Maile:

Thanks for your gentle approach to everyone on this thread. You really understand the experience of feeling the "failure" of the yo-yo because you have lived it.

Yes, sometimes lectures help but mostly it helps to know someone cares, has lived through it, and has overcome it.

I lost 60lbs the "conventional" way - calorie counting and lots of gym time but I regained it all when my (formerly) military husband had a change of duty station and our live was chaos for several weeks.

Many people who are on IP will tell you the same story. It is easy to fall back into bad eating habits and regain because society's eating habits are poor - we are surrounded by advertising and fast-food outlets tempting us to resume the junk food diet. Friends love you regardless of your weight so they can often be the biggest hurdle to overcome, especially in your 20s when it's hard to feel like "one of the crowd" when you are trying to eat in a different way than everyone else.

One of the issues I recognised in myself was that I stopped stepping on the scales. When you don't know how much you're gaining it's easy to say "but it's just 2 lbs, I can lose that easily". The reality is that you won't, you will gain another two and increase the amount that you "can" lose.

At some stage you will have to face those social events with the ability to say "No, that's not for me, but I appreciate you offering". When you eat out, order food you can have. Yes, it will probably come with sides that you can't, but you will eventually rewire your brain to say that you CAN leave food on the plate. Drinks are harder, because a social life when young often involves alcohol. Have one to be social then switch to sparkling water. Most people don't notice what you're drinking after the first couple anyway, so don't feel embarrassed to switch.

Just keep getting back on target, as often as you need. This is for your long term health and you need to give yourself as many chances as it takes!

This is a lifelong change we're all making and most people aren't going to succeed the first time unless they have a very strong support network and understanding friends and family.

How long were your exercise sessions? What amount of weight did you start with? What intensity did you start with? I really need to incorporate more exercise into my routine. I have been an avid exerciser in the past, but have taken a hiatus from exercise for a few years. I would like to get some muscle built back up so my metabolism will kick in when I get to maintenance. You have been an inspiration to me with your weight loss and fitness.

Hi Kristin..nice to meet you! (my daughter kristin spells her name with an i too!)

My initial exercise routine was something I did not have to think about...

Instead of trying to figure it out on my own, I joined a women's gym that has a circuit with 16 stations and cardio recoup pads in between the stations. All muscle groups are worked and the routine is adjusted by the trainers weekly in regard to settings and time on between stations to keep your body from getting used to the "tension"...the members do not have the ability to adjust equipment for themselves...you just go with it! It is tougher some weeks than others...and some people skip certain stations if it is too difficult.The place plays rockin' music(120 beats per minute), and the times at each station vary each week...some weeks it is 1X around at 90 seconds between prompts ...others it is 45 seconds and 2X around...and another times it might be 1 minute...then pick 4 more stations to repeat. One comes in and just does the circuit that is programed for the week...(I hear curves is a similar set up....but mine is an independently owned women's workout establishment...and was not ever a Curves and some members who have done curves say this is a better routine.) Of course when it's not busy you can do your own thing....and spend as long or as little as you want on each exercise. There is also a decent amount of cardio equip like treadmills, bikes and ellipticals. Also balls, hula hoops, kettleballs, weights and balance equipment, mats and the typical gym stuff. Several classes are offered daily .. walkfit class , fusion circuit, cardio blaster circuit and 1:1 Personal Trainers for anyone who wants either private or group training. It was a perfect place to get me back into it. Not at all intimidating and very friendly. The circuit takes about 40 minutes. I added a bit after a while to get me up to an hr 6 days a week. Regularly the owner has fitness challenges, weightloss challenges, (fundraisers too...wounded warriors ...breast cancer etc...) and the challenges are rewarded with real cash prizes!

Originally I did circuit training routine as set by the management 3 days a week, and rode a recumb bike 45-60 min on the other 3 days. (reached 10 miles in 1 hr at level 4 difficulty at the 1 year mark. I had been at goal for 6 months by then. ) It is "fun" (sort of) and I've made friends after a year and a half of it and we celebrate birthdays, reirements and other events with coffee at a local coffee place from time to time after our 7 AM workouts. I still follow this 5 days, but now have added a more rigorous session of weights and strength training 2 X a week, and added 20 minutes on the rowing machine. These 2X a week sessions are taking an hr and a half. I can see the difference since I added this. My legs seemed to do well with and from the past 18 months... but I felt my upper body strength needed more development...thus the shift to adding the workouts on cybex equipment. Fortunately my second gym membership is only an add on fee to my husbands membership...$10/month for me. It is not so much fun though..(!!) ..and being a mix of men and women...everyone minds their own business. I am there with my hubby tho' ...so it is a shared hour and a half for us.

I don't want to give up the circuit place and have not ...it's important to somewhat enjoy a workout...and the ladies place is a lot more social..and fun! If you can start with something like that...it is well worth it to get into the groove. I think there is a national network of "lady fitness" and "ladies workout express" franchises...which is what mine used to be part of.

Best of luck...keep us all posted...just remember to go easy on yourself!! ...you will be doing this forever (should be anyway)...so you have the rest of your life to kick up the intensity...for now...just do something...get in the habit...make some new friends and get ready to focus on a "fit for life" routine....of which your diet and weight management at maintenance will only be one facet!

Good advice and thanks for sharing your wisdom. My personal advice is it is extrememly important to "Slay the two dragons of fear" before you phase off ...

