Love this Slip! Great suggestions. I would only add that I try and exercise 5 times a week. That helps me with my mindset of being healthy and having the energy to continue to make good food choices. Its all about continuing to have a healthy plan.

This describes my maintenance very well. If I were to tweak one thing about IP, it would be to somehow prepare us better for maintenance, at least some of us. Anyway, SylviesGirl, you've figured out a huge stumbling block--took me most of the first year. I'd emphasize, from my experience, that many of have life long habits of dieting/overeating and do not know how to recognize & respond to physical hunger. And, many of us discovered our inner perfectionist on P1 and that is hard to let go. P4 is an entirely different mental process, kinda messy by comparison, and this transition is what I feel the coaching/meal plan could beef up.

This thread has been invaluable to me the past year, either lurking or posting. Thank-you one and all! Still recovering from Tuesday's long shift, which wasn't helped by getting my flu shot. Hope everyone is sailing through the week, and sending you good wishes to feel better asap, Liana.

I wholeheartedly agree Mars!! My sentiments exactly, I'm in month 7 and still tweaking! And yes Liana, get better!

Hey all....

I don't like when I am too busy to post and take time to "visit" with everyone.

Sylviesgirl, I am trying HARD not to fall into the splurge/restrict cycle in an unhealthy way. The free day followed by P1 day does seem to promote this mentality. I am aiming to tolerate the anxiety I feel at trying to get near my 1550 caloric daily goal this week (not counting P1 on Monday or free day this coming Sunday). The bad news is that my TOM is here, so I won't have as helpful data on my weight changes as I might normally. Just trying not to be so knee-jerk about things.

Thanks to all the vets who are nursing we little saplings along! Mars, I could not agree more with the POOR prep I got for maintenance (which was NONE). I realize I did not have the optimal coaching experience. But I feel that this could really be a big problem for IP on recidivism rates of former IPers. I am SOOOOOOOO grateful for the general IP forum and this maitainers "sub forum" to have a pathway.

I am having a blah day today....woke up at 4:30AM with a migraine and (thankfully that went away with meds) have been up ever since! Decided to skip my Zumba so as to not retrigger the migraine again. Doing a little rest before I have to clean the house before going to work. Yay. Good news is I just made a pork tenderloin that I can eat off of for the next few days.

Off to clean the kitchen....bah.

I'm with you evemomma - feel like I missed a whole bunch of conversations when I don't regularly get on and post.

I too worried about the splurge/restrict cycle so I've been trying to just make foods I want to eat part of my regular diet instead of relying of "fun meals" or "fun days". So far, it's working fine. I do try to do the 3:1 fat/carb ratio (not always successfully) and if I have a few carb heavy days I cut back down for awhile. For me, lower carbs seem to work best - I try to stay under 125 net carbs a day and preferably closer to 100. If the way I'm doing it starts not working I will revisit the issue.

Sorry about your migraine - no fun at all!

First, I feel like I need to apologize for never having time to do more than pop in to quickly say hi, but here I am doing it again! After 3 weeks in Bali I'm up to my eyeballs catching up on everything and also trying to squeeze in time to go through my photos.

The one really nice part about returning was stepping on the scale when I got home and being exactly where I wanted to be. Before I left I was trying to lose the few pounds that I had gained over the last six months or so, but it turned out that all I needed was an active vacation.

The weather is turning slightly cooler here, which is nice. Hopefully the *very rainy* rainy season is leaving, too.

Hope everyone is well.

Bubbleblower -- Wow, what a trip! It sounds like it was fantastic. And to come home at be at goal? Good for you. Well done. Never apologize for going out there and living a happy, healthy, active life -- isn't that what we're all after? That brings its own inspiration to this community,so no worries.

Ruth Ann -- This is what I have finally come to understand, too. I was all kinds of squeamish about the fat meal and you all tried to tell me that fat was essential to feeling satisfied and heading off bingeing. I am now embracing the fats and, as you said, working indulgences right into my regular days with an eye toward the macros. I feel like I have made a huge step forward in understanding my own maintenance journey this week. Just needed to take a break from the pressure of the number on the scale and just focus on eating right. And as Eve said, "tolerate the anxiety."

