Hi ladies...

Wow, quite a few of us going through some tough times, and that certainly does make this journey a bit tougher some days.

I want to thank you all for helping me to get back up this week. You don't just fall down while you are losing weight! LOL Some of us crash and burn and we don't even have weight to lose like when we started!!

I continue to be hard on myself...so stopping and breathing has helped...being more forgiving of ourselves us really huge.

I will get stronger, but it just may not happen as quickly as I would like...obviously Just so grateful for the support right here...truly!

I have been thinking...there are many items I used to have that don't appear to get to be a regular part of my diet...even now that I am on Maintenance. Can't go back to what we used to do or we will be right back where we started....I do get that. I have an idea, and need someone to tell me how it sounds...

I WI once per week...so every 7 days. In that 7 days, what if I tried "Green Menu" 4 of them, and the other 3 days let loose a bit? For example: I LOVE cereal, but it has NOT been a part of my diet while losing weight. What if I had it 3 mornings a week, and my normal items the other 4? Maybe instead of a salad every time I do Subway, I could have an actual sandwich once or twice a week? My dinners are pretty consistent....and no real desire to change those.

I don't know...does this sound like I am heading down the wrong path or way of thinking doing it this way? Like now, I can have snacks mid afternoon....but I get worried that if I don't choose a "hard boiled egg" I might gain. Maybe I am being paranoid...

Patzi? What does a typical day look like for you...meals/snacks?

Any ideas?? I would love a discussion on this!

Tami...
I am still experimenting, as I have so many trigger points... Today is a typical day for me...Remember Tami... Journal. This is so important as if you gain, take journal in to consultant and go overit and you would be surprised what they pick up as the reason.

Breakast... Egg quiche muffin( recipe I put in recipe forum) and 2 home made sausage patties, , Coffee, soy milk, and sweetened with stevia, small cup of strawberries. If I have cereal for breakfast have it twice a week only, as this is a trigger with me.. I mean cold cereal. Oatmeal is fine.

Snack... soy mozzarella cheese, basil, tomato & a light dressing.Most of time I do not have a snack during day because I would rather have the baked oatmeal. Today I felt like it so brought it into work & yup, ate it..
HNS

Lunch... Homemade Greek turkey burger, string beans , mixed tropical fruit

Every day I have baked oatmeal with Greek yogurt or fat free ricotta cheese on top that has been sweetened with stevia & sprinkled with Jello powder, usually lemon. I have that when I get home with iced coffee If I want a bigger piece of baked oatmeal, I forego any carb like bread or grain at night

Supper... Barbecued chicken, veggies plus a green veggie like collards, kale, etc... 1/4 cup of brown rice.

Snack at night... Cocoa ...

Tami... I cannot eat carbs at night, as I gain.. If I eat carbs have to have fat with it, and I won't gain, so I just don't bother.

Also most of the time I have 1 HNS and one creamy, sometimes I have none. Depends on if I feel like it.. I eat what I want , when I want it, and hope for the best. If a gain, rethink it..

If I am out and want wine, I have no fruit at all during the day, and usually light on carbs.

Any questions on this, please ask.

Patzi

I think you are on the right track with having some consistent go to meals. Maybe with the cereal, start with having a breakfast you've been having 5 or 6 of the days, just switching to cereal 1 or 2 (non consectutive days)...then if you don't see a gain and your general well being isn't any different....you could add another. Same with the lunch. Try a sub one day of the week. If it doesn't cause gain and you want a 2nd, have a second day. If you know about how many calories you want to consume per meal, you can easily make 3 or 4 "go to" meals in that calorie range. That is how I'm going to approach it (that's what I was working on now. I have 3 weeks of stabilization left, but started looking at what my basic plan will be...and as I want to add things in I'll do it slowly, just making one change at time). One thing I am hoping for is that I'll be able to have one evening meal a week that I can be a little looser...pizza (much less than I used to and with a salad) or enchilladas or something. My go to noon meals will continue to be a chicken salad or "pumpkin" pie (made with spagetti squash) and eggs/toast for breakfast. But i'm with you, if I can have cereal even just one day it will break up the monotony...but I also don't want to open it wide to all the possible options, that's when I start to overeat. My sister and I were just talking about this yesterday...that we tend to want to treat each meal of our day as a "feast"...when really such a mindset should be reserved for truly special occasions.

BigDog, Thank you so very much for posting this recipe! Any baked goods (especially chocolate) are my weakness. I plan to try this recipe this week.

