I think one of the hardest things is going back to Phase 1 ..especially Phase 1 breakfast, when you are loving Phase 3 breakfasts! It needs to be done.

Cap..I noticed that the maintainers have the attitude of staying on track through holidays and every day. This does not fit with the free day..and increasing leptin...but it seems to work. Hopefully you will get those pounds off and like you said carry that food conscious attitude with you when you travel.

Sewingmomma; let's hope we are building muscles at the gym!!

Cindy: great job on transitioning.

Locopollo: Hope the scale is OK today..There is always Phase 1.

Novs: gald you figured out a calorie for maintenance.

Ishbel: Shakes are needed..but I miss my Phase 3 breakfast on those days.

I got my packet. Now to see if the registry accepts my pictures.

I agree. Doing P1 when not in ketosis is pure torture. Which is what makes the 1st 3-4 days horrible when starting IP. I am on Day 9 of full blown reboot mode. I lost 5.6 the first week, so I am pretty happy about that! Now I just have a few more pounds to go to get back to goal. I will probably try to get a few under to create another cushion, especially with the holidays right around the corner.

When I have a few moments, I need to go back and read through those posts and figure out what calories are for when I am back in maintenance.

Maile,

So nice to see a face to the name, you have done great! I can't (for whatever reason) post pics. Hubby is an IT guy and said he can't figure out why it won't post either. So I don't feel so bad. I had to "friend" WUV so she could see me on Facebook
YOu LOOK Great

Scale not too bad. Yesterday was a Phase 2 day with extra whey. I feel better today and won't eat as much.

Cap, I have the same vacation issues. Even when I do OK on vacation, I will come home and un-diet myself so that vacation bloat has a chance to settle in and become permanent. I am struggling with how to deal with this as I have two vacations this month, a week with houseguests and thanksgiving week in Florida next month. Obviously I have to figure it out, and I will get lots of practice!

Phone posting...boo.

Are you using an iPad? I can't post pics from mine, but I was able to change my avatar pic on a "real" computer.

I love phase 1....I always feel best eating this way. I have no problems reverting to phase1 during the week. I do consider my weekends my refeed, although I'm not sure I always have sufficient carbs for this to be a cyclical ketogenic diet...and I don't vary my workouts based on diet-it's at least 60 mins a day, 6 days a week, regardless.

Routine is my friend!

I might have to try this.... I am not quite where I want to be. Close, but not quite. At this point, I think any loss for me will be slow, even on phase 1. I would enjoy some weekend carbs, even though that might my Mondays rough.

I usually find Tuesday to be my hungry day. Sunday I don't work out. Monday I do a hard class, and so I think by Tuesday my stomach is empty! Sometimes it's Monday night, but if I want it I just eat extra protein at dinner.

This works well for maintains, but if you are trying to lose I think you will really need to limit the weekend extras. Otherwise you will go up and down the same 2 or 3 pounds every week. That is how I had maintained since 2011. I know if I really want to get down 5 more I probably need a few more weekends with no extras!

I should probably get over it for now and enjoy maintenance until my vacations are over. I could Phase 1 through December. It would be good for me! No vacations in December either. Just holiday parties, where it's better to stay on plan anyway.

That is probably the best plan. Otherwise the obsession with what you can and can't eat will make you miserable!

Plus, after all that is going on, I will probably need a reboot!

I am happy to report that after visiting my clinic today my weight is down 8 pounds according to their scale. Not great but sure a whole lot better than the last number I saw. Now to dig in and make it past the 3 week mark.
I agree with Mom2cs that my body feels at it's best on Phase 1. It is a bit difficult mentally for me as I get a bit of a fog for the first bit and occasionally thereafter but I am happy to be focused and losing rather than feeling out of control and gaining. I really do think I need to mourn the loss of sugar & flour and move on with my life. Refeed day or no, these two substances are bad news.
We have cleaned out the pantry so there is no more junk in the house. It really has lightened my load in the sense that I have to say no so much less frequently to myself. I remember Maile when you posted a bit about how it is the continuous decision making that can wear a person down and make them more susceptible to bad choices. It is very true.
Loco I would definitely encourage you to stick to phase 4 as written despite vacation and house guests. It builds so much confidence and just makes it so much easier when you 'stick to it' rather than trying to get off and on and off and on.

I feel best living low carb on a regular basis as well. I do try to avoid flour and sugar, and typically avoiding one means avoiding the other.

I couldn't resist and I checked the scale this morning, down to 137. I am 2# from goal, and I am thinking I will probably go for a few under to give myself a cushion as we approach the holiday season. And I am quite sure I will be back on P1 in January! Saturday is my official weigh day, so I am hoping to be down another 1/2 pound or so by then, which would be a great week for week 2.

It is getting a bit easier to be back in P1. I still miss breakfast and the flexibility of maintenance, but at least I am not hungry anymore. I am on Day 10, and hopefully I only have about 20 more to go!

Nice work!!! I will be joining you in January, I imagine.

Bellamack: Thanks for the support!

Congrtulations everyone on losing on Phase 1 and going down!

cap: I had forgotten about that..Now I remember..that if you avoid resistance and keep yourself in positve environments, you will be stronger. If you have to resist all of the time, it wears you down. Thanks for that reminder. Great job on 8 pounds.

Jenny..I live best in low carb low sugar also. Phase 1 well done.

Polloloco: Good luck with the upcoming vacations. Planning ahead is good.

locco- Lol! I am sure the reboot thread will be jumping in January!