I'm new to this site and finally joined after I got my supplies together to begin IP today. I have struggled to get motivated and follow the IP Protocol for the last 2-1/2 months, but I am ready
I'm a little scared since I've given up on myself several times this year...
Good luck everyone - I hope to meet others here and support you all as I finally do something good for myself!
I'm re-starting IP with alternatives tomorrow (May 2). Not brave enough to give my stats but I'll be here cheering you all on! I lost 25 pounds last summer and I know this works!
Hi! I kinda eased my way into IP this time (I've done the program in the past) and I think yesterday was my first fully IP day... so I am effectively a May starter.
I have around 35 or 30 or 25 or 20 or 15 pounds to lose, depending on my mood. Mostly I have too much fat. I have tried for a long time to lose weight/fat and I have confirmed that I have to go lower carb to lose any weight. I like the structure of IP and the mandatory 4 cups veggies and the huge amount of dinner protein. I do not like the heavy reliance on processed foods that is IP. But I am willing to commit to doing that if it gets me down to an acceptable maintenance weight where I am comfortable exercising regularly again. So I have committed for the next 4 months and I will see where I am on September 1.
My goals are:
1) Lose in 5-pound increments, with 15 being the minimum "acceptable" loss and 25-30 being the probable outer limits, based on recent experience
2) Figure out how to become more active on this plan - I have been active in the past but not in the last few months
3) Lose some body fat, a lot if possible
4) Utilize as many whole-food strategies as possible that I will continue to use in maintenance
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Hey you shouldn't be starving! Hopefully you will find the things that fill you up more than others... I find the shakes don't do much for hunger but a bowl of soup with 2 cups of riced cauliflower or chili with 1 cup of mushrooms and 1 cup diced bell pepper is hard to even finish. And take advantage of the unlimited veggies. I knew about lettuces and spinach and cucumbers but I just discovered that mushrooms and celery and radishes are on that list too. I chowed down on some celery sticks yesterday when I got hungry after dinner and celery has never tasted so good!
Best of luck to you and anyone else starting in this month. Oh and post in the main chat thread if you want the experienced folks to contribute. Lots of wisdom there.
Hello May Starters,
I, too, am going to get on this May Day Wagon and get started with 3FC & IP! I did IP 4 years ago and had great success by reaching my goal in 6 months of losing 40 lbs and felt the best I had in a long time (years). However, I've slipped (not gained everything back )but almost all of it. �� At that time, I went with an IP coach at a clinic for which they gave me great support. I am a person who needs to have accountability, so for now I hope to keep connected on 3FC's and purchase Alternative products & some leftover IP products I have purchased over the past year & have not been faithful to. I know the rules (and like them) because once I can get past the first week of carb withdrawals, ���� I like the straightforwardness of knowing exactly what I need to do and know, what to eat & the vitamins, to keep me well & on target. I still have all my paperwork from my coach (including my weight loss chart) -- so I am ready to get my wagon moving. ��
I would like to watch posts with 1tubbychick & EmmaD and any new May starters. Good luck!
I think this is my very first post even tho I have been a lurker for several years and love to read everyone's helpful posts, recipes, suggestions, and stories.
Let's 'hang in there May Starters. It's going to be an exciting weekend for me getting started on a great 'way of life' again. Yes, I've missed IP. I'll be watching & reading as often as I can. ��
I plan to post my WI each Friday - same as my WI with my IP coach.
Thanks for the new May Beginnings. ��
1tubbychick - Welcome aboard. Give yourself a couple of weeks committed to IP and once you see those results start rolling in you'll want to stick it out.
I see you've started a weight tracker for every day. Please try to avoid weighing each day unless you are the kind of person who can shrug at water weight variances and +/- 5lb gains for hormone swings. This is why most IP clinics recommend weighing only once a week.
The longer you're on IP the better you will get at knowing if you have lost or not, just by how your body feels and your clothes fit. Trust the process, it really works.
BlessedNotLucky - Welcome back. The alts are a whole different ballgame - so many tasty options and varieties to try. Good luck.
gobug - Welcome. I'm sure you'll do fine this time round. No matter how skilled we think we are for maintenance life throws us some wicked curve balls and we relapse. Glad to see you get back up and lose it again. Way to go!
Please remember to come join the whole 3FC IP community on the daily chat and say hi, ask questions, share recipes etc. New blood is what keeps the forums alive for many of the veterans and maintainers.
Many people like to keep a record of their food online at MyFitnessPal.com - along with a weight loss tracker and a sodium counter. This can be super helpful the longer you will be on IP, as you can start seeing patterns of weight loss emerge with certain food combinations/choices and water weight "gains" (temporary) with hormone swings.
I'm re-starting IP with alternatives tomorrow (May 2). Not brave enough to give my stats but I'll be here cheering you all on! I lost 25 pounds last summer and I know this works!
Hey I'm interested to know which alternatives are you using. I'm trying to get on board as well but with using alternative products. Thanks
I did so well the first day and first half of today... Then totally blew it with dinner 😱 I will have to start over tomorrow.
Oh no! What happened? Did you get too hungry? Were others around you eating something you thought looked irresisistible? Both of those situations are really hard...
It's a learning process for sure! Just try to take whatever you learned forward.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1tubbychick
How do you all stay motivated and disciplined?
Well... I am a work in progress...
I am trying to stay motivated and disciplined because I am just exhausted from half-a$$ trying to feel better and fit back into my clothes on and off for years now. I have committed for four months and somehow that seems doable. I am following a system of 5-pound increments so at any given time I am "only" working on losing 5 pounds. But who knows, I am not a very good example. I have had many many failures.
I have my own storage places for "my" foods and I ask the fam to hide the most egregious junk food offenders so I am not constantly tempted.
The Beck Diet Solution book that you will see referenced in this forum has some great general tips. One that helps a lot is called "No Choice." Once you tell yourself that you have no choice about eating off plan foods, you eliminate the internal struggle that often ends in caving just to end the struggle. I find that to be a most helpful strategy. I often overeat/binge just to get rid of whatever caloric-dense treat is calling my name. It is torture! I feel so much better not having that constant angst. So many things others are eating are just "not for me."
Hey I'm interested to know which alternatives are you using. I'm trying to get on board as well but with using alternative products. Thanks
Hi!! I'm not BNL, but I use all alternatives. I keep a document reviewing all the products I have tried and it more than 8 pages long. There were a few things I hated, most were acceptable, and a few I really really like and are in my constant rotation. Everyone's tastes vary but I could name a few of my favorites if you want, most ordered from Nashua Nutrition. I also use Ready To Drink shakes from almost any drugstore/Target/etc or Costco, and I use Quest bars, purchased from their website or GNC.
Here are the WonderSlim sample kits I ordered from Diet Direct when I started. Some of these products do not have as much protein though (12g vs. 15g). WonderSlim (at Diet Direct) and Weight Loss Systems (at Nashua) are the exact same products.
I ordered a sampler box of Quest bars and individual bags of each flavor of the chips to try all of them.
It's really fun trying all the different things.
Have you read through the threads about alternative products? SO MUCH INFORMATION THERE . That's where I got ideas on what to try, as well as trying some I had never seen mentioned.
May 2015 Starters
Mostly I have too much fat. I have tried for a long time to lose weight/fat and I have confirmed that I have to go lower carb to lose any weight. I like the structure of IP and the mandatory 4 cups veggies and the huge amount of dinner protein. I do not like the heavy reliance on processed foods that is IP. But I am willing to commit to doing that if it gets me down to an acceptable maintenance weight where I am comfortable exercising regularly again. So I have committed for the next 4 months and I will see where I am on September 1.
Got it.
