Congratulations! I am sure you will meet your final goal for Christmas!!!

This is my second weekend on the plan and I definitely feel hungry. I am proud that I was able to attend a few social events and only had celery and club soda with a twist of lime! The scale has not moved since my first weigh in but I know that I can't focus on that. I am determined that IP will give me the results that I desperately need!

Destony, how much is that cookbook? I can't decide if it would be worth it for me to buy it, not being much into cooking myself. And being so close to goal, I don't know if I will continue to use a lot of OP products.

Welcome Jamgirl! For hunger, you can try a hot drink like tea or broth (hot drinks tend to be more filling than cold), or a hard boiled egg (subtract the protein from your evening meal), or a dill pickle. And salads, of course.
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After NOT being able to squeeze into size 8s this week, my motivation got a kick in the pants. I've upped my water intake the last few days and that seems to have helped with the scale, which continues to inch downward.

I looked at the calendar again to figure out the absolute latest I can phase off and still do the 5K on November 21. I think as long as I'm on P3 that week before the race, I'll be okay. My main concern is having a good breakfast before the run. So I'm thinking about staying on P1 for 5 more weeks, and PRAYING the last 11 pounds come off in that time.

I finished Week 3 of the Couch-to-5K yesterday, and felt great. I'm really happy with that program as it keeps me from pushing myself too hard, too soon. I'm looking forward to a good, long leisurely walk this afternoon, though!

HIS - amazing what motivates us...must boss and I were talking the other day and she's always been svelte but after the birth of her 4th hasn't been able to loose weight - so now after she finishes breastfeeding in January wants to get the extra 30 pounds off. She admitted I am now about 5 pounds smaller than her & trust me I never in life expected that to happen! Anyway we were talking about sizes and she couldn't believe the pants I was wearing were 10's - and I think now I might like to go to a 6, IF my hips allow it. Btw - those 8's are really tight right now and will not be worn publicly due to excessive muffin top

Jam - welcome

Linda -

So what I ask now is for my IP friends to please keep DH's cousin and girls in their thoughts and prayers. Tomorrow is the funeral and it's going to be beyond sad and emotional.

From a personal standpoint I am going in strong and prepared but I believe is going to be the most difficult days I'm going to have staying OP. But trust me I don't need the prayers - they will

Beth, will be thinking of you and the extended family today.

I should be out running but I'm procrastinating. Weeks 4 & 5 of the C25K program are kind of scary. At least to me.

We went out for lunch with friends yesterday at a restaurant that was new to us, and it was a lose/win for me. I opted for a 10 oz chopped sirloin and steamed broccoli (which I'm sure had butter on it), and two side salads (mine and hubby's). The salad came with some cheese on it, which I happily ate, and there weren't any good salad dressing options except low-fat Italian, so that's what I chose. I'm sure my meal was WAY high in fat and calories. But everyone else at the table had delicious 3-cheese macaroni and cheese as a side, and I didn't even try a bite, even though mac & cheese is one of my comfort food addictions. I ate super carefully the rest of the day and made sure I drank all my water, and managed to lose 1/2 pound. (But I'm definitely going back there when I can eat mac & cheese again!)

The next 5 weeks will probably be the most challenging I've had on this protocol. I really need to get to goal in that time, which means strict adherence to the plan, and fingers crossed I can lose 2 lbs/week. I also need to order a dress for my son's upcoming wedding (December) but I've been putting it off, thinking I will get down another size. I'm going to have to make a decision on that very soon.

Happy Monday everybody. I had quite a busy week last week I had to do quite a bit of travel for work. I was very happy with myself I managed to stay OP throughout it all. I was more active as I was working out in the field and working longer days so I just added a bit of extra protein in and kept a bag of unrestricted veg nearby for quick snacks. I was thankful for hard boiled eggs I would add 1/2 of one then 1.5 of just the whites to my day to get a little more food in.

Generally when I'm on the road I'd go out for big dinners and have a few drinks and do fast food lunches so I managed to avoid that. One thing I encountered though is last Thursday I worked all day so I had my lunch (veg and a RTD chocolate drink) but it was 6:00 dinner time and I had 4 hours of driving to do still. So normally I'd hit up some kind of fast food to get something I could eat while driving. What are some options of P1 food that's quick to grab from somewhere when you're away from home that you can eat while you drive? I couldn't think of anything that would work, everything needed forks etc. So I ended up just having my snack and eating dinner when I got in at 10:00 I went to subway for a chicken chopped salad with no cheese or dressing. But I often end up having to eat while on the road for work so were wondering what other people had found that works.

On another note I was getting dressed to head to church yesterday and threw on a skirt and a shirt. It's a skirt I've had for quite a while and often enjoy wearing it in the fall. I didn't think anything of it then DH reminded me that the last time I tried to wear that skirt I couldn't get it on, it was two small, way to small and ended up with me crying over the fact that I had no clothes that fit, that I can't leave the house naked, and am supposed to wear nice clothes and there is nothing in the house that will fit. I was having a rough morning so might have been a little over dramatic. But it was great to be able to put it on and zip it up without even thinking about it. I also had to go out and buy a new pair of jeans because the girls at work had started calling me diaper but because my current ones are getting too saggy and loose.

Good Morning everyone!

Thinking of you and your family today Beth.

Manda - great NSV yesterday!

