Good morning all! Its so nice to read everyones comments. Even through the struggles, I read a lot of positives and encouragement. And its very motivating to see everyone continue the best they can. The results speak for themselves and everyone is different, we lose at a different pace, and we all face various challenges in life along the way. Every one of you is inspiring. So, thanks!!

Congrats to all this group! I am new here so just came to read and motivate myserlf a bit) thank you for your inspiration! you all did such a great job! good luck to you in the future and never give up no matter what)

Hello!

Just had my WI today lost 2lbs. So I am .6 lbs less then before I went on the cruise. So I am on the right track. I did my experiment last week while my hubby was away. I had my 8oz of protein for lunch instead of dinner. I will say it was harder to do this during the middle of the day. I had to stop what I was doing to make my protein. In the end my coach and I saw no real difference weight wise for me to do this unless I need to. So I will go back to 8oz of protein at dinner time.

I am also trying to stream line my packets. A while ago I bought a lot of boxes and I am trying to eat the stuff I like the least and then I think for breakfast I will stick to Crispy Cereal-can use it as pancakes and for lunch mainly do chicken pattys and bags of the soy chips. This way on the home stretch I don't have to think about lunch issues or random packets. I have tried all the packets I want to and sort of tired of cooking with them.

I have to start to think again what my goal weight should be. Still don't know I am looking at the 160-140 range. Never been in this range so I don't know what works for me.

I have been reading the posts but a bit stressed lately with finding a house. It is not fun for us as we move a lot so we are tired of doing this and the prices here are wild. Not much on the market either. So I am trying to not eat when I am stressed.

That is all for now. Hope everyone is having a great day.

I am so proud of all the Oct Newbies who are going to new Phases of IP and excited that the rest of us are still pushing through to get to where we want to be not what other people think we need to be at!!

Lucci,

I just wanted to scoop you up into a giant hug. Hang in there... you'll find your "home"! I found that I got into a groove when it came to my foods too. I don't mess too much with it. Sounds crazy, but I do a chocolate drink for breakfast (20oz water and heated in microwave), a chocolate drink for lunch, and the wafers or brownies (I change up the "restricted"). Doing phase 2, I've been doing one chocolate drink and the wafers. I try to stick to the higher calorie "treats" because my dr wants me to be around 1200 - 1500 cals per day. When I upped my caloric intake from 900 - 1000 to the 1200 - 1500, I had a 4lb weight loss in one week... who knows what the heck is going on with my body lol...

I just know that I do what's comfortable, I switch up the veggies, and the doc told me to add in non-fat yogurt now.. (argh... so worried about falling out of ketosis)

But if that's what it takes, then I'll do what it takes.. I don't want to lose weight to the point where something health wise goes drastically wrong and I damage my body (not that I think the diet is causing me problems that way, just think it's my body saying, Hey, wait a sec! What the heck!?!?!"

Congratulations on the WI Lucci! I'm glad you're feeling back on track and organized. I'm proud of you for getting back OP even though it was not easy and you're under stress looking for a home. Keep up the good work!

Hi everyone,

Hi Luccilove, great WI! Glad that you are back in the groove, even with the stress.

Hawaii, you are just so nice. Your comment made me smile.

Kooky, great attitude.

Ginger, welcome and thanks!

Good workshop at the clinic. I found it reassuring that maintenance is possible, without living a "diet" life forever. Plus, you can have a glass of red wine 6 nights a week if you wanted. I don't want to, but you could. It is a lot to absorb, but do-able.

It is so chilly here! I am tired of feeling so cold. Field trip tomorrow. Entering the single digits for school days

Hawaii: Thanks for the encouragement, nice to know you are at goal and still checking in here.

Gingerjv: thanks, good luck to you on your weightless journey.

Lucci: so glad you are are back on track and have lost all the holiday weight. Great job not eating when you are stressed, not an easy thing to do. Keep up the good work.

Kawaii: sometimes it is hard to trust the Dr.s when they tell us things, keep doing what you feel is right, you got this.