Eve -- How're ya feeling now, Honey? That migraine didn't sound like fun at all, and I'm glad you took it easy today. I hope it didn't come back. I am very affected by TOM -- makes my appetite crazy right before. Problem for me is, I am quite irregular these days, so the appetite thing always frustrates and confuses me until TOM comes along and clears it all right up, but by then I am usually all kinds of frustrated with myself. "Learning to tolerate the anxiety" is a great way to put it. I get a lot out of your posts, thanks!

I am not sure what IP could have done to prepare me better for maintenance, to be honest. IP is so structured and so rigid and, yes, my inner perfectionist finally found a way to shine during that. But unless they are going to prescribe an equally rigid maintenance, I don't think there is a much of a way to make it easier for someone like me. Like mars said, it is "messy." If it were P1-3 rigid, we would all rebel eventually; it would be unsustainable, at least for me. Part of how I stayed 100% OP on P1-3 was by telling myself that it was temporary. Oh, I don't know, just thinking out loud here. I just think that the "year of struggle and enlightenment" might just be part of the journey . . . P5, "The Awakening." Where mind meets body and they finally work to understand each other. The final frontier.

Hi All,

This is a great discussion so I'll jump in. I'm coming off of a little reboot on P1 that I did to take care of 10 pounds that found me over the last part of the summer.

I reached my goal in March 2013. Since then I've had 3 little P1 reboots to take care of 10-pound gains. I absolutely refuse to allow more than that, so I go back on P1 until it's gone and I'm satisfied with where I am. I'm now one pound away from goal weight and I will phase off after this weekend.

I realize that if I had not done this I would be (at least) 30 pounds heavier and I refuse to do that.

Sylvies, this is a really interesting anaylsis of what happens. I, too, often feel like I have overeaten when I know I have not. Then again, sometimes I'm not really sure. I know on P1 we eat 8 oz of chicken or meat protein. On P3/4 we really don' t need that much. 6 oz is enough. I guess I, too, have this feeling of having been on P1 for so long that I'm not sure how much to eat and how full to feel. Thanks for putting this into words so I can look at it.

SallyE, congratulations on getting this far! I found that a full 2 weeks on P2 and then 2 weeks on P3 (I did 3) was great preparation for maintenance. It eased my body and mind into eating more food and adding foods in a controlled way. I find that on maintenance, I often eat like P3, adding just a little fat at lunch (cheese or avocado) and a little carb at dinner (corn, some potato).

Slipfree: These are great keys for maintenance!

Evemomma: Yes, ditto on MFP. That is so helpful!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

to my fellow Canadian IPers. I'm a little early but heading to Florida till late Tues and not sure if I will cube able to post.

-welcome home bubble blower. Sounds like a great trip, I can only imagine all the pics you have to go thru. Would love to see a favourite or two of yours. congrats coming back to your goal weight, that is very impressive after a trip.

Eve- Hope you are feeling better today, migraines never come at the best times. You mentioned TOM is coming, does that coincide with migraines? My started like that a few years ago. Guessing it was change in hormones.

Joysh- great job getting back to goal weigh. It's scary how these little lbs can sneak up on us and become big lbs if we don't get on it right away.

Sylviesgirl-LOVE P5 "the awkening" where mind meets body and finally understands each other. I think you captured the first year perfectly. It is so true about the inner perfectionist on P1 - I have never been so compliant in my life and I was a 95%er. Maintance does get messy but thru that mess we have to find our balance and in many ways it is so much harder than P1.

Slipfree- love the list and mine would be similar.

liana - Hope you are feeling better

Wishing to everyone and keep up the great work. I echo what Eve said and very much appreciate all the help and guidance from you experienced maintainers.

Heading out now to run 18km in prep for the Marathon, thinking it is going to be a little challenging with my cold but I will suck it up.

Bubbleblower - sounds like a great trip! And for being exactly the weight you planned on - outstanding!

Hawaii - sometimes feels like we'll be tweaking our diet for the rest of our lives, doesn't it? but that's okay - keeps things interesting. I think about something I want and have to think "how will that fit?" Makes me be creative.

