3 big dogs in P4 I’ve tried to do mostly whole foods, but I do use protein bars, and occasionally protein powder or Qwest chips. I do alternatives, and I get them either from Nashua Nutrition or there is a bar called Think Thin at natural food stores that works for me also - 20g protein.
My doctor said anything that is high (like 20 g) protein and not too much sugar or gluten/carbs is good for me, even if I can eat 1/4 bar every two hours will help keep blood sugar stable, so I do that.
I love the IP stuff but it’s so darned pricey. I’ve decided I’ll just use IP when I need to do P1 so then it can be like a treat, otherwise P1 sometimes feels like torture…

I'm in phase 3 this week and have only been using either quest bars or the proti thin protein drinks twice/day but was wondering what you were doing. So far I haven't had hunger cravings or spikes like I was so worried about. I'm staying gluten free since I don't want my "pre-IP" indigestion issues to come back.
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Mary

Mary I just added one thing at a time so I could really see how I handled it. For example dairy seem to be fine for me. But weirdly cantaloupe wasn't, and watermelon was OK. Things like that I started to discover. The first month or so it seemed to take a while for my digestive enzymes to kick back in, and I still had a lot of bloating and periodic gas and constipation. But after a month or two it was better. The Qwest products seem to do well for me because they're soy and gluten free. I think I do OK with soy, but I still try to limit it. I might actually do OK with gluten but haven't really added it back in yet.

I've only done a few bites of sugary things here and there, very rarely. I just have an automatic intuitive sense that it's not going to be good news for me – if fruit doesn't work well, then sugar for sure won't. If I'm going to do sugar I have a bite of something I really love, and I limited to three bites or so. Or less than a glass of wine. And both those things only when I'm out with friends. These weren't conscious rules I "decided" - they just sort of "came to be" during maintenance.

I am definitely still in a discovery process.

Phase 3 breakfast today! Nervous. I don't do eggs or dairy (no issues, just don't like them!) so leftover chicken (or turkey sausage or turkey bacon, I went shopping!), toast, and almond butter it is!

I went through the phase 3 breakfast threads, but most things have eggs or cream cheese, etc. Does anyone have ideas for non-egg and non-dairy things? I have a feeling I'll be doing some form of Quest shake often for my protein element, for simplicity and boredom breaking once I've had my fill of breakfast meats. I had a shake every day for 8 months, I need a break!

Great to see so many of us reaching P2 - maintenance very helpful to those of us getting closer.
Mary - how did P2 go? I know its not much different than P1 but was the extra protein nice? Too much?

Destony - hope you are having an amazing trip!

HIS / Blue - contemporary thought of what beauty is has been so skewered over the last 40 years. I love seeing pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth - both healthy, gorgeous women who didn't wear size 0. I think Melissa McCarthy is beautiful and it makes me sad to see her getting so much flack for her new clothing line (premise being she is removing "plus size" from the description and selling nice, up-to-date styles for 12/14+).
We all have to learn to love ourselves, and others, regardless of size (easier said than done).
Personally, I think I look gorgeous right where I am, curves and all and never thought I was some horrible monster even at 234 pounds!
I am so aware though of the way I get treated differently now...just a reminder of how prevalent prejudice still is in our society.
Forgive me for the ramble - I am still reconciling some of my personal thoughts / issues through this weight loss process.

4:30 can't get here soon enough. I'm going to look like Fred Flintstone speeding out of here today

Started some real prep for vacation last night - bought / packed all our favorite seasonings, packed up the WF products (not sure if all Wal-Marts in different states carry WF...? I may be pleasantly surprised) & my box from Nashua is ready to be loaded. Rhubarb compote was cooked / froze last night. I've been scared of the dog getting into stuff so tonight I will gather up the Quest bars / chips and other open products I plan to take down.
I am honestly going to have to bring an extra suitcase for all this stuff
I am also still planning on doing P2 while away. Originally the thought had been to do it to shake things up & see if it would get the scale moving ...obviously that's not an issue anymore but the plan is to still P2 / eat OP foods when I feel hungry and see what happens.

