Well here we go - my first maintenance day and I'm already fighting ravaging the cupboards - I'm SCARED!!! :-(

I had a nice healthy day, came home and had an IP snack (salt & vinegar ridges). I'm not hungry but I want to eat junk. Thankfully there isn't any here. I felt like I white knuckled it all the way through P1-3, and now that I know those phases are over something in my brain has clicked off and I just want to binge.

I know I can get through today by white knuckling it but am I going to have these cravings every single day? I was afraid of this. :-(

Well I already kind of blew it a little - they say only carbs twice a day but I had cereal for BF, 2 slices bread for lunch and then 2 ounces of baked potato with my pork chop and Brussels Sprouts for dinner. The whole potato was 4 ounces but I felt too guilty to eat all of it. But then I had a piece of chocolate after dinner.

One day of maintenance and I feel like I should go back on P1 tomorrow. :-(

See how your body responds, but looks like your meals were healthy. Just keep fine tuning. You've got this.

I can't do cereal for breakfast. It sets me up for carb cravings for the rest of the day. Pay attention for things like that. We are all different.

My vulnerable time is right after work. I have 2 hours before my husband gets home and that's when I did my binging - I'd watch my fave TV shows that I recorded and pig out on junk food. My entire life has been that way - that time of day is a massive trigger for me. I was/am hoping having an IP restricted will help - although I'm craving bigger portions like 2-3 of those instead of one!!

Maintenance is hard, but you can do it! You might have to change up your routine. I am the same way after work, but more likely to go for wine than anything else...which can certainly lead to other things. But if I get past the first 30 minutes where it is engrained in my brain that it's cocktail hour, I am usually just fine.

Hang in there slow2lose...it will get easier! Every transition takes some getting used to, and we have to find our way through each. You will get this down in no time.

Ok - I met with the Dr at my clinic this afternoon and brought up the P3 veggie question. You were all right and my printout of P3 protocol is not...corn is not an approved veg for P3, nor are any of the other 'prohibited' vegs. So now I'm wondering if I've completely ruined my P3 by having corn and carrots a couple of times. Still have 3 more days...

I did the first week of P3 by the book, but on the second week I ate carrots, cooked onions, even had some nuts and grapes and I lost half a pound. Oh yeah and I had MOVIE THEATRE POPCORN when we went to see Skyfall on Saturday.

Thanks for the words of wisdom. I'm so scared of reverting to my old habits - I want to be like my Coach who lost 5 pounds in maintenance and has never needed a tweak!!

slow2lose I think your confidence will come with time. Just like weight loss, maintenance is a process not an event. I too have problems with confidence and I try to reframe it when my "OH MY GOD I'M GONNA GAIN IT ALL BACK". I find the more I just say "it's ok chickie, you got this, you know it won't come back over night" the more confidence I get. The more I say it out loud (even if I don't feel it sometimes) the better it gets. You can do this, you just need to believe in yourself. I too have cravings. For example, watching someone eat fries...mmmm...I think "ok, so you can have fries with gravy AND ketchup but you have to wait till fun day and don't forget how gross you'll feel phyiscally if you eat it now". Guaranteed by fun day I'll have found something better to eat than fries and the craving has past. I'm a firm believer in what you tell the universe is what will happen. So if you keep it positive then positive things will happen. Don't think I don't whine to the VIP or have a massive "OMG" when I step on the scale once in a while...my anxiety flares but it does relax when I remember "ok, so you won't gain it all back over night, maintenance is a skill that you have to practice over and over and over".

ie, I loved maile's quote the other day and it's stuck with me "The scale simply tells you what you need to do. This avoids the emotional reaction to the scale, and simply focuses on the action."

I agree with locopollo - figure out where you struggle and plan something for that timing.

Just my thoughts!

Liz Half a marathon in less then 2 hours - SUPER RUNNER!!! You need a super runner cape!

greeniris I wouldn't say you 'ruined' it. I think you'll be ok

Thanks for the feedback, makes me feel a bit more grounded. I have to admit that I checked out another one of the threads and got a bit discouraged about people going on and off IP cause they went back to their old habits and gained back the weight.

I've been a yo-you dieter my whole life (usually only 10-15 pounds, but still stupid), and I don't want that to continue anymore. I don't want to be constantly trying to lose 10 or 15 pounds - on IP/off IP. I don't mind the one day a week, but I don't want it to turn into a yo-yo dieting syndrome.

On my home scale which is the one I'm going to have to live by now, I am 107 pounds. 110 is my high end. When I hit the 110 mark, it's time to do something. I don't mind doing a couple of IP days, but I just don't want to be on and off IP for the rest of my life.

I also plan to meet up with my Coach on a monthly basis for a check in and to buy food for the once/week IP days. Hopefully that will also help.

Thanks Ishbel. Now that I'm feeling better (respiratory infections), am going to check out a couple of gyms in my area. Really hoping they have some deals going on now. I've stayed the same weight since beginning P3, so figuring this is my "sweet spot."

Back to work...

Hello maintainers! I have a question for you all: when you started incorporating more intense exercise, did anyone see a gain? I started the C25K program and I am up 2 pounds. I haven't been getting my water in very well either, too many trainings and presentations. UGH! I am not stressing it because if I gain in exchange for tightening, I will take it!

I definitely started to gain a little when I upped by exercise. I think our muscles are retaining water. I wouldn't worry too much. I finally plateaued out after a few weeks. Definitely make sure you drink your water. That helped.

Sarabean, Thanks for your support! I have heard that your muscles can gain h20 after workouts. I have increased my levels, but so far so good. Your running is impressive.

Greeniris: I think you will be fine in Phase 3 despite the corn. Ask your coach what she says. You just had more carbs for a few days.

Slow2lose: I love Asian food. You can order a meat curry or a tandori...also a side of vegetables. If you are sticking to plan stay away from the rice and egg rolls. If you are having a free day..enjoy whatever you want! I keep to a 3 pound range also.

Lizr: running to a brewery sounds fun. I love microbrews.

LoriKay: Like Infoplease, I calculated calories, carbs, fats, etc for breakfast initially. I have 6 breakfasts grouped.These are Phase 3 breakfasts. Once I did that I continued to eat the low carb lunch and dinners. On Phase 4 I basically continued the same..adding more fats and adding beans or sweet potatoes once in awhile. I pay attention to my food and track the groups for breakfast but do not count carbs or calories. I cut back on carbs and fats if I start to gain.

Locopollo: that wine is tempting when you come home tired and hungry. I am surrounded by over 100 wineries.

Ishbel: I liked that Beck quote. She is an excellent coach.

Made it through our staff Holiday party today without indulging!
One more coming up soon!

I know I can have cheese and/or salad dressing for my "fat" meal. What else do you like? Just looking for some ideas.

Well - darn it - I had a nice, long post of replies that the iPad ate up...so I will just give a quick & dirty personal update...I have found myself at the scary end of my +3lb safety zone! I plan on going to a few Phase 1 days after my race on Sunday, a little worried about going low carb before a long run, and I am being more diligent tracking my food.