be a problem because the fat was considered a saturated. It's actually metabolized a little bit differently from saturated fat (web search: "medium chain fatty acids" for more info). And even if it was saturated fat, that isn't a problem.

If you get tired of mucking about with gluten free products, you can try to get carbs from root veggies and tubers (potatoes, yam, taro, etc.)