Bumping this for the newer folks. I read this when I first started and it is why I have not and will not cheat. I don't want to take the chance that I wouldn't be able to stick with IP if I cheated or even took a "break".

I got the same handout when I started 2 weeks ago. Something to think about and reread down the road when I am tired or less motivated.

I've got a "girls' weekend" coming up this weekend and am trying to figure out how to hold true to the IP plan while hanging out with 15 friends (and food and wine...) in a hotel... I was thinking that it would be a given that I would drop the diet for the weekend and get back to it Monday. But after reading this, I got up, went to the store and bought a bunch of vegetables to take with me and I'll make a batch of dressing for my purse to take when we go out so I can dress my own salads. Breakfast and lunches should be easy with my IP food. I'm committed to doing the very best that I can!

The harder one will be NEXT week when we go to Florida for ten days with a big group of people... But my husband (who is also on the diet with me) just called the airline to be sure that we can check our food packets etc in our baggage. We can! Phew!

Way to plan ahead!!

Awesome job working it out!

I get together about 4-6 times per year with 5 other girlfriends for a weekend gathering. We have a blast! And I'm always 100% OP. It really is all about dedication and planning ahead. If I'm having a moment where I feel deprived, I always remind myself that (whatever food I'm missing, ie movie popcorn, baked goods, pasta, etc) the food will still be available for me when I'm at goal! Remember, the gathering/trips are truly about visiting and catching up with friends - not about eating! Good Luck! Jen

I am entering my second week on IP and after a FANTASTIC first weigh in with a loss of 13.4 lbs I ate pizza. It really made me feel like crap in multiple ways, physically and emotionally. It has been two days now and the scale has not moved. It is like a slap in the face every morning that I weigh myself. The only positive I guess is that I now definately know for myself it is soooooo not worth it, and the food was not all that great. It definately did not live up to the hype my head had given it. I know I can do this, one weak moment will not control my life, not anymore.

It's good that you figured this out early. Just stick with being 100%OP and the weight will start melting off again.

I'm going out of town for the first time since starting IP in two weeks. Thank god it's only for the weekend, but this will keep me focused! Better make sure to read it again before I leave!

So I was 4 months strong on plan, 77 pounds gone, and last night all my willpower pretty much crashed. I was at my aunts birthday and managed to talk myself into drinking vodka and diet coke. That turned into 5 plus a bunch of other things and a 24 hour food BINGE. My weigh in is on Tuesday, I am scared, angry, disappointed, and feeling a little lost. It has opened my eyes and made me realize I think I am going to need more help on how to changenx relationship with food. Right now I praying and setting myself back into my original mind set, because I don't want to screw up again. I made it through Christmas, new years, Valentine's day with no cheats. And one day I feel like I lost control over my entire mind.
Sorry for the long post I had to get it off my chest.

I would just say to forgive yourself and move forward. Drink some water, de-stress, and stay calm. Plan your next days meals out or do a healthy grocery shop. And just learn from it. No matter who says what, no one is perfect. Forgiveness and moving forward.

Great advice clay girl

ckmainprize - pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Tomorrow is a new day. Yeah, it sucks that you had a great track record and now you have to start over. The truth is that you know how to do this plan and you've proved it by being 100% for 4 months. So, get back on the wagon and take one day at a time and before you know it, you'll have many 100%OP days under your belt. I think you deserve to give yourself credit for only allowing the binge to last 24 hours and getting back on the wagon. Hugs!

As far as what made you "talk yourself into a drink" - were you under more stress than normal? Any ideas what made you cave?
I think you should take this time in your weight loss journey and share with your IP coach your worries/concerns about how you are going to handle/deal with P4 maintenance. This way you can start working through some of the triggers in life that might cause you to binge in the future.

Hopefully, some other IPer's can share what they've done to prepare themselves with how to not let food control us once we leave the safety net of P1. I know this is a huge topic of concern for many of us

Hang in there, lift that chin up and hold your head high! Jen

Thank you guys.
I am defiantly back into my previous mind set now. I will be having my meeting with my coach tomorrow so we will see what happens.
As for talking myself into it....it was a mixture of everyone saying oh people need to have breaks your human, a slight thought of oh it won't hurt me, and just wanting to let loose a tiny bit... now I know.
But today is a new day and I am ready to run forward :-)
Thank you for the support.

Omy gosh, i feel horrible, because every now and then i do a little cheating myself. like eating tic tacs (approx 4 at a time), and licking the spoon off when i prepare meals for my husband to get a taste. That flyer really made me feel guilty.