I totally agree with this. I met a woman yesterday who had been a part of Overeaters Anonymous for over twenty years. She brought her embroidery to the meeting and told me how much it helped her mind. I am now on the lookout for some projects of my own.

I really need ideas here. In Houston, everything seems based on food. If you don't throw food into the event, people often won't even bother to come. What are some good "non-food" events?

My biggest tip is to plan and prep.

It is easy to go off plan if the off plan item is more readily available than the on plan item.

So every week I plan my meals for the week including the ingredients I will need and then I go shopping. I also prep my 2 cups of lunch veggies the night before and put them in a container to go so that I just have to grab that and my IP food in the morning.

I am a big water drinker so it hasn't been a problem but I DO fill a 50 ounce water bottle and a 24 ounce water bottle and bring them to work with me. I pour the 50 ounce into the 24 ounce bottle as I drink it throughout the day. When they are both empty (which always happens before I leave work) I know that I have had 74 ounces of water...it cuts down on the need to keep track. Then I usually have another 24 ounce bottle or two after I get home.

Not sure why you need non-food events. I am in Chicago and my family is the same as you describe - pizza, italian beefs, ribs, pasta, etc are often staples in our get togethers. I provide all of food my family likes even though I follow this program.

Ro22, I don't need them. I would just prefer them, especially in the beginning of the program. I am tired of the questions and the pressure to eat like others do when clearly it is not working for me. I tolerate it (and I don't think I show my disgruntlement with it), but it would be nice if food was not always part of the mix. If it has to be, it has to be. I'm not here to change anyone. I would just like some other options. And also I'd like to add, that the more I research I do, the more I am having an issue with the food around me (when it comes to politics). My guess is that vegetarians don't frequent steakhouses every week. I'd like, in a perfect world, to have some social events besides say an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, that doesn't have pastries on the table.

I enjoyed reading this thread, does anyone have more tips?

1. If you ever have problems with the big "C" (which seems to be somewhat of a pervasive problem on this diet) ... this trick works for me. When I feel "stuck" in that area, I drink (guzzle) about 30-40 oz of water in a 15-20 minute period -- when I do that, I find I go about 10 to 15 minutes later (like clockwork). You might actually feel slightly sick to your stomach after about 5-10 minutes, so stay close to the bathroom for about 20 minutes. (Also if you are smaller, watch out drinking too much water too fast (so drink less!) -- if you drink too much too fast can throw off your electrolyte balance -- so don't do this method every day -- just use it occasionally when you feel sluggish, clogged, or not moving -- let your body tell you what you can handle). yes it is possible to OD on water if you drink too much too fast, but I think generally that would take something more towards 75 to 100 oz or more over a very short time period (which is alot). So if you try this start with smaller amounts of water over longer periods and let your body tell you when you hit the right amount of water over the right time period.

2. Don't cheat and especially don't cheat with carbs or sugar!!!! If you are going to cheat, cheat with an extra IP pack or extra protein. That will at least keep in in burn mode.

3. Don't let weight loss plateaus or stalls freak you out or get you down. They are normal -- and you will often find a big whoosh down a few days later where you sort of catch up with your well defined loss rate. If you can handle it, I think that weighing yourself once a week might be good for many (I can't handle that though -- I think I have a little bit of an addiction to seeing daily losses on the scale).

4. Don't get too hung up on variety in your IP selection (its fine if you like variety and find a lot of IP foods that you love -- but you dont need to have variety for this diet to work) ... all you need is a few choices (or one choice). I love the IP chocolate drink and that's the only IP food I eat. (some of the reason for that is my soy allergy though -- plus I am a certified choc-o-holic.

5. Don't be afraid of walking!!! My loss rate really accelerated downward when I started walking for an hour every morning in my neighborhood. Since late October, I have logged 275 miles, which is basically the distance from Washington DC to Pittsburgh, PA (or Hartford CT). Get a step tracker like a FITBIT, which monitors your daily steps and distances and emails you encouragement.

