Hi all,
I am excited to be starting this diet on Monday. I will find out Saturday what my current weight is and then post it here for tracking. I have not been successful on other diets and am very hopeful about this one. The concept makes alot of sense! I have been reading the many posts here regarding the IP diet - recipe ideas, etc., and can't wait to try them out. I definitely appreciate all the tips posted here by experienced IP dieters. This is definitely a good source of information for us newbies!

Just ordered from Puritan's Pride. 2 bottles/400mg./90ct. $4.19. Free shipping-3-7 business days.

Hello everyone!
I am brand new to the IP diet. My boyfriend and I weighed in today, and we will be starting the diet together on Friday. I had found this site last week when I was researching IP (his cousins lost a TON of weight and look AMAZING, which is how I got sucked in initially), and have read through nearly every post from the beginning. It was one of my biggest motivators for choosing to do it after seeing all of your positive responses about the program. I also have to thank you all for all of your debates about what types of products you could and couldn't use, and the questions that you've all had; it prepared me with all of the questions I needed to ask my coach today to have a successful first week!:)

MeghanO,
Which vitamins do you order from Puritan? I looked at their catalog and the vitamins didn't match up exactly with IP vitamins....but they were MUCH less. Could you send me a list of the ones you are buying from Puritan? Thanks and keep up the good loss.

Okay, I have a super embarassing question so here it goes, has anyone noticed they are having body odor? I thought my deodorant quit working and have switched to different ones and then it clicked, maybe it is IP. I read a little about it and it said that bad odor has to do with bacteria breaking down fat. I am reapplying constantly because I have become paranoid about smellling bad. Please tell me I am not the only one!!!

Several questions....day 2.

Is there something amazing supposed to happen on day 4? Cause I started to panic a little today when I was starving and had to get into my 4th packet to get through the day. Could I GAIN weight on this?

Is it possible to eat too many "approved" veggies? I am eyeballing it for the most part....but seriously....they are vegetables.

I know this is STRICT and following it is a must...and I am....I just wonder...did I get into something so strict that that random carrot piece that snuck in the salad will screw up the entire week? Or maybe the itty tiny bit of red wine vinegar I put on the salad on day 1 because I was at the salad bar and at a loss for something "approved" (NOW I know). Or did I not measure 2 cups of veggies AND the salad leaves correctly. Did I eat 1 more ounce of meat or 1 less ounce than I was supposed to?

I didn't want to know what my starting weight was, just the victories each week. I think the panic attack was brought on by the tight pants I was wearing. I would LOVE to hit an 8lb loss this week and figured even after one day I was feel something, no? Goal too high?

What about exercise for all you experienced folk? After the first couple of weeks....could you tell if exercise impacted that week at the scale or in your clothes?

Oh yeah....green cabbage....that is approved right? The list just says cabbage (red, bok choy) are listed, but it doesn't specifically say green, nor is it excluded. It is okay, right? (did I just show some vegetable ignorance here, sorry....just want to make SURE!!!)

I stir-fryed it tonight....sliced cabbage, tiny bit o sea salt, pepper, bit of soy sauce....omg...so nummy. I could have eaten the entire head of cabbage. But I didn't....2 cups only!!!

Hi Gals: Just stopping in for a minute....tried to read all the posts!! But I DO have some questions!!

Today - I DID go clothes shopping. Not even thrift stores but REAL stores. I thought I always hated shopping but being out of the Plus Sizes has opened a whole new world for me!

SO -- OK -- (Lilita - I need you here))....I must have tried on 40 pairs of jeans. I had no BUTT before....but I have even LESS now. Size 12's are too big on me.....10's seem a bit too tight. Anyways...I really REALLY wanted skinny jeans (nope, not jumping on the bikini in the snow bandwagon!!)....but my butt is so FLAT now....every pair of jeans bagged under the butt!! Can any of you lead me to a maker/designer/brand that is going to handle flat butts??

So - OK -- I am still freezing here!! I mentioned it to the doctor (BTW...gained 5#....!!)....He said my circulation is good, so it must be hormonal...and there is nothing that can be done about it! Anyone have comments on this....(like how the *&^% do you warm up??)

Since I am still in the city (Now - Echobaby - I LIVE in the wild....but I am in the city now.....lol)....maybe I will see if Vitamin Shoppe carries that Gymnema. I KNOW I am gonna have sugar cravings. Usually I use L-Glutamine for sugar cravings.

SO - for the last 19 years I have hated shopping....but decided to stay here another 2-3 days, so I can buy clothes (NOT a big selection in the wild!!). It was FUN!!!

OK - better go. The computer is in the room that my son sleeps in.....and he wants to go to bed!!

I'll check before I go shopping tomorrow if anyone can suggest a jean!!! I should be home a week from today.

Committed, the stricter you follow the diet, generally the faster you will lose weight. Take MeghanO for example, she plans out EVERYTHING and doesn't go above 20-25 grams of carbs a day... that's the same amount as in one of the spaghetti packets... and she's lost faster than just about anyone on this forum. However, I know I don't have her willpower, it's tough enough for me just to stay on the diet. So, to address your questions one by one...

The "magical" thing that is supposed to happen on day 4 is that your body goes into ketosis. You only have about a day's supply of glycogen (sugar fuel) in your muscles and liver, but it takes your body a few more days to get the hint and start using up its fat stores. Once your body goes into ketosis, you shouldn't be as hungry. Getting some Ketostix can be very motivating when you don't feel like you're losing much, because it's physical affirmation that you're doing things correctly. I've been on this diet for almost a month and a half, have lost 20 lbs as of today, and while I still get hungry throughout the day, it's more psychological and easier to push through. I also picked up some seasoned seaweed packets that are nothing but sodium and fiber to snack on when I absolutely need to munch on something. At the end of the day, though, this is a super low-calorie diet, so unless you lived off of less then 1,200 calories in a day before you started, you won't gain weight, even if you eat 4 packets and too many restricted veggies every day. You just won't lose weight quickly if you do that.

