Things were going well week #1 5lbs, #2 5lbs, weigh in this morning #3 0lbs.
Have been following protocol until Cool Whip and eating chicken w/skin on. Now I know. Back on track though due to 4 in lost this morning. Coach says it's not only lbs but also inches that count.

MsKitty - for your sake, I hope that the Cool Whip and chicken skin were not part of the same 'oops' and that they were eaten separately?

I wish I was given this on my first day, this is absolutely amazing and so well written. Love it. It really makes you stop and think; is this really worth it? I was told from day one, "it's not forever, just not now.." - giving up restricted items, is a small price to pay for getting back to health. I can't wait to be healthy!

I have been on IP since May and I have lost a lot of weight and I just recently cheated about a month ago. I had been on a plateau for a couple weeks, so I thought maybe if I cheated I would shock my body and I would start losing again. Well it worked, I gained six pounds from my cheat weekend and then lost those six and five more the next week. But that week was horrible not feeling good emotionally or physically. So last weekend my friends came into town and wanted to go eat, I thought sticking with crab I would be ok, but of course I cheated. Then I figured I might as well make it worth it and cheated the next day. I felt bloated and like crap after eating. I could tell my body just wasn't happy with me. So I ask myself I know that I am not going to feel good after binging, why do I keep doing it? It is a hard struggle especially when i am so close to my goal.

Cassieleeanne,

Have you ever heard of 'the inner sabatouer'? Might be worth exploring (google produces some results). I am still learning to work with mine. They are with us for a reason but sometimes go out of control! We have to understand the enemy!

Annik

wow. Thanks for your postings i needed this
yesterday was my birthday and I ate everything I could....including a delicious home made cake that my friend baked for me...
After 6 weeks of good eating and following the rules... i cheated...
ok back on the saddle and eyes on the price...

Also my coach is closing her store..I may need to go on my own... using altrnatives
Will come here often for inspiration.
I am sad... she was good.

WOW, I'm seeing things here that I've notices and struggled with my whole life around food and dieting. I choose IP because I KNOW I need a disciplined approach. I know I'll get tired of being on a 'regime' but I also know I need to turn my head around. This is a LIFESTYLE change, not something I'm going to suffer through for X weeks until I reach my goal. I will always need to be diligent, until the day I die, and I need to decide if it's more important to have the momentary pleasure of a 'cheat' than to stay on track. I started on Sunday, and I tried to eat a lot of brie, chocolate, potato chips, and drink really good wine and champagne since I was starting IP the next day. And I felt like c&*p! Just reading these comments gives me hope that this truly will be the last diet I've ever been on. Thanks for your generous sharing.

Here's the deal. If you enter into it with the attitude ,"I know I'll get tired of being on a 'regime,', then I guarantee you will! But 42 lbs can be gone by Christmas if you stick with the 100% on-plan folks
I was so unsure if this plan would work for me. But the rules are really cut & dried. You're either ON the plan or you're NOT.

So you decide what is most important. If it is the food, go eat it and come back to IP when you are miserable enough to stick to plan. (This is a general comment, not just directed at one persin). If loosing the weight is more important than just about anything else, you'll find a way to make it work, NO MATTER WHAT.

We have bunches of people who are cheating. And they complain about the speed of their losses. Imagine that. We really cannot have it all.

I suggest jumping in with both feet. Embrace the plan. Make peace with it and stay on it through EVERYTHING life throws at you. There isn't any excuse to cheat, other than you care about the food more than you care about yourself. I loved something Scorbett used to say: who is in charge? You or the food? IP puts us back in charge. If you shortchange the program, the only person you're short changing is yourself.

Work on an attitude of what you are GAINING, rather than what you are giving up. You'll be at goal in no time!

I've got nothing to say except "I love this and will keep these words in my head when it gets hard " thank you. That truly is exceptional.

Thanks for posting and starting a great chat. The day I stared IP, 11 days ago, I was surprised at how strict. I thought a lot about the no cheating rule and realized I've cheated on not only every diet I've been on but in many aspects of life ( excluding my marriage).
Everyday I focus and look toward the next meal and not too much beyond and that helps me be successful. I also do a lot of self talk about not being a cheater. I haven't been perfect but the slips have been small and I am feeling good about becoming more mindful.

Mindful is a good word - we need to just pause a second when tempted/tired/angry/depressed/rushed and think.

How many times in our lives have we responded to those feelings by eating, not even tasting what we are shoving into our faces? The food NEVER makes it feel better for more than a few seconds.

Then we can add guilt/remorse/anger to whatever we are feeling.

This program is very clear on what is OK and what is not. We need to conquer the thought that our emotions and food go hand in hand uncontrolled.

We are in control of it and the IP program supports that. Being 100% gives you are record of which you can be proud. It makes it harder to allow the thought of 'of, this little cheat won't hurt'. It will EMOTIONALLY even if the calories or whatever do not mess up your weight. It will mess with your mind so just don't go down that road.

If you are having some of those negative feelings, read this board. Go back and read old entries. Read of the struggles and successes of those who post here. There is a huge group of people here to support through those tough spots. Use them as a resource - no one is alone on this journey.

Great reading this morning and some truly inspirational words, thanks ladies for sharing from the heart.

I like coming here in the mornings to be inspired and find little 'pearls of wisdom' to carry me through.

IP or BUST!

Glad I read this today! I had a rough weekend and need a boot to get me going!

Lisa,

'Make peace with the plan.'

Thank you for this. It really resonates.

You have been an inspiration to me. I really appreciate your no nonsense, no playing games style and pragmatic approach.

I credit a lot of my success to the wisdom I've seen you share since I joined here in mid-May 2013. So, so, so relieved to have a good chunk of weight loss behind me. So, so, so happy that I stuck to plan. I realise that at this moment in time, any short term eating pleasures I might have chosen to fall prey to during this past summer would now long be forgotten. I have no regrets about having left any food festivities behind. The work that's gone into this doesn't seem like it has been so bad.

I was explaining to someone today why I would never go back to Weight Watchers which I have done several times previously. Though I respect the plan, i see that it is like taking horse and wagon to get to a destination. IP on the other hand -- having stuck to it -- has been like the bullet train. Hard work at times but so worth the effort.

I have my health back. Thanks be to God! Thanks be to hard work. Thanks be to wisdom so generously shared by you and many others!

Annik

I totally agree about weight watchers. I have tried it a few times, and yes I lost the weight but....it was way too easy to cheat. IP is tough but holy cow...it works!