Hello everyone! I'm new to maintenance - started two weeks ago but have been on vacation and stuffing my face the whole time (oops). My first WI (this morning) since finishing phase 3 was ugly... 8 pound gain, 6 of which was fat. I wanted to cry, but then again I knew what I was doing all along and enjoyed myself. So I really had nothing to cry about! Things happen, you move on.

Having said that, I'm not sure how to start getting back into things. Should I buy some IP products or alternatives and do a mini Phase 1/2/3 for a week or so? Or should I just jump on the Phase 4 plan and see where it takes me?

I also wanted to ask, as this has been bugging me since I started Phase 4 (if you could call it that), does it get any easier? I thought I'd enjoy the freedom of being able to eat more things, but I find instead that I miss the structure of the earlier phases. I had to think about what I ate, but at the same time I didn't.

As a relative newbie to this phase, I'd appreciate any advice, tough love, etc.

Good morning IP family! I've missed these boards! Been traveling a lot since school let out at end of June. I'll be home for a couple of weeks, then one more trip in late August before we head back. I've been eating mostly P3, but really not being too careful at all - having flatbread roll ups for lunch, wine almost daily, and many other things I know I shouldn't. I was pleasantly surprised to see only a 3 lb gain on Saturday when I got home. Tried to eat better Sunday, but wasn't perfect P1, did P1 yesterday, and am back at 149 this morning! I'm thrilled.
But now I'm struggling with the question about the "goal" of 149 I set for myself. I'm wondering if I should try to stay on P1 longer and get a bit lower into my 'recommended' range. I've not been in the 140's in over 25 years... any suggestions?
I'd love your advice in this area, as I seem to remember reading that some of you also struggled with defining the ideal goal weight.

Maile - Good luck with your move and reorganization. Our school reconfigured this year, closed one entire building, shifted 4 grade levels to other buildings... so much chaos! Thankfully I was one of the few who was not relocated. I moved twice in the two years prior tho, so I know what you're going through.

Patn - I agree with you about not perseverating on carbs. I find that I rarely even think about them, as my cooking has largely eliminated them. I have been using the 'Flatout' brand of flatbread wraps and pita pockets for lunches tho. (100 cal, 17 g carbs, 8 g dietary fiber, 9 g protein)

Purple, my coach told me that she attended a big IP seminar and that red wine will not put weight on during maintenance (within reason, of course) She said I could drink 1-2 glasses per day without suffering a gain. Luckily for me, I like red wine.

Capricious, How are you doing with the intermingling of both plans? I always love reading your posts - you approach everything in such a thoughtful way. Thank you for the muffin recipe - I can't wait to try it with berries.

Ishbel, So glad you enjoyed your trip. I can't wait to go back... tentatively in 2013. You mentioned quinoa... I've never tried it. What would you compare the flavor / texture to?

Senuse, Welcome! I use alternatives from Nashua Nutrition daily. I love their Irish Cream and Amaretto cocoa mixes. I put them in coffee. The beauty of them is that they are designed to be mixed into a hot liquid, so I can eliminate the chore of finding the shaker, cold water, shake, add to coffee.... I also use many of the HealthSmart snacks from that site. Hubby even likes them (He had some one day when we were on a ferry, and very delayed in eating... he said "These are way better than I expected".
My day looks like:
Coffee with protein mix in morning.
Yogurt w/ berries mid/late morning (snack)
flatbread wrap or salad with meat for lunch.
HealthSmart snack - protein chips or a bar, or sometimes green peppers or celery sticks. (I got addicted to green peppers during P1, just love 'em)
Normal dinner -- whatever we decide. Often meat on grill, fresh veggies, red wine.

So far I'm doing relatively well with maintenance but I'm not in any way kidding myself that this is easy. It's still new to me too... which is why I plan to visit here as much as possible.
Hang in with us, we'll support each other as best we can.

Thanks patns, did you try to make sure you were getting the extra carbs you would have got from the grains elsewhere, ie fruit, etc.? I just want to make sure that I'm approaching this in the best way as everything I read emphasizes the importance of doing Phase 3 correctly.