Scale was up today (though official weigh in is tomorrow). I know I didn't drink as much water as I should have Saturday and Sunday. I worked on scraping and painting the trim on the outside doors and painted the front door and the door leading to the garage. It was exhausting! My muscles hurt today.

My goal today is to drink what I normally drink plus what I missed the last two days. I need to flush the fat! I'm hoping all the activity I did the last two days doesn't hurt me on the scale.

Beth Definitely thinking of your family.
Manda Wow! I bet you looked great in your skirt. Sometimes I get sad now when I can't wear my cute, bigger clothes...but I get over it quickly.
HIS Great way of managing your lunch! I had plenty of meals that were as close to OP as I could get given the circumstances. It always ended up OK.

I am back on track this week after losing it a bit last week. Maintenance is hard, but IP has taught me that structure keeps me accountable for what I eat. I planned today's food out and tracked it first thing this morning. DH and I were saying how we miss Phase 1 sometimes...it was so easy to know what to eat day to day. It's so hard when the whole world is available. BUT I am just going to tighten up and hopefully that will help me to lose the extra weight I put on.

Thank you everyone for the thoughts and messages today. Still have the reception to get through. I can't even put into words how today went - next to my parents it's probably the hardest goodbye I've had to say. The family has so much support though - the procession was over a mile long!

Happy Monday everyone!
I’m back from vacation, we had a great time, it’s always fun to get away to new places (who knew NJ had so much and such beautiful oceanside ).
Especially nice since we met up with my sister and BIL... we plan a holiday together once or twice a year (otherwise we’d never see each other, I’m in Canada, she’s in Florida!)

My WI day is tomorrow morning. I didn’t weigh myself the whole time we were away , and I consciously decided not to step on the scale today (so tempted OMG, had to throw a towel over the scale so I wouldn’t ). I usually weigh myself first thing in the morning, and I know mid-day would be different, and I just don't want to know till tomorrow's WI.

I think I did pretty well overall with food, lots of salads for lunch, probably had more tomato than I should, ad dressing wasn't always right, even tho I asked for oil & vinegar of I didn't bring my own. And oh yeah, lots of seafood for dinner, the condo we stayed in had a grill, and we all love salmon, so we grilled salmon and asparagus a couple of times. We found this old inn off the beaten path, right on the ocean, and I had one of the best steamed lobster I’ve had in years, I felt so righteous and only dipped one small piece in the butter. (Actually it was so good it didn’t need the butter ).
Of course there were a few glitches, stopped for dinner on the drive home, had a steak, and didn’t realize there was a glaze on it and it tasted a bit sweet. Scraped and blotted it off, but hope it wasn’t too bad. Probably some other “a bit off plan” things, hard to measure meat and veg sometimes, but no really bad cheats.
Anyway, tomorrow’s WI will tell the tale. Sure would be nice to lose, but I’ll be happy with no gain


I’ve been reading back a few pages, sure is lots going on with everyone!! Happy to hear all the NSV’s

Just have to send a big hug to you Beth
So, so sorry to hear about your friend, my heart just aches for their family, my thoughts are with them and with you today.

Hi, all. I'm new here and thrilled to find a support system. I started IP at the need of June, and I'm really close to my goal. I'm trying to decide if I need to lose more; my coach suggested I might want to keep going. I'd love your thoughts - I'm looking healthy for the first time in 25 years. I'm almost in a size 10; am I setting myself up for failure if I lose more weight? Thanks

Hey Teach-

You know what feels best for your body and what weight feels "right." If your body isn't fighting you on losing more, I would go ahead give yourself a 5lb-7lb grace and go ahead and lose it now. Phasing out, you could gain a little or not...its nice to have a cushion. Congratulations on being 5lbs from your goal, great job!

Hi Everyone. Just checking in. Last time I did this diet in 2011 I drank the same shakes and ate the same veggies all the time. This time I'm trying to change it up (to keep from getting bored). I've been buying frozen rhubarb and cooking it with cinnamon then mixing it with the maple or apple oatmeal. Very filling and it makes me feel like I'm eating fruit. Also just gobbled a cup of kale chips. Highly recommend those suckers. Yum. Keep it interesting. 37 more pounds...ugh. Wishing you all well in this IP journey.

Welcome! I started in early June, and am also close to goal. I'd say that if you're still losing pretty easily, you might want go lower on your goal. Most people find that when they get close to where their body wants to stop, it's much harder to lose those last few pounds. The main thing is, are you comfortable at the weight, and is it sustainable? I mean, I could possibly get down into the 140s, but I'd have to eat only lettuce and air for the rest of my life.

Welcome, stickingtotheplan. Yum, I love stewed rhubarb. I keep a container of it in my fridge all the time, so I have something I can grab in a hurry when I'm ravenous. My other favorite "fruit" is zucchini that's made to taste like baked apples. If you like to cook, you might like Janeva's IP cookbook. She has a FB page and I think you can order from her there. Or maybe on Amazon?

Congrats on your weight loss. I think this is really so personal. I have been in maintenance for 6 weeks, so it was just a couple of months ago I was thinking about the same thing. I decided to stop at my goal (I lost 4 more lbs during Phase 2 and 3) and I'm still really happy about it. I feel good about myself right now. Now I put all my energy into maintenance and it's hard work. A cushion scares me personally because I think psychologically I'd have an excuse to get out of control, but again, that's me personally. You need to do what's right for you, and if losing a bit more makes sense and makes you feel good, then by all means, go for it!!!