Congratulations!! I am sure it felt good. Congratulations to all on your weight loss!! Keep up the good work and have a good weekend!!!

I am going to assume that everyone had as hard of a time as I did trying to get on the forum. I probably tried 6 times a day for the last 2 days....Decided that I must be "addicted" or something...because I was actually going thru "withdrawal" from the forum.

So - let's see -- my biggest news is that I reached the goal the doctor said I would reach Wednesday! When I joined 9/09/09, doc said I would lose 30# by the end of November (I remember thinking...yeah, right!!), I DID!!! I weighed in Wednesday evening, and I lost exactly 30# with IP! Granted, I am not at their goal yet (5# more) or mine....(15# more..but I think I will amend that. My face looks rather gaunt....Probably wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't so old!!!).

BUT -- I thought I would share some stats with you all. (Remember, I had lost 8# before I went on IP. While I researched IP....I gave up things I KNEW I would have to give up if I made the commitment to IP). Here goes:
4" off my bust!! 4-1/2" off my waist! 6" off my hips! 1-1/2" off my arms! 1-1/2" off thighs (I have always had "thunder thighs"). 6.5% of body fat, 5.3% off BMI -- I am 25.7 - was 31...25 and over is considered overweight!!). Needless to say, now you all know WHY I need to alter -- especially in the bust and hips! I HAD hoped that I wouldn't have to alter anything until I reached goal....but I kinda looked like a refugee or something! Of course, I would love to go buy new clothes...but can't afford it right now (YES -- this diet is very expensive). I say a little thank you to my mom daily for teaching me how to alter (altho I am SO slow at it). My mom couldn't sew or read a pattern...but she could alter anything!!

OK -- my feelings on the expense of IP!! I can totally emphasize with the cost of having TWO people on IP...since I can barely afford just me! BUT - for me -- I researched this a month before I made the financial commitment. I knew it would be tight....but I knew I wanted to be medically monitored with all my health issues....so I KNEW what I was getting into. Yes...I am sure one can lose weight doing the diet ketogenically (is that a word??) - I did while on Atkins years ago. I am sure many of us are going to try to do just that thru the holidays (thanks for all the input, by the way). I guess I believe this is a personal choice! Could I have lost 30# on another lowcarb diet? Probably. Would I have? I doubt it!!...but that is just me! Maybe I just need to be accountable - I don't know. All I KNOW for sure...is that it works! Am I scared to eat regular food again - you bet i am! I know after the holidays, I will go back strictly to the guidelines and Phases outlined with IP! Luckily, I don't feel "scammed" -( geez, I thought those pretty foil packages were to keep the product "fresh." ) Luckily -- my doctor WAS my doctor long before IP came along. I KNOW the research she put into it!! I am sure she didn't need another project! She is spread so thin now! I love the look of pride on her face when she sees me! (She has gone thru all the downs with me after my hubby's death). I love that my nurse (who is also a widow and helped me thru some pretty tough times) is as excited as I am when the scale drops!! There is no "price" I can put on that type of support! When I dropped 30points off my cholestrol -- it was hard to see who was more excited of the 3 of us! AGAIN - I know I am lucky because of my doctor and my support system! Sbinkerd1 - I hope you DO support your wife as she continues on her IP journey. I hope she supports YOU in whatever path you take! I don't think any of us should take it personally that your opinion differs from ours......but please do understand that this is a "support forum".

Enough said on that! SO -- OgDog -- I did try the "pudding" made with the sugarfree pudding a few weeks ago. I did add in Whey Protein...but I used soymilk. It didn't thicken! I thought pudding thickened no matter WHAT liquid you used? Maybe it was a bad box? Thank you so much for your research. So -- because the site was down and I hadn't written down the "40 garlic cloves with chicken" - I had to do a bunch of research myself yesterday. I ended up peeling all the *&^%$ cloves....and stuck them all in the chickens butt! The house smelled amazing. I did baste it with my standby butter/garlic baste (but didn't eat the skin). Guess what? It just tasted like plain old chicken! Next time, I will try the chicken pieces...if there is a next time. I also made grilled asparagus -- probably NOT a great choice..cuz it didn't have much taste. I did "splurge" on 2 things (and yes...my scale showed it this a.m.) -- I had tomato/mozzarella salad (but I did use my mom's recipe)....and I ate a LARGE low-carb candybar!!