Thank you cap and Dakin for the wine suggestions. I have been playing around with it and it is a tricky one for me. I wake up rough the next morning no matter how little I have. But, I think you are right. I don't think there is a weight gain the next morning after the wine. It usually depends on what I ate with it. It's more that nasty carb hangover feeling that I don't like. Any amt does it to me. Just a few sips, even.

Ishbel, my graduating class mate, We are approaching 3 months, isn't that craziness. Yes, sneuse, it does get easier. But, it is not easy at first and you may find that it gets harder as you try new and different carbs. There will be some you will not be able to return to and some that you are surprised you can eat with no ill effects on the scale the next morning. I think the most challenging for me is that carb hangover feeling I get the next morning accompanied with that uncomfortable bloated feeling that lasts several days. Most report feeling back to normal by Wed or Thurs. The cyclical aspect of the one binge/treat/cheat day does not work for me. It's mostly because of that carb hangover feeling I get the next day. I am typing now feeling rough.

I usually go back to my P3 and the weight comes down. I think some have to do a P1 or P2 till the weight drops back down, especially after a vacation. I might have to do that soon. Did you find that some carbs were not as enjoyable as you remembered?

MaMaZu, congratulations on P3. It's a tricky phase. A chance to find out what carbs you are super sensitive to. I think I tried bread once or twice and once I got into a routine around yogurt and berries I was fine. But during P3 I found I was a little more sensitive to cereal (even low or no wheat) and gluten free breads. I still eat yogurt and berries almost every morning. There are enough carbs in the yogurt. Now, one challenge is that dairy and fruit (sugar) can sometimes bring on inflammatory stuff. Sometimes coffee. So, you have to play around with things. Even turkey bacon has some sugar. I have also found that I am now less sensitive to certain items I thought I was sensitive to during P3 and early into maintenance. So, I keep experimenting.

Maile. Perceptions around weight is interesting, isn't it? I mean there are all kinds of numbers out there for ideal weight ranges. But, some of us has to be above or below those numbers to feel healthy or comfortable. I was losing too much padding on my bottom side so I stopped. Otherwise I may have continued. This diet can be addictive as you watch that scale drop. I sort of miss that. All communities and towns are different. Some value curves and fuller figures. Some value leaner more athletic bodies. I think they are all good and don't want to look like everyone else. Though there are days where I wish I had a few more inches on my height. LOL! I have just been shocked at how dramatically different I have been treated. Like I am a better or more interesting person now.

Ishbel, I love hearing about your mother. So cool. She gets it. She gets you. We need support through this process. Not, "oh, come on, you can have a little..." I do go to stores with normal sizes. It's just that I am surprised at how small many still are here. Either they have amazing metabolisms or they don't eat.

I just believe that we need to feel happy and healthy. And that could have broad range in sizes and weights but that's okay. Other people's perceptions can really mess with you.
You need to stop losing.
I like my curves
Are you still going to lose more?

You can't win for losing, literally.

Purple Sky: I think there are studies that show that people are discriminated against for being overweight in the job hiring market. It is a crazy world. Even though you are the same person, I am at least glad you are being treated better! I ususally don't gain weight after wine. have you tried drinking lots of water with it? How was the recipe? It looked good.

Mamazu: there are carbs in the fruit and yogurt. I would stay away from wheat with that reaction. You can make pancakes from almond flour or coconut flour. Legumes have carbs also.

Senuse: yes it does get easier. Phase 3/4 seem overwhelming and scary at first ..then you find what you can eat. I usually eat a Phase 1 very low carb day when my weight goes up. I don't use the packets anymore.
I also keep a fairly controlled structure...very similar to phase 2.

Dakin: I changed my goal weight twice. Originally it was 142..Then I seemed to keep losing and went into the 30s. I had not been in the thirties in many years. Then somehow I ended up breaking into the twenties. My body seems to have settled there. But to answer your question, I am much happier with being below my goal..by 3 pounds..so if I go up 3 pounds, I do not panic. ....I am typing from my class as we speak. I have spent the day moving with the janitor.

Determined: I was out of tough with the prices of purses..and am probably out of touch with shoes also. My son's girlfriend who is a college student, buys herself one new purse each year..the last one was a $1000 whihc she got on sale for $500. Each to his own. Your town of 300 is small..My work town is 7000 and my living town is 40,000.

Patns: I also eat my carbs for breakfast. This morning I had half an ear of sweet wonderful corn for breakfast..in place of my raspberries..Crazy, but that corn was sweet and wonderful.

