I have found the each and every day gets easier, and the longer you are OP (no cheats) the easier it gets to stay OP. Keep at it! You are doing awesome!

Jennydoodle,

I was wondering if you found that cutting out WF products made a difference in your losing.

carrie..This diet seems strange at first, but you really do get used to it quickly. My husband always loses weight faster..Keep focused on staying on IP. It really does work!!!!

I agree, congrats on the 20. There is something about making it there that makes a person feel wonderful. I can't wait to hit 30 either! As of yesterday I was at 27.4 so I'm getting closer. Not official yet though.

Congrats! Don't you love new decades! You are getting so close to goal!

I hate when someone tries to tell you what to do or what they've done. Just keep it up. You know what you're doing is great and working for you. Good job staying op.

Thanks for the support. I usually find that these social events are not as bad as I envision them.. I was thinking this am that most of the people going tonight are not worrying about how they are going to stay on their diet. Then I realized that this is going to be my life. I will always have to watch what I eat no matter if I am at goal or not. so this is good training!!!!!!

Good afternoon everyone, looks like we had a few gatherings last night and everyone did perfect and stayed OP. BIG pats on the back to everyone of y'all. Its been a boring weekend here for me. First weekend where I don't have kids around because they all left to go to college and my oldest is at work so its been just me at home. House is clean, so there isn't much to do...haha...Maybe I'll go window shopping this afternoon to see what is out there in sizes 22-24 since I have my nephews wedding at the end of September. All of my dress clothes float on me now so there is no way I can make any of them work...haha. Have a great day!

I went to an outdoor concert last night with 4 different bands. As the night went on and people drank more and more I was so glad I couldn't drink. It was funny, sad, embarrassing, and an eye opener all in one.

Its funny how we can have just as much fun not drinking and watching everyone else acting like fools and getting drunk and watching their actions. Some people like have no control once they start drinking and then you think to yourself....wow I hope I was never like that......lol

Hey Determined, I am back.

I cooked for a friend last night (took the food to her place). I left the house at 5 and got home after 11:00.. so didn't get to send out a congrats to all.

Getting - congrats and welcome to the 100s.
Everyone else you are doing great keep up the good work.

So I went to my friend's like I said, we walked our dogs for a couple of hours and then went to her house for supper. (bbq chicken, grilled veggies, salad) she really liked it and was asking how much calories a day I eat. I explained to her it is between 700 - 1000. She said you mean you eat like this? I said yes I have veggies and meat/seafood every night. She was surprised, and she said she was still full when I left. Great feeling to see that our food would satisfy anyone. I came home with a huge bag of clothing that I can now wear. She is such a good friend. I wish you all have the same kind of support.

We were talking about dieting as we were walking and what worked and what didn't and what was the difference. She had lost 12 lbs and some guy at work told her he noticed that she had lost weight and she looked great, so she went home and ate 15 chocolate bars. It is sad that our minds sabatoges us like this. I was called fat all my life and made fun of, and kept being told to lose weight. Well apparently I wasn't ready... I can't really say what changed this year but maybe it is just a Rebirth thing this year. Something just clicked when I heard about this diet and here I am 7 months later and 75lbs lighter, leading a healthier life and enjoying my time walking with friends and dogs. and meeting new friend's and their dogs.

Have a good Sunday all, tomorrow is weigh in 28 for me... don't think it will be a big lose but any lose is worth it.

It's a real eye opener, isn't it?

Carrie -- do not compare your weight loss to your husbands weight loss! My husband and I started together in mid-June on IP. He couldn't take the strict IP plan because his work is naturally physical -- climbing in out of big tanker trucks, climbing ladders, lifting things, etc. So . . . he went on the alternative IP plan. He lost an average of 5 - 7 pounds a week and absolutally passed me in the amount of weight he lost like a road-runner. He is now on Phase 4 -- and I just started Phase 2.

Men lose weight more quickly than women -- not fair -- but that is life.

Just stick to the plan -- be glad that he is helping you shop and chop veggies. It's a lot of prep work -- but, it will pay off. Be strong. You will succeed on this plan -- I'm still amazed how quickly I lost weight -- better than any other plan I've been on. And the maintenance plan seems like something you can stay on for the rest of your life.

Happy chopping!!!

Good afternoon all..Just wonderin if someone can bump the thread on vacationing on IP.. im sure there is one isnt there? Cause im due to go away in less than a month and i want to prepare myself for when i go away!

In other news today..im down my 22nd pound today! which means im 8 pounds away from my first mini goal of 30 pounds or...roughly 10% of my body weight lost..yay !! So im excited..

The only thing im not so excited about is that i ordered some nice shirts off of ebay in the plus size section and ordered them at a 3x...but im already almost down to a 1x since ordering them..im losing so much weight on the top half of my body i dont know if it will fit properly???? Tut tut.. i didnt think i would lose so much weight in such a small amount of time..so much for shopping for new clothes.. i should have held off i guess..

Hi Port, you are really trucking along, good for you. The info on travelling is at the beginning of this thread. It is uder the info for newbies.

Pat

Congratulations to both you and your husband - I understand the fitting into smaller clothes - I've gone down a jeans size from 40 to 38 and am not far from 36. I had to buy a new belt the other day as I ran out of hole on the old one and it was too worn out to worry about any way - that was fun. The best was dragging an older suit out of my closet (I wear them for my work on Sundays) that I hadn't been able to wear for a good six years - it fit great and looked good - I even got some compliments on my "new" suit. My "normal" suits are getting pretty baggy (as well as my shirt collars) - I'll probably have them altered once and then get to buy some new ones when I get to goal.

Also, I suspect there are more men hanging around than meets the eye - I know several guys who have been on or are on the program.

Stay Strong!

This is the first chance I have gotten to come here and read all the great successes of everyone this weekend. Congratulations to everyone on their weight losses and NSVs this weekend. I stepped on the scale this morning and was so excited I did a happy dance. The scale read 159.7. I have been dying to get into the 150s for so long. I couldn't be happier.