It's been a really tough week. I've been craving carbs so badly that I actually dreamed about cupcakes! Did I stay on plan 100%, no! but I tried. I am not a veggie fan so it is difficult. I found myself eating Atkins Bars instead of IP because they taste better and I ate a few cashews. But today was my first weigh in and I guess I got what I deserved.... I only lost 3.8 lbs and coach said a total of 4" inches (not so sure if that is accurate). I was so down that when I left I wandered a little farther off plan. I got right back on track at dinner but I am wondering can I give up so much with so little reward and stick to it? How do you all stay on plan? I need to be committed to sugar rehab.

Hey, firstly at your weight 3.8 pounds is pretty good. You should not be disappointed. Chances are even if you stick 100% to the plan you won't always lose that much. Try and figure out a way to deal with the veggies. My wife can eat salads, I couldn't. So I started making stir fries with a table spoon of chili paste (hot hot hot). That got me through. I've been on since 6/10 and am onto Maintenance as of this last Monday. So i lost about 22 pounds in 6 Weeks. You will do better the closer you stick to the plan.

I am in week 3 - I can empathize with your sugar cravings - I have a voracious addiction to sugar, but if you fight thru the first 3 or 4 days without sugar, you will find it becomes increasingly easier.

I use the chocolate drink, chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding and find the caramel nut bars and the choc raspberry bars seem to satisfy my desire for sweet - I save up my snack for evening and have a bar or choc pudding after dinner.

When you break free from sugar, You can drive your own results -- being hung up sweets was a key factor in your weight gain, and after several decades of losing lbs and then going back to sugar, I have added more and more weight with each yo yo. It's a tough change but I keep asking myself what is more important - giving up my lifetime determination to be fat? or hanging on to sugar? I am giving up on being fat, and letting sugar go its own way.

I would say that is a pretty darn good weigh in.

Use where you are now with a week behind you of revving up to push through a full week 100% on plan (dump the Atkins bars... In a week or so your tastes will start to change and things you aren't fond of now will taste good soon. You are responding to the high FAT content in those bars but they are not helping you break free!) Yes, you will have to muster ALL your willpower to get past the 3rd or 4th day moving forward, but YOU are so worth it. Once you get firmly in ketosis, you will feel so much better, cravings will subside, hunger will dissipate. It WILL get better and you CAN DO IT!

So...... WHAT exactly is wrong with 3.8 pounds in a week??? What other diet have you been on with above average results like that? You are already above average for IP (2-3 per week) so no idea why you are disappointed? Oh, wait... Is it because you are comparing your loss to someone else's? OOOPS! Don't do that. This is an individual journey with individual results. There are soooooo many things that determine how much and how fast you will lose, you just can't compare your loss to anyone else's.

NOW is the time to commit to being 100% on plan. Hang out on the Daily Chat for support. Read the 100% thread got inspiration. YOU GOT THIS!!

As I have read on here many times:
Being fat is hard.
Weight loss is hard.
Maintenance is hard.
Pick your hard!

Considering you were off plan more than a little...you did well.

You are looking at losing about 20% of your starting weight .....right? That is admirable...but if you are comparing the loss of someone starting higher..say 1.5 X your starting weight ...or some factor of those multipliers.... ?? You appear to have not read enough to be realistic.

Most average about 2 Lbs a week on this plan. In about 8 months my average was actually under 2 lbs a week... With the biggest losses when I was heavier. I think I had 2 weigh-ins in 8 months that were close to 4 lbs. the rest were way less. It averaged about 11 pounds a month for a short while..then really slowed down. A lot. However, I lost almost 40 % of my total body weight... But % and real number pounds are not the same for everyone. Your starting numbers are not as high as some posters...they will have more dramatic losses to post until the % they are STILL attempting to shed decreases. Then the going is slower and less dramatic. It is what it is.

Every little bit of weight lost is an achievement towards your goal! 3.8 in a week is fabulous. When i first started my journey i tried to have those high numbers but the best goal really is 2lbs a week. Those weeks fly by.

I do not like IP bars. I do like Pure Protein peanut butter and it still complies with IP. The above responses are correct in saying that since you didn't completely follow the protocol the first week, your results will not 100% reflect what IP can do for you.

We have all had the sugar and cheat dreams at least once. Even in ketosis, your mind will play with you. You don't have to be hungry to have cravings so willpower still plays a huge part.

I think losing less weight could be harder. Less time to make some of the mental shifts and get comfortable with not indulging all the time. More weight to lose can mean bigger losses too which is motivation in itself.

Give yourself another week and try to be 100%. See how you feel then.

So I just had my 4th WI and I can tell you it is a roller coaster ride. I have been 100% on plan 100% of the time and only gone out to eat 2x, both at outback because i know what i can eat LOL... First week was full of cravings and withdrawl symptoms and many many thoughts in my head of what the heck am I doing.....But the rusults week 1 100% on plan were awsome...down 9.5.....So I was all keyed up for week 2. Did EXACTLY the same followed my journal EXACTLY the same as the week before althought I felt a heck of a lot better....scale week 2 was 1.5. I decided at that point that there are highs and low's on any plan and I was committed to it. I have just had my 4th WI and I am down 20.5 and around 14 total inches gone. You can do this you just have to have your head in the game. Get creative with the food and sit down and enjoy your dinners. I have found that I can totally eat what I need to all day if I know what my dinner is going to be. ALWAYS make what you eat something you Want. Enjoy the process because I know the rewards in the end are going to be Great.

3.8 pounds gone forever - that's awesome!!

I'm starting to think this plan is one where the scale is not always our friend. Tuesday was my third weigh-in and I was discouraged because it showed only 2 pounds lost, but the readout on the clinic scale showed I'd lost 5 pounds of fat and gained muscle!

Work the plan and keep going!

I know that it is hard to not be disappointed.... But get back in there and give it 100 percent, and you will not be disappointed. We don't gain this weight at 10 pounds a week, we shouldn't expect to lose it that quickly.

You can do it... Believe in your ability.

what helps me a lot is stuffing my face with lots of cooked veggies and a big salad before lunch and supper, then I hardly have any room left for anything else I'd be really happy to lose almost 4 pounds in one week Keep it up, eat more salad!

First, let me say congrats to you to an awesome job.... I know that's where I want to be. I will be watching to see how maintenance goes for you. I am anxious to try the stir fry, it's worth a shot!

You speak the absolute truth! That's my life - yo yo diet - battle the sugar - gain a little more weight each time! I love to make desserts and that's my claim to fame....people will ask me to bring a certain cake, pie or some concoction I have made.....they don't request me to bring a veggie tray.! But I have to figure this out on my own - may find out who my real friends are really fast! Lol.

Everyone has already said all you need to hear. Almost 4 pounds, admitting that you weren't even on plan, is awesome. You will have cravings until you get into ketosis so as everyone advised, get rid of the things holding you back from being OP and give it another try.

This biggest battle is the "mental one". I honestly don't think people love you JUST for your great baking But shift that creative energy now to "great cooking". You can still bake creative things that are OP by the way so check out the great recipe threads and Rainbow's "Mixin in the Kitchen" thread.