I'm sure there are others out there like me. I started IP almost a year ago and did so well. Started to feel comfortable at where I was at. Around Christmas time, I took a break that I never should of done. I was within eight pounds of my goal.

Well, here it is almost nine months later and I have gained a considerable amount of weight back. Close to 20 pounds. There I said it. I hate admitting to it. I keep saying I am going back on plan, only to get lazy and stop after 2-3 days. So many excuses. I know I have to get my mind wrapped around this plan and make it a life plan.

I have never started a thread before, and was almost embarrassed to post this. I wake up every morning upset about where I am at. If you too are where I am at on this plan, please join in the conversation. No more hiding behind the screen and just reading. Maybe together we can do this! I know we can.

I was in the same boat up until last friday. I started IP June 2010 and lost 70 pounds by October. Kind of hit a stand still about then. Couldn't really afford to continue with it either. Decided I would try alternate products and did that for a few weeks and lost maybe another 5 lbs. Then I decided I needed a break. I took one that lasted up till this last weekend. I had gained back 30+ lbs because I hadn't phased off properly and went back to my old eating habits. I was rather disgusted with myself back to feeling sluggish and kind of depressed because I had worked so hard to lose it and then I destroyed half of my progress with apathy and carelessness. I have been back on program 100% and feel so much better than I have in months already. I'm not stopping until I hit my goal this time and when I do hit my goal I will phase out properly and maintian.

So I know exactly how you feel. But I know I can do this and I'm sure you can too!

I too feel your pain. I started Sept 1 2010 and was doing good till oct 30 and then got off track. I had restarted about 3 times since then and found excuses also. I started back 07/05/11 and this is my 7th week. I also gained 25 lbs back over that time. I was miserable too about it. You just need to tell yourself that there will always be some excuses and you just need to do it for yourself. Once you are back on for a week or so and commit to doing it you will be good to go. I know that first week is so hard tho when it is your second time around. Have faith. I know you can do it

You totally summed up my thoughts and experience, Iowa! I started IP in May 2010 and lost 45 lbs in 6 months. I went from a tight size 14 to a loose size 6 pants. Having reached my goal, I started to relax and indulge every once in a while. At Christmas, I totally let loose and ate whatever whenever. Unfortunately, since then this has been the norm.
I have gained back 40 of the 45 lbs that I had lost...ugh!!! I'm now a size 12 with a muffin top, disgusted with myself and miserable. Since June I have tried repeatedly to go back on plan, but like you it would only last a few days and then I'd cheat and give up.

Last week I decided that enough was enough. I also decided that I want to go south this winter and be able to wear all the cute beach clothes and bikinis that I bought when I reached my goal. I started back on IP (alternative plan) this past Monday and am determined to lose the weight again. No cheats and down 5 lbs so far. We can do this! We did it before and I know that we can do it again.

Hello,

I am not exactly in your situation, but on Wednesday, I had my 1st cheat in 7 weeks on program and I felt bad.

I wrote in here and got lots of encouragement to come back to the program and move on.

So, I am here just to give you some positive energy, I know you can do it, you already did, and think about it this way, even though you gained back some weight, you are still lighter from when you originally started. Besides, I know that 20 pounds might seem a lot, but seriously, not with IP, I mean, I lost 11 pounds on my first week and heard about lots and lots of people who did the same if not more. So, just take it one day at a time, stay focused and you'll lose all what you gained in no time.

Good luck.

This really scares me.

Everyone I tell about IP and rave about it to asks me the same question: "But what happens when you go off of it. Will you gain it all back?"

I always tell them there are 4 phases and they wean you off. But sometimes I feel like I'm lying and misleading them when I read posts about people who HAVE gained a lot of it back.

Is that the norm really? Can someone reassure me?

No this is not the norm at all. I failed myself. The diet doesn't fail if you stick to it. I started eating everything in sight months after I stopped. I didn't phase out properly. If you phase out properly and follow the plan completely, it has great success. I am sure you will do great!

I heard of lots of people who did not gain at all after doing all the phases.

I gained back the weight because I didn't phase out properly. That and I ate very poorly as well. I got back to my old habits of going nuts with carbs and junk food. I'm not sure why, I guess old habits are hard to break. But I know so many people that have kept the weight off I have no doubt that I can. It just has to be a lifestyle change not a diet. You have to retrain yourself to eat healthy and excersize once you get to your goal. Follow the maintence plan and it will work.

I feel that if I had done it they way I was suppose to rather than just abandoning ship I would have been within 5 pounds of where I stopped.

I guess at that point in time I was just half way ready to commit to a healthier me for life. Now I'm 100% committed to it and will succeed, I have no doubt. I think anyone can keep the weight off as long as they make the right life choices. Which for me is why I gained back the weight. Never again.

