Hi all! I started Ideal Protein around mid to late June, and had contemplating joining here for awhile, as from the beginning this journey has been a struggle for me. I'm here now, about three months in and close to 30 pounds down and I am not sure what to do anymore! I can't say that even from the start I was very strict, but for about an entire month now, I've just been terrible. I've lost maybe 5 pounds and I find myself doing and eating whatever I want and almost entirely disregarding protocol. For so many obvious reasons this is disappointing, for one, it's an obvious waste of money, but more over, it's a waste of time. When adding up all the weeks I've wasted cheating, I could have been down probably another 20 pounds by now and have been practically at my goal. With this realization I am at a loss. I want to keep going but I can't seem to get back on track. I've considered maybe taking actual (I say actual because I've "technically" taken so many weeks off through my cheating) time off, maybe a week or two, but I am even more worried I'll throw myself that much further off. I figured maybe if I shared my issues someone might have some words of encouragement, but it's nice to get off my chest either way!

I am sorry to hear how much oyu are struggling.. this is the first time in my life that I am really, truly, committed to losing weight.. period, no excuses.. you need to get your head in the game.. maybe now is not the time? you have to want this.. once you get going and don't cheat AT ALL you will gain a lot of strength from being able to resist.. and you will be soo proud of yourself, then the ounds will stop dropping.. but you need to be committed.. I have tried WW repeatedly in the past and only ever lasted a few days.. this time its different.. only you will know when you are ready and want it bad enough.. good luck.. You can do this, if you really want to.

You obviously have issues with food - i know i do. (This is not my first go around on IP) We use food for comfort and fun and rewards when we need to change our mindset to choose to be healthy first and find comfort, fun and reward in other things. The Beck Diet Solution is a good resource for helping you get to the core issues of your cheating and bad behavior. I can encourage you that if you get on plan and stick to it strictly it becomes easier to stay on plan. Each day you have a 100% victory gives you a boost to have another 100% day. Try to focus on just one perfect day. Then build on that. Once you get on plan stay there. No detours. You stay on that plan through vacations, holidays, parties. Whatever it takes. The reward is worth it. People fail when they get off plan for a small reason and can't make themselves get back on. They lose the momentum. Get your momentum back. You can do it!

Hi Jacaline,

What's a typical day like for you? Who or what sucks your energy? How are you giving your power away? Is there something that is exhausting you...which would making it harder to make good choices?

Are you eating all the packets, the oil, getting the right amount of protein, eating your vegs and greens, drinking water, getting enough sleep? Are you tracking your food intake?

Is there a particular time of day or occasion or circumstance or food that you that might be connecting you with 'stumbling'?

exploring,...hang in there and sending you hugs,
Annick

Hi Jacaline - Everyone has such sound advice. And, I agree, you have to be fully committed to IP if it is to work. We all have issues with food, that's why we're here and that's why we support one another because we know how tough it is to break through and stop the cycle. Food was a comfort of mine for years. It would fill a great big void during times of loneliness, sadness and depression. This program works for me due to the structure and the limited guess work involved. It's pretty black and white on what I can and can't eat. That works for me. You have to reach within and really understand what works for you. Then you have to decide whether or not you are going to commit 100% (because it sounds like you want to).

Coming to the forum, starting a thread and using this as your confessional is a good solid start. You've admitted to yourself that there is a problem that you are struggling with - you are NOT alone. I've been there too. Only you have the power to stop the cycle and only you know what you want. We'll be here for support. Good luck to you - you can do this if you want it bad enough ~ keep the faith!

Hi Jacaline,
It took a lot if courage to post your struggle. I agree with the other posts...we all have issues related to food in common. In the past I have had issues related to be successful so unconsciously or consciously I self sabotage. For me being on a diet is part of the journey and engaging counselling has also been a help. Don't give up!

I thought this diet would be a breeze. But anything that restricts you is hard for some people, very hard. The automatic internal response is OMG I want that I need that why can't I have that... And if you're an emotional eater that doesn't help.
I flounder too, but I always go back to the protocol because this is the most successful I've been at weight loss EVER (35 lbs in 11 weeks - and yeah I could have done better too... but look at where I've come from!). I don't think taking time off is going to help. You just have to find it in you to commit, 100%.
I'm going to do a personal 30 day no cheat goal (I don't think I've gone 30 days at all on this program without even a tiny cheat) to hopefully reset myself (I've got 25 - 30 lbs left!!). Take it one day, one hour, one minute, even one second at a time. Surround yourself with healthy choices. Get the trigger foods out of your house (if you share a house or have a family there's no reason why they can't support you and keep the trigger foods out of the house for the time being).
Know that you're not alone, this is hard, but something you can achieve.

You've gotten tons of great advice here already. I have floundered too .. in fact after losing 50 pounds in 5 months, I slowly started slipping off the wagon, had some medical issues come up and completely fell off the wagon. But now I'm back and I feel more committed than ever before.

I can't speak for what others might experience, everyone has their own personal demons to fight. For me once I got past the first 4 days (basically carb/sugar addiction withdrawl symptoms) ... and I felt pretty bad on days 2 and 3 with headaches, cravings, and feeling lethargic ... I actually found the diet to be pretty easy. I eat or drink something every 3 hours from 6AM to 9PM, which really doesnt leave much time for cravings or hunger to kick in. And you start losing so much weight so steadily (at least for me) that it's really motivating to stay on track. Not even mentioning all the health benefits like lower blood sugar and lower cholesterol. That being said we've all been there with falling off the diet wagon, you just have to start where you are and move forward!