Good Morning Everyone!!! Just caught op on the past couple of days here-CONGRATULATIONS on all of the successes my friends!! So much I can relate to-the vacation eating, the clothes fitting, people telling me "don't lose any more" -that's what I LOVE about this group. I feel as though we share such a sisterhood in this journey. Well, a couple of things from me here- I've been on the boat since Thursday night. It's been pretty nice, I must say. It's been sunny and hot- I've been making sure to drink plenty of water. I walk an average of 4 miles a day- nothing "intentional" just the walking we do around town throughout the day. When we were at our 1st destination I did do an extra oacket because the walk was 5 miles, all at once and a ton of uphill stuff- it was work! Other than that, I haven't added anything. Oh-one day, at lunch, I added 2 slices of store bought deli (Boar's Head) roast beef-I just really felt as though I needed it - it was a strange sensation-so I ate it with my rotini salad. I had a bit of constipation..UGH! Not like me at all- I'm so regular, it's scary-lol. (If this doesn't post I'm going to be ticked-I had that hapen before with a super long post-arrrgh) It's been fun, I packed so much, I could literally change 3 times a day- and not wear the same thing...lol. I have to force myself to wear diferent things because I have my favorites- and some of the stuff is just going to have to disappear after this- they're just too big-lol. I've never been on vacation on the boat where I can live in a bathing suit during the day- (and silly me- who never ets rid of anything...I have a couple with me-so that's a cool feeling) I did jump off the boat yesterday and just about lost my bottoms... I though I had brought along safety pins..but no-so thats someting else to go. Oh darn!!
It's hard to believe that its already Thursday-we are palnning to stay until Sunday, but that already seems like tomorrow... The eating has been good- we did go out to lunch yesterday (I made my lunch as my dinner meal-I'm still in phase 1) I ordered a greek salad- no kalamata olives, no feta, no dressing, extra on the pepperoncinis and dressing on the side and grilled chicken on top-it was delicious except they drizzled some sort of light vinegarette over it. It was really good- my DB(darling boyfriend) <-i don't think there is a code for that one had a steamed lobster with butter and corn on the cob with potatoes I did have a small piece of the lobster claw-no butter and it was delicious. Enough to satisfy my craving. He's been getting his fresh donuts in the evening at this place we go to-I just stick my nose in the bag and take a big long whiff-kind of like you see in the movies when the druggies are snorting cocaine-lol.It's enough- funny- I fully expected and told people that I was going to have a bite of donut- I had my plan all figured out. I would have the a piece as he was finishing so that if I wanted more, I couldn't. Nope, I'm good- haven't wanted to have a bite- like Beth said to me last week, keep the MOG dress in my mind. I'm keeping all of the success in my mind. That super feeling of wearing things I haven't in years!! It's working. We saw someone we only met once last year (they rafted with us last summer for a couple of days) and she asked what was different- then she said "you've lost weight, that's what's different" so that was really neat that someone I have only met once remembered. Felt really encouraging.
Beth, I'm sorry about the appraisal. We had the same thing happen when we wanted to add a garage on 2 years ago- we bought in 2006, the height of the boom, and we just didn't have anough equity to do what we wanted..so ...though one good thing that happened was we did decide to refinance and got down in to the low 3's. So, that was the silver lining.
I agree with the addiction theory 100%. been there, done that-so I am going to try something different this time once I have reached my goal. I am going to practice similar principals as I do with not drinking. Though, with food, I am going to try, and I mean try, to exercise control and moderation- IF I find that that doesn't work, I will practice the same principals and abstain. I hope that I haven't overshared with that information, but if I have, I have...I feel a kinship with you all, that I am comfortable doing so.
I read someone say that they are in maintenance, but during the week they practice P3 for ease. I like that idea. I am such a routine person, that's one of the things that I enjoy with this diet and P1.
I hope that everyone has a great day!! Thanks for all of the great sharing tha goes on here- and my best to all of you!!!!

Beth - have a wonderful time on your vacation! you've been stressed out with so much on your plate ( ... that made me chuckle as soon as I typed it, unintentional funny but you know what I mean). Anyway, hope it's relaxing and you get to take your mind off everything but FUN!