So I wouldn't worry to much as long as your ready to make that change in your life you should be fine. There are so many people that have done this and maintained for a long time that we know it works its just a matter of personal choices.

WELCOME BACK!!!

I know you would rather be here under different circumstances but, this is a support forum not a testimonials group. Please don't be embarrassed. You did what others also do/have done, you stepped too far back into old habits. So did I.

I think getting back on track is harder because, we aren't as desperate or committed as we were the first time. We also know what hard work it will be, what we may go through, or what we will give up. I find that I have to reject those thoughts or feelings as they come up and focus on the why I felt good, why I felt excited, the success of losing, the joy of being able to say "I can" and "I did".

I found, for me, the way I was able to get on track was to commit just to a day on plan. Then if that was hard, just to commit to making the next snack or meal on plan. I thought, If I can string all of those together, I will be there in no time. After day 4, I am finding I have more control. My goal now is to just make it to the end, phase of properly, and accept that, although I may not respond as badly as I used to, my body does not like high carb levels. My old lifestyle and habits will take me right back here every time if I don't stay with a low carb lifestyle like phase 4.

I wish you lots of luck coming back. I know you will have lots of support and no judgement from those of us who are right there with you, recognizing as early as we can we are making decisions that aren't helping us maintain and taking steps to correct it.


The truth? Yes, this is normal. It is always normal when you don't maintain a lifestyle change in your diet that, if you go back to what were your old "normal" habits of eating you will get the same results.

IP does not change your dna, it doesn't correct your emotions or mental processes. It can't even permanently fix you. It can give you a chance to understand how your body works, realize that your body does not process carbs well, realize that in the presence of too many carbs and too high fat in your diet you will become insulin resistant, a person with hyperinsulemia, or both. It allows you a means to correct that process but, if you go back to what you did when you reach maintenance, over a period of time, yes, you will get the same results you did with your prior habits/lifestyle.

Is it normal that all IP dieters get to here? I don't know, I have certainly seen many that have had issues. I know that many people have even owned up to it and come back here to try again. I know of some in the past 2 years that have had that one time slide into old habits and it was all they needed to realize, this has to be for life. They get back to where they want to be and then they really have maintained. (again, my experience with people on the diet is only a 2 yr span of time)

Here is the thing. When you get to maintenance you have to choose a lifestyle that supports what you have achieved. Several things have contributed to getting here and the success we have - reduced calories, low fat, frequent fiber, lots of water, low carb, and not repeatedly spiking our insulin through the day, every day. To maintain, you have to keep almost everything accept you can add more calories and a bit more carbs and fat. If you add too many calories, your body will still gain weight. We have to use what we eat or we get fat that is just the way it is. We also have to remember what our body functions best with. If we step away from that we can become unbalanced and unhealthy and fat again.

Part of one of your questions was "when I go off program", if you choose to make this your last diet (diet being what you choose to eat), you will NEVER be off program.

YOU can make this your last diet but, not diet in the sense of means to lose weight. It has to be your diet in the sense that Phase 4 is the way you will eat forever (or something very close to phase 4). In that sense, yes, it will be your last diet and NO, you will not gain the weight back. Each of use who gained and is back to try to get it right, we lost sight of the way we were supposed to eat and went back to old habits.

For me, I maintained for a year an almost 90 pound loss. My issues were when I was emotional stressed (death of loved one and move out of BF) and I started to use my old habits when I was on the run and that, combined with emotional eating, put me up 25 pounds. I know I have food allergies (I can put on 3 pounds overnight if I eat wheat products), I know I am very sensitive to carbs (I fall out of ketosis if I get to 45 total carbs per day; some very rare people can stay in ketosis to 70 carbs a day), I know that I do best and feel best if I have more protein in my day. If I don't learn to live with those restrictions I assume I will always have issues maintaining.

Not to scare you or be a down but, the reality is IP is only a permanent fix if you choose to follow the maintenance program or something like it as a long term change.


Nice to see you again, Christina! Glad to hear you are having some good success.

Remember this is a lifestyle change. Not a diet. If you go back to eating the same stuff that you were eating before you started IP, you will gain weight back. There has to be a change in your eating habits that continues after you have phased off.

I've been in maintenance for 5 months. I gained 5 lbs back. I monitor my weight every couple of days, I'm a dessert lover by nature, so if I went back to the way I ate before IP, I would gain all the weight I lost back! So I stick closely to a phase 2 or 3 life during the week and on sunday - I indulge. If the scale says I'm up I might stay on phase 2 for a couple of days.

I made the choice to lose the weight, and I'm making the choice to keep it off. Hope this helps.....

Don't be embarassed, this happens...Just take it one meal at a time, then it will become a day, then a week, and so on. You are strong.... You can do this!

