anybody else contemplating this? I have been on phase 4 for about a month. love the way I feel, but in last 2 weeks have gained 5 lbs (not sure why, the 1st 2 weeks of phase 4 i didn't gain any). Now I am getting bored with my daily salads for lunch, eating like a crazy person on my cheat day and wondering if I can eat this way for life or go back to eating whatever in healthy portions? any thoughts?

I can't answer that, and I am relatively new to the diet but I have been told that you typically gain 2-5 pounds once you enter maintenance, I believe from replenishing glycogen stores etc. I would also suspect water retention from regular salt would be a contributing factor. I would definitely talk with your coach, and best of luck!

I have been on phase IV since June 11th and while it has been going fairly well, and I have been managing to maintain, I feel a little out of control this past week and my weight is showing it! Nobody else seems to notice but I do.

I am tracking my food with Myfitnesspal to stay accountable.

I hate that as soon as I indulge a little, I can't be happy with the indulgence because it just makes me want more. However, I am so happy with my new body and clothes and I am still receiving tons of compliments almost daily, which really helps to motivate me. I know the items that are "more-ish" to me and I am avoiding them! I do have my cheat days, followed by my phase I days (which are really more like phase II, I must admit). I also like to continue with protein bars for occasional snacks, especially when I get a sweet craving!

I am still considering coming back to phase I in September to lose another 5-10 lbs... but then again, I want to rejoin the gym and get back to exercising (running) once the routine is back to normal (after summer vacations) and maybe that will be enough for me.. we'll see!

I am not too concerned about P4 only because it is very similar to the way I was eating before IP. The only difference was that I ate carbs at lunch and not at dinner. I do feel like it will be a managable lifestyle change.

I completely understand about cheat days making you want more! Many years ago I did Eating for Life / Body for Life and that has a built in cheat day once a week and it was very hard to get back to eating right after that day. What I ended up doing was having more of a cheat meal. My day was Saturday, so I ended up eating right during the day on Saturday and just having an all out meal for dinner for my cheat. It was much more managable. I knew I could have whatever I wanted for dinner and once dinner (& dessert!) was over, the day was done.

Anyway, I do think P4 is going to be ok for me for maintainence.

As I am getting closer to goal, I am praying it will be something sustainable for life!! I just printed out the Phase 3 and 4 documents and will start reading them. I want to be as prepared as I can to make it through!

That is a brilliant, beautiful approach, knowing/understanding the material and I too want this for life. Someone (I'll find her) wrote of a cheat day once a month because of the insanity of overboard thinking. I also will approach Phase IV with caution and hopefully by then insight and still, great support from this forum.

This is a big concern for me, because knowing there are cheat days i can already feel the pull to plan exotic eating adventures from morning to night.
I find the next day is a real effort, too much thinking about food and avoiding cravings.

In the instructions they talk about how "impossible" it is to consume too many calories on one cheat day to gain weight...I don't know about that when you (me) consider a whole day "off".

I guess it really is the comittment we're talking about. Changing how we live, not just a short term plan.

Anything worthwhile takes effort.
I wonder...how successful IP folks stay in touch? It could be a nice source of information and inspiration to hear their journey.

thanks for chiming in.....I do understand and want the lifestyle change, but am feeling restricted and would like to snack on pretzels, eat a sandwich at lunch and have an apple in the middle of the day- not terribly unhealthy, just not on the plan. i also agree with what everyone said about the cheat day....I think it is making things worse for me.

I will continue to follow the plan for now, may try to modify or follow it a little more loosely- if I end up gaining more will have to re-evaluate. Thanks again and good luck to everyone!

Susie I am glad to hear things are still going good with you.

My thought is, I am hoping to post a before and an after picture on my fridge for incentive... but I am quite scared about phase 4 as well, I don't want to gain weight back but am scared that I will go back to the old habits of nibbling. I use to nibble all the time... and I catch myself having an extra veg every once and a while... luckily I am doing lettuce but am so afraid I will see food and just want to eat it. Good luck keep us informed on how you are doing the more info we all have the better we are able to help each other.

About the fruit into the middle of the day, you can! My coach tells me to take lunch as recommended (Protein + 1-2 fat + veggies) and if I want, instead of an IP pack as a collation, I can eat a fruit! She just tells me to try to wait 2 hours between your lunch and your fruit collation to let your stomach digest the lunch. She also tells me if I want another collation at night, there's no problem, but it depends on the time you go to bed: try to eat always each 3 hours if you NEED it; you eat at 6, take a collation at 9 and go to bed at 12. that's okay! (You can eat nuts or iced yogourt or an IP pack (restricted or not)

For the one who thinks that the CHEAT DAY makes you want more... It depends; I've got my first cheat day yesterday and... hum... well... I were so dissapointed! I've took my breakfast as Phase 4 recommend it, ate a Montreal Sandwich (Smoked meat) with french fries from Jack Astor's for lunch, take a medium ice cream Reese blizzard for my collation, ate an half plate of Nachos for my appetizer and an European Burger (saussage & veal steak) with fries and salad and an iced yogourt bar from Costco for my dessert. I were dissapointed about the tase... I were sure in my mind that everything were going to be soooo tasty. But not; I only tasted the oil from the french fries, the bread and the nachos weren't missing me that much, but I enjoy the Ice cream and the yogourt bar, but i'm happy; my coach tells me that I can eat ice cream as a fat and take my iced yogourt bar as a collation, few times a week (not both but one each 2 or 3 days could be good). And i'm doing a Phase I today and i'm ready for another good week! I just finally understood yesterday that my mind changes about food!

I found myself wanting a handful of granola in our break room and peanut butter. But I remind myself that I have some size 8's that are starting to fit, and cheating randomly isn't going to help me get comfortable in them.

It's very scary territory for sure, but we've all worked our behinds off for this and even though we still have some of the same wants as before, there's a totally different determination behind the willpower.