A new Phase 3 thread for WilsonBlack

[Dubbles]

Congrats on a great round and here's to a great round of stabilization as well!

[wilsonblack]

Back down to 210.8 which is the first time I have been within 2lbs of LDW since last Saturday. I need to be extra vigilant this weekend to make sure there isn't a blowup next week. Once again, my body is not comfortable staying at this weight but the fight continues. Long way to go but my head is in the game.

[gz9gjg]

Good job, wb! Stability and maintenance are the toughest part of any program. Plus the winter doesn't help.

[wilsonblack]

Plus the winter doesn't help.

How so? Please explain. I have been sort of thinking that could be an issue but cannot articulate.

I have been thinking that weather patterns can have effects to hour our bodies hang on to or release water. The days I am up in scale when I know it isn't actual weight gain, I feel and look bloated like I am carrying more water.

[gz9gjg]

Where I live, outdoor exercise is challenging due to cold and snow; plus, we get days or weeks with overcast skies and no sun. That causes me to stay indoors more, not getting my regular walks in.

[wilsonblack]

I was thinking it was something atmospheric. Incoming weather systems and pressure changes, humidity etc could possibly affect how the body holds on to extra water is a loose theory of mine. Disruptions in exercise pattern affect me as well.

Anyway, time for an update: Still getting post weekend jumps but it seems there is a two day delay. The pattern goes back to last week. This week's jump is a bit less severe than last week's. That makes sense as in past P3 rounds weight swings mellowed out a bit as time went on. Last Monday, I woke up to a jump to 212.9. Next day at 215. Spent the rest of the week losing back down and finally got within 2lbs of LDW on Friday at 211.6. Was down to 210.3 on Saturday, up to 211.7 on Sunday, then back down a little to 211.3 Monday. This morning, 213.0.

I did have a bit of a cheat on Sunday. Spent the entire morning working on landscaping projects. Very physically tired. Then my wife and I took the dogs for a long walk which included a detour at a neighborhood brew pub. Wife was hungry and they had a food truck and we split an order of fish tacos (corn tortilla and fried and battered fish). Washed it down with a nice ESB (first beer in I don't know how long, at least 3 months). But the rest of the day, I was hungry and during the evening hours I was in snack mode. Was some mindless snacking on some keto chocolate treats.

This morning, skipped breakfast and will fast until lunch. I believe I am at the place where I can fast until lunch most days. The only exception would possibly be mornings after tennis.

Last March, slowing down and monitoring how much I ate, monitoring satisfaction was a bit of a new thing for me and it was really an eye opening experience. Now it is old hat as I do it naturally without as much thinking. The downside to that is I feel that I could get a bit careless. I am not eating huge portions at all. But I need to be vigilant against unnecessary snacking. At the same time, I need to make sure I am getting enough to eat. It is all about balance.

Tennis has been great. I am finally back down to the 3.5 level (was exiled to 4.0 the last couple of years) which means I am doing a lot of competing on very good teams with the goal of advancing to state and national championships. We had 6 different leagues kick off at one time in late January so I have been very busy with tennis. Weather has been consistently cold down here so that has been a bit of a buzzkill. I have been playing very well overall. But still not quite up to the level I know I can get to in terms of offensive shots. My mentality, toughness and defense have been great. I have won some hard fought matches. My fitness has been great.

I have not done measurements. Something about a really cold measuring tape against my skin early in the morning is unappealing. Maybe next week when it warms up. I tried on some size 36 shorts last night and they were falling off of me. That is one of those good news/bad news deals. It is great to get thinner but I have a full wardrobe of size 36. And I am not sure I can support moving to 34 long term.

Overall, I am in a good place. It has been a while since my weight has been sub 210 during this maintenance phase but as I continue on, I should be able to get back there. It is all trial and error.

[wilsonblack]

A little concerned. The weight came up to 213.0 on Tuesday. Stayed there yesterday and went up slightly to 213.6 this morning. Eating clean on protocol. Eating the correct amount. Played tennis the last couple of nights and am sore so possibly inflammation and holding on to water. But it is frustrating. How is it possible to be basically eating keto, exercising vigorously and still be gaining weight? Anybody else would be losing weight. I think this protocol has destroyed my body's natural ability to lose weight in normal circumstances. All I do is gain weight no matter what i do.

Already resigning myself to the fact that it is impossible for my body to maintain at LDW. Pipe dream. But I will continue to be vigilant. What else am i going to do?

My wife is cheating a little every day but for some reason is stabilizing right on the number without issue.

[wilsonblack]

Back down to 211.9. Still just outside the 2lb window but it is good to see a near 2lb drop over night. The P3 portion of this round is going to be a total dogfight. It is not going to be easy for sure.

[Leez]

Good news on your drop. Pinpointing causes of the inflammation that produce those scale jumps is a very in-exact science. Sometimes you just can't figure it out. All you can do is follow the P3 guidelines to help your body settle in.

If in the end, it doesn't work out that you can keep your LDW, don't be too hard on yourself. You can't always force your body to stay at a certain number of your choosing. I did five extra rounds to keep trying to get back to the number I thought I should be, but I have since found that my body maintains fairly easily 5-8 pounds above that number. I naturally will dip down close to it every once in a while, but I just can't seem to stay there.

[wilsonblack]

thanks Leez. I think the best thing for me is to stay the course follow the protocol, weigh every day and let the chips fall where they may. Not try to explain, justify or solve any mysteries concerning what the scale says.

[Leez]

I do think daily weighing is an important key.... it alerts you to trends. I find that I have to consciously remind myself, though, that its just data. Its so easy to start playing mind games with the numbers and let it affect your eating choices.

[KerryLR]

I am in my 3rd week of P3 and what I notice is when I have a jump on the scale, the next day I am not really as hungry and my body does not need as much food that day. This pattern keeps repeating. I do not eat until truly physically hungry and it is getting easier to stop when that goes away because like a kid would do, I want to get back to doing stuff and having fun in my day. The emotional use of food seems to be much better (therapy gave me great tools with this, EMDR and EFT). I literally used to believe I was hungry but it was an emotional response because I hated feeling empty. Sometimes I could of just eaten and still felt "empty" so I knew it wasn't real hunger. Not saying this is your experience, just sharing mine.

Today, I needed breakfast so I had something, yesterday I wasn't needing anything until Noon.. So far, this is workng. I am more than 3lbs under LIW. I have never in my past ever been able to stabilize in a P3. This is the first time.