Thank you for the support and tips. I really appreciate yours and everyone's input. I think I'm going to buy some of the Healthsmart products and probably Nashua Nutrition as well. I've heard great things about them both, and I'm thinking it'll help the day after a cheat day! After being without it for two weeks, I realized pretty quickly I needed this forum to help keep me in the right mind set. It's supportive people like you guys that make it easier!

Sadly, everything has been as enjoyable as I thought and remembered.... it makes it harder to want to shape back up. BUT I worked hard to lose the weight and I'm not going to gain it all back in a few weeks because I have crazy cravings!! Okay maybe a little, but not ALL of it

I think I need the structure. It can be annoying at times (I feel like my entire Sunday is spent cooking and preparing) but it really takes the edge off mid week.

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful and helpful suggestions. Yes, I knew before IP that I had a grain/carb sensitivity that largely manifested itself with my fibromyalgia. I guess I was just hoping I could at least barrel through Phase 3 per the program and then make maintenance grain free. Now thinking that's probably not a good idea.
My main concern is making sure my pancreas is rebooted correctly, will tinker around and keep you posted, thanks again!

No I got myself so stressed about what carbs to add back I just gave up on it. Well not totally, I did add some fruit back but have to limit that too as I an eat fruit by the bucketful.

I was concerned about the "waking" the pancreas but then thought to heck with it and just let it sleep.

So I did phase 2 again and went on to maintenance. Now I realize I should have added oats as I don't have an issue with that. But I didn't think of it because the alternative oatmeal packages were so easy.


But here is something I tried in maintenance that may be helpful. I have a cook book I have been looking at all through phase 1 and planning what to make in maintenance. It is called The Glycemic Load Cookbook.
The recipes are by Dana Carpender.

This recipe is for a bread machine. I tried the recipe as she gave it and it had WW flour. I thought I'd give it a go as it was 2/3 cups of flour and the bread should be cut into 12 slices so I thought it would not be very much whole wheat for one slice.

But I ended up just having half a slice as I was still concerned about the wheat. It was fantastic, hubby loved it too so I let him eat it all. Now I am going to try it again using oat flour and see if that works as well. The loaf could be cut into more slices easily to cut the calories but I like the amount of protein. I don't quite understand the addition of vital wheat gluten and will have to check further about that.

Using the recipe as given and cut into it is 12 slices each slice is 189 cal;6 gr fat, 24 gr protein,12 gr carbs, 4 gr fiber


Oatmeal_Marmalade Bread

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vital wheat gluten
3/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 T sucanat
3 T low sugar marmalade (I used WF apricot spread)
1 T butter; melted
1 envelope active dry wheat

Put the boiling water and rolled oats in the machine and let sit for 30 minutes
Add the rest of the ingredients in the order given, put the melted butter around the edges, the marmalade in the corners and make a small well in the center to put the yeast in.

Bake according to the machines directions for WW bread.

The bit of bread I tried did not cause my bad reactions to wheat but I am definitely going to try it with oat flour instead.

But it looks like the vital wheat glutin is just plain glutin, so with an intolerance it will likely cause the same problems as regular bread.

Pat

MaMaZu

The bread may be risky for you as I don't know about the vital wheat glutin and I don't know if you can handle oats. If so here is a "pancake" I had when doing Dukan. That plan is ultra low carb but he recommends a bit of oat bran to combat constipation.

He uses quark which is a German soft cheese and crazy expensive here, so I used Greek yogurt instead.

Mix
1 egg
2 T Quark or Greek Yogurt
2 T Oat Bran
If too stiff add a bit of skim milk
Cook it slowly over medium heat in a slightly oiled pan

Pat

I'll definitely give this a try,sounds great! Thanks so much!

Patns: Those look like good recipes..plus I have a breadmaker..I am going to try quark. Your comment about letting the pancreas sleep was amusing. I am going to check out that cookbook..as I try to stay low glycemic..corn was not low glycemic.

Sneuse: It is a lot of work to stay healthy. I felt like my weekends were spend shopping and cooking to be ready for the week!

Mamazu: Good luck with your experimenting.

Ishbel: I was sorry to hear about your pain. Are you feeling better? That was a powerful reaction to wheat. If it was like gallbladder pain, it was awful!