Lilita -- that was a wonderful post! You are right...this is not forever!! I used to be 5'7" too -- lost 2" somewhere! (well, I am about 10 yrs older than you!!). How wonderfully wonderful that your grandson noticed! I give you credit for moving in with your "boy"friend (they are always boys!!). I always wonder if I will ever feel like dating again....it will be 2 years New Years Eve that I lost Eddie in Iraq. My BAD news came Wednesday night (now -- THERE I sure could have used a drink -- instead I walked around the house yelling at the top of my lungs and throwing things!). The trial for my husband's death was postponed for the 7th time!! It was supposed to be Jan.27th-- I had really thought all of this would be behind me before I took my first vacation by myself EVER in March. I need to move on ...and cannot until this is all over with! (and so no....I didn't take any wine...altho an Amaretto Sour sounded amazing! I had planned on a glass or two of wine yesterday....but then I ate that candybar!!).

Well, I sure didn't mean to write SO much....maybe I thought I would never get on the forum again with all the site problems, huh?? But ya know...I NEED to share this last thought with you! My life turned upside down and inside out when I lost my husband. There were days I didn't get out of bed...didn't eat....cried all day! I started taking "babysteps" a year after his death. First step -- I did acupuncture to try to help with my chronic headaches. I did it weekly until I went on IP -- (couldn't afford both). It didn't help the headaches much...but somehow, it helped balance me. My fibromalygia is better - for sure. The next step - Therapy. I fought this every step of the way. I was raised to "put on my big-girl panties" and deal with things. I did this when my SIL and my son kinda did an intervention. I never thought I could commit to it. My mental health is SO much better then it was in May when I started. BECAUSE I was able to commit to the therapy, I decided to take on my weight.....and I started IP. I knew my weight had to be affecting my health -- plus I KNEW I wasn't eating properly. I think I basically lived on carbs and sugar since Eddie died. I ALSO knew if I could handle the "strictness" of IP - I could probably commit to other things! So - IP has done more for me than just weight loss. It has helped my physical health...but also my mental health! I remember now -- that I always loved fashion! I feel I can wear things again that "draw attention" (I love beads, sequins -- lots of gold and glitter...what can I say?). My nurse gave me the most wonderful compliment Wednesday. She said I always had a great sense of style...even heavier. But she can really see it now! (and I am wearing my old clothes...but now I care if they fit!! -- I didn't before). She said my style was so "uniquely me."...and not everyone could carry it off! I came home on "cloud 9" (well until I opened the stupid mail and found out about the trial)...because I finally feel I am becoming ME again. I will never be the old me....I don't have my life partner anymore (we were married 37 years)...but I am slowly finding the new me. My son wrote me a beautiful note a few weeks ago....that he feels like he "has his mom back." He said we both dealt with my husband's death in different ways...but he had felt he had lost his mom AND his dad. (OK -- I am crying here....). So -- I am coming up to the 2nd year of Eddie's death...but this year, I know he would be proud of me. I have taken babysteps towards my physical health and my mental health. Yeah...he would "totally freak" at the cost of IP -- but yet, I know he would have encouraged me to go on it. Geez...I forgot my whole point here!! I guess my point is -- Do what you have to do to get where you need to go!!

Ooops....forgot to update my ticker!! (Geez, I was really wordy up there, wasn't I?) Well - I haven't seen a real human in 2 days now!!!

Hey...I just found out that it automatically updates the posts you already did when I changed it AFTER I wrote the post!! I NEED to lose two more pounds before I go off IP when I leave for Ohio!! I WANT to be 40# lighter when I see my family (and Eddie's family)! (oh yeah....I also went a much darker blonde and let my short hair grow out to nearly one length once I started IP -- see-- I wanted to shock them!!)

Back to work today and back on plan! I drank a large glass of water first thing this morning.

I couldn't resist weighing myself this morning even though I knew I would be up. Yep, I was 191 (up 4 pounds since 2 days ago.)

In the past, a gain like this would cause me to give up on my diet. But I have had such great results with IP that I am looking forward to getting right back on it.

The next few weeks between now and Christmas will be "easy."

Today, I will pack some turkey breast and celery for my dinner break (I work 12 hour shifts from noon to midnight) along with my beautiful little silver IP packets and I will take all the "carby"leftovers for my coworkers to eat.

Torchlaker: I loved your post. Let it all out, Girl! That's what this support forum is all about. And it's free! Yay!

Lilita

Torchlaker, your post made me cry, but thank you - I, as I am sure others can relate to you in many ways. I am a year younger than you and have been married for 37 years also. My husband says about the cost, 'just think how much you may be saving in future medical bills by losing the weight...Your health is important - Don't worry about it.'
Sincerely so sorry for your loss!
Congratulations to you for choosing to become strong for yourself despite the obstacles (or challenges). Thank you for being such an inspiration for all of us, and please continue to share on here even though you are at goal.....

