Molly: I liked that Beck quote. Making mistakes is part of the process of learning to maintain weight.

Kitkat: I hope you are feeling better. Everyone here has days where they get off track or are unmotivated. Like you say, there may be struggles, but underneath it all is a strong will and effort to push through and stay on track.

I have had days where I am uncomfortable with some up pounds. However, the change for me is that in these 2 and one half years, I do not tell myself to give up and blow it on a binge.
For me a phase of maintenance could be a cycle of complacency. You have all of your healthy foods, habits, exercise, going very nicely. Then a few pounds creep up and then do not just go down. So you might allow yourself to be complaisant instead of immediately attacking the problem. However, there is no choice but to end the complacency and to fine tune your life until those pounds go down.

Gazelle: Thanks for your kind words. I hope your week is going well.

Momto2cs: compassion for yourself is so true.

Shawsy: wine was very nice and long months without it.

Cindy: You have a supportive coach who can think out of the IP box.

Ishbel: It is not easy. The registry vows that it will get easier. I was reading a blog talking about that very subject..that maintenance was not easy. I was surprised at the number of people who jumped in and said they agreed..some who had been maintaining for 4 or 5 years. I like your attitude that it is ok to be hungry, to say no and to be different.

Hi All!

Thanks for your conversation and inspiration. I know it's going to be a continuous journey!

I'm a little nervous about taking the plunge out of ketosis. I've put off going to Phase 3 for over a week now, which makes 3 weeks on P2! Ack! I went food shopping so now I have my breakfast foods. I know I don't REALLY have to wait until the weekend to do it, but I want to wait until Friday at least. Not sure why.

I really like the weight I'm at right now. I don't want to lose more - but I don't want to gain either. I know it's time to stop the "losing" phase of this journey and begin to learn to maintain.

I think the good aspect is that I see myself as I am now. I always have seen myself with this body and was always surprised when I saw pictures of myself. I could never believe my body was so big when I pictured myself so much smaller. Now my real body matches the way I saw myself.

Anyway, hello to you all. I'm coming very, very soon.

Thanks for everyone's nice words of support. Today was a better day. I felt like I had time to process what was going on and to recreate some control over life. I saw my coach after work today and I was up a bit in pounds (down in inches!) but also doing a P1 day for the most part. She kept asking me about what I could do differently the next time but I kept stressing that this was unique, i.e. not everyday you leave a company of 19 years. And yes there will be other stressful days but my lesson learned was to plan, plan, plan then stick to the plan. Don't start with what isn't on the plan because that's where I fell. By the time I was explaining this to her though, I had already forgiven myself and was ready to move on.

Tonight I had a nice dinner with a friend from work. She took the opportunity to vent about work as she won't have me to talk to about it much longer. I made a P1 yummy dinner but then finished with blueberries and my homemade yogurt for dessert. Now I'm doing a bit of 3FC with a cup of tea then to bed at a decent hour. Tomorrow I'm only working a half day so I'll start more house-cleaning and packing then.

Maile - Yes, I am very lucky having the coach I do! She is an RN and also an IP veteran, so she understands the challenges.

Joysh - You will do great with maintenance! Yes, there will be ups/downs, but with your determination & the help of everyone here, you will be a long-term success!

KitKat - So glad to hear you've forgiven yourself for the slips and the next day was better. You know what you need to do and you're doing it just right. ((HUGS))

Yay, woke up and the headache was gone! But don't think I'm in ketosis yet, as I don't have the 'taste' in my mouth yet. Today is only day 3, so it's a bit soon.

I found something else to keep me busy during non-work hours to help alleviate the boredom...I'm going to begin selling jewelry through a newer direct-sales company. Not sure about 3FC's policy on naming these things, so until I find out it will remain unnamed. VIP is going to take on a third job in the next month or so, M - Th, 4 pm - midnight, so I will only see him Sat & Sun evenings

Time to get to work - have a good day!

Cindy..That is hard about your VIP taking a thrid job and working evenings. That is a good idea to start a new business to keep busy. My son is working three jobs also..and still barely making it. I hope your Ketosis kicks in.