Slip: Glad you mentioned that maintenance is possible with out a "diet" attitude all the time. I have been wondering about that. What about white wine instead of red? Lol. I guess this is a new lifestyle and we all will have to figure it out for ourselves, something that may work for one of us may not work for others.

I have to say after reading Slip's comments about maintenance I am really looking forward to getting there and trying to figure it out. The closer I get to my goal the more confident I feel about being able to keep the weight off, it doesn't scary me anymore. Lol.

Want2b- white has to be saved for your free day, too much sugar. So once a week. Glad that my comment helped. When you look at it on the protocol sheet, it looks unrealistic. But applying the fat/carb separation seems easier after seeing the examples. Will know more next Sat. When I have my graduation/maintenance meeting. I am still a little scared, I am up 3 pounds right now. I am also dealing with C and increased ankle swelling. Going to up my water and have faith that it will even out. Plus fear will keep me planning

Slip, Sooo incredibly happy for you... (Not that you are up 3lbs, but that you made it to the big M)!!!!! You are doing amazing! In reading through some of the things you've written, I've gotten more info to help Devin with his maintenance, so thanks for that! I'm sure that I'll be using those tips soon enough as well. 99lbs to go

Slip: It is probably a good thing about the white wine. LOL. I am sure the 3lbs will go away quickly, keep doing what you are doing.

Kawaii: You are doing so amazing, 99lbs to go!!! Keep going, one pound at a time! You are such an inspiration, if you can keep going and lose weight so can I.

Seems like there are more people in maintenance (or just about there)then there are "losers" here. LOL Happy to know so many of the Oct. Newbies have reached their goals, gives us "losers" hope that we too can make it to our goals too.

Still on Phase 3 for 8 more days, Dolls! Scale was down a pound today field trip is over and done, yay

As for Life after phase 1 & 2, it is still about planning and making good choices. Pretty much the same skills used during our last 8 months.

Nice weather here today! Was not cold at all

Hi all,

Have decided not to go to the Botanical Garden tomorrow. I have a lot of chores and planting to get done here at home, plus I am tired. Need a day where I get to set the pace.

Went out to plant some stuff tonight and the Mosquitos were munching! 5 bites in 10 minutes. I gave up and came inside.

Slip: Glad the scale is moving again! Enjoy your "set your own pace day"!

We are going to have a lazy day tomorrow too. May get another round of golf in. DH and I golfed today, he drive the cart and I walked and pulled my clubs. I felt great after, last year I wouldn't have even considered walking!

Good morning!

How are all of you? I am determined to be productive today. Breakfast- here I come and then out to the yard. The side of the house near the garden needs washing, deck needs a good sweeping and I have about 100 plant to get in the ground. Wish me energy and determination, because I am tired already

Good Morning Everyone! I'm up early because of my lovely cat who was hungry at 4:55 am and now I can't fall back asleep.

Want2B- Enjoy your lazy day! It's pretty cool to see how much more you're able to do physically without the excess weight.

Slipfree- Congrats on getting through the field trip! You're on the final countdown of P3 and school. Hope you get everything you want to get accomplished in your garden.

It's good to hear that P3 and maintenance sound manageable. I'm going to need to do some research about P3 breakfasts because I was having trouble with wheat and dairy prior to starting IP. I think less processed breads like ezekiel might be ok. We'll see. Hopefully I will know quickly. I'm determined to listen to my body this time around as I add certain foods back in. The ones that make me feel good and healthy are staying and the ones that upset my stomach are not. Sounds like common sense, but I used to eat whatever I wanted even if it hurt my stomach.

After focusing on taking care of myself this past 8 months, my self-care instincts have really kicked in. Not just with food, but in pretty much all areas of my life. I'm still working on things because I will always be a work in progress, but I no longer tolerate things that are bad for me- foods, people, pressure to work unpaid overtime, etc. I feel like I've turned into a protective mama bear for myself.