Please NO one comment if your not gonna say anything nice.... All i want is some advice not any negative nancy's!!!!!

Okay here i go..... So i met with my IP coach the other day and we were planning out my Christmas and my holidays since i am gone from the 23rd till the 2nd going home. Not worried because i am bringing my food with me. But anyways i have a really busy schedule throughout Christmas... The 23rd my father in laws birthday (Going out for dinner) Not worried about that we going to a steak house so i got that planned out. But the 24 25 and 26th i have Christmas dinners all 3 days and the 26th i have a Christmas lunch. I have 3 families. My couch told me to have an entire cheat day on the 25 and 1st and a half cheat day on the 26th. But i am worried i am gonna put it back on but she says if i go off IP for only 2 days then i will just bloat and if i get back right away it will be fine and also said since these are planned cheats then i shouldn't worry because at least she will know about them. I am worried that i will gain tons or feel bad about myself for cheating but she said since she knows it is fine. Any suggestions? I will prob cheat for dinners but that's about it. Please again don't comment if your just gonna put me down or say nasty things like i have seen in some posts. Thank you

Amber...my thought is this: you are a grown up and can make your own decisions and take responsibility for any repercussions. I'm not going to say I think it's a good idea, but it's YOUR decision and yours alone. You aren't hurting anybody else, so it's really nobody's place to criticize you. If you are able to get right back on plan, I would look upon that as a victory in itself. I have seen some posts where people are very negative about things like this, and they say very negative things about losing control over food, etc. But isn't that a form of controlling yourself, if you are able to go back on plan?

However, I definitely wouldn't do this more than this 1 occasion! I know there are a lot of negatives about cheating during phase 1, and there have been posts detailing these things. You might want to look those up just to get better informed; right now I don't remember the specifics. I think the big danger is in letting yourself cheat, and then not getting right back on plan. It may be hard, but you did it once and can do it again, right? You may have to go through some headaches, etc. again as you work on getting back in ketosis.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do!

I have found it so much easier to just eat OP and then help with washing dishes or whatever while everyone else is stuffing themselves. None of my family even noticed, except the hostess who was happy to have the help. Meat and green beans are common menu items in my family so that works for me.
I'm all for easy.

In my opinion, the holidays are a tough time to follow IP in Phase 1. I've been on the plan for 10 weeks and been a slow loser, though slow and steady. I'm not to my goal yet, but I need to be able to enjoy my holiday company for the next 2 weeks. For me, that means making some meals that are not OP, and eating some extra (healthy) foods.

So, while I'm not completely abandoning the program, I am willingly going to eat some food that is not on Phase 1. My coach suggested I try to work with the Alternative Plan 1, as a guide for eating more but not overdoing. I'll use it as a guide and go from there.

Now, I'm still committed to my weight loss and don't plan on drinking alcohol or consuming desserts, so I'm hoping to stay steady for the next 2 weeks.

Best of luck to you! Sounds like you have a plan and a willingness to stay close to the program when you can.

Well she told me to take FULL cheat days and for me i didn't want to because i am worried if i did 2 back to back cheat days then i will fall off. If i stuck to dinners then i believe i will be okay (I am not a sweet kind of person so desserts wont temp me) I know i am a grown up and can make my own decisions but sometimes it is easier when i get a little support or ideas from other people on here sorry.... I am more of the person who likes to see what other people thoughts and ideas are. The last couple replies have really helped me i just wanna know what everyone is thinking of doing on Christmas. Thank you everyone.

I am cooking for Christmas so I am in control of the food this year (yay). There be plenty of IP food as well as traditional family favorites, which I won't eat.

Let me ask you this, did you plan your cheat day because (1) you miss the food or (2) you didn't want to deal with all the questions from non-IPers re: your eating this holiday season and figured it was just easier to eat so as not to attract attention?

If #1, then you just have to ask yourself if your will to lose weight and get healthy are stronger than your love for the food you will be eating. If you have willpower, you should be able to get back on IP right afterwards.

If #2, I know what you mean. I've had to stand my ground during all the holiday parties I attended. People were actually cool about it.

I have had cheat days when I was invited for dinner. I would recommend enjoy the food, don't stuff yourself, just taste it and temper your alcohol intake because that stuff really gets very potent on a low calorie diet. You should know yourself best and if you can stay determined and go back dieting right after it should not register on your scale for more than a couple of days. I actually lost weight after cheat meals (I usually only occasionally cheat at dinner invitations). So, it is a personal decision. If you are in doubt, choose one meal rather than 2 days in a row and see whether you can handle it.

