I am in my 23rd week on IP. I had my weigh-in yesterday and was down 3.2 pounds for a total loss of 19 pounds! Great, right? Well not if you do the math. If you do, you'll see that I should have reached my goal long ago and in my 23rd week, I should be well into maintenance. This post is an appeal to all of those who are wanting to cheat, ready to cheat, thinking "oh just one day off protocol won't hurt" or "I'll start again after _______". DON'T DO IT! My problems started just that way. As of Nov. 17, I had lost 20.6 pounds. I was very nearly ready for Phase 2. My family and I were heading out-of-state for Thanksgiving the following week and I made the decision to "give myself a break" from IP while we were gone. Our trip was 5 nights and 6 days. During the drive out to my in-laws', I stayed on protocol 100%. As soon as we hit my in-laws' driveway, I was off IP. I ate pretty much anything I wanted, but in moderation. I drank wine, had dessert, you name it. Then on the trip home, I went back on protocol 100%. It was SO hard, but I did it, determined that I was going to finish losing and head to the next phases and then on to maintenance. I was sure I would be ready for maintenance by the first of the new year. I couldn't have been more wrong. Since my supposed "6 days" off IP, I have not been able to stick to it. Once you cheat, it is soooo easy to say "oh well, what's one more cheat, what's one more day, one more week, I'll start fresh next week." The weeks keep passing and the weight comes and goes. Now it is March. I am still not where I was before my "little" break. I would give anything to go back and not cheat. I would be maintaining right now, rather than still in Phase 1. I am here to tell you, it is SO not worth it. I have wasted my time, my coach's time and A LOT more money by taking that "break". DON'T DO IT!! Learn from me and my mistake. You can do this, I can do this. It just would have been so much easier and faster had I just done what I needed to do in the first place. Good luck to you all and here's to another day on IP!!

That is my story and so well stated...couldn't have said it better!!

I'm with ya!!! I am onto my 3rd week OP, but since September I was so wishy washy, I wasted so much time!!! Live and learn and we move on together!!! Good luck!

Hey thanks-
Wasn't thinking about cheating, I am so happy with the results so far...but that is today, other days I feel weak. When I do I WILL remember this post.

I didn't cheat for 11 months, and then when I did, it was definitely easier to do it again and loose my resolve. Now, every time I say 'no' at the grocery store or at home, I give myself credit for it. I try to keep my vision for my healthy future in my head and it's really empowering when you can just say no. I was so tired yesterday, I really wanted to grab the box of girl scout cookies I had bought, but I didn't do it. I will freeze them to have on my splurge phase 4 days. Losing control is what got me so sick and so heavy, and I deeply want to create new habits that will last me the rest of my life. This program has given me a gift, a new chance, time to breathe and re-evaluate myself, and I don't want to squander it. I want to embrace it.

sorry for the philosophical rant.... )

One of the best threads I have seen about cheating...thank you!

Amen. I was at almost to my goal in August after losing 30 lbs. I cheated then once, twice, etc.... Now I am back to my starting weight. I tried to do alternatives, but it was hard not having the accountability. One week just blended into the next.

Great post, Thankfully I have never cheated and don't plan on it but this gives us all a reminder on what may happen if we have that temptation to cheat. Thank you for posting this and I hope it helps anyone that is thinking about cheating!
Have a 100% OP day everyone!!!!

Best post I've read in a long time and thank you so much for sharing your story. I have been on IP for 6 months (as of this Friday) and I haven't cheated once, and its because I've had the same exerience as you on other diets. Once you cheat it's a slippery slope for sure. I'd be doing really well on a diet and then I would have a cheat, and once you have a cheat it's never the same again. It's never as good as the first time, and that has been my motivation to never eat off plan.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey and I hope you find the strength to continue. I'm sure just posting your story will be of help to you.

First let me say I am sorry to hear you are struggling. I needed to read your post today. Thank you for sharing. I had such a hard weekend and I wanted to cheat so bad but I am happy to say that I didn't. It is a good reminder that it is easier to stay on plan than not.

Very well put. The one thing that keeps me 100%OP is the fear that if I cheat once I will never be able to get back on track. For some reason I think I will find a way to justify the cheat.

I am adding comment to this....I was 100% from September until January of 2010-2011 and lost 60 pounds...I losts the other 25 from February of 2011 until May of 2011 with alternatives and cheats. I maintained that loss until this New Year. I did it by following maintainence to the effect that every single week I had phase one days.

From Thanksgiving to New Year's I had no phase one days and gained 10 pounds. Since then I have tried calorie counting, low-carb, intense exercise and the result....I am up another 4 pounds. I avoided what I needed to do...get back on IP>

It is so hard to do this program with time away. I am trying to make it 7 days in a row starting today. Unfortunately I can't commit to longer because I have a planned away trip next weekend. My goal is to commit to 4 weeks in April....but boy is it hard.

Yes, "slippery slope" describes it perfectly. Posting this was very cathartic, for sure. I hope it helps someone (or many someones) avoid the mess I've been in. I am doing pretty well right now. Going into my third week 100% OP. I am going to Las Vegas with friends at the end of April to celebrate our 40th birthdays this year and I am really hoping to be in Phase 4 by then.

Believe it or not I went to Las Vegas during my 22nd week on plan...down 60 pounds with 25 more to go. I stuck to plan almost 100%....I packed all my food in a cooler in my checked luggage. I woke up every morning and walked 5 miles and drank around 40 ounces of water, then I put my vanilla shake in a Starbucks green tea for breakfast. For lunch I had a bar or shake and sometimes some veggies (really hard to find them in the right conditions). For dinner I had dry meat (very specific with waiters) and dry veggies with olive oil and sea salt on the side......here is where I went off plan a little....the first two nights I had red wine with and after dinner and did not have a snack....then I took two nights of 100% and then the last two nights back to wine with and after dinner. I was one pound down when I came home and I proceeded to lose a pound a day for seven days in a row after I came home (guessing a little fluid retention from the wine).

But hopefully you will be in maintenance. Good luck

Love this post. I have also never cheated but I'd be lying if I said the thought had never crossed my mind. There have been times when I wanted to eat something totally off plan and actually sat and debated it for a while in the end I always come to realization that cheating is just going to prolong getting to goal for me. I've learned that I do have control over what I put in my mouth and I feel so victorious when I go to bed at night knowing that I was 100% faithful to my commitment to loose the excess weight I was carrying around.