3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

I have made it to my goal and today I started on maintenance! 95 pounds in 11 months! I have gone through Phases 2 and 3 and was so happy that I stayed at exactly the same weight throughout. I'm ready for maintenance, even though it's very scary!

I started on IP on July 20, 2012. I was a "professional dieter" and had been on everything from Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig to South Beach and Atkins, and everything in between throughout my entire life. I've had successes in the past but always managed to gain it back. About 15 years ago I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, so that mixed with yo-yo dieting my whole life and getting older just made losing the pounds very, very hard. I would start a new diet, do great the first couple of weeks but then after sticking faithfully to whatever diet I was doing, the weight loss would stop, I'd get very discouraged and then eventually quit. When I found Ideal Protein, I was skeptical and thought to myself that it was just another one of those diets. Boy, was I wrong! I gave it my best shot and I started losing, week after week. Some weeks my losses were not as good as others, but I was losing and the best thing was that I wasn't hungry and didn't crave bad foods. I stuck with it and stuck to it 100%, even through holidays, birthdays, family celebrations and gatherings. I wanted to make it to my goal so bad! I not only made it to my goal but I decided to lose 10 more pounds because I felt I just wasn't quite done. Those last 10 pounds were the hardest but I made it! I just bought a pair of size 6 jeans the other day.

If you are just starting on IP, the best advice I can give you is to follow the plan 100% because it works! I had a great coach at a wonderful clinic (a couple of coaches, actually) and that did make it easier. Even though I don't comment here very often, I have followed these boards every day and learned so much more from here - recipes, tips, what you should and shouldn't do, how bad some other coaches are, etc. Thank you to everyone here who gives their advice and opinions! I couldn't have done it without you!