It'll be interesting to hear about your P2 days when you get back. I'm planning a vacation mid Sept for about 10 days, right now I'm planning to stay P1, but always good to consider options

Destony you sound like your having a great vacation, good for you - isn't it kind of like we all deserve it more since we've been working so hard with this diet on top of everything else . Glad you dropped by to let us know how things are going, diet-wise too - we all stress a bit over vacations and finding ways to handle it. You're doing great
Funny about being a bit reluctant to let go of favorite clothes, I've been like that a bit too, all along (though getting much better). I'd put on something I really liked, think, no, it's not right, then put it back in the closet, as if somehow, magically, it would fit the next time

You're right on about the addiction thing, if we are all honest with ourselves, food is our addiction, but more than that, I think specific foods. I'm still a long way from maintenance, but once I get here, I'm thinking there are some things I may have to just avoid (all those - bet you can't have just one - things )

Enjoy the rest of your vacation, wish you great weather, great fun!!

Absolutely planning on it thanks!

...and I just want to say too I've been a huge proponent of staying OP on vacation...ie, not phasing off, not planning cheat days, etc...

Unfortunately over the last month or so, I've had some serious issues and fought tooth and nail to stay 95 - 100% OP - and this is at home, in my normal routine, and in a familiar environment. I've been HUNGRY - you know the 'gnaw your arm off' hungry. This stress, added on top of all the life stress has made me difficult at time.
I accept my role / responsibility in this...I always try to catch myself when I get snappy with others
A good example...I was so hungry Tuesday night while cooking dinner (this was the night I almost licked the mashed potato spoon) - I had munched on a couple celery sticks and had some salt, but it wasn't enough and wanted my protein...and DD10 comes and asks about having cornbread before dinner. I'm already hungry and now I want a bite of cornbread (one of my favorite foods). Now, who bought the cornbread Lesson learned about what not to have in the house for the remainder of P1...that said, I was so hungry and now had to fight off the urge to shove a slice of cornbread in my mouth...so poor DD10 didn't get a very nice response from mom
I have made a 100% fully conscious decision to NOT have this happen while we are away. Hopefully the extra afternoon protein / packet / Quest bar prevents this - if not, I am allowing myself leeway to stop it in its tracks (ie, eat more vegetables or an extra 1/2 bar or a pudding / or concentrate later in the afternoon)

Sorry again for these rambles - I know I don't have to justify anything to anyone, but we are all on this journey together and hopefully some of this benefits others maybe someone reads this who has btdt and has some sage advice

Just on the off chance it helps anyone here - I thought I would do a slight overshare following Linda's lead (btw I didn't think that was an overshare).

I have friends that are in FA (Food Addicts 12 step) and really like it. I went to 12 step for a year in my 20s for food and I knew there was an issue in that area but couldn't quite get into it. I asked my doctor at the end of P1 if I had addiction, and if this group would help me. My doctor is cross-trained in some areas of psychiatry. He said that I actually definitely do not have addiction, and that what I have is compulsion due to anxiety. Since then I have learned that addiction and compulsion are two very different things. It actually gave me a lot of relief and understanding to know the difference and recognize what was happening, because in having the information I could start to solve the problem. I got three other opinions from other medical professionals just to make sure, and they all concurred.

For me, I was using food, in addition to other things, to calm my anxiety and also to correct blood sugar swings (physical and emotion components) and to try to control my mind that was always worried about something. I used other things besides food also - it was like I was always looking for something to help calm my body. Once I started to sort that out and could see what was happening my whole life changed this last year. I thought the worry was real - now I can see when worry comes that there is a problem, but it just needs to be solved, not stressed about. Usually when the food and weight increased it was when the stress and lack of sleep increased (I also had very bad insomnia, which is typical in anxiety). I also have underlying physical issues, like many of us - thryoid, metabolic syndrome etc. - but even if I had been able to stabilize my weight the compulsion would have just manifested in other forms, which it did in the past when I was at a lower weight - for example I would over exercise.

This is just a short explanation about it all, but if any of this rings true for anyone, you might want to do a little research.
Meditation has really helped me in this way also.

