[averkif]

Did I scare people off with the whole "I did the Sugar-Free Protocol Experiment?" Hi! You didn't scare me off! I think most people don't know what to say when someone with as much experience as you has met a mental block. I know for me that I did one round, then tried another one and ran into issues and realized about 4 days in that I just didn't have it in me again and waited a full year before I came back. I do completely feel your pain.

The difficult thing is for others to know what to say that might trigger something in you that will make you determined not cheat. The mental aspect of any diet is difficult, but this one even more so because it takes extreme sacrifices of time (all the cooking), foods we love, and money. The other side of that is that cheats are FAR more punishing since we are including HCG. When someone cheats on this diet, deep down they know that the consequences could have a very negative impact on them not just the next day, but for the next several which impacts the whole diet since we are only on for a certain amount of days. So how do you tell someone who knows how serious a cheat is that they shouldn't cheat when they already know about the negative consequences? I see it on this forum a lot, but luckily there are is a large, diverse group of people and usually someone can relate and speak to you on terms that you can relate to as well.

I don't know if this is helpful at all, but are there specific situations that trigger your cheating? Foods? People around you? Emotions? Are your cheats triggered by cravings for sweets or is it more about breads/pasta/pizza? Are they all over the map?

Also, are you battling mentally on a regular basis fighting the urge to cheat? Or is it more impulsive?

Any cheats I have had followed a pretty similar pattern to each other. They were usually around TOM and I was usually battling major cravings. It would be easy for me to say that I "slipped up" but the reality is that my brain was focused on whether or not to cheat and I made the decision to do it. I think reminding myself that I was "choosing" to cheat instead of minimizing it made me feel more responsible for the cheat.

I am writing this with a tone of empathy and helpfulness, so I hope that's how it is coming across. I hope that your enjoyment of success keeps you on protocol! I know for me, I have to sometimes take it minute by minute to make good choices, not just by hour or by day. Good luck!