Thanks girls! I needed a verbal beating (but I think you went easy on me! lol) Today is a new day, it was my first cheat and I learned my lesson!!! Lots of water today!

CONGRATS TO YOU!!!!! Great job!!!

Yippee!! I have 25 pounds gone! It is insane! LOVE IT! I am feeling so good about my weight loss and this program! I am looking for recipies in the threads starting to plan out the menus for our christmas suppers and I'm finding so many great ones out there! I truly love how much information has been shared on this site, it has become invaluable for me in this journey to a healthier me. Just wanted to thank all the members for providing all this inspiration and for me the knowledge that others are sharing this lifestyle makes it easier to get through the rough days while maintaining protocol. So with that said thank you all so much for sharing your stories and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Day 4 of the IP diet for me. Yesturday was much easier than the first 2. I felt hungary but not RAVENOUS. Part of me wants to get on the scale and see if there is any change...but I know that if there isn't I will feel totally discouraged. I'm someone who has always had to put effort(excercise and good eating habits due to sluggish metabolism) into being slim and athletic but in the past was always able to do so. I hear that it's much harder for people who are already living a heathy lifestyle to lose extra weight as compared to someone who has long been sedintary with poor eating habits. Now that things have "changed" within me I have this fear that this diet won't work.... I dread and long for my first weigh in.

I still feel on edge and irritable...hope that changes soon!

"Next time you want to cheat say this to yourself... "Is this "onion ring" (or whatever you want to eat) worth $50? Because that is what your wasting to get yourself back into ketosis everytime you cheat. It has helped me stay on plan, I hope it helps you!"

THANK YOU!!!!!!!! That's fabulous advice!!!!!!

Hi, Joellio!! How long have you been on?! Congrats!!!!!!

One thing I have realized so far on my short IP journey...I am NOT diggin' the DRINKS!!!! Some are kind of tasty but do NOTHING to ease my hunger. I love the soups with added veggies and I think I definitly need something i can chew for breakfast or else I get hungary right after.

I've got you beat. As of this morning, I'm at my lowest weight since before I met my husband 19 years ago.

I've been having a hard time the past couple days. My DH, mom and I are on the program. Well, my mom has not been sticking to protocol and when I ask or question about it, she gets very upset. I get that it's hard for her, but it's hard for me too. I almost think she sees this as a competition and I'm "doing better" than her. My mom is overweight, not obese like me. Everyday she verbalizes how much she hates her body/thinks she's fat. This makes me feel worse. I'm 23 and morbidly obese. Seriously, hearing that doesn't help me. I'm working so hard right now trying to make a change and I feel almost guilty or undermined in my efforts to do so. She's already decided to go off protocol for Christmas, whereas I am not. I see her cheating a lot and then complaining the next day or next WI about not losing weight. I'm having a hard time being supportive, and by golly I cannot criticize. Weights been an issue for me my whole life (she disagrees with that but when I was at my lowest I was eating under 1200cals a day and exercising incessantly) and I need to make a change but it's hard. I'm afraid to eat her food, thinking she's cutting corners. So then of course if I don't it looks like I'm not supportive, I don't trust her, yadda yadda. You all know this is a hard protocol regardless. This extra drama just throws me off.
I need to lose this weight. I can deal with others who are off protocol eating whatever they like. But it's so HARD for me to see those who are on protocol cheat. It just undermines everything I'm working so hard to achieve.

Sorry for the post. Ive fallen off of other diets before due to this and I just do not want to let this derail me.

I am also on week 2 of PhaseII. I don't really like it because my IP protien at lunch was usually a 'treat'. (pudding, 1-a-day, etc.) I feel like my treat has been taken away. My weight-loss has stayed steady so far.

Way to go! I suspect that I will never again weigh what I did 19 years ago... 85 lbs maybe? I was 9. :-)

That is exciting! Your husband must be enjoying it too!
I'm not quite as many years from being equal to where I am now. As of this morning I'm at my lowest weight in about 15 years. I remember back then I had to get a photo taken for work and I absolutely hated the first one - looked like I had chipmunk cheeks! So I went on some kind of starvation diet for two weeks and managed to get my weight below 200 and my face did look a little thinner, so the second photo looked somewhat better.
I think I'll be finishing Phase I when I weigh what I did about 18 years ago.

Was a little frustrated this morning as the scale has creeped up a pound. I was wondering if it would have something to do with my lunch schedule. I usually take some unrestricted drink when I'm on the road plus some celery sticks. It may not be the full 2 cups and sometimes if I get home in the late afternoon and still hungry I will cook up some rhubarb to eat. I'm working very hard to stay on track but when I start to stall out my mind starts playing tricks on me telling me I give up it isn't going to work for me anyways.

You've been doing AWESOME - just look at your stats!! Almost 50 pounds already, and now you're so close to your goal. Proof that this IS working for you .

Keep up the great work.