Today I have recommitted to starting Phase 1. After months of seesawing between beingeing and IPing, I am finally totally out of control. I got to goal on Dec 3, 2010 and now I am 15 pounds over and feel absolutely miserable.

When I was IPing, I was almost perfect and felt great being in control, but Phase 4 is so challenging to me. Unlike Rocky who seems to "get it" and can eat moderately using the tools of IP, I am a train wreck. The choices and planned "cheats" of Phase 4 are so difficult for me.

I am a compulsive overeater and am about to gain back all the weight I lost with a blink of an eye. It is so completely crazy and I am terrified that it is going to happen. I loved being at my goal weight and got a new wardrobe which made me feel great. Why am I deliberately sabotaging myself and bingeing when I know that I will gain weight? Why, why, why?:tantru m:

Are there any IPers who are compulsive overeaters, who have successfully maintained their weight? I have tried OA, therapy, buddy system, Weight Watchers, etc and IP works for me, but I am struggling to maintain.

Please help. I would like to hear from someone who understands my struggle and can offer some constructive advice. I want to change this around before I am back where I started. I am so frustrated and angry with myself.

I want to move on and not make weight a constant issue for me where I am preoccupied with IPing or bingeing. There's more to life that obsessing over weight, but here I am doing just that. Ugh!

Woo hoo! One week back on Phase 1 and I weighed this morning and am down 8 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not being unrealistic and obviously know that water weight and my TOM had something to do with it, but I don't care. I feel great and it is just the boost I needed to keep going. Maybe I can finally reach that elusive 150 lbs. I also just completed Day 3 of P90X. I never went along with the philosophy of not working out during IP and believe that is why I lost quickly and had good muscle mass under my fat.

Have a great IP day!

Wow!! You are so close! Keep up the good work

bump

Good JOB! Are you flooding in MT? I know if you bag a few million sandbags you'll lose more and gain more muscle!

We are indeed having some major flooding! The scary part is that we haven't even had any snow melt and our snow packs are super huge this year, so that will add to the problem. We are lucky that we don't live close enough to any water source for flooding, but there are some houses being flooded from underneath because the water table underground is so high now. We really need a break from all this rain. I wish it would shift to the places with fire problems. I hope you are not in the path of all the tornados! Praying to God for the weather to calm down!!!

Thanks for caring!

I understand your feeling of being out of control and disappointment in yourself for gaining - but it can be a helpful learning time too. Over Christmas I gained about 7-8# and now I have more like 13# to lose. I am back on phase 1 too. Actually I have been doing the seesaw too. It just has to stop. I did lose 3# this week.

For me it is so much better to keep a pretty tight rein on my phase 4 choices, as I can get out of control fast. I read an article from a weight loss specialist the other day and he said that the reason so many people fail on plans, is that their regular life should look much more like the diet they lost the weight on. That is our new normal and everyday with occasional exceptions! For me I won't ever have a time when I can just forget about what I choose to eat and not think about it.

Don't do the denial thing and just hope for the best. I plan to weigh daily and act when I get up a couple lbs. Even Dr. Oz says that sugar is so addictive that it acts on the same part of the brain as narcotics.

I know that I can do this --I did it once and can get back. I just don't feel as good and even though others can't tell my weight is up, I can.

Sorry this is so long. It seems many of us have to find out way back to our feel good place. But, that is life.

i just want to say thank you to those who started the experienced thread. i haven't been on the other threads in a long time, but i just took a look at the daily thread and everyone is talking about eating 4-5 packets a day, adding eggs to everything, and chewing gum. it's soooo different from when i started. it seems like everyone was following the protocol back then, and now everyone is all over the place, making up their own rules and whatnot. anyhow, it's too hard from me to read that stuff because this plan was so easy and it totally works if you follow it like you are supposed to. it's all mapped out for you. grrrr. i feel like Mary right now!

I.am.right.there.with.you. I'm having trouble reading it. It makes me consider getting off track and I've been on the program for 15 weeks! Wild. I can't imagine if I was only on day 5 or week 3... I'd think that everyone cheated!

Anyway, I'm glad you guys are here too.

Doesn't it feel GREAT to vent!! You made me laugh out loud!

It is weird, but that is the reason many of us branched off to an experienced thread in January, because of all the new people with the New Year's resolution....many of you are part of that crew, but you are the committed ones....bravo! I am a very very very firm believer that this diet is meant to be followed without deviation....which I did for 5 straight months. I think that it becomes more difficult to follow without alterations...especially when you get the exercise bug...which I did around 5 months....now I really have it as I am still doing the weight training and now I am running.

I was pyscho strict in the beginning and a major preacher of that strictness....I have relaxed alot only because I needed to learn how to change forever not just to lose the weight. I needed to approach a vacation as just that....a vacation....and then return to life and back to healthy eating. It is weird but I have learned a ton over my last 3-4 months....even more than the first 5 months. One thing I read alot is that when you cheat or take a planned time off that it is hard to get back on.....I really believe that is a bigger issue....we should be able to have planned occasional treats (after a significant length of time on the diet) and get right back on.....if not how will we face maintenance? That all or nothing mentality is what got most of us to our high weights.

This is why I started the experienced thread....the needs of those of us on this for so long are very different than the beginning and I hate to see everyone trying to twick in the beginning. I always used to write....if it is not on the phase 1 sheet than the answer is NO! End of story!

Bravo to the crew on this thread for sticking it out pushing through tough times and staying committed. This is not about getting to goal....this is about keeping it off and staying healthy....changing our mindset

I'm going to jump over here now. I'm starting week 13, the honeymoon is definitely over, and I can't read all the posts about gum, diet soda, etc.

I hate diet soda, but I had my first piece of gum since September about a week ago...no big deal.

My vice to get me through is coffee with vanilla RTD.

Again...I stay away from the daily thread....too much twick....everyone wants it to be like WW...very open and this is not open.

YOu should be on this thread anyways. Wow your avatar looks skinny

Yup! I'm having a heard time with what's going on there, too. Makes me feel bad for the people who really need the guidance & support that was such a lifeline to me in the early weeks, though.

I am with you as well, and it doesn't seem to help how many times you say, that isn't on the protocol or tell them to add their cheats to the cheats thread. I just about gave up over the weekend just sillyness. I can't understand it. You are on this diet, program, project whatever it is called. The protocol is very clear on what you can have... man oh man, i was frustrated..

I am with you too.


So everyone I hope you don't mind me coming over as well, I miss all you guys on the other thread. I don't usually have any questions and I love hearing about the different phases you are on.

The person that got me started on this said to someone he introduced to it and was cheating here and there etc, he said I gave you a gift and you are turning it into something it isn't suppose to be. Either follow the protocol or quit.... well I haven't seen that person on here in a while so I am thinking they quit.

Have a great day

OH and Darbs love the new pic!