I'm so looking forward to getting back to some exercise. Walking is about all I can do right now so as to not overstress the surgical area. The incisions started almost at my back under my arms and it's amazing how many muscles are there. Still no lifting, pulling, etc. Just anxious to have it all healed up.

joysh - congrats on getting the up pounds off!

I really have to work on getting my hunger/full cues straightened out. On P1 I needed to eat everything and I'm worried I'm getting the "clean the plate" mentality. Which is fine since I only serve myself a set portion but sometimes I'm just not that hungry but I find myself eating it anyway because that's what I planned.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Happy Friday all:

Joysh: I'm with you on the up lbs, do you do packets when getting those lbs down? I'm working on getting some up lbs off and I feel panicky the last couple days. I am not gaining the weight I worked so hard to lose and go back to the sluggish and heavy feeling that went along with it. It encourages me to hear that you are successful.

Ruth Ann: I'm glad that you are healing, but take your time for sure. Soon you'll be able to exercise how you want. Did many lbs go after the surgery? I'm just curious. I have had friends that have had that surgery too. You are doing so excellent on maintenance.

I got my run in yesterday and it was a hard one but I was determined to do 5km. I am going to do a Jillian Michaels dvd today and then hit the treadmill after as the dvd is only 20min long. I just need to get my eating back on track. It hasn't been terrible but certainly not where it should be to get some lbs off. Thanks so much everyone for your comments and suggestions. They help me to want to keep going!

Hawaii -- Good job on your run. You're doing great and will most certainly get those lbs off. Won't you join me on the calm-down train? T'is lovely.

Ruth Ann -- I know you are chomping at the bit to get more activity, but I also know that you know (following this, lol) that pushing it too early will only push that day off further. Hang in there. You'll get there.

Joysh -- Good to see you. I am glad to see you chime in as I think my maintenance will, hopefully, look much like yours. I will need resets at times and need to accept that. My body works so hard to put weight back on. Accepting that there will be resets is something new for me, but it is also helping me be able to calm down. I remember reading in some of the IP maintenance explanation that maintainers should expect a 7 lb gain after each year of maintenance, that it is a natural progression of things and NOT to be viewed as a failure, just something to plan for and remedy with a week or two (or more) of P1 each year to reset. I like that mentality -- takes some of the day-to-day pressure off.

Hoping Eve is feeling good today, and waving to all other maintainers!

My week of "keep calm and just eat" has been wonderful. No feelings of wanting to binge -- please wait while I knock on wood -- and I have been having such delicious and satisfying food. The scale has maintained, even down a 1/2 lb this morning (after sausage last night, woo-hoo!). I am beginning to feel freer and calmer. yay. Eventually, I will see about peeling off a few up lbs, but, for now, it feels good to just take care of myself as I am.

Jenny, I'm pretty amazed at your 125-pound loss. Wow! A marathon! That's wonderful!

Ruth Ann- When I was a child, my parents used the phrase "the clean plate club" a lot, especially when there were vegetables or other foods I didn't like. I think it was the generation who remembered the Great Depression. It was horrible to waste anything, especially food. I can hear my Dad's voice asking if I belonged to the "clean plate club" that meal? Of course, I wanted to belong. And so was planted the seed of "clean your plate, no matter what" in my psyche. I know if they would have foreseen my life-long weight struggle they would not have said that.

Hawaii = Yes, I use packets for these P1 reboots. I buy only one week of IP foods: my drinks for breakfast that I really love. (pina colada, mango peach, rtd mango) The rest I get from Nashua. I usually have a soup packet + salad for lunch and a Quest bar for my snack. It works just fine, is easy, and tastes good to me!

Sylvie - I'm hoping that my next reboot (if I need it) will be in January. If this is a correct pattern, there's a January reboot, a May (before summer), and a September (after summer) reboot. Perhaps I'll do better and not need these, but if I do, I'm happy that I know what to do. During my maintenance I occasionally do a 1-2-3. This is a day of P1, a day of P2, and day of P3. This usually took care of 2 or 3 up pounds. I like the word "reset" rather than
reboot. I'm going to use that from now on. I also like "keep calm and just eat." I firmly believe we need to relax sometimes!