One last thing, I do think that it really is true that any diet just isnt going to work until you are ready to commit -- and for some it takes some sort of crisis (health or emotional crisis) to really find that commitment within themselves.

I am rooting for you!

Avalon1957,

One thought that your post sparked is that it is really important to get through that carb/sugar withdrawal and then stay away from the carbs and sugar. Because they are so addictive, continuing to nibble at sugar especially keeps the hunger for it going. Aspartame causes the same kinds of sugar spikes in some people so good to stay away from it, too.

So Jacaline, another exploratory question: might ongoing connection with sugar and/or aspartame be happening? If that is happening and you can make a change there, it will make sticking to everything else a whole lot easier.

Annik

I hear ya!

I did so well in 2012! and since then just have not been able to get back to the habits that made me succeed.

I thought about it all this weekend and came to a few conclusions...
- I had never been "skinny" in my life and I had this rosy picture that everything would be better and I'd be happy and life would be perfect...it wasn't and that let down affected my motivation
- I have food issues/addiction...those issues need to be dealt with before I can have lasting success...counselling is helping
- PCOS is more of a big deal than I wanted to admit...I fight carb cravings every day and I have never felt better than when I was on IP
- I am scared to let go of the clothes I have right now...really not logical as I have a tonne of cute clothes to fit back into but that was in the back of my head
- I am scared to be judged...the smaller me got a lot more attention and I wasn't quite prepared for it

So there in writing is my list of all the things that hold me back. Admitting the problems/excuses has helped me decide what I want more, and I feel more ready to stay on protocol this week

I'm also going to see a new coach this weekend and hopefully I will get some better guidance.

Weight loss is very much life changing and there are so many factors that hold us back. Just don't beat yourself up and you will find your motivation again.

OMG, so true! I feel now that carbs/sugar were a bit like a drug to me and I was so addicted. Since starting on IP 8 weeks ago, I haven't cheated once -- partly because I didn't want to lose ground (and my losses have been fantastic) and partly because I didn't want to go through those withdrawal symptoms again and partly because I was afraid that it might open the floodgates to climbing back up to the unhealthy weight that I was at 2 months ago. Is there a food-a-holics anonymous that I can join? LOL

I feel for you. This is my second go around (my first was in 2009, i was a soph. in college...imagine the temptation at that time in my life!) You don't want to start again because you just lost the steam. I get it. I guess i'll let you in on my perspective. I have a few close family members that deal with alcohol addiction. I witnessed it for the first time when I was 10 years old with my brother. It's been a constant part of my life (thankfully alcohol is not my addiction). One day it hit me, that's what my body is like with carbs and sugar. It's the same struggle, different poison! I didn't have this forum my first go-around and let me tell you, reading everyone's posts makes me feel so much better.

I seek inspiration from these ladies. I've created a shadow box that I place a dollar in for every pound. In the shadow box is a picture of a yellow polka dot bikini. I also have a list of goals for 5-10-20 pound goals. Nothing clothing or food related. I find recipes here, seek guidance and very rarely post.

I just want to reach out to you and tell you how worth it it'll all be in the end!!!!! You have to WANT to do it. If not, you won't be committed 100%. This second go-around, i have never wanted anything more. Maybe it's the fact that I'm 23 and I blame my weight for where I am in my life. Maybe it's wanting to go shopping with friends and not have to be in a different section. Maybe it's sitting on an airplane and not rubbing elbows so much with the person next to me. Maybe it's to look good in something sleeveless. You have SO MUCH to look forward to, that the cracker/chip/skittle looks like POISON.

You've had that dream before, don't forget it!!!!

I just want to thank everyone here who has added their words of encouragement, I really, truly appreciate it! I actually am currently in college, and there is always some restaurant or bar to go to, everyone else is skinny/without major food issues so they don't have to worry about what they're eating or what time of the night it is. I also have always had the mindset that eating out is some what of a luxury/an experience that is different from dinner at home and should therefore be enjoyed more. Each week something has come up that I have used as an excuse to "celebrate" and obviously they're adding up haha. I think something that is super important that was brought up was the detox idea, obviously now I'm some what back on carbs and sugar, so now, once again, my body is used to it. I know I need to kick these things out of my diet once again, and especially get out of the mindset that one little cheat here or there won't matter, when clearly I know it will.
I feel similarly to how you felt (feel?) bellybuttonlint (hehe), I've never been skinny, but in this case, I don't know how I feel about that idea in the first place. I'm now around a weight/size that I used to be (after gaining about forty pounds post high school), which is really close to the smallest of my memory (which admittedly isn't very good). I'm not used to even the idea of being thin, and I feel like maybe I'm letting the comfortability of my old/"normal" size stop me from charging forward into some what uncharted territory. Does any of that make sense? hahaha

also, @ems, I really hear you when you say you blame your weight for where you are in life. I feel like I missed out on A LOT of normal teenage/high school/college activities and even interpersonal/romantic relationships because of the detrimental relationship I've had with food. I am at a point in my life where change is what I want. I agree that it will never happen unless it's what you really want- like any addiction, but again, I suppose like any addiction, breaking it and keeping up the motivation and continuing on even when you feel like quitting will always be an issue.