I started IP on 1/13/12. The weekends are my downfall. I do really good Monday - Thursday, but as soon as the weekend hits IP goes out the window. I want to do this, I need to do this for myself. Help, any suggestions.

I've lost 10 pounds since I've started, but I know I could even regain that if I don't get a control of my weekend binges.

First, let me say GOOD JOB on the 10 pounds! That is awesome!

Second, I completely understand binges. It is something I struggle with. I don't know how to overcome them but, I know you can do it! A lot of advice I have been given is to try to figure out what instigates the binge eating. For you I would say, remember what your reasons are for wanting weight loss. At least initially, reminding myself the reasons why helped me through binging.

You are doing awesomely and I know you can do it!!!!!

WOOHOO 10lbs is great!!!!

Weekends are SO hard!!! You can do it, it takes sometime to switch your thought process over food. And don't forget it takes on adverage 21 days to break a habbit so things will not change overnight. Take it one day at a time!

If I am understanding you correctly, you don't do well when your day isn't structured. During the week your days are planned out but during the weekend they aren't. If that is the case, start putting more structure into your weekends. Plan out your time and then stick to the plan.

Mindless eating usually comes from being tired, bored or depressed. Don't eat to meet those needs! If you are tired, take a nap. If you are bored, take up a new hobby to keep life interesting. If you are depressed, seek help so you can learn to deal with it.

This diet is fantastic but you have to stop sabotaging yourself. You are worth the effort it takes to stick with the IP Protocol. Love yourself enough to stay on-plan.

I did little things to keep me busy: puzzles, word game books, cross stitching. Just a few ideas....good luck, it DOES get easier

Just tell yourself WHY cheating is bad. If the temptation emerges, leave the house. I'll often go for walks, or just go run little errands if I feel I'm too tempted. So far, it's worked for me and I haven't cheated. I've survived babysitting and fixing cookies, pizza, etc. and eating out multiple times with the family. It is NOT easy, but you CAN do this! It takes a lot of effort and energy to fight urges, but it is possible, and YOU are the only one who can say NO!

Great ideas from other posters. What helped me was knowing that IP is a a NO CHEAT diet. If you cheat, you wake up your pancreas and have to start all over again. That's a waste of time, money and effort! Another thing that helped me is knowing that Phase 1 is only for a little while. If it's 3 months or a year of IP, that's really not long compared to the rest of your life you have to enjoy as a skinny person. After you're done with the weight loss, you can eat anything you want (in moderation and not everyday, of course). You will have special cheat days once a week that makes yummy food even yummier and makes you really appreciate quality food. And speaking as a person who reached her goal on IP let me tell you, feeling thin day in and day out is more satisfying than ANY treat you can have over the weekend. Hang in there. You can do it.

I started about the same time you did! So far I haven't cheated and I don't plan to. Yes there will be times that I decide in advance to have something off plan, but my coach has agreed to help me with those decisions when the time comes. For instance, I will be attending a wedding in a few months as well as traveling. The thing that keeps me on track is knowing that by going OP that I am slowing down my progress. Below, I will list some of the things when I think about eating or drinking something OP.
* The longer I am on the IP plan, the more money it is costing.
* The more money I spend on the plan, the less I have for new sexy clothes!
* I have a list of events coming up this year and several years forward. One is a trip to Hawaii in several years and I want to be beach ready!
* Read this message board or other boards or blogs and search for success stories.
* Go online and look at the new styles that you would love to be able to wear when you reach your goal weight.
* Look around at WalMart and see all the people having to use scooters due to obesity and promise yourself to take care of yourself now so that you don't need mobility aids.
* Plan ahead. If you are going to be out and about: I have a refillable water bottle that I fill each night and place in the fridge. Each day I take it to work, and on days off when I am out and about I put it in the car so I am not tempted to grab a diet soda.
* Most of this is a head game--be a champion!!

It is FANTASTIC that you've lost 10 pounds-congratulations! I can absolutely empathise with your frustration, the weekends are the WORST!

Some things that helped me this past weekend (this weekend was the first weekend I made it all the way through):
-I let myself have an extra package if I needed it. I didn't go crazy-I didn't have 12 pudding packs! But the 1 extra was filling enough that I didn't want anything else.
-I got out of the house for a few hours and had coffee with a friend. We went to the movies, I took my dill pickle chips with me and was really happy with my snack.
-get online to 3FC and look for supports. I don't know about you, but I can lose HOURS on here!
-drinking my water really helped too-I thought I was hungry, but I was really just thirsty.
-made sure that my meat was ready to go so there was no fussing with defrosting it to make my meal-dinner in 10 minutes or less? YES PLEASE!
-I'm not trying to do the program for any length of time. I go one day at a time, and that seems to help-I just have to get through today, tomorrow is another day. I can't do 1 week, or 1 weekend, but I can do 1 day everyday.

Know that you aren't alone, we are all here with you and have similar struggles. I really hate the lack of structure on the weekend, so I totally understand your difficulty. Keep persevering and be kind to yourself! Beating yourself up for any cheats doesn't help. Accept it, try to learn from it and then start again. We're human, that's all you can do. I'm holding on to the people who tell me it get's easier-I sure hope so! 1 day at a time works for now though.

Keep persevering! You can absolutely do it!

Is it binging? If so, I struggle with the same problem. If it is, I encourage you to read Binge Breaker! by Peter Miller. It will help you learn why you do this, and techniques you can use to break the cycle.

I do pretty well on eating and taking care of myself 90% of the time, but those 10% were undoing all of my hard work. You CAN learn to stop doing this, but it's not just a matter of mind over matter. IP is the perfect diet for you to be on because being in ketosis will help so much with the cravings. Once you get firmly into ketosis, this will be easier and you can learn how not to return to the behavior that got you here.

If you are binging, know that this isn't your fault. You're not weak. Your brain works differently than others; it's like having an addiction. The good news is that you can help yourself to quit.

I went from 135-195 primarily due to binge eating; I'm back to 146 now - the last 10 while on IP, the rest from just getting the binge eating mostly sorted out.

If you want a buddy on your journey, send me a PM and we can exchange email addresses.

Good luck - you are most definitely not alone.

Thank you for all the great suggestions. I'm looking forward to conquering this weekend, rather than giving in!