I feel like there are two things I think about every time I want to cheat...I told my husband to hide his Easter candy so I wouldn't have to be looking at it and I had a moment where I thought about looking for it. But I didn't for three reasons:
1) When I went to my introductory IP meeting the doctor emphasized at least 10 times that this diet will work for you and you will be able to successfully maintain your weight AS LONG AS YOU DON'T CHEAT ON PHASE I. Scared the crap out of me! He said 70% of dieters maintain after two years, and every one in the 30% that didn't cheated during phase 1.
2) My first three days I had a terrible carb detox - even had to miss a day of work. I read in my materials that it will pass after 3-4 days, but the symptoms will come back with cheats. Just knowing how sick I would feel is a good deterrent as well.
3) Perhaps the best deterrent is reading these boards. I feel like I see people posting their successes and struggles so honestly and I want to be able to do the same thing.
This is coming from a NOTORIOUS cheater on every diet in the book who is attempting to reform!
Thanks to all who posted, this was a great thread to read!
OMG!!! I am doomed I have so cheated in phase I! I wish my coach would of told me what your coach told you.
OMG!!! I am doomed I have so cheated in phase I! I wish my coach would of told me what your coach told you.
S/C/G: 238/199/148
Looks like your current weight is 199 and your goal weight is 148. I'd suggest that if you stay 100% OP for the remainder of your program you should be ok. No more cheats!!
Hi all, this is a flyer that was givin to me in my start up packet. It has really helped me, and I hope it will help one of you reading it that didn't get it when they started. Amy
The Real Costs of Cheating on the Idea Protein Program By Tom Ferguson
I was on the Ideal Program about a year ago. From December 1, 2006 to March 1, 2007 I lost 50+ Lbs. That was pretty amazing, but I could have done better.
How could I have done better? By not cheating, that's how. Oh, I didn't cheat big, but I still cheated. I didn't think it was a big deal, because I was still eating so much better than I did in the past. But I wasn't 100% compliant with the diet, so I was cheating. The thing is, I was only cheating myself.
So, is it ok to cheat? That depends. You have to answer that question for yourself. Before you can answer that question, you have to understand the real costs of cheating.
If you cheat one day on the diet, you might think to yourself, 'I've lost a day on the diet, but that isn't so bad.” Not true. First of all, you lost that day, but you also lost the “momentum” of the progress you made up to that point. If you get back on track immediately, then you will take at least one more day of compliance to get back to where you were before you cheated. It's like climbing a hill on a bicycle. If you stop pedaling for a period of time, you're going to roll backward. You will have lost ground, and it will take an equal period of time, or more, to gain back the ground you lost. So, one day of cheating, will cost you at least two days. In that week, instead of 7 days of progress, you will have only 5. Think about it.
Next, if you cheat a little on the Ideal Program you will still lose weight. That's a good thing, right? Well, yes and no. Yes because your objective is to lose weight, and that's good. But when you cheat, your pancreas has to work overtime again. Remember, weight loss is one of our goals, but equally important is to get our bodies functioning in a healthy state, and a healthy pancreas is essential to that.
From a psychological viewpoint, if you cheat and still make progress, you may think it is ok to cheat since there were no consequences. Next time it will be easier to cheat again, and perhaps you will cheat for two days instead of one. But there are consequences. You didn't make as much progress as you could have.
On the other side of the argument, if you absolutely have to have that one day of cheating as a “reward” or you can't stay on the Ideal Program, well the obvious choice is to cheat.
So, is it ok to cheat? You'll have to make the decision for yourself. Think about it and weigh the consequences. Just remember: when you cheat, you're not cheating anyone but yourself.
Thanks for the great post. So far, temptation has not got the best of me (week 4 IP) but you have given me encouragement to stay on program.
I feel like I should print this out and post it all over the cupboard where I keep the food for my two 2 1/2 year olds....my temptation is the peanut butter....ugh.
I feel like I should print this out and post it all over the cupboard where I keep the food for my two 2 1/2 year olds....my temptation is the peanut butter....ugh.
OMG ironic you posted that. I'll admit I've cheated 3 nights in a row, and I'm still losing, but as of tonight it's done, and my cheat was Peanut butter, about a tablespoon of it after giving some to the dog for him to take his vitamin. (Two Tablespoons have like 15g of carbs). The worst part is that I don't feel that guilty about it but I know I need to so I can stay OP I had a loss each morning that I weighed still, and it was comparable to all my other "normal" daily losses that I've had this whole time. I don't know if it's because I don' actually have a "restricted" at all? The highest carb item I have is a bar that is 3g Net carbs...my shakes are 2.5g carbs each and I have two of those a day, one at breakfast one at lunch, the normal dinner and my snack bar afterwards...
Another aspect of this is to consider the financial cost. For those doing 100% IP products, it's a pretty expensive cheat. Assuming it takes you two days to get back where you were, you've essentially wasted three days worth of IP food. At $4 per packet, that's a $36 cheat.
Even using alternate products at $1.50 or so each, it's still a $13.50 cheat. Let me tell you, I adore cinnamon rolls almost as much as I adore my son, but no cinnamon roll is worth $13.50.
