I did it!!!!
 

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!

Congrats on reaching goal!

Congratulations!!! Way to go!!! :)

Congratulations, that is awesome!!! :congrat:

Congratulations! Enjoy your success (and your new jeans)!

Awesome! Very inspiring and good for you sticking to it 100%. It's getting easier for me as time goes on.

:congrat:You are an inspiration!:congrat:

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations!! Great job!

Wow, so impressive! Congrats! You look great.

Awesomeness!!!

Whoohoo! Congratulations!

Congratulations and thank you for sharing your story!

I love posts like that. :) Congratulations and thank you for sharing your success with us!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!:bravo:

Congrats to you....!!!

WOW thanks for sharing your story...amazing :D you look amazing :D

keep up the great work :D

Congrats! You look awesome. Hope to see you on the maintainers thread soon.

Thank you for posting and inspiring those of us that are further back on the road- you look amazing!

Congrats!
 

Good for you! For me, the problem is eating out. How'd you deal with eating at work or with friends?

Wonderful! Congrats......:congrat:

Congrats!!! You look amazing!!! :yay: :yay: :yay:

Congratulations!!! You look AMAZING!!!!!

Thank you to all who commented! This site offers such great support!

I work out of my home so I don't have to worry about eating at work but I eat out quite often and have the entire time I've been on Ideal Protein. I have found that it is really easy to eat in restaurants and they are usually more than willing to prepare your food as you request. Steakhouses are probably the easiest. You can always order a lean steak. I ask many questions to find out exactly how something is prepared. I usually look for some kind of grilled protein. If it has a sauce, I ask for no sauce. If it comes prepared with butter, I ask if it can be prepared with a little olive oil instead. If there's chicken or fish on the menu, I know that most of the time they'll be more than accommodating to make it how you want it. I always carry my own dressing and order salads without cheese, croutons or dressing. Vegetables I'll order steamed, no butter. If the vegetable has carrots, I'll ask for them to leave the carrots out. Another key to eating out is to look up the menu online beforehand if possible. Then you can get an idea of what to order before you go and can ask for modifications if needed.

Congratulations! :D:D:D

congrats! You look fantastic!

WOW! You Rock, congrats to you :)

This is amazing! Congratulations.

Congrats on reaching goal... I'm just 2.5lbs away from mine. Doesn't it feel great!?

Congrats to reaching your goal!! :D

Thanks, this is really helpful!

You are my inspiration!! Very similar stories. I have lost my first 5 IP pounds and just getting started!!

Hooray for you!!! I swear, our stories are so similar. Our height and starting weight are similar, I to have tried every kind of diet, exercise like a crazy person, I even have hypothyroidism! Getting older and harder to lose. Ideal protein is the only thing that has worked for me and I to have a great clinic with wonderful coaches.

I am half way to my goal (50 lbs lost in 16 weeks) and reading your post has allowed me to look into the future and keep me motivated!

Congrats! :D