I have been dieting for 9 months now and have about 8 more months to go. I know I will loose it eventually and do not want to deprieve myself completely for that long a time. I therefore decided that I prefer to loose it perhaps a bit slower, but keep some staples like coffee with half and half, a small amount of wine, and the occasional cheat with friends. This makes it easier for me to stay on this diet. But you have to be disciplined and get right back. I am helped by the fact that I do not like desserts and I anyways like to eat veggies and lean meat. And I experienced that more than a glass of wine while eating 900 calories is not really recommended. This keeps things in check for me. I also told everybody that I am on a low carb diet. So, I now get comments back if I deviate.

I just don't want to be questioned and hounded for not eating what they eat. I had dinner at the in laws and i brought food a couple times and i have not heard the end of it yet. So that's why i will cheat on Christmas with them.

It really sucks to be in that position. Since your heart and mind are in IP, then I don't think you will have a tough time getting back on afterwards.

Some others on here have successfully told others they are on a medically supervised diet. That seemed to do the trick.

Good luck.

I'm not on IP so I don't have advice as far as that part is concerned but I was really sad to read your comment above. I have in-laws like that too and even if they didn't say anything to my face, I'd be the talk of the family behind my back. My mother-in-law has always made back-handed comments about my weight and I think maybe she didn't realize I "got" every single one of them, even if she thought she was just being cute.

Now that I have a few months of my diet under my belt, I'm staying on my plan for ME (and my husband). I wouldn't give my in-laws the satisfaction of "winning".

I promise I didn't mean anything mean or rude towards you, I am on your side. And totally understand how you are feeling. **hugs and Merry Christmas**

That sucks when family is not behind you. My family has been but I have a feeling if my Mother In Law was out here like she planned she would goad us a bit, she is like that.

Anyway, I haven't done a cheat because I am worried if I cheat, even a small piece of chocolate, and my weight stayed the same or I lost the same I would think, "Oh it's okay to cheat once in awhile" and I would continue to cheat and go down hill from there.

Which is why I don't, you know yourself and what you can and can't do/handle.

GOOD LUCK!

I have a cheat day every week. I dont go overboard but I do eat the things I probably shouldn't. My hubby has been cutting out carbs but his diet plan says to spike up calorie intake once a week. He eats everything he wants on Saturdays, he pigs out. He has been consistent with me on weight loss. Makes me pretty mad cause I work out everyday, he hasn't changed his routine.
Maybe eat what they eat but in moderation, drink lots of water. Or u could just ask them to please be supportive of your plans to lead a healthier lifestyle.

In low my many years I have learned that family and especially extended family are going to talk about you either behind your back or to your face no matter what you do. If it isn't the food, then it's the way your discipline your kids or the way you drive or the way you wash dishes. If you do something not because you want to but because of them, thinking that way they won't talk about you, then they'll talk about what you didn't do. Or they'll find something else. Set boundaries for what is right for you, and let the talk fall where it may.
It is going to happen no matter what you do. People are like that.

IP is a no-cheat protocol. It is very expensive and every cheat sets us back 2-3 days. Let's see...I spend 90/week on IP food. That is approximately $13/day. Supposing one cheat sets me back 3 days, I'm tossing out $39. If I were making cheat decisions, I'd be deciding whether IP was the program for me or not

There will always be excuses to cheat (holidays & special occasions occur all year long). What shows true strength and determination is to stay OP through the tough times. With good planning, it can be done. There are certainly enough recipes on this forum to support anyone thru almost any occasion. The only exception I can see to this is when someone has something happen suddenly in their life they couldn't plan for (one of our members recently had a son with a hospital stay).

Coaches who encourage cheat days must really like the extra $$

The thing I've liked best about IP is how easy it is to stay OP. It meets my needs for chocolate, sweet, salty, crunchy, all while staying on plan. I can take mashed rutabega (mock pumpkin) as a veggie but it can be eaten when others are having dessert OR I can make some IP fudge or IP cookies. I don't have to miss out, I just need to plan.

Planning has gotten me through special occasions and holidays so far. It'll get me though family Christmas and my upcoming vacation.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

I would try to stick as low carb as possible during your dinners. You can always take things on your plate, mash them around and don't eat them. I would as close to IP as possible for your other meals.
The main thing is enjoy yourself! Good luck balancing the holidays.