Such great stuff to read this morning! Congrats to everyone! I knew when I started IP that I needed to stay 100% if I wanted to make it work. But I figured I owed it to myself and to my household to do it right - it was too expensive to not do so and I really couldn't ask everyone to support me if I wasn't willing to put in the work.
I read here for a long time before starting and jumping in and loved the 100%ers mindset and determination. They helped teach me how to make IP fit in my life, plan ahead and get over myself when I thought "it's not fair!".
So keep at it 100%ers! I love reading all your thoughts and insights - it's so easy to justify a cheat, much harder to look at your real motivations for going off plan and coming up with ways to stay OP.
Thanks for all the motivation. When I first started this I didn't really think about the mental side of losing weight. Thanks to this thread I have been able to completely "surrender" to IP. (love this Tamila) I know that this plan works if it is worked 100%. So everyone keep your eye on the prize it's within reach! We are doing this!!!
It is so great to hear someone else talking about surrender! I've used that term for quite a while around here. I've viewed "giving in rather than giving up" as part of the surrender process.
The same thing applies when people ask, "Why can't we eat...?" (fill in the blank). It sounds flippant but my answer is always "because it isn't on the sheet." I'm not trying to be flippant, I'm just stating the facts & I don't do a good job in shrouding them in the clouds. I can spend my time questioning the why's and hows or I can deal with the fact that it works and then give working it my all! So much simpler than fighting it but it takes a complete change in attitude to get to the mental place to just do it.
I didn't drop my weight by questioning "why" but rather by discovering ways to stick with it no matter what. Many days it feels like I chose the road less traveled. However all of you make me feel not so alone.
It is such a pleasure to read thru this thread and see others who are doing IP the way it is suppose to be. When I started May 2 it was sort of scary because of the major restrictions...I took it and ran with it though and all is great. I surrendered to health as well. We must be patient and work hard if we want success. Good story for you...at the 4th of July celebration we attended the hosts were very fancy with food and drinks. They had those rented electric drink dispensers with the creamy blue white and red fancy drinks. After a few hours (drinking ice water with mint and lemons) my friends and I were laughing up a storm...our husbands were at another table and one of the guys yelled over...okay ladies sounds like you need to be cut off. We were having a great time and it felt nice to think that all those drinks had major sugar and of course alcohol and nothing like that went into my body to have fun. In the beginning of the diet I feared a bit how I would get through my BD...summer parties and holidays. Each time I made it through a challenging issue it was considered a stepping stone to my success. It gets easier! It is all good..been keeping my eye on the prize and it feels so lovely. It took awhile for my energy to rise because of thyroid issues but things are getting better with each day. I am thrilled to see the love and support here and how others are pushing through this just the way it was meant to be followed. Truly, couldn't imagine it any other way. Besides, I feel worth my efforts. My postive attitude and thought process are going hand in hand with everything...I pray every day and give thanks.
Thanks everyone your stories are amazing. I don't come here every single day but when I do it really warms my heart.
Joanne
Last edited by jo4applerose; 07-11-2014 at 02:06 PM.
I've found these recent discussions to be very comforting, too. Besides my husband, so few friends or family seem to understand the importance of what I am doing and how I am doing it. On vacation last week I was encouraged by my mother-in-law to treat myself because if I don't, I'll quit the program. No, I'll quit program if I start cheating and why would you even try to tell me how to do this after I've been doing it for 5 1/2 months and lost 75 pounds? I do not need fixing!
At least I can come here and know there are people who understand what I am doing and why. And I agree with jo4applerose - the stories truly are amazing!
I just read the last few pages of this thread and really want to commend everyone with their efforts. I'm sticking with IP 100%, because of the time, money, my coach, me and many, many, MANY other reasons. It honestly hasn't been difficult at all after the first week. I've been creative with my dinners and am trying LOTS of new vegetables. I feel like IP gives you enough options so I'm not bored during the diet. I try different types of proteins, prepare them different ways, make different flavor profiles and the same thing with my vegetables. This website has given me a great sense of comfort and admiration connecting me with people who are in my shoes or have once been in my shoes. I am very thankful for all of the contributions and enjoy reading about everyone's journeys.
Anytime I see someone on another thread mention a cheat & comment it didn't cause a setback, my first thought is: how do you know?
If you still lost & didn't gain, maybe it was going to be a big whoosh week instead.
If you just hopped on the scale the next day and all was the same, perhaps a loss was missed.
The biggest thing I see is in the mental attitude, which always says to me: I can cheat on myself and it turns out okay. Amazing how many re-treads I see (or stoppers/starters) with this attitude. To me I see an attitude that the food is more important than the person.
There is no food item more important than me! I am worth treating myself with respect and I am worth not cheating myself. Or maybe I just spent so many years not taking care of myself that I see the importance in it now.
