Just keep your chin up! This is a long journey for us that won't end without some weeks of 0. Give your body a chance to catch up I am sure you will have a whoosh soon! :D

Hang in there, Whirly_Girly! Don't let a no-loss week get you down. As others have said, you may get a better loss next week. Remember that if you are following the plan, you are making a huge difference in your life and health. You've got this!!!!!!!

Not sure if I have 90# to lose or 100#. We'll see when we get there. I've gotten over half way there & then gained it all back. More than once. Determined to do it! Today is day 4. Lost 6# so far (all in first 2 days).

I experienced this today! Had my weigh in this morning and the scale didn't budge an ounce. After 2 big weeks I wasn't expecting much, but I wasn't expecting nothing... :dizzy:

You're going by the weight only. Check your body fat percentage and hydration levels against the weight. You will probably notice that your BF % is down, which means you probably gained muscle to stay at the same weight.

The scales are not your friend, they do not give an accurate picture unless you have all the facts.

Fear not, if you are being true to the protocol your body is losing. It may take its sweet time to show you the results while it jiggles the stats around internally but it is working.

DH says the HealthOmeter scales cost less than $20, and they have stopped both of us from being disheartened about no loss and weight gains from day to day.

The other way to measure success is with the tape measure. If you are seeing inch losses then the lack of weight loss is less relevant.

As a woman your body is constantly changing due to the hormone levels throughout the month. Some days you're going to hold water (especially if you are a salt lover, like me) and other days you're going to be bloated (just before ToM and first couple of days).

Hope this helps! :)

I see I'm not the only one conflicted with the "treat" foods. It's nice that they're lower calorie than what I'm used to eating, but some just send me into binge mode.

The bars definitely cause cravings for me. I do enjoy them on my nights off from work but I don't have 1 every day any more. I have noticed a difference on the days that I don't have 1 in my level of hunger.

So yesterday I joined the 0 loss club! I thought I was prepared, but still seeing the number was upsetting. Good news is I did not cave into old bad habits of pigging out .... Just came home had my dinner and went to bed.

Today is a new day. Beck book is in my bag for any down time today.

This is just a bump in a long road for me, I need to jump over the hump and not let it derail me.

Hang in there Sgrealtor! I have not had a zero week, but I did have a -0.2... -- it is a gulp, after you work hard for a week, trying to stay right on the protocol. The good thing is that your numbers did not go up -- from my perspective, anything is better than an up tick on the scale when you feel you were on program.

Getting ready...
 

Friends, this might be a little long, but bear with me.
I'm leaving on October 15th for my big trip to Rome and then on a "Lands of the Bible" cruise. I come home late on November 1st. I had hoped to hit -100 before I left but that's probably not going to happen now, which I am okay with. More than 90 already is awesome.
For my trip, I am packing bars and some instant drinks that I can mix in my shaker jar (I use Health Wise alternatives). My coach has said she doesn't expect me to be perfect on the trip (phew!) and that her biggest priority is that I get all my protein in every day. I will have good options for dinner on the ship, it's just the couple of days in Rome before the cruise and the lunches out on excursions that will be harder.
I tend to be an all-or-nothing person which can be dangerous when on a diet. I an either 100% great or it goes down the drain. I have been working a LOT on telling myself that there can be a middle ground - that I can just do my best and have that be enough. There is a part of me that is terrified that I will just lose control on the trip and use it as an excuse to eat whatever I want. I have come so far and am pretty sure I will stay strong, but that fear is very big for me.
I have promised myself that wheels-down in Atlanta on the night of the 1st means immediately getting back on board 100%. No matter what the scale will show from the trip, I hope to have enough willpower to get back on track to get my -100 as soon as I can.
I guess I'm looking for words of wisdom as well as accountability. I'm going to miss being able to read and post here while I am gone (internet on the ship is too pricey!). I will be taking my cards with me from the Beck book. Sure wish I could take all of you with me, too!

That sounds like a wonderful trip!!

Sounds like you are doing well with planning, and you know what to do.

The piece of advice my coach gave me when I went on vacation is if needed, to do phase 2 - meaning doing 8 oz of protein at lunch instead of a lunch packet. The other thing (as you probably know) is dont be afraid to ask for things to be prepared as you want them.

And personally, pardon the pun but give yourself "grace" that slip-ups may happen but you'll do the best you can and move on. :)

Have you thought about planning "free meal moments" so that you're not tempted all the time with off program food items? By that I mean plan on having a dessert or a non-veggie snack, etc every day or every other day. That way you get treats while being on a long vacation, but don't give into an "all or nothing" type of eating habit.

Have a ton of fun! I'm so, so jealous of your travel opportunity!

Stopping By To Introduce Myself...
 

Hi everyone..I've read all your posts from beginning to end in this thread. I'm so glad I found it. I'm a 51 year old woman, married, have a daughter 19 and son almost 18. I live in Ontario, Canada. As most of you, I've also tried many diets. I'm hoping this one is the charm. I'd like to lose 100-120 lbs. We're all going on a very long awaited Caribbean cruise on Mar. 1/15, so I have 6 months to get a good head start on the program. I know I won't lose all my weight before the cruise but would like to hopefully lose about 50 lbs. by then so I can at least be feeling a bit better. I had my initial weigh in at IP on Sept. 10th but didn't actually start the program till Sept. 12th. I weighed 277 lbs. there that night (271.9 lbs. on home scales that morning...naked, of course ;) I know your most accurate weight for the day should be shortly after getting out of bed in the morning..and like I said, naked.) I know I shouldn't be weighing myself daily, but right now I just can't help it. I've had 2 weigh ins at IP since then. The 1st WI I was down 6 lbs. and the 2nd I was down 11 lbs..(all together.) I know this is a really good drop for only 13 days OP but because I insist on weighing myself each morning at home I was a little disappointed. The morning of my 2nd WI I had actually lost 14.4 lbs. on home scales. But my thinking soon turned around when my coach assured me that a 2-3 lb. increase in weight at night is normal..after eating the foods and drinking the water all day..not to mention having clothes on. That was yesterday. This morning my weight fluctuated and I "gained" 2 lbs. So I'm really only at a 12.4 lb. loss. But I know I'm doing everything I should be so I'm happy at losing 12.4 lbs. in 14 days. But I have to say the one thing I'm struggling with is the 8 oz. of meat for dinner. OMG..I never knew that 8 oz. of meat would be so difficult to consume. Being at Weight Watchers 6 or 7 times over the years I've learned a lot. One was to eat only a deck of cards size portion of meat. So for the past few years that is what I'm used to eating. And since being on IP I know that the deck of card size is only 3-4 oz. So forcing myself to eat double that is not going down well..literally. My weight issues are not the quantity of food I was eating..it was strictly the fact that I'm a carboholic.

Wow, considering I just stopped by to introduce myself to you remarkable women..I sure have gone on and on. Oops, sorry about that. Anyway, I'm so pleased to have found you all and look forward to interacting with you and hearing more of your inspiring stories.

Thanx for allowing me to tag along with you all,
Andi

First weigh in was only 5 days into program because of scheduling conflicts, but I lost over 8#. I made crab cakes last night that both my husband and I could not believe how good they were. Trying to keep it fresh so it's not just grilled chicken & salad. I am hoping my daughter will start the program also. She is 15 & I think needs to lose 30 to 50#. I am extremely pleased with the program so far.

Andi -

You don't have to eat all your meat at once. You can have part at lunch and part at dinner, or however else you would like to break it up during the day. That may help in the beginning as you get used to the quantity. Plus then you can have you lunch packet as a snack some other time during the day.