Hello all, I am mentally preparing myself to go back to my Ideal protein journey. I started back in March of this year and lost 30 pounds out of my 120! Then I went on vacation and started binging again in May. I am feeling sluggish and very unhappy with myself. I have gained back 20 of my 30 pounds and it is time for me to get happy again. Any words of advice for me? I really want this and this time I am not giving up without a fight.

You did it before - so you CAN do it! Think of what happened as a wake-up call. Your old life was toxic and got you right back to where you started. Time for a new perspective, a fresh approach! You know what you need to do and you already took the first step by getting back on the horse! You CAN do it and you ARE worth it!

You can do this!

Take it one day at a time and make the commitment not to cheat each day. Eventually, you will get to the point that you don't need the daily reminder and you will be focused on making goal.

well.... you've made the first step!! thats fantastic!! now just know in your heart you can do it!! make your plan!! planning is key!! have a strategy!! know what you are going to eat before hand, as that is half the battle.
prep all your veggies ahead of time!
good luck!

I just started last week. Yes you will be hungry. Give yourself the facts and then remember losing weight is really all in your mind. Your body has to do it but your mind controls it!

I took a break in July and haven't been able to get back on the plan and stay with it! I was down to 141 pounds and felt awesome. I had so many people tell me that I looked great and didn't need to loose any more weight. Well before you know it, I am up over 10 pounds and it's time to get back on it before I gain it all back! I am having my most problem with wanting something sweet after I eat my meal. This morning I had my IP omelet and I feel full. Good luck with getting back on track because it's not easy!

Peg

As a former smoker and a binger, I can tell you that people can do it when they really want it and when the time is right. See if now is a good time for you to focus your energies on a diet. If you have other pressing worries and stresses, if something else in life is taking your focus now, then now is not a good time to do it. You would save yourself disappointment and pain of failure if you accepted that right now something else is a priority, be at peace with your weight until that whatever is resolved and you are in a better place.

This is the wisdom that I found in my life, so it might not be what you want to hear (if you are not in a right place to focus on diet) or, it might be just the encouragement you need (if you are able to focus on a diet as your priority at this time).

So evaluate your life now and ask yourself can you realistically spend the time and energy on sticking to a diet? Don't forget that there is always a reason why people binge/overeat, why they smoke/drink etc. It is helping us deal with something, even if it is not a healthy coping mechanism, it does help us keep our head above the water even if it harms us simultaneously. There is a reason why I had to wait until a time in my life where I could spare the energy and focus on losing weight. There hasn't been such a moment for me in the last 5 years! Until now.

On the other hand I fully accept that people are different and this may not apply to you at all.

Hey, it's like Dr. Tran Tien Chanh says: "every pound has a story: a hormonal story and a life story".

Like everyone says, you can do this, set your mind and your priorities that nothing is going to steal this from you. No food is worth everything that the extra weight takes from you. I didn't realize everything I had given up because of weight. My mindset from day one has been that I have no other food options. Set your mind and enjoy the journey!

I 100% believe you are dead right on the money with this. It has clicked for me too. I've been heavy for my size for the past 15 years or so. I always made excuses for it. But, this time something really silly made me stick with this program. When I saw that dill pickles were counted as a vegetable I thought, well I like those. That is what started it for me. Now I'm eating more vegetables than I have ever in my life and loving it.

I'm also planning to take this 'click' and redirect my motivation found in this program to my smoking. If I can end up loosing 45 plus pounds, I can kick the nasty habit of smoking.

You can do this if you want, and the time is right. Good luck, I hope the best for you./

Thank you everyone for all of the encouragement! I am ready to start my journey again today. I am praying for the best and remembering that my mind is stronger than what I think. I can do this. I know I can.

Seriously, if I ever have a moment of wavering, checking in with this group totally helps to bring my motivation way up again. I come here each and every day, even if I don't post, this forum is the best support ever. So my advice: come here each day. I am looking forward to seeing your progress.