Here is the deal (as far as I am concerned)....I started IP knowing it wasn't like other programs(Weight Watcher, etc). I knew that I would not have a single thing until I reached my goal. I have skipped many invitations, I have attended a few and every time I brought my own food. I have traveled overnight for multiple days and I pack a cooler with all my meals. I am going to Las Vegas...yes Las Vegas from Christmas eve to New Year's Eve. I already bought a special bag for my food and I will NOT be endulging in anything at all....NOT a single bite.

This diet isn't always the easiest when you see others endulging around you, but I tell myself to suck it up...get over it....and remember how great I will look in such a short period of time.

Yes, I have missed out on a few things over the past three months and I still have six weeks until I begin phasing off, but if I can keep this darn weight off I have so many more wonderful years of life than the path I was on.

To be honest I don't have a ton of strategies to stick to the plan....because I just stick to the plan...NO cheat...never....no matter how small.

I plan on skiing on Christmas. The mountain opens at 1PM and I figure getting out beats sitting around the house and being tempted by crap.

Hi!!! And, Welcome back! It has been awhile and is so nice to see you! You're so close to your goal!!! I am really impressed with how much you've lost this year. Way to go!

Thank you for helping people understand the focus of Jency's thread. AND, thank you for reminding people we have the Holiday thread and Cheat threads to discuss how to manage holidays and discuss having gone off plan.



I don't think you have offended anyone! Please don't feel spanked. We are a very dedicated and passionate group. EVERYONE here wants to see EACH of us succeed. Sometimes we try to be the iron rod or the brick wall people can lean on to have success.

As both Dave and Linden share, cheats are a personal decision and sometimes best directed by your coach and you alone. Also, as Dave points out, once you decide to enjoy a particular holiday or event, don't just KINDA do it. If you really don't care about the potatoes that is one thing but, if you really would like to enjoy the day, you are already off program so, use good judgment and self-control and TASTE the things you like. Ideally, you won't have another planned cheat until you are at goal. It will take you about the same amount of time to get back on track if you taste small amounts of everything or a lot of just the one or two things because you are avoiding the rest.

I think you have a nice approach planned and it fits in nicely with this thread! Continue to share and know, no one is trying to judge you, just share a different look and hopefully help you reach your goals.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...ays-ahead.html

I love your approach to giving healthy choices as gifts! That helps you too with the baking process! If someone were more crafty instead of a baker maybe they could consider giving some crafted items - homemade christmas countdown calendars for kids, homemade ornaments, door hangers, wreaths, table arrangements, pinecone potpourri, spiced oranges on ribbon, so many things come to mind as gifts for the season that aren't food oriented.

I think you are taking a great approach to this program!! What a wonderful way to truly mark a new way of life and change your mental outlook and eating habits simultaneously! Way to go!

I am so sorry. First holidays are always so hard. I hope your family really enjoys the traditions he gave to you all and enjoy the reminiscing that will occur. I also hope you each enjoy the new tradition you may begin this year with the games! That sounds like such fun!

I agree!!! It is so amazing and overwhelming to see how much food we push on us as a society. I know that they only offer what we want to by but, at times I think isn't that a similar mentality to what drug dealers do? They too only offer what a willing and addicted or able to be addicted market. Does that make it more ok.

Food we need. Processed, highly fatty, sugary, or caloric foods do not need to be so readily available in my opinion. If we want a brownie, we can make them, shouldn't we have to have some time to think about, work for, and then appreciate those things that should be considered special and luxury? Too often people rip off the cellophane wrapper and scarf down the highly craved sweets only to have them gone in seconds and the satisfaction lacking.

OK... so on a tirade and, now stepping of my soap box....

Your IRON WILL and determination are so admirable and commendable! I see such great success ahead for you!


SKIING!! I love that. It definitely beats being locked in the house for hours with uneatable food! Good choice!

[QUOTE=showgirlaz;3591492]
Food we need. Processed, highly fatty, sugary, or caloric foods do not need to be so readily available in my opinion. If we want a brownie, we can make them, shouldn't we have to have some time to think about, work for, and then appreciate those things that should be considered special and luxury? Too often people rip off the cellophane wrapper and scarf down the highly craved sweets only to have them gone in seconds and the satisfaction lacking.

OK... so on a tirade and, now stepping of my soap box....



