Phase 3 this week for me...........

Remember I mentioned that going to phase 3 of the Curves weight management plan would increase my calories by about 500 daily. While I don't follow their food choices, I do follow the concept of their over outline which is basically divided into 3 phases. The thought is to keep your metabolism from stalling. The general outline is as follows:

Phase 1 & 2 are weight loss phases:

Phase 1: 12oo calories for 7 days

Phase 2: 1500 calories for 14 days

Phase 3 is maintenance phase NOT a loss phase:
Eat 2000-2500 calories for 2-3 weeks. During phase 3 if you gain up to 3 lbs you should drop back to 1200 calories until you lose all 3 lbs. Then go back to the 2000-2500. Don't let yourself gain more than 3 lbs. During this week you should weigh yourself daily (the other two phases recommend a weekly weigh in). It's good to allow yourself to gain up to 3 lbs at least a couple of times before going back to the phase 1 rotation. This will trigger your metabolism. The longer it takes in between gains the better your metabolism is working.

Another benefit of phase 3 is to let your body get used to the weight that it is losing and teach you the how to maintain on a regular basis so that when you get to your goal weight it will not be a new concept to maintian. Building good habits along the way are crucial to success. Because if we don't change bad habits we will only revert to those eventually.

The first time I did phase 3 I was very nervous about it but it was amazing to see my body respond well to it. We'll see how it works this time. :) I'll keep a post of my progress. I should really get some pictures up too.

Does anyone want to post before, along the way and after pics? Let me know. You all have access to create new posts. I'd love to hear about your journey.

Godspeed!
~M