i have been on this diet for around 20 days i have lost 12 1/2 lbs and 16 inches in just 19 days thats not even three weeks. I have been doing soo good. but then life happens for example. My fridge (in our new rv, we travel alot with my husbands job) is broken so all of my food ruins and is left to be thrown away. Well im in the middle of no where. they have a grocery store and a sonci and that is it. soooo i cant go buy grociers to be ruined in the fridge that doesnt work. Its 3pm and i havent ate. so i go to sonci and eat a half of a chilly dog. HOW GROSS! but i contiue to eat! after i feel beaten and low. for dinner i eat off the plan again. I have been doing so good why am i doing this to my self. its like my mind says "well i screwed today up there is no going back this is the last day you will get to taste real food. EAT EVERYTHING" lol haha but for real then the next day was even harder to stay on because for some reason my mind says "well youve screwed up the week might as well eat what you REALLY want" Its like ive got this little food monster on my shoulder saying EAT. but when im on the plan and ive got a schedule he goes away and my body tells me when im hungery instead of my little food monster. haha just thought i would share some of my struggles that i have been having these past few days. I somedays wake up and wish i was one of those girls that are skinny and have no struggles with food, but then i think this is going to make me sooo much stronger. (if only it wounldnt take so long) lol

I'm sorry that you are struggling. I wish I had some good advice for you but to just get back on the wagon (program) and I've heard others say that you can't gain that much fat overnight and that it's probably mostly water weight and it'll come off fairly quickly. So just keep chugging along!

You're off to such a great start! How long before the refrigerator can be fixed? The only option I can see is buying a large cooler and keeping it filled with ice. Eating at Sonic too many times will definitely negate your great work quickly!! Like you said, when you're OP it's much easier to say no to the food monster, so you've got to find a way to get back on plan and stay there. You can do it!!

Don't be so hard on yourself! I mess up too and and jump back on the wagon. Yes I would probably lose faster if I stayed strictly to it but sometimes life throws you a curve ball and then you have to get back in the right direction.

It's not good for you to go too long without food so you did what you had too. I'm sure you would have stayed OP if it hadn't been for your refrigerator breaking.

It takes 3500 calories to make a pound. I'm sure you didn't eat that many calories.

Getting an ice cooler is a great suggestion.

I'm not sure it's practical to suggest we will always stay OP.

I think the most important thing is to have a plan and to stick with that plan once you've got it. I can't believe you've lost 13 lbs in 19 days, that's incredible! Congratulate yourself on your successes and don't beat yourself up on your losses. You know, some diet plans that really work are ones that say you can have one meal a week of anything you want or even one guilt-free day. I'm obsessed with food, too (as I think you'll find a lot of people are, and even more people here!) and maybe denying yourself completely is not the route for you. It can be torture and will probably lead to binging. Instead, why not allow yourself one guilt-free meal a week? You might not lose weight as quickly, but you won't destroy yourself over it and it will encourage you to stay on plan instead of saying, "I screwed up, might as well throw everything out the window!"

great advice MiniMo!!!

I agree! We have to remember that this is a life long decision and not just a "quick fix" and we must find something that we can live with from now on. For "food addicts" like myself we have to have a little cheat once in awhile for our sanity's sake...LOL

Hi BeBlissful! I just registered and we're both going to the same MRC place. I hope you have gotten back on the plan and feel better. I truly do understand that mentality of "well, I messed up....might as well eat everything I've been wanting". I'm battling that demon myself but when I stay strong (and it's really only a few minutes) I feel sooooo good.

Next time you find yourself at Sonic, try their grilled chicken salad. They have a fat-free Italian dressing if you don't have some of your own. I've gotten that when we were traveling and it's great. I tried not to obsess over the fact that there were some carrot shreds in there but instead, I patted myself on the back that I wasn't binging on a hamburger and onion rings! (I gave the one onion ring on top to my hubby).

Stay strong!

I just wanted to say I love what you said here. I'm a complete perfectionist and I've been that way on this diet which I think has helped and hurt me. I've lost 19 lbs in 1.5 months and I did that by being 99.9% on plan (I had one Saturday afternoon when I went crazy and ate anything I could get my hands on). Otherwise, no cheats and no eating anything that wasn't on my green menu sheet.

But being such a perfectionist and trying to stay 100% on plan all the time is mentally exhausting! I'm traveling starting tonight and I'm already stressed out about what I'm going to be able to eat at the airport and when I'm with family and not in the comfort of my own kitchen. But what you said is a real inspiration...I'm not going to obsess over every bit of food and just pat myself on the back for making wise choices...even if those choices are not listed on my green menu.

I'm glad I could help. That's what these kind of forums are so great at.....encouraging each other to do the best we can and not beat ourselves up over it if we slip up or can't be totally on plan. If we just make the best choices we can, we're doing great. I really have to battle my own self when I feel like a loser....and I don't mean loser in the good way! It's such a defeatist attitude sometimes and that never helps anything. Love yourself and be proud of you. We're all doing the best we can at the time.

Have a great trip and just try to eat as healthy as you are able to. And forgive yourself if you don't and get back on plan. I don't feel like we'll be able to undo years and years of bad habits in a few months. Just gotta keep determined to try to do better.