Good morning all! After reading various threads last night I was so motivated, I felt compelled to post again this morning.

My lunch is packed away in the office fridge, my day is planned, and I'll be sending good vibes to all of you!

I wish Ideal Protein had a boot camp I could live at.

I do so great Monday through Friday and then the weekends throw me off. I'm 100% on plan and remained in ketosis but I feel like my calories are too high when I add in WF condiments/ICE & Mio, sparkling water, drinking too much coffee. I add extra veggies too (from the approved list but not alway the unlimited list) to curb the snack foods with our friends. It's more old habits than temptation if that makes any sense.

Even eating approved foods in a restaurant stress me out. I ask for no oil/butter/extras but feel like I stare and pick apart everything, so it's not even enjoyable, you know? I'm happy eating plainly in the comfort of my own home.

I'm glad for this thread! (Is it ok I kinda vented?!)

Yes! I totally get what you mean about work week vs weekends! Even when I'm making smart choices the AMOUNT of choices I have is the hard part. I try to build structure by being more active on the weekends, but then I feel like I'm scheduling adult playdates.
On the plus side, being so restricted on restaurants speeds up the old "where should we eat" game. I know of about 3 restaurants where I feel confident, so my friends better want to go to one of them!

Thank you all for all the helpful posts, I have just started Ideal Protein and am on day 4, finally feeling better and do not seem to have the cravings I had before. My biggest concern is that i have over 50 pounds to lose and i am hoping that when I work (mostly on the road) that I can stick with the plan. You mentioned you had 3 restaurants where you feel confident, would you be open to sharing them? I am thinking any steakhouse would likely work, or any seafood place that will do grilled fish.
Again, thanks for your posts and all the info!

Congrats on Day 4! You are halfway+ through the hardest week.

I'm down over 40 pounds in 11 weeks, this way of eating is a miracle to me!

I don't have the hardship you do of traveling but found double-checking everything in a restaurant has saved me. Who knew most restaurants cover everything in butter/oil, etc for flavoring? I sure didn't, esp. veggies. But then again, I wasn't ordering a whole lot of veggies when I was out.

Please post to us all you need to, the first week to 10 days were the toughest but now it's been pretty much smooth-sailing. I'm so afraid to go off plan, knock myself out of ketosis or waste money/food so that helps me keep on plan. That and the scale "pays" me back each week.

Hi Lisa! You're totally right! Steakhouses are a great bet. I also feel safe at Thai restaurants, because I can almost always order a vegetable stir fry and the staff doesn't seem surprised when I ask for "double veggies" instead of rice. At Mexican restaurants, I order the fajitas, realizing there will be more oil used than I would at home. Some places even offer lettuce wraps as a tortilla alternative.