Day 14 and I had myself convinced last night that I was going to quit IP after I weigh in tomorrow. A couple of things changed my mind. Interestingly, the $300 worth of IP products taking up a boatload of cupboard space in my kitchen didn't make the top 5 of reasons to continue.

Without stating all of the obvious reasons as to why this morning I'm determined to carry on I will mention that the potato puree and oatmeal saved the day. I hadn't tried either until the last 24 hours and while the powder turned paste is a bit off putting, both are quite tasty.

So when that negative voice creeps in - what keeps all of you on track?

Making both of those into muffins helps a LOT!
I packet hack all the time.
See the recipe threads

I actually have been on so many prepackaged diets.. and this one so far tastes the best! Just my opinion.. you can always add extra seasonings to your packets or goto the recipe sticky and look for lots and lots of ideas with the packets.

I love the variety of foods I can make.. I haven't gotten bored yet, and I am a huge foodie.. which has been my downfall on other diets.

You also might want to consider the alternate (foods) thread. There are many, many foods that are IP friendly to help vary your meals..

Maybe look into Walden Farms foods... they have salad dressings, mayos, syrups, ect... that make this 'diet' more do able..

As the weeks have gone by, and there has been a few 'hard' days, I remember why I am doing this.. for me I want to prove my current doctor wrong and show her people with thyroid problems can get their weight back under control. (She told me countless times to just get use to my new 80 lbs I gain before I was diagnosed)..I was so mad.

Also I have a 'reward' for myself when I lose my desired weight.. I want new boobies.. .sounds funny, but I always have wanted a little more, AND after 3 kids they are a little droopy and need a pick me up! lol

You can do this! Find the foods that you love. Look at some of the recipe and alternative threads to get ideas... thats how I got thru my first few weeks, esp when I was craving things. I found ways to have what I was craving on those threads.. now I don't feel I am missing out too much!
It has taken a lot of preplanning, but I know the final outcome will be a healthier, happier me!

Thanks lisa32989 and FrostyBobber! I've read through all the alternatives and Ip recipes and have tried a bunch of cauliflower recipes and make something with zucchini almost every night. I thought the zucchini muffins were okay and the cheesy bread sticks were delicious. I love to cook and experiment so for two weeks I've kept myself preoccupied using my food processor in a variety of different ways. It's likely that being tired yesterday and just wanting something quick was triggering my 'almost' fall from grace.

Thanks for sharing your personal challenges FB. It helps. Good luck to you in proving your Doc wrong and getting those new boobs!

I actually don't mind the repetitive nature of a few choice foods. I have a hard time when I try to approximate a food I love with an IP friendly option....all it does is make me want the "real" food.

Until the last 3 days I have eaten the same thing for breakfast and lunch nearly every day. Dinner is only slightly more varied.

When my husband and I need to make something quick for dinner, we opt for an omelet with veggies, it has now become a weekly dinner for us since we rarely have time to cook eggs in the morning

I'm more like you. I don't really need to be trying new things all the time or be trying to replicate a "real" food. I have been working hard on viewing daily meals (as opposed to the occasional fun day or celebration) as mere fuel. Every meal need not be highly pleasing to me, just filling and ample. I actually kind of enjoy not having to think and work so hard to make my meals.

What keeps me on track is more mental. . . I decided at the outset that, once I stepped on this train, I wasn't stepping off until I got where I wanted to go. I don't let my mind even start thinking about it. When "that voice" starts trying to pose options, I shut it right down. It is not up for debate or discussion, even within myself.

Sylvies - Your words struck a real chord with me this morning- thank you. The part I loved the most was that you " decided at the outset that, once I stepped on this train, I wasn't stepping off until I got where I wanted to go."

I will be stepping off the station to which I am travelling when I have gone through all the stations before it - NO GETTING OFF EARLY. I look at the packets as you said, as fuel. They make my body function and I feel better looking at it that way. I have spent too much of my love dreaming, thinking, imagining great food. For me, I need to disconnect from that and concentrate on being busy an just pulling in for a brief fill up.

I know that will not be a popular response, but I have discovered it working so ar. It obviously has worked for you - you are doing splendidly. What an inspiration!

Interesting.. That mindset worked pretty well for me. I felt eating did not need to be "fun" for a while until I got where I'm getting to....and my hopes were to reset my expectations for food.... Much as hope pancrease and insulin also resets! So far so good... The weight has come ff consistently.. Have not been so tred of the diet I've given up early. I am GF so that limits some IP choices and I've not gone the route of alternate products other than EAS shakes. Love that they ar a ready to drink option fr me ..they are GF. IP should do more GF options. There are a lot if us who require it and some convenience choices is a must.

Good luck... The mindset you speak of is a good one for some of us!

For me, I really didn't want to be bored so I actually really worked on my supper meal and making things that were similar but healthier to what I wanted. I watched my VIP eat a pulled pork that I had cooked for him but couldn't eat because the packet had sugar. I researched my own pulled pork recipe and then modified it for IP standards and two weeks later I had my pulled pork. I think my Phase 1 just made me into a 'cook' where before I was lazy now it's habit to figure out my meals sometimes days in advance. I have the old standbys in maintenance (in fact we both like my pulled pork now) but I can tell when I need to venture out and add something else in. I also have a pantry SO full of spices and blends that when I am bored I generally don't have to run for anything to make the meal. I do try to find the new meal in advance of the shopping as in Phase 1 I was definately tired of all the running to the grocery store lol.

I think it taught me to be a healthy cook and how to plan for that.

I am exactly like you in your way of thinking It simplifies things and we just aren't giving outself an option so sense thinking about stuff or whining about what I can't have..

Looking at progress photos of other individuals keeps me inspired to press on. I keep reminding myself that Phase 1 is only temporary. If they can do it, I can do it.

Also, when I am having cravings, I am very vocal about it. I get it off my chest. The other night, I was telling the husband that I wanted fried chicken so badly. It was a craving that only lasted for a moment and then that moment was gone. This has been my best coping mechanism thus far.

Every time we fight those cravings we are building will-power "muscle" !
Cravings are not true hunger. They are definitely all in your head.

This weight loss journey is a mental challenge, rather than a physical one. We can do it!

I made a spread sheet in Excel of my weight loss. At night when I'm craving some goodie I take a look at my spreadsheet in graph form see the drop in my weight and BMI, and then I will also do a projection for what my weight will be in three months if I keep it up. I find this helpful if somewhat nerdy!

THere are also these crazy image builders online you can find, you can enter in your height, weight, body shape and they will show you what you look like, then you can adjust it to what you used to be so you can see how far you have prograssed. I also like to put in how I would look three months from now if I keep it up.