And, if addiction resonates for anyone as an issue, the FA group I went to once with my friend here seemed really awesome and supportive. I actually wanted to go but my doctor said it would take me in the wrong direction, because actually I needed to loosen up control. So it's been a learning experience, and a discovery process for sure, on all levels. Maintenance just continues the ride!

p.s. I am certainly not an expert on these issues, and I'm sure there are areas of addiction that are also calming mechanisms.... I didn't completely understand it which is why I asked several professionals about my particular situation.

Linda's back!. Your trip sounds wonderful and good work on staying OP. Once I got about 5 months in without going off proticol I wasn't tempted anymore. I bake something sinful every Sunday for my dh& ds and enjoy watching them eat while I have my quest bar.

Amber, I think we have a lot in common. I'm a nervous/anxious person and do not have a tendency toward addictions. My overeating was directly related to trying to calm myself. Meditation is the best calming solution for me although it did not help me lose weight.

I think as long as I can keep my blood sugar regulated I'll be able to maintain but time will tell.

Beth, have fun! I know you will, let us know how you are doing. P2 didn't feel any different to me than p1 to tell you the truth. I still have difficulty eating very much meat so I added protein drinks and extra IP chips.

Blueskies, you're right about foods. I think there are some I won't risk eating again. I've been in p3 for a few days, worried I would want other things with the reintroduction of carbs but it hasn't happened so far.

I'm trying to figure out how to put a before/after pic on here. Any advice?
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Mary

Not sure what you're trying to do. If you just want to post 2 separate pictures, the "insert image link" will do that.
If you want 2 pictures combined side by side into 1, I can do that for you if you send me the 2 pictures.

Amber, thank you- what you said about the compulsion vs. addiction really hit home for me. When it comes to food, that may be more the issue for me. With the exception of using it to correct blood sugar swings- unless it was subconsciously. I worry about so many things, a lot of which are out of my control, but what you have said makes so much sense. Thank you for sharing that.
I neglected to mentio that I have been doing the 30 day plank challenge along with 10 lunges per side and 25 squats, it's not a lot-but it's something..it's especially interesting to do them all on a boat- I hadn't given that much thought...it's an unstable place with the waves rocking t he boat and such- but I have decided a better workout because you are seriously engaging your core for stability.
I sure do wish I was born wealthy so I could do this all the time...I'm going to hate going back to reality.....

Great advice regarding the addiction vs compulsion. I always assumed I had a sugar addiction. I'm not so sure but I'm pretty confident that once I get to maintenance (Yes, I'm going to get there!), moderation won't be an option for me. I've never been satisfied with a bite of this or one of those. Now since I've been off it for 4 months, I truly no longer crave it. And as Destony mentioned getting a whiff of her favourite donuts was enough, I am finding the same thing. When my kids have something decadent, they let me have a whiff of it and I'm ok.
Honestly, I have always been very disciplined...except with food, and I could never figure out why. Why was I so out of control before? I love this feeling of being in control.
I too am starting to get comments about my weight loss and that I shouldn't lose anymore. I attribute some of that to the fact that the weight loss to date was fast, and I lose top-down so my face is slim and my rear-end hasn't caught up yet. I'm doing a lot of walking so hoping that will help tone it up as well.
Enjoy your vacations! I found I did well on vacation because if I got really hungry, I had an extra packet, like a pudding, or I had a bit of extra grilled meat.

livin, I had to smile at your . The first thing my dd said after I had lost about 15 lbs was "your face is skinny". And it was in that voice that suggested it wasn't a compliment...

Interesting discussion -

My friends that identify as having food addiction can’t be around certain foods - for example if someone is baking cookies or popping popcorn and those are trigger foods for them, their body has a really intense craving reaction and it’s very difficult for them not to partake. They also have trouble having certain foods in the house. The longer they are abstinent, the easier it gets - like after a year or two the “no” muscle is stronger.

Also for them having sugar or flour in their body triggers a binge reaction similar to how alcohol would for an alcoholic.

For me sugar doesn't do that at all, I can stop. And I generally don't have cravings or trigger foods. But the problem for me comes when I have a blood sugar swing that goes up and down, sugar or carbs are the easiest thing to correct that so it can create a dangerous cycle. So better for me to stay low glycemic.

It's all just interesting - The psychology and neurology of the brain and body, and the reward pathways.