I was very bad today with my preparation. I was out of clean lettuce, no salad veggies chopped. I took roasted red pepper purée to add to my soup only to forget my tomato soup at home! I didn't have time to run out and get anything either. I ended up eating celery and chocolate soy puffs. OP, but hardly proper eating for the whole day. I did have access to all sorts of bad choices but I just reminded myself that I would eat when I got home!

[QUOTE=dak1lls;4985923]
Schenectady: I so enjoy your posts and watching your progress. I remember reading all the things you have been going through since last year with your son and the house and I am so happy that you are doing well. Your weight loss is fantastic! I celebrate with you each time you have an NSV or a SV!



dak1lls - you are one of the people who keeps me going! Things should be leveling off if I can keep my poor homesick puppy from digging her way to China in an attempt to escape every time I leave the house. The she tracks in all the black mud in which she has been digging, jumps on the leather sofa....worse than a kid. She is really working the guilt when I leave her. I understand but really?

I am holding my own and desperately looking to hit the -100 mark (not all on IP, but from my recent highest) and with luck that may be this week. That will be for me like entering Onederland - a big landmark weight which I will fight to never revisit.

ChipnDip - Good for you for staying OP. And I've been there before too - sometimes I wish my work was closer to a grocery store so that I could run out quickly and get some more veggies. It's nice that we have a full kitchen so I'd be able to put something together.

What an awesome job of thinking it through and "journaling" instead of eating! This is how to stick to plan no matter what!!!

Very frustrated...I started IP diet on March 14. So far I've lost 14 lbs. Last week my loss was 1 lb. This week I feel so bloated and huge. According to my scale I've gained 3 lbs this week. My WI is tomorrow night and I don't want to go. I've stayed strictly on plan with no cheats. Didn't even lick my fingers when I made my husband fudge. I don't have periods anymore so I can't blame that. Help!! Is this normal?

How's it going? How are you doing?? You are doing a GREAT thing by talking yourself through this difficult moment. Not only will you lose more weight as a result of what you are doing right now, but you are SO building your willpower-muscles. Way to go!!! Hang in . . . we're with you!

Okay, I have to say . . . 14 lbs in approx 4 weeks = approx 3 lbs, actually a bit more, per week. That is not a bad rate. KEEP WITH IT!! Weight loss is not linear, to quote a great poster from a while back. You know that saying, "It's always darkest before the dawn?" I find that to be very true on this plan. Just when you think it's not working or last week's loss was not what you were hoping for, bang!, a great loss happens. My advice: Shut down that inner voice that is badgering you right now. Just stop it in its tracks. Drink lots of water -- yes, you'll be up tonight visiting the bathroom, but that's okay . . . if you do have bloating, lots of water will help flush it out . . . and GO TO YOUR WEIGH IN. If you don't, you may be depriving yourself of the very shot of encouragement that you need and deserve right now. It is moments like these that decide whether you will be successful or not. Hold on and keep going . . .

Just want to say you all are great. Stay in the background mostly and read, but you motive me all of you. Happy though that finally able to change my weight tracker. Hope you all have a great night. Keep doing what your doing. IP works which is so great, I have tried almost every diet out there also and this one works and I feel great.

So much of retraining our eating habits is mental more than physical. Good for you for recognizing that you were vulnerable because you are stressed out and that you did not stop at the store You can do this!!! Keep up the good work one choice at a time!

I find myself in a super busy time of year and craving choc...so all I am using is choc drink and raspberry jelly for a snack. Hope that doesn't set me up. Have all the veggies rinsed and ready. My 8 yr old exclaims with glee! Salad! Weirdo I mutter.

Try hot tea in cinnamon or constant comment (decafe helps). Heated drinks Help with nerves and flavored satisfy appetite. Good for you in reading yourself and hanging in

I learned about the Beck diet book from this site. It has been so helpful, especially when it comes to working through challenging times and addressing feeling deprived. It was well worth every penny!

Just popping in to say hi!

I somehow managed to get a 48hr stomach virus (oh the joys of pediatric nursing), and have barely been able to eat today. I drank 1L of "fruit flavored" Pedialyte to get in some fluids and 'lytes, hoping this won't knock me out of ketosis!

So I have a behaviorally challenging 4 year old. We struggle, she was doing really good in preschool this year until January, now it's almost back to square one. It's hard for me because I am a teacher and I work in special education and many of my students are behaviorally challenging. I have all the tools and tricks of my trade at my disposal, I know all the ways to deal with these things, I have other experts as friends, yet I can't seem to manage with my own kid. It breaks my heart and it makes me want to pull my hair out at the same time. Today we had a total melt down while going to rent movies then pick up some steak for dinner. By total meltdown I mean kicking, screaming, hitting, at one point lying in the street of the strip mall, just a mess, when I got her in to safety it continued, we left the store with no movies and sat with her strapped into her seat for 45 minutes carrying on. It was almost a serious moment of weakness because after about 30 minutes my friend text me to say the walk was canceled they were going for a beer and I should come... a cocktail sounded so relaxing, an hour away from the struggle, forgetting that even though I am a professional I can not handle my own child. Would it make me feel better tomorrow, no, but thinking in the moment it was near disaster, she calmed down as I drove her to my moms, I needed a break. But as I pulled up I thought to myself if I go in there I'm not coming out till they drag me out, that's going to be a lot of calories, a hangover, probably be sick, and a week of IP lost... all I can say is at this moment the end of IP can't come soon enough.

Thanks for the encouraging words! I DID hang in there, just finished my late evening restricted bar and stayed OP one more day. I know tomorrow will be tough, so my lunch is packed and my clothes are ironed. Water will be essential tomorrow, but I'll have to slow it down as the day goes on because I will be in an important late afternoon meeting (the source of much of the stress). I will not be able to get up and go to the bathroom a lot!