Today is my 1st day on IP... I was very nervous yet excited to start. I had the chocolate drink for breakfast which was good. And was excited about the broccoli cheese soup for lunch (adding in my own steamed broccoli).
Let me tell you it was NOT what I expected! Did I expect something yummy and creamy like Panera Bread or Quizno's? No. But I wasn't prepared for what the soup was. It was way more liquidy than I would have liked and I put WAY TOO MUCH broccoli in there (1 2/3 cup). My friend was watching me eat and cracking up because I was literally gagging once I put the spoon in my mouth. Something about the flavor of the soup. It had a horrible aftertaste to me and just instantly made me gag.
After smelling it, she decided it smelled just like baby formula! lol And I agree!
I tried and tried... Took almost an hour lunch trying to get it down, even chasing it with a few drinks of water.
I find myself wondering what I got myself into, being that it is my first day and I already HATED my lunch. If it just had a bad taste, that's one thing. But I couldn't deal with the gagging. I sure hope some of the other "meals" taste better.
So sadly, I had to throw away my food. It killed me because I already feel like a failure, but I decided that I will somehow make up later for what I had just thrown away. Not sure if the pic will show up but I attached one showing how much I threw away.
But I am new to this, baby steps!! I need to be open to all the foods and just realize I won't like them all and stick to the ones I do
Yeah.... the food prep takes a bit of trial and error. I have found that I need to adjust the water for some packets up or down depending. For the soups, I prefer them thinker like a sauce and i pour it over my veggies. Some of the fruity drinks I find too sweet and need to water down.
You'll hear this from others too, but your tastes will actually change through the program. Things I HATED in the beginning, I now enjoy, and vice versa.
I even noticed that vegetables tasted different to me after a few days on IP.
Yeah, it really is up to personal preference, and I promise you will find packs that you DO like.
Personally, I don't like any of the soups. I think they are all varying degrees of gross. The mushroom is the only one I will get occasionally, just for something different. If you are trying the soups, I recommend adding hot sauce if you like it! For me, hot sauce makes everything better!!
I have pretty much the same thing every day:
I have a pre-made chocolate drink for breakfast,
a bag of garlic soy chips for my snack,
and my lunch: i rotate between Potato Puree (which I bake into two "muffins" - will give you the recipe if you want it..SO GOOD!),
the crispy cereal (I add a little cinnamon),
the omelet (sometimes add spinach or other veggies and of course hot sauce!),
the maple oatmeal
or the mushroom soup.
Again, that is just me - but those are the ones that I have personally found to taste the best.
Don't worry, you will find yours and get into a groove
The first two days were the hardest for me. After that it got easier every day. It has been 6 weeks now and I love it. You can do it!!
I've tried everything and now i stick to a handful of packets i like (and am not allergic to.) I think its easier to enjoy the IP food if you have a couple detox days of just meat and veggies before starting. Then pudding and hot chocolate seem like a treat. If you don't like something you never have to eat it again. If you have a whole box of it your clinic should let you return it for something else.
Don't give up! It will take you some time to figure out what foods you like and don't like. I have a good friend who has been doing this with me and we like totally opposite things. My usual is wildberry yogurt for breakfast because I find it very filling, mango drink for lunch with a salad, and crispy cereal for a snack because I like the crunch it gives. On weekends, I usually throw a cappucinno drink in the blender with some cooled coffee and make a smoothy. I however do like all of the soups except for the leek. I usually just use them with some leftover veggies from the night before. The tomato soup is great with some sautéed zucchini and mushrooms.
Yeah, the soups are a struggle for me too. I was given some and they are collecting dust in my pantry! I am like you, I enjoy a shake in the morning to slowly get me going. I like to slowly warm mine up (SLOWLY) being the key word, and then add to my coffee. I realized that I do enjoy snacking so to solve that, I do not eat my 2nd and 3rd packets at my meals. I usually do a big salad for lunch and something warm (steamed or baked veggies) for dinner. I love having a restricted snack in the afternoons and my pudding at night. I stick the Ready Made pudding in the freezer for a while before I eat it...feels like i'm cheating with ice cream or something!
Like everyone says, you'll find the packets that work for you. Don't get discouraged by the ones you don't like!
itzroxy814:
I've been on IP for over a year and STILL don't like the broccoli cheese soup (I've tried several ways of doctoring). Others like it. I don't. We all have different tastes and luckily there are LOTS of choices.
I do like the other soups, especially cream of chicken and mushroom, both if I puree 2 c. veggies (after cooking) and add (usually mushrooms, celery, bok choy).
I use the potato puree for lunch frequently. I either make zucchini muffins or I cook 2 c of cauliflower, mash it up (like mashed potatoes), and add it to the potato puree. Very filling!
I like the chocolate pudding (packet) for breakfast made into a smoothie using 8 oz water or cold decaf coffee, 1 c. raw spinach & ice cubes. It makes A LOT! I usually drink some before leaving the house and fill a 24 oz Tervis Tumbler, which I drink about 10 am.
Try lots of different things. You'll find what you like and what you don't. There were some things I never tried b/c I don't like the "regular version" of them so I was pretty sure I wouldn't like the IP version (BBQ flavor & tomato soup are 2 examples)
After a while, you fall into routines and eat a lot of the same things. But, you know what? We do this when we are NOT dieting, too!
Ironically I'm reading the threads as I sit at my desk eating lunch - the broccoli cheese soup today! And I agree, it's vile. I bought a box and am now forcing myself to get through all the packets as I refuse to waste the money and not eat them. Never again. There's lots of other choices that I prefer and will stick to them.
Ironically I'm reading the threads as I sit at my desk eating lunch - the broccoli cheese soup today! And I agree, it's vile. I bought a box and am now forcing myself to get through all the packets as I refuse to waste the money and not eat them. Never again. There's lots of other choices that I prefer and will stick to them.
Does your clinic have a trade basket where you can trade/try new items before you buy? If not, suggest one!
Chicken noodle soup works well for me. Find it to be a lot like Lipton. I add sea salt.
I'm loving the ready to serve chocolate pudding. Its so easy to grab and go.
Do you like eggs? I have the herb & cheese eggs every morning and its really easy to add things to them, like mushrooms , fat free ham, peppers etc. Do you like salad? I have a large salad for lunch with all the allowed veggies in it. Okay, sometimes some fresh Goat cheese as well. My salad is awesome and then I have the chicken noodle soup and I can't eat anymore, and I'm a 240 lb guy. Keep trying.
I remember my first week when I got a mish-mosh of all kinds of stuff. Most of the stuff I enjoyed, but some, like you, I had to choke down. Take a look at the "What are you eating today" threads. It will give you an idea of how IPers deal with IP food. For a while I was having chocolate pudding for breakfast, lol. Now it's either the choco peanut bar or the choco pancake mix made into a muffin (DE-LISH). I enjoy the chicken soup (not the noodle one) and the chicken ala king is my absolute favorite. The drinks are good too but I agree that you may need to add a bit more water to some of them.
Anyways, don't give up yet because it's all worth it and the first week is always difficult. Congrats for starting and WELCOME!!!!!