You have this down pat.. Pizza will be fine, it is all in moderation... And when you are having it , enjoy it. You deserve to be at this point of your challenge.. Many times when I have a meal out like this, I will do the green menu the next day and then go back to maintenance...Sometimes I do not. You said one thing that is so important.. You don't want to open it wide to all the possible options and maybe overeat.. I feel the same way.. I am glad you posted this. All invaluable information you have stated that I know will help others on this board.

Patzi

All things in moderation...including moderation

patzi-it was you telling how you try one thing at a time and leave it out if it causes gain that has helped me develop the strategy of just adding in one thing at a time and not making big changes...it totally makes sense to me. When I got my stabilization plan and the list of starches opens up widely I at first was happy then thought "what if I start eating these and gain it all back"...so I'll try one new starch a week (when I first add to my noon meal I'm going to just do melba or bread since I know those don't cause me to gain).

What a great discussion about maintenance. I think I'm about a month away from stabilization. At my center they have stabilization once a month and it is usually the last Tuesday of the month. Well I have paid for program time through the month of March so does that mean I that I have to wait until the end of April to stabilize. I would be OK with that since it would give me extra time to get to my goal which is 5 pounds less than their goal for me. I'm not going to mention it unless they bring it up and try to cut me short.

I went to WI today and saw a number I haven't seen in a LONG time. 199! I made it to onederland! I lost a pound since Friday. It always worries me when I WI on Tuesday because the weekends are a little more difficult since I have more options available at home. At work I have what I bring and that's all. Sometimes when I'm home, I have the wondering mind and think I could have this or that to eat. Granted I don't usually eat what I'm thinking about but it's still easier when I'm at work.

Y-way to go! 199! 199!!

Had an emotional moment (opened a hornet's nest at work...figuratively, not literally)...had my "supper" melba to deal. Ugh...would have been better to just not give in at all.

I put a recipe called baked oatmeal in the recipe thread.. I have always made this in a pan and I double recipe as my hubby also eats it.. A friend of mine tried making it into muffins and said they came out great..

Patzi

Well I think I most definitely haven't taken adding foods slowly. I have been so excited that I am trying everything....obviously not wise since now I can't point to any one item in particular that may be a cause for gain. Well lesson learned from Tami ladies! There is no hurry...Maintenance means gradual additions. I just want to know what I can have and all that I can have right now...and it doesn't work like that. I am always in a hurry...lol
Maintenance is sorta hard...but once we figure out our own bodies, the better off we will be in the long run! The proble with Patzi's oatmeal bake is that it is too good to stop at one serving!! I need to stick with foods I don'tike so much...seriously

This is such a good conversation about maintenance! I think it should probably not look all that much different than the diet, really: more variety perhaps bit not a radically increased amount of anything. I am coming to see that a lot of carbs really are not worth it. And like Patzi. I gain when I eat them at night.

Hello march board! I am back after getting married, having a baby and now getting laid off. I figure I have the spare time I should take advantage of my time at home to work out, eat healthy and win this fight against fat! I need to change my name. I am thinking Not a Fat Mom? Or maybe FutureMILF? Maybe not the milf that might be a little weird. My center is completely different. Do they not take blood pressure anymore?

Does anyone have any new fun workout recommendations? Getting sick of pilates, yoga ahd stationary bike.

Looking forward to being a loser this month.

Susie-I posted earlier that I"m loving my Jackie WArner power circuit DVD for workouts...but the whole thing was too much when I was on metaslim...I could do the 15 minute total body. I also like any dance workout.

camaswa-you're exactly right...I think true maintenance that lasts doesn't look a ton different, just some bigger portions, a few more options (I mean they are really unlimited...but self-limiting to control overeating), and PLANNED splurges and then getting right back to healthy eating.

My interview is tomorrow. Ended up going with a pair of pants I already had and a button up I got at a consignment store. The pants I bought needed one of those thick belts (which I bought)...but then for shirts that hit a little longer it jut didn't look right. Taking them back and getting the ones I really liked even if I have to order them. Day 1 of stabilization was good. Big busy day tomorrow so I won't have much time to thinki about eating (that's when it's good for me to be in robot mode AND have stuff cooked and ready to go).

I'd like to join, I just signed up today, and go for my menu orientation this Friday. Honestly I could use all the encouragement I can get. (I have a love hate relationship with carbs and diets... :/)
Also I'm going out of town on the 14th AND will be hosting a birthday party this weeken, *willpower, don't fail me now!*