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Originally Posted by mamarenee
The difference is, I don't "love" this diet like so many say they do. I actually feel it is a form of torture on some days!! I often feel deprived ...Any thoughts?
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When I first started the diet and looked at the list of what I could eat, I almost didn't start because I thought there would be no way I could survive mentally with so many restrictions.
I also sought out recipes and hints (the Daily Thread has an amazing list of threads for recipes and "packet hacks") to cure the monotany.
But I made a goal to be as creative as possible working within the limitations and have been sharing recipes and pix with other dieters so they can see real photos of what they could be eating.
http://www.facebook.com/idealproteinlohja
I can truly say that I don't think I have ever eaten better in my entire life. And my body is responding and healing as well as losing weight.
The other thing which greatly helped me has been awesome coaches (they are a husband and wife team). They explain the science (WHY it works and what the consequences of cheating do to the science...making it easier to mentally understand why "one taste" can mess things up rather than just being scared of not following rules because they are rules.) Overcoming the mental hurdle is the greatest obstacle and feeling that I want to eat what I'm eating vs obsessing about what I cannot have. (Thats where the recipes come in... if you can re-create the taste memory of the foods you miss, it help keep the demons at bay.)
Lastly, I find most people who LOVE the diet are loving it because it just works. Never have I ever been on a diet which lost weight so quickly and left me feeling so good about myself and my choices. Because I do make an effort to cook (or prepare food to take with me), I feel in charge of my choices and feel like I am eating like a king (while still seeing an enormous drop in the portions I need to feel full.)
Hope that helps and good luck. Not everyone needs to be an Ideal Protein missionary, but I really believe that suffering is optional.