Thread: MissM's first P3

Yvonne, you're so right! I have a feeling BF is going to get on board. He received some concerning bloodwork--his thyroid function is low and his triglycerides are wildly high. We'll see what his doc has to say on Monday about treatment, but in the meantime, I've been fully transparent with him about my diet, and he quite clearly sees and appreciates the effects. He also always enjoys the food I prepare (even the weird pumpkin pie, LOL). It would just be a steep learning curve for him to eat this way on his own. But we'll see. I really do have to try hard not to be too bossy and controlling about such things, to lead by example and live and let live. But I just worry so about his health--especially now that we have evidence there's a very real problem that's very likely diet/lifestyle related.

mrsstrong, thank you for your tips about the pumpkin pie. Less swerve, less lemon zest, and coconut cream instead of hazelnut nut pods, which is what I had on hand to use for the almond milk--plus using a can of pumpkin that isn't expired, LOL, is how I'll adapt the recipe the next time I make it. I also had a hell of a time getting the coconut cream to whip up nicely. The chocolate coconut mousse I made as the frosting for the chocolate cake was pretty decent, but dang. I ordered a different kind of coconut cream to try next time.

So, on Thursday my weight came down to 144.6, .6 under LIW, and today I didn't weigh because I decided to go to BF's for T-Gives and didn't bring my scale (because that seems like overkill to me). I'm back home now, and I'm so glad I went. We had a lovely time. Visited with some friends there and then made the steaks his mom wanted on the grill. I caramelized some onion and sautéed mushrooms to go on the steaks and ate steamed broccoli with mine while BF and his mom ate stuffing with gravy, sweet potatoes, and something else I can't remember that I didn't eat. I did bring my pumpkin pie and had a slice. BTW, we decided to call it holiday pie instead of pumpkin pie because it turned out kind of gray and tasting of mincemeat without the hunks, according to BF. We had a good laugh about it. And it actually tastes better every day.

BF picked up sugar free bacon for me, and we had that with scrambled eggs before I got on the road today. It really wasn't a big deal to stay on protocol, even among his friends. No one caused a fuss when I didn't drink, and I accepted a (very delicious) pickled egg and a few bites of their fried turkey which I helped carve because no one knew how to do it. It's all good. And BF seems to understand more and more that I'm doing this for my health, that he might should also get on board, and he's therefore not going to continue to give me (much of) a hard time about it anymore. I think he really admires what I'm doing and how I'm transforming my body.

After supper we went for a drive to see Christmas lights and watched It's Christmas, Charlie Brown and had some really sweet moments and good conversation. Now I'm home, did some serious Black Friday shopping online as well as laundry, and feel quite good overall about my choices--including going for several long walks outside and prioritizing my yoga practice despite the holidays. And now that I've looked back on my last entry, I'm happy to report I did not eat to excess again. As I've said before, I'm here to learn and keep doing better when I know better. Practice all the time.

I have big plans for December, by the way. I think I'm getting the hang of this food situation, and it's time to turn my attention to my meditation and writing practices after I get my grades submitted. That plus dedicated time finishing unpacking and getting settled should have me in a very happy place by 2021.

Are either of you going to move your log to the P4 section? I think I'll just leave mine here until I start my second round after my period ends mid January. I'll be a bit behind you two, but I'm not sure yet if I'll be doing a short or full round. Probably full, but we'll see. I'm actually looking forward to it. I think after the holidays are over I'll be ready for the elegant simplicity of P2. How are you feeling about it?

Originally Posted by mrsstrong

All sounds great, MissM!

About the pumpkin pie: You can easily use any filling recipe you like and use 2/3 of the sweetener called for too. Never used lemon zest in mine!

Triglycerides = Carbs. I hope your BF gets on board. Sometimes it is easier to not revamp a whole diet at once but to eat less of something. Lowering carbs in general and only sugar for special holidays is a great start. I completely turned my cholesterol around with a better diet fwiw!

I am keeping it all in the same thread since it is not in a particular phase forum. I am looking forward to it but mostly enjoying the now, foodwise. I am sure I will be ready to tackle those last pounds though!

Yes, I told him if he just cut out bread and diet soda pop, he'd be well on his way to better health, but they're both mainstays of his diet, so methinks he'll need a proper scare to get motivated to do it. Unfortunately, I think his doctor will simply prescribe meds and not much else, but we'll see how things go. I'll just keep on doing my thing and being as supportive and not bossy as I can. It's a major challenge!