Spatime- You are verylucky to be blessed with such and understanding hubby, and you know he is right!

Torchlaker-You are truly an inspiration. Keep up the awesome work...in every aspect of your life.

Torchlaker, you just took this to a whole new level....Thank You.

What you were doing...what we all have gone through at some point..is self-immolation. You had a damn good reason to. For the rest of us, maybe a less painful reason, but they all happened. They all are legitimate. Slowly, over decades, I came to accept that what I wanted to do, to be, when I was younger, did not appeal to me as I got older and had more perspective. I don't know why, but people facing great pain want to erase themselves.

What you said about IP, or it's motivating us to be good to ourselves, really, REALLY resonates with me. Thanks for putting it into words.

Thanks, Torchlaker, and all of you for being the tremendous support you've been. And you are right. It IS kind of like and obsession to visit here. We're not crazy, though. We're lucky as ****.

Have a glorious weekend!

P.S.: MIRAZON AND MONTANAMOM,

HIGH FIVE...MORE INCENTIVE!

Torchlaker - your post made me cry - you've been through so much and still going through it waiting for the trial. Glad for you too that this IP diet has become one important step on the road to where you need to be.

Cost - yeah it's a lot. But you get so much protein for the calories - at our presentation this part really hit home. To get the amount of protein in a packet with 100 calories, you would need to eat something like 500 calories of chicken. I don't plan on being on this for ever so I'm just going to hunker down and do it. I figure too that I'm saving money on beer and wine - oh yeah and when my husband and I go out I can drive home so we're saving money on cabs.

Yeah if I was 130 lbs, I'd probably wear a bikini in the snow too - so funny, what a picture...all the IP girls in their bikinis this winter...LOL!!!

Bikinis every Thanksgiving morning and New Year's Eve!!! At 5AM.!!! Let us make a pact.

Hey...how do you all feel about posting pictures of ourselves at our goal weights? Hard, I know, but think about how inspirational it would be. We seem to be the Freshman Class of IP here......

Torchlaker, you don't have to answer if it's too much...but is your suit against a private security company? I'm just curious.

I'm quoting myself for a post....new frontier....
Torchlaker, really, you probably shouldn't answer my last impestuous question.

Aawwww...thanks everyone. It felt good to get that out....and to put it - finally - into words. Self-immolation? I gotta look that up...! Yes, I do believe we all have had trials, tribulations, paintful reasons. ....maybe that is how we all got "here." I do believe that each trial - eventually - will make us all stronger. I told my son today what I posted on here. He knows I am TERRIBLE with any type of commitment...and he told me that he has been stunned that I have stayed committed (aaaahhh....now to stop smoking). Echobaby...my suit is against the insurance company.....

Spatime -- my therapist says the same thing your hubby says....that this program is going to keep health care costs down. Your hubby sounds like a gem! I have always heard that trying to lose weight at our age is very hard...our metabolism slows down, yadayada...I think that is the wonderful thing about IP....It doesn't seem to care what AGE you are! Isn't that great?

Mirazon -- how wonderful for you! That has to be very special! MontanaMom...are you only 1# from goal???

Well, this gal won't be wearing a bikini ever again....snow or no snow!! 5am? I am just rolling over!! I did have the nurse take a picture of me Wednesday...it is still in my camera. To me, I still look heavy....(poor body image??). I was going to send it to some of my friends that won't see me at Christmas....but I STILL hate the camera....plus I am NOT at goal yet.

It sounds like we all got back on track today. I think that is a good thing!! We could have gone crazy the whole weekend! Straying from any diet is a way of life, isn't it? Life has to be livable....Holidays are a way of life. If we learn from this diet, we can go off and get right back on...ya know....like normal people do! I keep telling myself I CANNOT gain the weight back, cuz now I won't have any clothes to wear. This is the first time EVER that I have gotten rid of clothes, or altered clothes.

has anyone out there bought the IP recipe book? The IP consultants here sell it but I haven't bothered even looking at it. At a recent event, all the food was from the recipe book and some was really tasty. I love and appreciate all the work that Ogdog and others have done posting recipes but with the recent trouble getting on the site, it might be nice to have a recipe book to refer to. I also think the recipe book might list calorie and carb counts and what is allowed in which phase.

You have definitely done this not only for yourself but you are helping those of us who have the privilege of reading your posts!!! Thanks so much for being willing to share.