Money is a good motivator for me and this really made sense. Darn you choc chip cookie!!!!
OMG ironic you posted that. I'll admit I've cheated 3 nights in a row, and I'm still losing, but as of tonight it's done, and my cheat was Peanut butter, about a tablespoon of it after giving some to the dog for him to take his vitamin. (Two Tablespoons have like 15g of carbs). The worst part is that I don't feel that guilty about it but I know I need to so I can stay OP I had a loss each morning that I weighed still, and it was comparable to all my other "normal" daily losses that I've had this whole time. I don't know if it's because I don' actually have a "restricted" at all? The highest carb item I have is a bar that is 3g Net carbs...my shakes are 2.5g carbs each and I have two of those a day, one at breakfast one at lunch, the normal dinner and my snack bar afterwards...
Kaypix, I can't tell you how nice it was to hear your share! I have been cheating at least 2x/week with a small finger swoop of PB. I LOVE PB and I knew that would be the hardest thing for me to give up. And I've also still been losing at a decent rate (13 lbs in 3 weeks). I'm torn over this. On one hand, I think if I didn't have that lick, I might break down and have like a PBJ sandwich which would be way worse. But its been easier to cheat since because it wasn't affecting my weight loss. Made me think that since I went from probably 4 tbsp of PB along with all my other unhealthy habits, this is nothing...but I do notice that i'm hungrier than I was the first week when I was STRICT. And like we've all said, it's harder and harder to not cheat after. SIGH Thanks for sharing so I know it's not just me.
Kaypix, I can't tell you how nice it was to hear your share! I have been cheating at least 2x/week with a small finger swoop of PB. I LOVE PB and I knew that would be the hardest thing for me to give up. And I've also still been losing at a decent rate (13 lbs in 3 weeks). I'm torn over this. On one hand, I think if I didn't have that lick, I might break down and have like a PBJ sandwich which would be way worse. But its been easier to cheat since because it wasn't affecting my weight loss. Made me think that since I went from probably 4 tbsp of PB along with all my other unhealthy habits, this is nothing...but I do notice that i'm hungrier than I was the first week when I was STRICT. And like we've all said, it's harder and harder to not cheat after. SIGH Thanks for sharing so I know it's not just me.
Have u tried WF Peanut Spread? It's not PB but it always cures my PB cravings without cheating on the program.
This is a lot of food for though (pun intended lol)
I BOMBED yesterday and have my first weight in today. My scale showed me down 12 lbs!!!!!!!!!!! I gave blood esterday and was so so lightheaded....then my heart started to race...so i went and had sushi. I am unsure what made me think that would help....
Of course, I am up now but down overall (I think)....but cheating does mess with the head for sure..........
Just wanted to bump this one so that some of the newer people can read it. I ran across this thread when I first started IP and it has helped me to stay 100% OP my entire time on IP.
Thank for bumping this up Ragdoll, I have noticed a lot of "cheating" going on, I just want to YELL every time I read it....CONTROL...its all about Control yourself!
Thank for bumping this up Ragdoll, I have noticed a lot of "cheating" going on, I just want to YELL every time I read it....CONTROL...its all about Control yourself!
It bothers me too.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein
I know if I start cheating, it will lead me back to my old habits. I'll gain the weight back and have that feeling of desperation again when it comes to not having self control.
I really wish I had known about how difficult it is to get back OP before I cheated on the past Thanksgiving weekend! I wish I had seen this thread. I honestly thought I could have one small cheat and then go right back on OP. I figured I had been OP for 7 1/2 weeks without even thinking about cheating...I thought it would be easy. It is a struggle every single day now!! I will get control over this!!
I really wish I had known about how difficult it is to get back OP before I cheated on the past Thanksgiving weekend! I wish I had seen this thread. I honestly thought I could have one small cheat and then go right back on OP. I figured I had been OP for 7 1/2 weeks without even thinking about cheating...I thought it would be easy. It is a struggle every single day now!! I will get control over this!!
You can do it!...I went through ALL of the holidays last year without cheating at all. My take on it was, It will be there NEXT year and I have 'tasted" everything already so I know what it all taste like already nothing different. I should be at my goal this year for the holidays but I don't know if I will eat "old" food or not. I have gotten so used of eating this way I don't want to feel yucky, ya know? My mom always made sure I had "MY" food as close to their food as possible. She made me cauliflower dressing, cauliflower potatos, green beans, turkey, I had food on my plate just like the others and it didn't bother me at all NOT to have any of the other stuff. I guess my mind was where it needed to be Good luck, You can do this...go back to thinking like its day 1 from the start!
I had a loss each morning that I weighed still, and it was comparable to all my other "normal" daily losses that I've had this whole time. I don't know if it's because I don' actually have a "restricted" at all? The highest carb item I have is a bar that is 3g Net carbs...my shakes are 2.5g carbs each and I have two of those a day, one at breakfast one at lunch, the normal dinner and my snack bar afterwards...
Made me think that since I went from probably 4 tbsp of PB along with all my other unhealthy habits, this is nothing...but I do notice that i'm hungrier than I was the first week when I was STRICT. And like we've all said, it's harder and harder to not cheat after. SIGH Thanks for sharing so I know it's not just me. 
