Week 16: Weigh in

Well, well.... 4 months is done as of tonight. I can't believe I'm at this point.

I have to say that IP is definitely the right plan for me. Of course now that I'm in the thick of it, I find all kinds of 'alternative' programs that are low carb, ketogenic, etc., etc. I probably could have done any of them and had success but I'm glad I had the supervision and the packets (the foods we love and curse at the same time!). My coach is awesome and I really appreciate her history with the program. She's even back on phase 1 again after being in maintenance for most of this year. She said she's got a stubborn 20 lbs to get off and really wants to say she's lost 100 lbs so I say more power to her!

I'm at the 41 lb mark myself. I'm pretty damn proud of that. I do eat more fats than I probably should so technically I am a cheater. But honestly, I don't consume that much in calories to begin with and my body responds well to the fats I do take so as far as I can tell, I'm still a model IP student losing what I should be. I'm sure someone would tell me I'd lose more if I didn't use my coconut creamer in my coffee or to stop eating my restricted strawberry wafer and replace it with an unrestricted packet but I want to enjoy my life while going through this. I fully intend to continue using my coconut creamer in my coffee once I'm in maintenance and as well as enjoy a piece of bacon here and there. I don't intend to eat lots of bread, potatoes or rice though (they will be treats) so I think I'm doing okay.


My weigh in was a mixed bag of info. My TOM hit again (I swear, I have a period every 2-3 weeks and then they last 1-2 weeks so it's never ending) so my body fat cannot be read on the fancy scale at the clinic. It pisses me off so much that something so technologically advanced cannot read through hormonal changes in the body. So.... body fat readings don't count this week.  I lost 1.2 lbs according to the scale but the stupid thing is that I weighed 3 lbs less at home (prior to breakfast, drinking water and putting on clothes). It's amazing how much clothes and water weigh. So while my official weight was 164.2 (38.9 total) , I read 161.0 (41.1 total) at home.  Again, it's water retention so I'm not worried.  This should mean that my next weigh in should be pretty phenomenal!

I did manage to lose some inches too! I lost 1/4" under arm, 1/4" chest, 1/4" thorax, 1/2" waist (lower).  The lower waist reading is especially awesome because that's right at the belly button where ALL my fat seems to sit. I've had that pooch since I was 12 and so for me to have lost 8" around the belly button just blows my mind.  My natural waist is still being stubborn and the back fat there is still holding on but I know once I get to exercise I'll lose a lot of it. So I'm not in any rush....I'm actually pretty patient about this weight loss plan!

I also ended up ordering 3 new bras because well... if I lose anywhere it's my chest. That's the joke that God plays on us gals. Where's the one place we don't want to lose? Well, that's where we lose the most and the easiest!!! I want to whittle my natural waist, belly, thighs and hips down but they're the slowest and most stubborn! That's how it always works!  So from what I can tell I was probably a 40C at my heaviest and as of right now I'm reading 36B. It's entirely possible that I'll go down to a 34 - actually more than likely at some point and I'm okay with that.

I am almost sure I'm gunning for another 19 lbs before I finish. The hard part is that this is all fat I'm trying to lose. I can't let my muscle be affected so I have to be really careful to stay on track diet wise. This means I'll be in Phase 1 through the holidays. I've have some good 3-4 lb weeks and if I stay consistently high then I will be in phase 2 by early January. If I'm slow (like this week) then it'll be February. What's a few weeks difference, eh? I am just grateful that this plan works!