KitKat. You sound focused and happy. You are sticking to your plan despite all of your mnoving stress. Good for you.

Joysh: Welcome to maintenance! I think it is great that you see yourself as thin..as you are now. Sometimes I h ave trouble seeing myself as thin. I predict you will enjoy p3 breakfasts. Most people love them here.

I just read a great book about getting rid of sugar addiction. It is at home and I will post it. One interested me was that there were four different types of sugar addictions..I assumed there was just one. Most of the solutions are to stay away from sugar and to eat low glycemic, low carb.

Hi everyone! I've been so busy this week that I haven't had time to hang in here very much. Got an inquiry last Friday if I was available for an additional work assignment for a couple of months, and I decided to go for it. But it's been a busy and somewhat stressful week getting acclaimated to the new duties, etc., and getting used to things. I worked for this Co. a couple of years ago, so it's not totally new - but still takes some time to remember and consolidate all this new info in my brain. I generally have a pretty relaxed schedule through the day, but we're on publishing deadlines with these projects (selling advertising for a couple of magazines) and there's definitely little time through the day for much relaxing... or hanging in forums. The longer stretches of being at the computer or one the phone during the day have also brought on a bout of lower back pain. I spent most of today with an ice pack stuck down the back of my pants. LOL. But it did the trick. I've also learned my lesson, and will make sure I take more stretch breaks from now on.

Maintainance-wise all is going well. This morning's check on the scale showed 149.5lbs, so I'm still under my ceiling. Must say that the extra 2 lbs of glycogen regain makes me feel heavy though - because it's all settled in my stomach area. I just don't feel as 'lean and mean' as I did before phasing into maintenance.

Greeniris- glad to see that your coach was so open-minded, and helpful. That means so much. BTW, love the sounds of p/t job selling jewellery. That's tough though, that your VIP has added on a 3rd job. You two will certainly be cherishing your limited amount of together time.

Shawsy - I remember that first glass of wine tasted good too. The odd thing though, is that I was really a bit of a wino pre-diet.... and now I have much less desire for it. And one glass does me.

Kitkat - I was so happy to read that your boss accepted your resignation with grace. That must have been such a relief. Take care of yourself during this stressful period. Be extra kind to yourself.

Joysh - I think once you actually get on P3 it won't seem nearly as daunting. We've been on P1 for so long when it comes time to phase off that it's hard to leave that safe place behind. IT's great that you already 'see yourself' as a slim person. I was a bit like that too - reality always hit me in the face when I saw how big I looked in pictures at my highest weight... I somehow didn't 'feel' that big.

Maile - I'm looking forward to seeing the title of that book re curing sugar addictions. Like you, I was surprised to read you say that there are 4 types of sugar addictions - it's got me curious to read how they're differentiated. It sounds like another one I'd like to add to my reading list. I think reading books like this will help keep me on target through maintenance. The Beck Diet Solution is definitely on that 'must read' list too.

Wingnut, Ishbel, Momto2cs, gazelle - Hi to all of you too!

Cindy, thanks for the encouragement! And you'll be back in ketosis in a day or so. We are so lucky that we know the "secret." I know it's not easy, but in a way it is, because we know what to do. The jewelry sounds really interesting!

Thanks, Maile! I think I'm afraid that I'll like them too much.

Kitkat, you are really in the "transition" mode now, working only half days. It's all so very exciting! Enjoy the adventure!

Thanks, evepet!

Hope all is well with you all! I'm going to take the P3 plunge on Saturday morning with my first P3 breakfast. Looking forward to it. I think I'm nervous that the size 6 jeans that I bought last weekend will start to be tight if I gain 4 pounds. It will remind me of how I felt before I lost weight - tight, uncomfortable clothes. Somehow my logical mind doesn't compute that these jeans are a long way from size 22 that were tight 9 months ago.

Other than that, all is well with me!