Showgirl - I think that is very well put. I am still early and off/on the program (not a role model for IP), but I do think that something that is not stressed sufficiently in many clinics is that this will, in fact, be a lifestyle change. Phase 4 is for life unless you have committed to another lifestyle eating plan that works for your body. Any return to "life as usual" without breaking the habits that got us to IP in the first place is going to cause the same result. So, you might gain it all back, just as you would with any program, if you don't make permanent lifestyle changes. There is no miracle diet and there is no miracle fix -- we each just have to find what works best for us!!

I think it might be wise if IP makes you look at Phase 4 before you start the program to ask if you think you can live this way . . . I know that I didn't know anything about the "lifestyle" when I started the diet and perhas I should've taken a deep look at it!

You are being very strong in confronting your situation. Many of us here like myself have lost and gained.
By posting and acting on your problem, you are beginning the steps of going for your goal. You do have the strength to do it and have done it before.

[QUOTE=showgirlaz;3997414]WELCOME BACK!!!

I know you would rather be here under different circumstances but, this is a support forum not a testimonials group. Please don't be embarrassed. You did what others also do/have done, you stepped too far back into old habits. So did I.

I think getting back on track is harder because, we aren't as desperate or committed as we were the first time. We also know what hard work it will be, what we may go through, or what we will give up. I find that I have to reject those thoughts or feelings as they come up and focus on the why I felt good, why I felt excited, the success of losing, the joy of being able to say "I can" and "I did".

I found, for me, the way I was able to get on track was to commit just to a day on plan. Then if that was hard, just to commit to making the next snack or meal on plan. I thought, If I can string all of those together, I will be there in no time. After day 4, I am finding I have more control. My goal now is to just make it to the end, phase of properly, and accept that, although I may not respond as badly as I used to, my body does not like high carb levels. My old lifestyle and habits will take me right back here every time if I don't stay with a low carb lifestyle like phase 4.

I wish you lots of luck coming back. I know you will have lots of support and no judgement from those of us who are right there with you, recognizing as early as we can we are making decisions that aren't helping us maintain and taking steps to correct it.




The truth? Yes, this is normal. It is always normal when you don't maintain a lifestyle change in your diet that, if you go back to what were your old "normal" habits of eating you will get the same results.

IP does not change your dna, it doesn't correct your emotions or mental processes. It can't even permanently fix you. It can give you a chance to understand how your body works, realize that your body does not process carbs well, realize that in the presence of too many carbs and too high fat in your diet you will become insulin resistant, a person with hyperinsulemia, or both. It allows you a means to correct that process but, if you go back to what you did when you reach maintenance, over a period of time, yes, you will get the same results you did with your prior habits/lifestyle.

Is it normal that all IP dieters get to here? I don't know, I have certainly seen many that have had issues. I know that many people have even owned up to it and come back here to try again. I know of some in the past 2 years that have had that one time slide into old habits and it was all they needed to realize, this has to be for life. They get back to where they want to be and then they really have maintained. (again, my experience with people on the diet is only a 2 yr span of time)

Here is the thing. When you get to maintenance you have to choose a lifestyle that supports what you have achieved. Several things have contributed to getting here and the success we have - reduced calories, low fat, frequent fiber, lots of water, low carb, and not repeatedly spiking our insulin through the day, every day. To maintain, you have to keep almost everything accept you can add more calories and a bit more carbs and fat. If you add too many calories, your body will still gain weight. We have to use what we eat or we get fat that is just the way it is. We also have to remember what our body functions best with. If we step away from that we can become unbalanced and unhealthy and fat again.

Part of one of your questions was "when I go off program", if you choose to make this your last diet (diet being what you choose to eat), you will NEVER be off program.

YOU can make this your last diet but, not diet in the sense of means to lose weight. It has to be your diet in the sense that Phase 4 is the way you will eat forever (or something very close to phase 4). In that sense, yes, it will be your last diet and NO, you will not gain the weight back. Each of use who gained and is back to try to get it right, we lost sight of the way we were supposed to eat and went back to old habits.

For me, I maintained for a year an almost 90 pound loss. My issues were when I was emotional stressed (death of loved one and move out of BF) and I started to use my old habits when I was on the run and that, combined with emotional eating, put me up 25 pounds. I know I have food allergies (I can put on 3 pounds overnight if I eat wheat products), I know I am very sensitive to carbs (I fall out of ketosis if I get to 45 total carbs per day; some very rare people can stay in ketosis to 70 carbs a day), I know that I do best and feel best if I have more protein in my day. If I don't learn to live with those restrictions I assume I will always have issues maintaining.

Not to scare you or be a down but, the reality is IP is only a permanent fix if you choose to follow the maintenance program or something like it as a long term change.



Carla..That was expressed very well. I very much agree with your thoughts about long term change and IP. Thanks for a very informative post.