Good to keep enjoying the food--to the hilt! I think we timed this perfectly, don't you? To get to figure out P3 and P4 during the holiday season? It's nice to enjoy food again, isn't it?

SO glad for your input on the pumpkin pie. It'll be a very different creation next time. Though I must say it gives me a chuckle that BF is so unfussy he deemed the weird pie delicious as long as we didn't call it pumpkin pie. It may be a new holiday tradition: the holiday pie you can't quite tell what it is but it has interesting flavor!

Weight is up today: 145.8, .6 above LIW. However, I haven't had a decent BM in a couple days, likely because of travel, being out of my routine, and not drinking enough water or eating as many veggies as usual. I'm not overly concerned.

I am so happy to be waking up in my own bed in my own house this morning--and having the vista of an open weekend after the hustle and bustle of the past week's festivities. Thank you notes, yoga, grading papers, getting out in the cold sunshine are on the agenda. Other than that, I get to chill. I have ridiculous amounts of food prepared and ready to eat--OMG the turkey veggie soup I made with the bone broth from Tuesday's turkey is so full of collagen it's like a savory mid century jello right out of the fridge, LOL. I know that's good for me! And there's a glut of it, even after having brought a giant tub of it to BF and his mom. I really do think I'm going to have to invest in a chest freezer for the garage.

As mrsstrong said, I'm looking forward to taking off the last pounds in the next round, but I'm really grateful for this reprieve to get reacquainted with food and my eating behaviors--as well as get to know this slimmer body. BF is very complimentary, which is so nice, and yet I also can't help but notice that I have a tendency to focus on how far I have yet to go. Which is truly bizarre in some ways, as I've never been this low a weight as an adult; and yet it's also deeply ingrained cultural messaging. Plus the fact that I'm much older than I was when I began desperately wanting to be thinner, and the ravages of time and overweight are very much part of my form at this point.

Though i've never been pregnant, I do have a stretched-out belly from the rapid weight gain after chemo and radiation when my thyroid was undiagnosed; and in addition to my belly, I also have stretch marks on my hips, thighs, sides of my waist, breasts, inside of my upper arms, as well as tiny ones above my belly button--some from a prepubescent growth spurt, and others from the post cancer related weight gain. What's interesting is though part of me grieves the fact that I'll never be able to achieve a youthful, pristine, smooth and perfect surface, I'm not self loathing about it like I once was. I'm almost curious in a disinterested kind of yogic way we try to stand in the witness self and see what is as if it outside the self. I think of the shiny white marks and grooves as a map to this life's past traumas, an homage to survival--as well as an indication of my genetic blueprint. Both my parents had a lot of stretch marks--my mother from pregnancy and my father from extreme obesity. We just have that kind of skin.

And so I wonder, truly, what this body might look like with 10-20 more pounds of fat gone. I'm curious about the shape of my body, which is very much as it was, with a bulbous lower belly, thighs that rub together, and a fairly well-proportioned layer of thickness all over--though smaller. Will it change significantly, or simply continue to shrink yet look as it does? Will that stubborn belly fat ever completely disappear? Does it need to? Will I have more excess skin than I expect, and will I want to consider elective plastic surgery? This last question horrifies me a bit, but I do suffer from some very real vanity I generally try to hide best I can.

Just a few musings for an early Saturday morning. The point I was trying to make, though, is I think the beauty of the protocol and its forced pause after P2 to reassess is incredibly wise and helpful if not genius. I need the time and space to take stock of my body and my behaviors with food. This is where the real growth is, I believe.

Thanks for witnessing my contemplative realness. Happy weekend, all!

Originally Posted by Leez

The forced pauses between rounds has many benefits. One of them is that it gives your skin a chance to shrink up naturally after the loss. The result after losing a substantial amount in 20 pound or so increments is that you don't end up needing skin surgery at the end. You aren't going to look like an air-brushed bikini model--there will be some loose skin and jiggly bits. But you will look normal. And that is a huge deal.

After a total weight loss of over 100 pounds, I found that my body shape has stayed pretty much the same, only smaller, but the hanging belly sucked back in. I have no flaps or folds now. I do have a small muffin-top that almost disappears when I am at my lowest weight but is the first thing to come back with any gain. So some extra skin is still there, but as you say--its part of the history of what my amazing body has been through.

Thank you so much for the heartening description of your experience. I so appreciate being reminded that there are even more benefits than I'm considering, and that there are more discoveries to be had!