I love this approach. As always Carla your viewpoint is "spot on". What a great way to look at it. "....rip off the cellophane wrapper and scarf....."
got my giggle for the day

Thank you for that. Much appreciated. You seemed to take what I was thinking and wrote it much more clearly.

Peanuts Mom~ When I first started IP Oct. 18, I planned on cheating on Thanksgiving, but when it got here, I didn't cheat once! I just knew I've come to far to feel bad about it the next day ( I too was like a drug addict only to food) where I couldn't just have 1. So hopefully you'll be able to stay on track, or use control. Good luck!

***Vent coming**** Thanks to reading so many posts today about planned cheats, I'm really wondering what type of coaches Ideal Protein is turning out. When I started the program I was told absolutely no cheats no matter what. When I came on here I read how everyone was doing so great and not cheating. Now it seems that everyone is planning cheat days?!?!?!?! What is the purpose of doing this diet if you want to cheat? If you want to cheat do Weight Watchers and save up your points and have your cheat day. Cheating is why we all became overweight in the first place. So I'm totally committed to not cheat period until I'm in maintenance.

Jency,

I think you have a great point of view. I think anyone who can do like you will be very successful in the fastest / shortest time frame.

NOT everyone is able to do as you do.

IP does not TURN OUT coaches. They barely train coaches. When you arrange to offer their PRODUCT LINE they give you 3 hours of coaching. You are now supposed to be affiliated with a medical person but that wasn't always the case and there are some exceptions to the rules. After you are set up you can read a manual for help, call regional people, and call higher up in the corporate offices if you have questions. You can also attend additional training but, I know of a few coaches that have and others that haven't.

The corporate side of IP DOES NOT BELIEVE IN CHEATS. One cheat is a warning, a second cheat and you are kicked from the program. In the opinion of one of the founders of the program cheats are cheats whether they are planned or not. Deviations are deviations whether big or small. WHY? Because this is designed to be a medical protocol that requires a specific amount of time for your body and a specific chemistry to be created before you are "healed" enough to not gain the weight. In general it takes 90 days for the pancreas to do its job and restore itself. That isn't possible for someone who has very little to lose but, if you have 30 pounds or more, you get pretty close by the time you properly go through the phases IF YOU DON'T CHEAT.

If you have less to lose, there is (theoretically) less damage to the pancreas and less time needed to repair it so, the 90 days is not as crucial. It is still important to go properly through each phase.

WHY THE DIFFERENT OPINIONS?

Coaches realize that people are people and bring baggage to the program. It is critical for some people to lose the weight to regain their health and life. Staying on the program long enough to do that for some people is very difficult. Their are clients out there with 300 pounds to lose and they will be on this for possible 2 years. There are others that bring psychological issues and lots of stress. This diet is also about learning to change your lifestyle. With that in mind some coaches try to be flexible and realistic. They try to help the person achieve goals and have success without feeling abused, put down or unsuccessful. They try to help them learn to enjoy and make the decisions about the really important things for them in life so they can begin to develop a lifestyle that they can live with and keep the weight off. These coaches are trying to help people learn to show self-control, to not cheat "whenever", to evaluate the need for something and then show some discipline. In their mind it is better than someone not be perfect but that that person becomes successful.

I understand that is bothersome. I understand that you and MANY other people think it is wrong. I understand that it isn't necessary for everyone. I personally was able to go from november to july without having a cheat ( minus the cold syrup which the pharmacist didn't fill as ordered). I know many others can do this as written. For some people, if they didn't have the compassion, they wouldn't stay with this long enough to have any level of success. For those people this program will take longer and cost more but, for the price they gain what they want.

I hope that helps explain how it should be and why it is what it is.

Well said Carla. I think compassion should be a major component of a support group.

Carla you are awesome... I knew I wouldn't be able to say what I was feeling correctly... which is why I put the Vent warning. I really like that my coach wouldn't let me start until I could commit to not cheating. I really liked that the main consensus I felt from this board was absolutely no cheating. It really helped me in the beginning to believe that cheating was not an option. In fact I had probably been on here 2 months before I even peeked at the cheating thread, because I just didn't want to believe people were cheating on this plan. Call it silly but that simple denial made it so much easier for me to not cheat.

I'm hoping that all these "planned" cheat days are just because of the holiday and everyone will get pack to not cheating once the holidays are over.