Whichever, I just don't see anyone "getting away" with cheats. It's a message we send to ourselves and I want to tell myself I'm worth sticking with it!
jo4applerose - good job on the 4th of July party! I found changing my focus from the food to the people to be liberating - instead of spending my time deciding what to eat next, I just enjoyed the company. So glad you are feeling better - thyroid issues are tough and you are doing great!
Peppertree - isn't is amazing how people can see how well IP is working for you and still think you need to change something? I had people say "can't you just take one day off for X occasion?" Well, yeah, I can do anything I want, but what I want is to be healthy and taking a "day off" isn't going to help me achieve that goal. Good for you for sticking with it!
kissi - I loved the variety and discovering new ways to cook things on P1. It felt wonderful to sit down to a really tasty meal that was completely OP. A lot of the stuff I learned to cook and enjoy on P1 I still eat. The recipe threads were a life-saver any time I started to get bored. And I'm with you - finding people who knew exactly what I was going through and supported me was invaluable. I don't think I could have done it without the wisdom and caring I found and continue to find here.
lisa32989 - really good points. Maybe having X, Y or Z wouldn't have slowed me down, but I wasn't willing to risk it. I figured it was all or nothing and I was worth giving it my all. Sometimes I have to stop and think - does it really matter if I lose or maintain my weight? The answer is always, yes, it does matter. Not just to me but to the people I love and who count on me.
I think we forget sometimes that life doesn't stop at the end of our noses. All the people we care about and who care about us want us around for a long time and want the best version of us. While we have to want to get healthy for ourselves, it doesn't end there. When we're healthy and happy it effects our loved ones - they get more enjoyment out of the healthy version of us. It's a win, win.
Such great stuff to read this morning! Congrats to everyone! I knew when I started IP that I needed to stay 100% if I wanted to make it work. But I figured I owed it to myself and to my household to do it right - it was too expensive to not do so and I really couldn't ask everyone to support me if I wasn't willing to put in the work.
I read here for a long time before starting and jumping in and loved the 100%ers mindset and determination. They helped teach me how to make IP fit in my life, plan ahead and get over myself when I thought "it's not fair!".
So keep at it 100%ers! I love reading all your thoughts and insights - it's so easy to justify a cheat, much harder to look at your real motivations for going off plan and coming up with ways to stay OP.
100% is the only way for me! Just like eating at little of something yummy never worked for me. I was fine if i didn't touch it, but if I had a little, I was going to way overeat.
100% is the only way for me! Just like eating at little of something yummy never worked for me. I was fine if i didn't touch it, but if I had a little, I was going to way overeat.
I totally get that problem! Even in maintenance I'm recognizing how easy it would be to just fall back into old eating patterns. So glad I stayed 100% through the losing part - it showed me I can control myself and do what I need to do and I have to remind myself often that I am stronger than the food and in control of what I eat.
Hi Everyone! I'm new here, starting the IP protocol tomorrow. I've read through a lot of posts here today and I think I've found a thread that makes a lot of sense to me. I am spending a lot of $$$ on this program, so I want to be completely OCD about it and follow it lock-step. i can already tell that finding this message board/entire forum will be what gets me through sometimes.
Question - are any of you using Flexible Spending Accounts to pay for IP? I called my company and my chiro is filling out the medical need letter. I swiped my flex benefits card to pay for the consult and start up kit. I'm hoping they won't kick it back to me. ANyone have success using flex dollars to pay?
Oh, and weekend after next we are going to Baton Rouge for my hubby's family reunion - temptation city! My family lives there too so we will be doing lots of visiting centered around food. I'm going to need to do some strategizing. My coach said we will work on a strategy at my first weigh - in, but I am sure you all have some tips as well!
Hi Everyone! I'm new here, starting the IP protocol tomorrow. I've read through a lot of posts here today and I think I've found a thread that makes a lot of sense to me. I am spending a lot of $$$ on this program, so I want to be completely OCD about it and follow it lock-step. i can already tell that finding this message board/entire forum will be what gets me through sometimes.
Question - are any of you using Flexible Spending Accounts to pay for IP? I called my company and my chiro is filling out the medical need letter. I swiped my flex benefits card to pay for the consult and start up kit. I'm hoping they won't kick it back to me. ANyone have success using flex dollars to pay?
In the past I had a weight loss pill covered depending on my BMI. I actually didn't even try this time. I tried to bill the food on a naturopathic prescribed diet and they turned it down. You might be able to cover fees but not likely food. My office doesn't have fees.
I know that this plan works if it is worked 100%. So everyone keep your eye on the prize it's within reach! We are doing this!!!
Love This 100% Thread : ))
My postive attitude and thought process are going hand in hand with everything...I pray every day and give thanks. 
