, again I really gotta give you kudos for avoiding the knots. I swear I just cant be around those things! I am still thinking about them, now what??

That is exactly what happens to me, or as in this case was feeling good about losing 40 pounds, was blindsided in my personal life and totally lost control...I have gained 25 of my 40 back, I am so sorry to say. However, I have made it through today 100%...I am so embarrassed and hope this comment does not discourage anyone, I just had to renter the boards somewhere and this seemed the best place...

Bluejewel
Failure occurs not in the falling down, but in the staying down
Welcome back

This is where i wish this forum had "like" buttons.
I love this!

Yes welcome back...!

Everyone's experience can become part of all of us in this journey.

MENTAL, it is hard to always have your head in the game. I actually talk to myself ( I always did this when I was a competitive swimmer), I say things like " Stay Focused, you've trained for this, you can handle it" Having a food addiction and yes, that is what it is for me, is very different than any other addiction, because you have to eat to survive. You don't need heroin, cigarettes or alcohol to survive, but you do need food. It is very hard to have an addiction and say "I will only have this much" Picture an alcoholic saying "I will only have one drink", it would be near impossible to do. So, this is a day by day thing, sometime hour by hour for me. Pat yourself on the back for all your successes & yes, when you fall down, jump back up again. The support here is almost addicting for me, I really need it. I may not post alot, but I sure do read alot. Go Forward!

When I first did IP I was 100% OP for the entire thing...The cost of "cheating" both on your wallet and body just wasn't worth it. Learn the "real cost" and reprogram your head. You're going to need to think differently to be successful throughout the entire process (i.e. for life).

You've done an amazing job and have to learn to control those urges and stop sabotages your efforts! (I learned the hard way and am doing a "reboot")...

Again, GREAT JOB!!! NOW GET THERE MENTALLY!!! WOO HOO!!! YOU GOT THIS!!!

Failure occurs not in the falling down, but in the staying down.


Thanks Lisa. This is a good reminder to all of us who occasionally slip up not to use it as an excuse to keep going down that slippery slope of giving up all together.

Thank you Lisa,Rechyl,and65x65...these boards are good support, I appreciate seeing the successes of many of you that I was seeing here months ago, congratulations to you!
On to day two....moving forward.
Have a good day

I really try to look at IP as a temporary phase in my life.

It is a chance for me to take a time out and examine what I was doing that got me to this place in the first place. This is a great opportunity to change my mindset, break bad habits and start good habits (i.e. cooking for myself again). I've identified bad habits and am working on changing them (ex: you do not NEED a snack when driving--Drink water instead.)

I'll always be a foodie, but I need to make smarter choices and really embrace the mantra that "food is not a reward."

I read the book "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg before starting the protocol, and it has really helped me stick with the plan.

Kelly

You all realize how amazing you are right? It is a collection of strangers who wok toward a common goal. Blue jewel thank you for sharing your slip and congrats on being back. I am on day two after my Friday beer,pizza and ice cream day. You are inspiring me to be able to look towards tomorrow and report 100%.

This morning my DH and I were discussing the success of IP for me personally and it made me recognize something. I'm a retired manager ...business side of healthcare with a background in clinical laboratory work. A very black and white person in a lot of ways because I'm data driven and like numbers and charts. If it can't be measured (or is NOT measured) you can't say things have improved. That being a pretty to the point profile of "me"...it appears I performance manged myself the last 7 months! A chart with virtually 3 columns... is how I managed my staff and failure was never an option or the next steps would lead to termination, and I was always crystal clear about that.I met with my staff having performance issues daily or weekly as needed to look at their individual performance measures, and was successful 95% of the time in helping them figure out how to manage themselves and hit goal. The ones who were not successful were either "can'ts or won'ts".

Both of the categories are in the wrong job. It was better for them to recognize that on their own rather than me needing to "crystalize" it for them.

I think when this diet doesn't do it for someone...they have chosen the wrong plan to reach their goal.

BlueJewel--I started to send you a personal message, but as I was just about to push send, I thought the best thing for me really was to post it here as you did (you will see what I mean in the copied/pasted message below).

Hi there--I just read your post on the self sabotage thread and when I saw the words "embarrassed" I thought this is ME (and I'm even too embarrassed to put these thoughts out there publicly on the thread)!

I have gained back 23 of my 32 lbs. lost (I maintained for about 18 months) and I have started and re-started many, many times over the past 4 months and even within the past two weeks.

I also related to your comment about being blind-sided with personal stuff--a major "trigger" in my weight gain, but I realize I also have to accept that it was my own emotional response (which was, and always is, turning to food and poor food choices) that truly caused the pounds to pack on.

I'm trying to remember how I did IP so successfully before, especially when socializing, which seems to be the most frequent obstacle that sets me off these days, and was reminded by someone who said she brought her own packets, or had an IP bar when others were having dessert, etc. I DID THAT BEFORE!

But this second time around, making my eating habits a focus causes more embarrassment for having failed in the first place--do you know what I mean? I would just like to avoid all social situations for about two months or until I am really in control again, but on the other hand--that's life and if this is to be a way of eating for life (which I know from experience that it can be), then social situations are part of life. And don't get me wrong, I am the ultimate social butterfly, but right now I want to wrap up in a cocoon! Of course, my timing (for cocooning) isn't too good since we've had one of the most lovely summers in recent memory. But I don't want to keep putting it off like the "Monday diet"--I'll commit "when summer is over," or then it will be "after the holidays" or after "the dog's birthday", etc. It's all just excuses!

So, if I know all of these things...then it's just getting past the embarrassment part, right?

Okay, I've put it out there.....I hope one step in the right direction.

Thanks for being open and honest and offering me the opportunity begin to do the same.

Hi BlueJewel - I remember that you were active here for much of the same time I was last year. Welcome back.
I did make my goal weight in March, but have had a bit of a slip in maintenance, and am rebooting to get rid of a few lbs that have crept back on. It is easy to lose control if one isn't mindful all the time. Thankfully I caught myself in time to stop the 'upward slide' from developing too far. For me, regular weighing and continuing to log my food/drink intake was key. It's an ongoing, constant process though. I'll never be able to throw caution to the wind and just eat/drink the way I used to. (Sigh) I don't mean to sound negative - I'm not really - just being realistic and truthful. Those of us who have been POW (previously overweight) have to remain vigilant and mindful of what we put in our mouths. We can have occasional splurges and fun days, etc. but can't afford to forget the overall basics of healthy maintenance eating. Anyway - again - welcome back. I predict that I'll be hanging out here for a long time! The support and understanding is invaluable to continued success, no matter what stage of the dieting process we've reached. Without participating daily here, I doubt very much that I would have stuck it out to reach my goal - or be back in a reboot now, working to at the very least stop further weight gain. I feel like I owe credit for a large amount of my dieting success last year to everyone here in the IP thread at 3FatChicks. Kudos to all of you!

Eve- You have been such an inspiration...I love your recipes and blog...and ... POW...that is a Primo acronym!!
Thx!