Hi All,

I am a newbie turning to this forum for a bit of support and encouragement. As the title says, I had amazing success on IP, in 3 months (Sept-Nov of '12)I dropped 53 pounds, getting to 153 where I felt amazing. I always wanted to do a triathlon and now here was the chance do get into the sport!

But, for a variety of reasons, none of them good, all the weight has returned and then some. My spouse was...less than suppotive shall I say? While I loved how I looked, she had little positve to say about it. And, she didn't think my newfound enthusiasm for fitness was a good thing and that too was a source of tension constantly. As a result, my resolve wore away and I started eating, binge eating really. I felt miserable and the worse I felt, the more I ate. You know the story...

I finally called my coach and will be starting up again on Monday September 30, almost one year to the day I started last time.

I am embarrassed and disppointed in myself, which as we all know, can lead to more eating and the cycle contniues again.

So, it's not a time for a pitty party, it's just time to do what worked so well last time and when the maintenance phase becomes reality, I'll need to have a better plan in place.

Again, hello all, I hope I can become a contributing member in time!

Hello,

No pitty at all, just a welcome.

Re-starting is hard, I am a re-starter myself and like you I lost 50 pound the first time around and it was relatively easy, but I gained back 65 pounds after I had an IVF treatment and all the disappointment I went through! So, I totally understand, but I encourage you to stick to it this time, no matter what your spouse thinks or say! Do it for yourself not for her.

My husband is an athlete and he did more than a triathlon, he has a body of a Greek god, so he doesn't really understand the struggles of being overweight! He is not the most encouraging when it comes to me losing weight since in his mind, I will sure gain back again and then some more, but in my mind, I know I can do it no matter what he thinks, yes... it does affect me at time and it does make me doubt myself, but I fight it, and you should too.

Again, welcome back and I hope you'll share you'll stay in touch and share your success with us.

I am pulling for you to get back on track!!!! So much of weight control is psychological and emotional -- I think that food can be an escape, crutch, or vice.

I am the CLASSIC Yo-Yo dieter, so I know exactly where you are coming from. This is my FIRST go round with the IP diet, and it's by far the best diet I have ever been on and I am optimistic that it will be my last.

I did IP in 2010, lost 53 pounds, then put on about 70! You are not alone here, and it is great that you are back! A couple days ago, someone else posted the same, and this is what Lisa responded and it really struck home with me:

"The good thing is there is never a limit to getting back on the wagon.

Something I've learned along the way is that IP is only a fix for my weight. Not for the eating issues that got me there in the first place. I still fight urges to use food as comfort. IP doesn't remove this. It still sits there, just under the surface.

Seeing folks reach maintenance and then struggle, I realize that this is probably their issue as well (that, or a return to boredom eating). IP isn't a long-term solution for those of us to seek to "medicate" with food. It is sure helpful in the interim, however!

I believe books such as Beck Diet Solution and the Refuse to Regain book that one of our maintainers suggested about a month or so ago are probably excellent resources for those of us who are ready to confront our underlying food issues. Until they are confronted, we will continue to struggle with weight/returning to diets and weight management.

I, for one, do NOT want to have to do this again. Losing weight is HARD! It is practically a full-time job (added to our other full-time jobs!). I want to figure out how to stop "using" food in ways other than for feeding my body. Yes, I can feed it in an enjoyable manner but there is no reason to overfeed myself.

I hope by my sharing this you will see that you are NOT ALONE.
You have not failed.
You have returned to move on & move forward.
Confronting health issues is scary stuff. I hope you are better or have at least been presented with workable solutions.

We can do this together! "
__________________

-Lisa

WELCOME! Stay connected with this forum...lean on us for support. I wish you the best!!

shrinkingsusie - I have just ordered those two books you mention because I know that the keeping the weight off is the really tough and real challenge. I think I read that the percentage of dieters who fail to keep it off is in the mid 90% range. So I hope to educate myself to raise my odds a bit.

sandralosingweight and koby - spouses who do not get on board with the program can be huge barriers to success. Whether it is because they are natural athletes who maybe cannot understand the frustrations or just unable/unwilling to accept and support, we must take it upon ourselves to be responsible for our success.

I think that is why this site can be so important - we CAN get support from the people on here who have been where we are now. We all hang in here together, celebrating successes and trying to guide through the tough times when cheating OP may lurk.

It is a roller coaster ride, but no none of us are on it alone. Hang tight 'cause sometime it is a bumpy road!

Koby - Good luck to you on getting back with the program. However, I think maybe you and your wife need to get down to the bottom of her problems with you losing weight. Is she feeling threatened by having a skinnier husband? Does she have weight issues of her own? There is something going on with her that she is not being supportive. Anyways...I think a good talk is in order before you go back on program.
Best wishes to you!

I would love to take credit, but I was quoting Lisa.

I am also a restarter. I lost 80lbs and gained 50 back. It is disappointing and discouraging and I felt ashamed at my lack of self control. But a very positive outcome to my ordeal has been that I've learned a lot of important things about myself. I've learned about my body and allergies and sensitivities to a lot of the foods i was eating. I've learned about my mindset during IP and off of it and how I need to be content with never being a person who can eat what they want when they want like so many others. I feel I am more prepared this time around. Try to find the positive in your experience and don't look back. Let's make this this time we lose weight for good!

I recommend the "Beck Diet Solution" book. It is a great book to go along with IP while you are losing weight. It is a "mind changing" book to help you train your brain to think like a thin person. Can't hurt to try it.

The many thanks, Lisa! I cannot wait for the books to arrive and to jump into them and start getting my mind in the same positive direction

I am on week two of IP, and all I can say is and I wish you well <3

I wish I'd found this forum earlier in my struggle with weight. I know that eating is the way I reward myself, comfort myself and I know dealing with that is going to be key to keeping the weight off. But I have a DH that can eat whatever he wants and never has an issue with his weight so I've felt alone in my struggle. I really appreciate you guys sharing your struggles, it gives me hope.

Ellen

No better place to be for support and encouragement than this board. Welcome Back!

Hi there, I didn't do IP before but I did diet and lost about 50 pounds through diet and exercise my last year of college which was about three years ago now. I moved away and got really depressed from a guy that well lets just say not a very nice person. So I started eating my feelings away again and put all the weight plus some back on. So this time I started dieting and found IP, I promised myself that I have learned my lesson that it will come back on and all that hard work will be for nothing. Everyone needs a hard lesson in life sometimes to understand what they really want and how to get what they want. I want to keep the weight off this time and with enough hard work and fighting the every day demons I think I can do it!!