1)Fear concerning the scale and
2) Fear/avoidance or dread of the gym...

It's hard to maintain if you don't overcome these roadblocks to your life long success...

Best wishes!

Thank you for the information. There is a curves near to where I live. I live in small community. The only other option is a rec center. I do have a pass and they do have cybex weight machines. I wonder if I can formulate some type of circuit training with their machines.

Do you feel that exercise slowed down your weight loss? I am in the homestretch so the weight loss may slow down soon. I would rather build some muscle now though. This gives me some ideas to ponder. Thanks.

Kristin..I did not feel there was a slower loss..initially I still was losing 2+bs a week. I lost over 65 lbs in 7 and a half months...and I was approaching 65...and am significantly shorter than the average woman. The last 7 lbs took about 6 weeks to lose. That felt like forever...but at that point I was almost at goal and was in a normal BMI range. I lost a third of my body mass...so there was a lot of tightening that was desireable....and I was pleased with the results. I am sure with out the exercise the results would have been disappointing. ESP at MY advanced age!

When you start out on IP, just losing lbs is enough for you. The joy..... When you get close to goal, you may need a miracle to look the way you feel if you have lost a significant amount of weight. And...If it DOES take a few weeks longer..your tighter muscles in legs, backside and arms will be worth it. There are posts from some who do not start exercising until the weight is gone.....you will need to make your own decision on that.I am not sure everyone is as happy with their goal weight when there is a lot of skin sagging. It affects how clothes fit and look. And honestly..it is hard to incorporate exercise into maintenance if you have never done much structured physical activity. Trust me....Maintenance takes all your marbles to work out what is going to work best for you!
The exercise piece is mostly easier and you are better off if it is part of your life by then.

Congratulations on your restart! I'm thinking of all of my restarter friends. It's been a busy weekend gathering fruit to can and non-ip veggies to can. This week will be busy with work and canning.

I hope everyone's restarts are going well! I approaching almost a week OP and feel great! I think once I pass the first few days it gets so much easier. If only those first two or three days weren't so hard! Good luck!

I am doing fine food wise, but it will be easier when my food order gets here from Nashua nutrition. I am trying to avoid the scale until I get pattern established again.

everyone mentions how easy it is to fall back into old eating patterns. The truth is once you come out of ketosis it is so much harder. So this time I know I will have to eat a phase 2 plan except for special days and it is really import to have a phase 1 day right after any of those. Also I should have said special meals, not special days. or special months in the case of December!

I knew having this fruit around and working it up would be a problem for me. Before someone suggests it - I do have the Beck book on order prior to this even, should be here in a day or two yet. A nibble of fresh fruit, a bite of it, a whole half, and the fruit led to other things ... a gateway sugar high led to more... it was a bad IP day. I am not nearly as drawn to dried fruit in the bags (and put away), as working them up from fresh. Although as bad as I felt physically and emotionally last night being fresh in my head - I know I'm back on plan today and will not cave (especially after admitting this outcome here) tonight working with the last of the fruit. Thankfully I don't have to be tested again until next year after tonight.

I have apple butter smelling up the house in a good way today. I will can that tonight. I have 1/2 a bucket of pears to blanch, cut, and dry - or can - or make pear butter out of. I'm thinking pear butter. Husband has taken the apples on, and the plums are completed drying and in the storage containers.

I do want this weight off and get into maintenance asap - but I'm not going to beat myself over my crazy day yesterday. I'm back on plan, expecting a low loss or stay the same on my WI this week, and I'll probably be going back thru ketosis transition. Not good I went down this path - but good I'm back. I usually weigh daily to see trends, but the old process of "I don't want to know" was in high gear this morning and I didn't check it. I can see this is a problem for me and part of my denial even knowing my weight by all rights should have gone up - just unsure by how much.

The book shipped yesterday - should be in the mail today or tomorrow if I'm lucky. I know using it as a door stop won't do me any good either. Time to try and work through this stuff when it arrives. Who knows, it may not be the solution for me either - but enough of you have really found some help there so I'll give it a more than fair shot. Until then - I'm back on IP plan.

Halfagain- GOOD JOB on picking yourself up and continuing on IP!!!! That's what it is all about!! You got this!!!

Thanks KellyC. Today/tonight went as yesterday should have gone. No tastes, no nibbles. I got the apple butter canned and the very last pear into the crock pot for pear butter. DH asked me to taste a dried apple to see if it was done but I didn't fall for it! Bending the fruit was the approved test IMHO - and it was done.

Hello everyone.

Well..... I'm back too. Things started going totally off the rails with my eating and the weight gain last fall.... I kept telling myself I'd start the next day... on Monday... next week... and meanwhile the pounds kept piling back on. I'm actually heavier right now than I was when I first started in 2012. (sigh) I've left my 'slim' picture in place for now, to help you recognize me... but as I certainly don't look 'slim and trim' these days, I'm going to take it down soon.

Reading what everyone here has posted has really reinforced my decision to get with the IP program again. I'd already decided this weekend that I had to get serious with this again, and I ordered the alternatives I'll need to get started. I should receive my alternative products by Wednesday and I'm going to get started as soon as they arrive.

While I wish none of us needed the 're-do' it is comforting to find some 'old friends' here again.

Lots of familiar faces You are definitely not in this alone!!