Thank you SylviesGirl. I have the basic protocol sheet, albeit the OLD ones. My coach hasn't updated yet. It can be very frustrating to have questions and not be certain of the answers. It leads to unintentional cheating. I have tons of questions on a variety of topics and I've read through many posts, but find specifics difficult to find. I am not much of an expert to contribute too much - at least until I'm comfortable with my own situation.

I'm sure I'll feel better soon - just got sick in the middle of summer.

Glad that you were able to find the WF products. at a nearby Metro I forgot that I get my BBQ sauce there too. It's a whole lot less expensive than buying direct from the clinic. I have used the apple butter, and blueberry jelly in the past... I used to microwave them to get them runnier, and add a spoonful or so on top of pancakes/waffles... or occasionally on a 'packet muffin'. Just another way to 'change it up' and prevent boredom. I never did try the marshmallow fluff... read a few bad reviews here, and decided to forgo it. I may still give it a try one of these days, for my maintenance reboots and miscellaneous days on P1.

Thanks!! That sounds tasty! Do you use frozen or fresh rhubarb?

I've had the problem a few times and I pre-made lunch. A favorite is rotini with cooked mixed vegetables. It can be put in a container and you don't have to worry about refrigerating it.

My water trick that I've used since the beginning has worked extremely well. I bought an 8 pack of 12-oz Dasani water. I drink one the minute I wake up, finish off the 2nd one by the end of breakfast, drink the 3rd mid morning, the 4th by the end of lunch, the 5th mid afternoon, the 6th with dinner and then the 7th one after dinner. That totals out to 84 oz a day. If I fall behind, I only have to chug one 12 oz bottle at a time. I refill the same bottles every morning and carry them with me when I'm out.

I am strictly using alternative products right now because my mom gave me several packets and I had some as well, so no pancake mixes for me yet. Perhaps I should place an order into Nashua soon! Everything sounds so good aside from the same old same old!

I started P3 yesterday, so far, it has been hard eating some of the breakfast items.

I hope it gets better.

For some reason at lunchtime I just couldn't bring myself to eat any of the veggies or salad that I normally have. So, I found some cabbage in the crisper drawer and remembered seeing a recipe for sauteed cabbage. I sliced it up and sauteed in some grapeseed oil. I sprinkled in some sea salt and pepper and shook in some red pepper flakes. I cooked it til it just started to brown, and was tender.

THIS WAS AWESOME! I like cabbage but usually have it as cabbage rolls or with pot roast. This almost had an asian flavor to it. I highly recommend making this!

I have found a lot of fresh rhubarb lately, so it was fresh. 8 cups was probably 8 large stalks. Maybe 6? Can't quite remember.

Im struggling emotionally today. The whole breakroom is full of donuts, Im stressed because my workload sucks, Im so tired, and I keep thinking about a sugar fix. Urgh, but I have finally made it over a week without cheating, the hunger and headaches are gone, I dont want to ruin this, I know how hard it is everytime you mess with your body to get back to this state.

It doesnt help that everytime I pass a coworker in the hall they tell me, "Sara theres donuts in the breakroom!" Aaaaahhhhhh, leave me alone!!!!

I went and hid in the bathroom for a few minutes to just breathe, I told myself I know how much succeeding at this diet means to me, donuts will be around forever, if I want one after a long run someday then I can have one if I really want it, but Im hoping in the future when my relationship with food has improved that I wont have the need for sugary treats.......

I am sorry that it was a challenging day, but I am happy to hear that your succeeded in it! Taking a time out to breathe is really important - good coping technique! I have used it several times since starting this program and it has always served me well.

Congrats on your accomplishment!

Thanks so much for the tip, I'll have to definitely try the water bottles.

I use to always feel really sick to my stomach and felt super tired. In the beginning I would just aim to space your meals out but pack extra packets in your lunch bag if your feeling you need to eat sooner than later. If you reach your limit for the day, aim for a earlier bedtime until your body gets use to having less food. You can't mess up if you're sleeping
Best of luck! You are doing great.

Sorry to hear. Congrats though on recognizing your struggles
I've been through a mess of stuff emotionally through this journey. You'll only feel worse if you give in. Sucks the others in the office can't support your decisions. That may change when they see you stick with it and have amazing results. Remember you are worth more than that donut (or insert anything else). Hugs

I used alternative products for most of my dieting IP-style, but since I didn't want to pay customs fees, etc., I got practically all of my products from thelowcarbgrocery.com and a combination of other local Canadian sources. If you're interested in an alternative low carb pancake/waffle mix, you might try the New Hope Mills boxed pancake mix. I talk about the various alternative products that I used, and where I sourced them, in my blog - diettalktoday.com - the link is below.

Hi everyone

I've had such a long, crappy day. There are tons of people and situations that I have absolutely no control over.
Myself and co-workers were treated with absolute disregard today.
Really felt awful

But you know what I DO have control over?
What I put in my mouth.
I had taken my lunch with me today. People started talking about where they were picking up lunch. I was feeling left out and almost headed there myself. I could have found something OP.

But you know what worked better? Eating the lunch I packed.

And at the end of the day I was in control of me. No matter what craziness transpired around me.

And it feels pretty good.