Jesusgirl and Dana, thx for the info! I have a planned cheat on Thanksgiving - nothing much just a small taste, but was afraid to. Now i know a little push every now and then will be ok. Oh and welcome Jesusgirl!!!

JesusGirl- I'm glad you posted. It sounds like you know yourself very well and know a lot about how your body works. It is so empowering to walk away from food that you know you don't want, regardless of what others try to get us to do. You've definitely got this!

Know thyself!! I actually have a similar philosophy. As long as I don't go wild, I will let myself have some off protocol things every so often (pretty rarely, butni am certainly not perfect). Are my losses slower as a result? Maybe. But I'm happy with my progress so far and I'm in this for the long haul. In any event, if what I'm doing stops working, or if it makes it too hard to stay op on the other days, I will stop with the occasional "cheats." But for now it is keeping me on plan the other 97% of the time and is actually giving me confidence that I CAN control myself even when given "free reign" at social events, etc.

So don't worry, you're not the only one!

I had a cheat day last week and told my coach. She says that if we have more than 3 "goofs" on the program that they are supposed to take us off the plan. I wonder... do you really think they would stop taking my money if I had 2 more cheats? I feel like I can't tell them now if I have a slip up- and get the support I need. With over 100 lbs to go I don't see how I can get through it without a few cheat days. Anyone else heard of this rule or is this just my clinic?

My clinic said the same thing.

My clinic said 3 strikes and you're out as well.

I think what you said has some merit here. I haven't cheated, but in ways, I'm doing something similar. I had the cauliflower pancakes with the WF pancake syrup, and that had me eating it the next day also, and wanting it the day after. I decided it was to be just a weekend treat, as I could feel my sugar addiction kicking in.

Then this week, I had the mock zucchini apples with the WF apple spread. Again, wanting it two days in a row. Then I knew that it was a craving coming, so I stopped it after that and then this weekend, no pancakes with syrup. Just trying to control the sugar craving.

And I did it, so these little steps set me up for maintenance. Every little thing teaches me that I can say no. Have something that may trigger my sugar cravings, but then back away and say that's it.

For me, I think that will be key in maintenance too.

Wow, Starshine, you said it! I am going through something similar but couldn't quite put my finger on it. My cravings are crazy lately but I was chalking it up to hormone issues. I think I really need to lay off the sweet sweet stuff and see if my cravings start diminishing. I have been a crispy cereal pancake and spice cake girl lately.

Exactly! As soon as I feel like I don't have control over my consumption over a certain food, it forces me to step back and ask why, and whether this is something I can have another time (i.e. if it's just a moment of weakness where I just want to *chew*, or it's some kind of craving coming back).

I personally think that we have to think about maintenance far ahead of time; everything is all well and good when we're losing, but developing a long-term plan for handing maintenance is probably going to be a challenge. I've read through the P3 and P4 sheets and I don't think it gives much guidance for this; maybe coaches are helpful on this point? I don't know, since I don't go to a clinic.

Thanks, Hgamroth! I have been salivating at the spice cake and other sweet recipes, but I know that I crave sweets, so I have not been doing them. I just bought some Capella flavoring drops to put in my shakes, and boy they are just giving me lots of great flavors, which I'm loving. I'm not sure if it's craving or no though. The drops don't have sweeteners in them.

My cravings have come back with TOM too (and TOM is in it's 2nd week now, which is a pain), so I'm not sure if it's triggered by that also.

I guess the best plan for me, is just to make sure I can stop eating when a craving hits. as cravings will most definitely hit when in maintenance.

I agree, Dana. When I've caught myself just wanting more food (which hasn't happened too much on this diet, but it has happened, like last week), I thought about coping mechanisms for it. Like asking myself why I want it (am I still hungry), or waiting a half hour to see if I'm still wanting it. Having lived a life of just eating to eat before (emotional issues, boredom, stress), it's too easy just to put food in my mouth, so now is the time to figure these things out.

I think yo're right about maintenance. I've started reading the maintenance thread and the P3 breakfasts, etc. threads to get ideas on maintenance. Those sheets don't tell too much. I'm doing this on my own too, so that's why I'm reading as much as I can about Phase 4, as the info isn't as good as for Phase 1.

And as an aside. Thanks to all those who are in maintenance and still post. We need you!

I can relate to that sugar rush. I too ate a cupcake, rather inhaled it on my first "free" day. The headache was instant.

The second week I had a "free" weekend and ate too much sugar. My stomach was not in agreement.

Now this past weekend, my "free" day was more controlled. The only item off "Phase 3ish" day was the ice cream. Other than that, it was a good day. I did my Phase 1 day yesterday and today I'm down 3 lbs! So, i'm staying on that window of lbs that I wanted.

After my indulgences, I actually look forward to Phase 1 and the easiness of it. It really helps w/any discomfort you may have and it flushes everything out.

Sorry, just reread the OP: I understood you were in maintenance....

I've reached goal and was referring to my "free" day's sugar rush. My personal experience, I did not have a "cheat" day. I always kept in mind that my "free" day will come - the sooner the better and now I'm so glad I did wait.

TOM DEFINITELY has something to do with it for me. I had it last week and I wanted to gnaw off my arm the whole time. Stay strong!

I think that does sound like the best plan for you... and for me too! Keep up the good work.

Yes, yes... I can relate to all of this. It's just as important for me to figure out how to respond to these emotional cravings and eating impulses as it is for me to actually get the weight off. And I have plenty of time while I'm losing this dang weight to figure that out, hopefully!

And yes to thanking our maintenance inspirations as well! I love lurking on the maintainers' thread- so much great knowledge and so many fantastic success stories!

Why cheat?? My sister did the diet and has now become a coach. I have since started the diet with her as my coach. She went 6 or 7 months without cheating. I figure if she can do it, so can I.

I have been on the diet for a month and I still crave sugar or something sweet. The restricted bars are what keep me going

I thought I had tons of time, too, but I'm now halfway to my goal, and it's like, "WAIT!, I've not dealt with those issues yet!"

I'm thinking that maintenance is going to be a huge learning curve for me. I'm Vegetarian, and I hate all the fake meats I'm eating, and the fact that I'm not learning to cook the things I will eat in maintenance. It's the one time, I'm envious of the meat eaters.

So all in all, those cravings we are having are a good thing. We need those to teach us.