You guys are awesome, thanks for much for your replies and your understanding, and for just telling me not to be so hard on myself.
I think it was the counselor, most of all, who made me feel so bad.
In all, since starting at the gym, I've lost 9 lbs, and their measurements are showing progress, where as the IP office, shows such little change, she was openly disappointed in me.

But anyway, I think you are right, with things so different in my life now, maybe it's just time to try something else, like the Weight Watchers on line?
The IP is hard, and there's just so much going on right now.

Thank you again! I hope to get a lot of encouragement, just reading through these posts!

I definitely needed that article. Went off plan yday... *sigh* Just printed it out and I'm going to keep it handy to refer back to instead of being so hard on myself.

I'm just seeing this thread now but it is so true and I just went through it. I've been doing great with working out and eating well for several weeks now and losing weight. Then on Sunday I got a bad muscle sprain and couldn't workout on Monday and Tuesday. On top of it I just became stupid and ate horribly, I was just in a lot of pain and went to food for comfort. I weighed myself this morning and actually gained weight for the first time since I started working out. I felt like such a loser and was so disappointed in myself. I almost felt hopeless. But since most of my pain was gone I decided I'm going to go workout, just cardio and no weights for the time being. I worked out hard doing cardio for an hour at fairly intense intervals. Walked away completely drenched in sweat to the point where you could probably wring a bucket full of it out of my t-shirt but felt great. Not only has it seemed to help heal my sprain a little more but I'm just feeling great and motivated again. I lost a few days, no big deal as long as you don't let it derail you permanently.

Very interesting read, thanks for putting that up. :-)

Great article.
I would even go on to say that you need those chutes to stay in the game. I really believe that it actually does you some good, both mentally and physically. If you are on a strict diet the body gets used to the low calorie intake and adjusts itself to still store fat. By having at least one free day a week where you pretty much eat what you like, your body doesn't get used to a set calorie intake, stops you going insane and keeps you in the game for the long term, which is the most important part of the weight lose plan. I have been using this method for some time now and has worked really well for me. Go the chutes (but only a couple of times a week!)

I find that creating positive affirmations on note cards really helps me stay motivated. When you fall off the wagon, you need to keep your positive mental attitude and just start over.

If you have never used positive affirmations before, they are pretty simple. You have a goal in mind. You know the steps you need to get there. You write positive affirmations about the things you are doing (or want to be doing) to reach your goals.

For example, if you plan to lose 20 pounds. You make baby steps to get you there, like eating an extra serving of vegetables every day, or walking for 1 hour each day. You can think of several. Then you positive affirmations will look something like this:
I love walking for an hour every day. It makes me feel energized.
I eat an extra serving of vegetables every day and it's helping me lose weight.

Don't make it too complicated. Just make sure it's positive - what you want to be doing or are doing....

Post the note cards in places you will see them. For example, on your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator, or the dashboard of your car. Don't worry, if you live with someone and you don't want to share your note cards, just keep them in more private places like your wallet, your makeup bag. The key is to make them visible. Read them as many times a day as you can!

This is a proven method that really works - it has been used in many aspects of life including business. I hope you try it out!
Let me know if it helps you too.

This is just what I needed to read today......THANK YOU!

Thanks for the article. I fell off on Friday (today is Sunday) and have been feeling very guilty about it. I weighed myself and have gained back 2 lbs. This article helped me to understand that it is OK, just get back on and continue my journey. Life is full of slip ups and speed bumps. Just deal with it. I am ready to start my healthy eating program today.

Thank you I needed this today.

I didn't do very well yesterday and this article made me feel a lot better about it. Thank-you for posting it!

This is great and from playing Chutes & Ladders with my daughter, I know it is not a short game! Ha! There are ups & downs, but eventually you do end the game!

Thank for sharing. Wow that was just the thing I needed to hear!!!!!

Ambriehl,
i have a few question that maybe you can help me with. how can i get in touch . i am a newby and not sure how to send you a message personaly about starting to be a calorie counter. i did ww.

I really enjoyed your article. Thanks for sharing!

I agree that you shouldn't beat yourself up when you are doing so well, and suddenly give in and indulge. Sometimes your body needs something that is in that food, and you're doing yourself a favor. You'll get back to your diet and it may even catapult you to losing more weight. Sometimes you need the fat in order to get your body to get past that plateau. I've read that, anyways, that when you are low in fat reserves that you can't burn as much fat... meaning sometimes pizza is good for you!

Thank you. I got on 3FC to say that I forgot something very important in the last few days--I don't have to eat it all today; it will be there tomorrow.

I feel better now--time to start climbing again!