So yesterday I had 3 students and the janitor helping me lift furniture in my room. as it was 95 degrees I told them I would get them some icecream..So here I am driving with 4 Dairy Queen Blizarrds..milkshakes. I started thinking boy it has been a long time since I have had one..ie years..The physical presence of food can set off a trigger..fortunately I gave them to my helpers.

Netrition.com has Dixie Carb Counters classic Muffin Mix..It is gluten free with no sugar alcohols. It is excellent..1 net carb.

Wow so many of us are teachers!. I am a teacher but now working as a consultant, still for my school board but not in my own classroom. More in a coaching position.
We go to school until the end of June and are back usually the last week in August. But I will have to do some assessments of new "special" students in mid August so time is passing fast.
I bring up the teacher point because there is a very common pattern for teachers and weight issues that I read about which makes sense to me.

We are so incredibly busy and multi-tasking at such rapid speeds that we are not really processing much about ourselves. So the day passes in a blur and we are often not eating or if we are not processing what we are eating.

So late afternoon after the last young 'un is out the door we are exhausted and starving. In that state we seek out carbs and very often take in most of our foods late afternoon into the evening. Most of what we can grab easily while doing all the school stuff that piles up when the kids are there plus going home and preparing food for family leads to very unhealthy eating patterns.

It takes very deliberate planning to break this pattern which is why I think IP worked so well for many of us. The structure and the convenience of the packets is just what the Dr ordered, not to mention the braking of the carb addiction as schools are awash with processed carbs.
So cheers for Dr.Chanh Tran Tien!
Pat

So glad I didn't confuse the issue with my bread talk!

I was thinking later how upset I had been when I couldn't handle phase 3. I felt like such a failure and was sure I was going to regain all my weight back overnight. If I could handle dairy it would have been easier as I love yogurt and berries. But a few days of morning yogurt and the sinus infections began. I can only have a few tablespoons of yogurt a day so the Dukan pancake is great for me.

So I went back on phase 2 to finish the time I should have been on phase 3 and then went on to maintenance. That has not been too hard so I forgot how upset I was on phase 3. I thought I was going to live with a comatose pancreas forever! Maybe I am but maintenance is far easier for me than phase 3.

You will work your way through this step too.

Pat

[QUOTE=Maile;4414876]Patns: Those look like good recipes..plus I have a breadmaker..I am going to try quark. Your comment about letting the pancreas sleep was amusing. I am going to check out that cookbook..as I try to stay low glycemic..corn was not low glycemic.

QUOTE]


I am so glad you and other successful maintainers stop back in on this thread. So many people are successful then disappear. I always wonder how they are doing long term.

For me the biggest learning curve with the whole journey is maintenance.
I have lost huge amounts of weight on many types of diets but have never learned to maintain. So I really have to work my way through it this time.

What I love about that cookbook is that it is Glycemic load, not Glycemic Index. GL takes into account how much of a certain food you would be able to eat rather than just what the Index is.

I love so many of the recipes in the book but know if I go all out with them I will regain quickly. So I am picking some carefully to try but will not have them everyday. I am also using some from the Carb Sensitivity program to work in too.
I have the original book that goes with the GL cookbook, it is by Rob Thompson.
But all the info in that is in the cookbook.

I am up 3 pounds so need to get that off before I can dip into these recipes. Too many outings and fresh fruit in July so need to buckle down again.

Pat

Last year I did corn for breakfast. Yum. I do believe it resulted in some successful bathroom time. That and mangoes. I have not yet ventured back to those this year. Yum. I am slowy adding fruits back in but if strawberries are sweet and juicey I can't step eating them. I found sliced apples at costco. They make a nice snack for me, since I am too lazy to cut it up myself and they have the nutritional info on the package.

The almond butter bars I made this weekend were good, so good I ate most of the pan so I am on the fence about their success. I suspect if I ate the proper portion (1/4) I would have been fine.

Dairy Queen. Sometimes I find the smell of sweets to be most challenging

I wanted to ask you guys about the Carb Sensitivity Program book since it comes out here soon. I know Dr. Turner focuses on hormones. Is this book mostly for women or will her recipes and suggestions work for both men and women? It is available on Amazon here in about 2 weeks.