It is possible to eat too many approved veggies, like the bell peppers and zucchini, if you want to lose weight as quickly as possible. I throw this rule out the window, though, because I wouldn't be able to do this without those two vegetables.

There is actually a lot of flexibility in this diet in some ways. It's presented as very strict (in my understanding) because it is so difficult to follow it to a T, so if you're going to deviate from it there's some wiggle room. So it's okay to occasionally have an ounce more or less, or lots of lettuce one day and none the next. Just try to balance it out that if you eat a restricted packet one day, you don't also eat a ton of restricted veggies. And if you do that one day, that's okay, as long as you don't make a habit out of it.

Green cabbage should be eaten in moderation, it is considered an "occasional if at all" veggie because it has more sugar in it than other cabbages.

I was one of those people who lost 8 lbs in the first week, but really less than half of it is fat, it's mostly water you lose the first week (though it is still great looking at the scale and seeing such a difference!). And remember, water is its own diuretic, so the less you drink the more you retain.

Ultimately, follow the diet as closely as you can, but this is still the real world. I eat colored bell peppers probably 3-4 days a week, often multiple times in a day, because I love them and don't get bored of them as quickly as I do other veggies. Instead of having an ounce of milk with the coffee I don't drink in the morning, maybe once a week I'll sneak an ounce of cheese or half a container of plain Greek yogurt (mmm... Chobani...). And for New Year's Eve I got a sugar free mixer and mixed it with some vodka. Of course, the two weeks I drank were the two I lost the least... but I was with friends, and it was worth it.

One other note: how much you notice your weight loss depends on how much you plan to lose, and what your body type is. For example, my mom and I both started this diet on November 30th, right after Thanksgiving. She's about 5'1 and has lost 13 lbs, I'm about 5'6 and have lost 20 lbs. However, she's apple shaped and I'm pear shaped, so she's gone down from a size 12 to a loose size 8 since most of her fat was concentrated in her midsection, whereas I've only gone down from a tight 14 to a moderately comfortable 12 because mine is distributed more in my butt, thighs and back. I actually think it's really interesting reading the posts of people around my height who have made it into the low 180's (where I started) and they can easily fit into a size 12.

Long post, I know, but you really just need to figure out how to make this diet work for you. It's better that you should cheat every now and again (I still use the word "cheat," not "slip," because to me a slip isn't premeditated the way a cheat is) and stay on the diet and lose weight, than follow it so strictly that you give up before you've changed your habits to the point where you can keep the weight off.

Ok, so I have been on IP for 7 weeks now and have lost 20 lbs and 23 inches total and went from a size 14 to a 10 and feel great, but it seems that my body has hit a wall. I have not lost any lbs in the last 2 visits and actually gained 1 lb this week and feel completely exhausted and starving for carbs/crackers/bread! I spoke with my sponsor tonight and she is thinking I am working out too much. I work out about 1 to 2 hours/day with yoga, zumba, pilates, elliptical, etc.

Does anyone else work out a lot and are you experiencing any of these things? We are thinking I need to eat another packet to keep up my calorie count in order to work out that much. MeghanO, how do you consistently keep loosing numbers? I saw the list of veggies you eat, are you eating these raw or cooking them? I will try anything to keep the weight loss going but I also want to continue working out.

On Day 6 of the plan and went for my first weigh in yesterday (day 5)... lost 2 lbs. Kind of disappointed, but coach reminded me that I had probably just barely begun ketosis. Bought some ketostix and sure enough, my level is at "trace" so will just keep plugging along!
One other thing that coach said could have impacted this was that I am on my time right now. Sigh - the perils of being a woman! lol!

Unfortunately I am not able to tolerate some of the foods due to Lactose Intolerance and IBS. Specifically, the soups, stew, spaghetti and especially the chili. Also the dry cereal gave me a reaction. Traded in some of the foods that affect my IBS for more of the jello's, puddings, drinks etc. Makes my choices a bit limited, but am willing to do whatever it takes to become healthy again!

That's pretty awesome that you've lost so many inches! You might want to talk to your coach about adding another packet a day if you're working out that much. The diet is designed to give you just enough protein to not lose any muscle mass, it doesn't give you quite enough to gain muscle and be comfortable. Even though you haven't lost weight over the past few weeks, have you been losing inches? Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you body is managing to build muscle, that could be taking the place on the scale of the fat you're losing.

What is zumba?

MeghanO, do you exercise? If so, what do you do and how often?

Hey, Huskermom!!! The body odor and halitosis goes along with ketosis, which is the fat burning state we get our bodies into with few carbs. If you come across any Atkin's books in the bookstore, find body odor in the index and just flip through and read what he says about it. It is completely natural and will lessen with time. Just use a stronger deodorant and carry mouthwash for the time being.

Also, whoever asked about Puritan's Pride, I'm the one who gets her vitamins there. I'm at work now, but when I get home I'll post the names of them. Yep, they're cheap and fast, and they always send 2 for the price of 1!!!

If you read back throught the posts, you'll see a whole bunch of us asking each other if our time of the month impacted our weightloss. The answer is a resounding YES!!!! The good part is that the weigh-in after that will be huge!