Haven't been able to read or post a ton lately, life is very busy and I'm dealing with a few tough situations....but not with food!!! I think I'm finally relaxing into a routine with maintenance that seems to be keeping the scale on my side

KitKat - so many exciting things!!! I'm so glad it went well with your boss, hopefully the last few weeks and your move will pass by without too many bumps in the road.

joysh - Don't worry about loving P3 breakfasts too much - I still do a P3 breakfast every day! I also never saw a big gain in maintenance - I do hover in about a 3-4lb range over the course of a week, but I think that's normal. Most days I'm within a pound of where I was after P2.

One thing I found that helped me deal with the "heavy" feeling I get in my belly now and then is homemade ginger tea. You take ginger root and slice about a knuckle-sized piece into thin slices. Boil in 2-3 cups of water for about 15 minutes. It's great hot or cold, sometimes I add fruit or a little sweetener but most days I just have it with a Tbsp of lemon juice. It's very anti inflammatory, and good for the digestive tract. Plus no caffeine, so it counts towards my daily water!

Good idea! I've put fresh ginger root on tomorrow's shopping list. I'm also bothered by just feeling a bit 'heavy' as you say, in the stomach, even if it isn't really affecting my weight that much. I'll give this a try.

joysh WELCOME! for Phase 3 breakfasts! I love your before and after pics in your signature, you look fabulous.

scorbett1103 Good tip, I forget about ginger in tea because I like my spearmint tea....might have to pick some of that up this weekend... Hope things settle down for you soon!

evepet Nothing like an icepack in your pants to make you feel great LOL (once in a while got one myself) Do you still use your gagets when it bothers you? I've had to give the laser back to the VIP's father...but I think I'm ok.

Lizz Hope all is well with you!

maile I'm sure it will get easier but I think it might get easier because you just accept that how you maintain is just how it is for you (and give up fighting it lol). It's most definately easier then it was when I started...the anxiety flares and then it goes away. I'm looking forward to less flare ups in the years to come. Your continued and gentle presence on this board gives me oodles of comfort thanks for hanging out!

Had porkchops last night with low fat mushroom soup...added too much water (forgot that the meat adds juices)...SO yummo! Haven't had that in a while, made enough for leftovers tonight and I'm SO looking forward to it.

Ishbel
If you look at some low carb sites there are some excellent recipes that use plain Greek yogurt for mushroom soup pork chops instead of the canned soup. It works very well as a high protein alternative.

I have one on my list, I just wanted campbells mushroom soup for the first time in 3 years LOL...shhhh

Yep - that's what you call being kept on ice. LMAO. I did the ice pack down my pants routine again today too. Funny how even though it's still cold, it becomes much less noticeable after a while. And my repetoire of gadgets have indeed been recycled back into service over the last 48 yrs or so. I've been doing this since I was about your age, so I've got the routine down pat by now. I'm still a bit 'twingy' but I think I stopped it before it developed into a more full-blown & acute stage of back pain this time around.

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We've had a significant ice storm since last night. Woke up to the odd sight of icicles anywhere from 6-12" hanging from all across my balcony railing... ice coating the trees and shrubs; and the hydro and utility cables obviously sagging in places. As a result I was without electricity most of the morning, and my phone-internet-cable TV service was also interrupted for most of the day. So I had a 'forced' holiday. Worked to my advantage, since I preferred because of nursing my lower back back to health not to sit at the phone or computer quite so much today. So I got my wish, and didn't even have to feel guilty. It's still stormy, with this cold, icy rain coming down. I'm so sick of this winter!!! Blick.

Scorbett, thanks. It's encouraging to know that I can stay close to where I am right now. I like the way my clothes are fitting.

Actually, I plan on eating a lot of the lunches and dinners that I've eaten in P1 and P2. I love to eat this way!

Hang in there with your tough situations! Hope it gets smoother soon!

Thanks, Ishbel! I'm definitely having fun with clothes!

Oooh, an ice storm in April! Relaxation without guilt!
And tomorrow we have an outdoor jazz and R&B Festival here in my little Louisiana town! It will be a beautiful, sunny spring day!

Now THAT sounds like a whole lot more fun that this ice storm! And I luv the sounds of a 'beautiful, sunny spring day!!!'.