'Morning (in my neck of the woods). Jency and Carla, hear, hear. And those of you who can't help spilling you g-ts, take it to the OOPS! thread. You'll get no "That's all right" from this quarter.

SO... Now that we have that territory well explored, .... Let's talk about how do we stay on track!! Whether or not your plan is to make exceptions and deviations... how do you plan to get through, around, past the temptations you can and will be faced with?

I plan to keep my emergency pack every so close!

In it are:

2- IP drinks
1- chocolate soy puff
1- days worth of vitamins
1- 1/2 tsp packet of salt (I used a small jewlery size ziploc bag)
2- packets of walden farms salad dressing (I like Italian, it's versatile)


Going shopping I try to keep my water bottle handy and stop for an appropriate, snack, meal or drink so I am not tempted by the samples at costco or smells at the food court.

I don't work in an office but, If I Did, I would keep a few packets of soy snacks. NOT to eat the whole pack and maybe I would consider opening a pack and seperating it into smaller portions in snack size ziploc bags. It would be to have something quick I could go back to my desk and get when I wanted something out of someone's treat bowl. The white chocolate cinnamon bars work for me instead of cinnamon buns so, those a bite size options too.

For company parties, I would plan to eat a large lettuce salad before hand and, maybe even my protein. I would try to learn the menus from hosts before I go so I can a) contribute a dish that works for me or B) have a plan in place to avoid surprises.

My biggest weakness this time of year is fudge. Last year I made many pounds and had NONE! AGGGGH.. This year will be different only because, I am not going to make it. I am planning on being done for my birthday so, my treat for my birthday might well be fudge.

There is NOTHING on this planet that will be gone when I am on maintenance which, will no longer be purchasable and/or can not be made by me or a capable friend. I am willing to write that or say it a thousand times and read it whenever necessary.

For me, yes, it is hard to pass up holiday traditions and treats but, the reason I want them is I have had them often enough to know I like them. I am going to use salesgod Dave's visualization trick. As I want something I am going to remember and visualize with all of my senses both the worst time I had it and the best time and how I really felt afterward. Most of the time I wasn't feeling so much better and I know I will be able to get through this season just fine.

What is your approach to make it past parties, desks and lunchrooms full of goodies, secret Santa treats, family dinners, church socials, and Christmas week/weekend itself?

Good post(s) Carla. Those are some great tips.

DH and I live with my family, and 3 others are not on the program. So today I made some sugar cookies for those not on the program. We haven't had any Christmas cookies so my sister and I made some. I did not cheat. In fact, I was so busy cooking I forgot lunch. If I really THINK about it - I'm not hungry EVER when I have something that is keeping me preoccupied (on this program). Its the boredom and thought of "okay what am I eating next" that gets me "hungry."
Adding to Carlas post - I keep tea bags and splenda in my purse as well. I also keep those Listerine strips. The tea bags have proved handy when we were out bowling. Just ask for a mug of hot water.

I've given a lot of thought to how I can stay on track from the 14th, when I leave, through two days of travel then, especially, 12 days of Christmas through New Year's at my daughter-in-law's parents' home. I ate well and didn't gain weight last year and I hope this year will be the same, or better. And I may have it easier than some, in one respect. Her family eats very sensibly and there will be no pressure either to eat or not to eat.

Two things worry me, though. First, afternoon tea which is usually a sweet (left over cake, cookies) nuts, fruit, and tea. I'm not much of a sweets eater and even if I were the cakes aren't overly sweet and have a dusting of powdered sugar rather than icing. I should be fine with just tea (or a nap).

What really worries me is breakfast; not because it isn't healthy. But I hope my will doesn't cave. A typical breakfast is kind of a smorgasbord: locally-made salamis, braunschweiger, ham, herring in sour cream, smoked fish, plain yogurt, cheeses, potato salad, tzatziki, fruit, jam, and an incredible selection of real multi-grain, multi-seed breads and rolls, pumpernickel, and butter.

My son told me a funny story about the first time he visited Birget's parents. They were getting dinner ready and he was trying to help out by setting the table and asked them if they had any butter. Both she and her mother just stared at him. Finally, her mother said "We're German." I guess I know how they stand on eating butter. Unfortunately, I feel the same way -- especially if it comes with good bread. But I can do it. Plus walk at least 2-3 miles along beautiful country roads wrapped in down that's good to -25F.