Hi SweetRelease,

I'm up in Seattle, but I have family in Houston so I"m somewhat familiar with it...
Ideas: go listen to live music; go to the spa to soak in the hot tub/ sauna/ steam room; walks in parks; art exhibits; knitting or other craft group; book club; coffee shop for tea or coffee...

When I'm completely phased off I'll probably ask people for bike rides or hikes. I used to tango and swing dance a lot, so I may get back into that.

In Houston, there are all those great art museums like the de Menil and the others surrounding it. Isn't there a strong music scene there too? I thought there was an old town that is being revitalized? There is the reservoir park on the west end just outside hwy 6 loop, and I thought a bike path was being developed from that area towards downtown Houston?

Another way to meet new people and try new things that doesn't revolve around food. Become a member of MeetUp. It's an app you can put on your phone but you can also do it on a desktop. Look at all the different groups, book clubs, dancing, movie enthusiasts, biking/hiking/kayaking or crafts or philosophers who juggle. There are tons of groups. Join one. If you don't like it, don't go back, join something else. I've made several new friends by joining a book club. As soon as I get some strength back in the body, I plan on buying a bicycle this spring. Then I plan on joining a biking group. I'm also divorced, with grown children far away. So essentially by myself. I got tired of being alone and decided to make new friends but wasn't sure how. This works for me.

Prior to starting IP I was always trying to think of non food related activities. I went to spin classes and yoga with friends. If my friends had dogs I would always invite them over for tea and dog play dates, even meet up and go for a walk somewhere with the dogs. When I wanted to get together with a group of people I would suggest coffee. All of these things except spin and yoga could still be done on P1 though. Maybe that helps?

Could think of it another way. Instead of putting fast-food style dishes out at your gatherings, begin converting your family and friends to healthier options. OK, so YOU may not be able to eat all of them, but if you plan a mix of dishes (chicken kebabs on skewers - with yoghurt curry and veggies is popular with meat lovers) you should be able to hold your own in a foodie society.

Crudites that YOU can eat, some that you can't ... might even convert them to some kale chips or curried cauli. Unless you try, you just never know.

My project first time around was endless reading on 3FC. I realized last night that my addiction the the game 2048 and now 2048 5x5 keeps my hands and mind busy enough to forget I want to eat. A 60 pound dog sound asleep in my lap helps too. I hate to disturb him!

Oh boy -- my screen name is not Oneuh2 (that's one-uh-two) for nuthin!!! If you want a non eating social activity, take yourself into a dance studio to attend a guest party for newcomers - you will have a great time, you will meet people, you will learn a basic step or two, and you will want to sign up for a class to do it some more!!

I began dancing in 2005 to prepare for a grandson's wedding -- altho I began private lessons with my husband, he lost interest in making it a regular thing after a few months. But I continued on -- he supports my continuing to take dance lessons alone because he sees how good dancing is at relieving stress for me, and how happy it makes me. (He is also considerably older than me and since he broke a hip and has balance issues, he really cannot dance anymore).

I dance American Smooth - like waltz, foxtrot, tango, and American Rhythm - like swing, chacha, rumba, and some salsa, Viennese waltz, and a bit more!

I have made so many terrific friends at the dance studio - and even if there are some snacks there on dance party nights, that's just a some stuff on the side - people are there to dance, not eat. Alcohol doesn't mix well with dancing at the studio -- you might see some for a holiday or other celebration, but most dancers let drinks wait until the dancing is over. It's easy to avoid.

Oh -- and let's not forget that it involves moving around, and can be quite beneficial exercise that will support your weight management efforts!

Go dancing, SweetRelease!!!

curious---re 4: Don't you like having variety? The reason I look forward to a new day is because I get new foods, new IP packs, lol

I really like the other tips, good to know especially about the big "c", lol

i hear you! that comment was more for the people that post that they "can't stand a lot of the IP food" -- "that some of them taste weird or awful". I was just making the point that all you need is a few that you like! my big issue is I have a soy allergy and almost all of the IP foods contain soy. there are only a few that dont. so i was already really limited in my choices. but i did have the experience that i didnt like most of the ones I was not allergic to. if you are lucky enough to have a green light with soy, you can really "go to town" with the wide selection and find more that you do like!