So.... ta-da... this morning my scale had my goal weight on it! I was very, very happy. I'm feeling good and will remain on P1 through the weekend. Monday-Tuesday I'll do P2 and then go on to P3. Next weekend is a very special weekend for me. My daughter and her 2 little children are coming from NY and my other daughter and the 3 yr old twins will join us, along with my niece, who's coming in from CA. We'll all rent a beach house for the weekend! This has never happened before and I will be in heaven with all of my children and grandchildren!

Have a great weekend! Whew- sorry for the long post!

Good Friday Evening Maintainers!!!!

Thanks for the well-wishes on my migraine. Yes, Jenny, TOM gets me as my migraines are very hormonally-related. Had a mild head-ache this AM but not a real migraine again (phew).

Bubbleblower....Yes! PLEASE share with us a photo or two so we can all vicariously live through you!!!!! WTG on keeping the weight in check!

Syvliegirl.......YAY for feeling more in control this week! Maintenance is a mental game for sure. You are doing awesome!

Joysh....Thanks for sharing your strategies to get the up pounds down. I have also read the idea that 7 lbs is a normal gain in a year. I am already planning a P1 stint after the holidays. Not that I intend to go crazy, but I also don't want to stress during a time of year that is all about JOY! I find that aiming for "adapted" P1 meals is my most stress-free way to plan - though I try to get fancy and get myself all confused all too often!

Jenny....Have an amazing trip to Florida! Are you going to Disney or the beach or both?

Hawaii....Your commitment to exercise is inspiring. Something I need to work on!

RuthAnn......I hope that you are enjoying your new shape! Just losing weight was all I needed for a girls-reduction. I forget sometimes now how hard it was to find shirts that fit or would button - especially being fairly petite. The arms were always too long and the shoulders too broad in the tops that actually fit.

I had a good scale victory today.....scale read back down to 127 (from a high of 130 on Monday after my fun day). I usually rebound down quickly, but went slower this week possibly due to TOM. Anyway, the exciting part of that is that I am PUSHING my calorie-intake this week and not doing what I tend to do which is plan on eating more and then sort of pull back by the end of the day. Of course, I don't want to eat if I'm not hungry, but I firmly believe that I will keep damaging my metabolism if I keep eating under 1300 calories daily even IF I'm doing one fun day a week.

Two fun food finds this week:

Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds....100 calorie pack (8g F, 2g net C, 3g P) These are sooooooo good and just the right amount of dark chocolate sweetness!

I have taken to mixing a tablespoon of natural peanut butter with 4-5oz of plain, NF greek yogurt (as many on here have recommended)....MMMM by itself. Used if as a dip for half an apple for two mornings. Then today, I sliced half a banana into it and then drizzled just a tiny amount of fat-free caramel topping over it. Yum! Pretty sure, if I replaced the caramel with a little WF chocolate syrup, it would taste pretty close to a DQ peanut buster parfait!

Morning, All --

Up 2.5 lbs this morning -- ack! The non-emotional side of me says it is due to a higher sodium day yesterday. The emotional side of me is quite sure my week of eating-to-maintain has backfired. In light of this, I have decided not to have the fun-day as planned. If I do that, I will not be able to see if this weight comes right back off tomorrow. So, I am reworking my day to allow for a small treat tonight that will still fit in the daily macros and goals. Make sense? Hope so.

Joysh -- Congrats on seeing your goal # on the scale again. You've worked hard and deserve it. Your upcoming weekend does, indeed, sound like heaven!

Eve -- I confuse myself rather often, too. I am a champion over-thinker and can think any sense out of any situation. Just make sure you are maintaining your ratios and macros with the PB/yogurt combo. That was my first mistake in maintenance. Somehow, I thought that was a good thing to have for a snack any time. Most ff yogurt + pb combos have a poor carb:fat ratio to stand alone unless it is at breakfast. You seem to throw fruit into the mix, though, which would probably push it over to the carb ratio side, so that's good. (You probably know all this, but just making sure.)

Band competition today. It is cold and rainy. Brrrrrr. Good thing is, I will be busy and pretty much on auto-pilot for my eating until this evening.

Have a good day, everybody!