Applebee's was my first restaurant meal when I started IP. I suggest the sirloin steak (7 ounces so you will have to cut off 2 ounces) and they will substitute the starch (potato?) with a serving of steamed veggies. So you get 2 servings of steamed veggies. You will have to "pick out" the carrot slivers, though.
I also order a green salad (tell them to hold the croutons and cheese.)
Add an iced tea and a glass of water with lemon and you will feel like Royalty! LOL.
when I go to Applebees, I tell them no carrots in my veggies, only broccoli and they give me what I ask for. I don't want to pick that out!
Wow! You have all been busy posting and losing weight! I just spent the last hour or so catching up after missing a week. I weighed today and was up .8 pounds. I had skipped a lot of my salads and several servings of veggies. My coach figures this is the reason for the gain. It made me realize just how important it is to eat all your food!
I am down 30 so far, but really haven't moved down but maybe one pant size. My "fat" size 16 pants were fairly tight when I started and are now too big. I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this????? I've read so many posts where people have lost several pant sizes and about the same pounds.
NSV...NSV...NSV: a friend stopped me as we passed in the hallway this morning and said she was proud of how well I was doing/looking. She knows I've been following a plan, as do many others I work with, but was the first to say something totally out of the blue. I think that since I have so much to lose and my weight has fluctuated so much over the 10 years I have been at this school, most people are leery to say something. It was really nice to hear that a friend noticed my hard work.
Birman-- I was just reading through the posts, and saw your link to an old post you had written. In it, you mention your concerns that this diet isn't 100% healthy for an extended period of time. My boyfriend and I have had this thought in the back of our minds for a while, especially after being advised so by our friends who are doctors, and we've been feeling more strongly lately. I've been having some health issues the past two weeks that I feel are directly related to the diet (I felt SO GOOD while we were on vacation and eating normally), and we're considering going off soon and transferring into a diet that is more balanced and more conducive to my health needs. We're still very committed to eating healthy and losing weight, I just think I've reached a point where it's not worth the negative side effects that I've been experiencing anymore (and he's fed up with the daily headaches and feeling of being "out of it" that he's had for a while now).
I noticed that you said that you were alternating between IP and "your regular diet". Would you mind elaborating on what your regular diet is? We're really looking for something that's going to allow us to continue to lose weight, even if it is at a slower pace, but that will allow me to take medications that I need to take and to experience fewer flare-ups and side effects than I've been experiencing.
Swik, I am sorry to hear that you and your boyfriend are having problems on this diet.
My sister-in-law who originally told me about the IP diet last summer, lost 40 lbs on it. She had to quit it though, because she got so sick on it. Right after she started eating normally, she immediately felt better. (Sound familiar?) She was planning on starting IP again a couple of weeks ago, but after just one day on the diet she got so sick that she immediately dropped it. Now, I am NOT saying that I think this is an unhealthy diet. I don't. Dr. Tran has a Ph.D as well as an MD (and seems to be an honorable fellow), and when I read his book it seemed solid. While I do think that most likely this diet is safe enough for most healthy people for a modest period of time, fact is that it IS imbalanced. Dr. Tran himself says that. And given how few calories we eat, and how fast we lose weight, I consider the diet a bit extreme. There is probably some risk involved with that. (Of course, there are risks to being obese too.) So yes, after I am down about 20 lbs or so on IP and have a nice jump start, I will switch back to my regular diet for a while.
To answer your question, my regular diet is the Suzanne Sommers diet. It is based on a traditional diet from France. As we know, Dr. Tran is from France, so it is perhaps not a co-incidence that the SS diet is similar to Dr. Tran's maintenance plan which involves separating fats from carbs.
Usually I lose about 1.5 - 2 lbs per week on the SS diet. It's not as fast as the IP diet, but one can eat balanced and healthfully on it. Like, you can eat bread, fruit, and pasta. (Or … cheese and sour cream ) You can eat almost any healthy food on it if you do it in the right combinations. Heck, I can eat a whole avacado on it every day and still lose weight! Overall. the diet is very easy to do, you can eat yummy food (lots!), and it works well. If you like, I can PM you a brief synopsis of the plan. But if you are actually considering do it, I recommend that you get one of her books. Reading through the book will give you a much better understanding of the diet, so you will likely get better results. Knowledge is power.
In a week or so I will be switching over myself. When I do, I'll probably start a thread for IP'ers on a break, on maintenance, or cycling with a different diet. That way I can stick around here with my new friends.
Well I did it, I went through the Wendy's Drive-Through and bought the double cheeseburger!!!
But ha ha!.. it was for my dog's birthday (Beauregarde, basset hound, age 3) and that is his annual goodie. He only gets ketchup not the other toppings He woofed it down but then it was my turn....
And I was prepared. I made myself the turnip fries for the first time and they were wonderful (limp but I didn't mind!). Then I had a ground beef patty w/ garlic, spicy mustard, raw onion round and dill pickle slices. It was great! I did have a bit of the Walden Farms thick & Spicy BBQ sauce with it too. I'm afraid to look on that label to see what's in that Walden Farms stuff.
I look forward to attempting the fries again, maybe this weekend. This first go round I think I cut the strips up too thin and made the mistake of perhaps too much oil on the baking sheet. But I ask you, who knew one could find nirvana in a turnip?
Ha! Very funny... especially since last night I treated myself to a veg burger with mustard, turnip fries, and dill pickle spears! Even splashed a little cider vinegar and sea salt on the fries. Brilliant minds, as they say.
No danger of pet food temptation in my house... my cats only do the dry stuff. If it was chocolate covered, maybe...
ritiki19 -
I have lost 33 and I am still wearing the same pants. They are baggy in the legs and backside, but I had gained so much weight around my waist that I still can't fit into smaller pants because the waist is always too small. I also think I was wearing my jogging pants so much before I started losing, that I didn't realize how tight my jeans were.
Last edited by Eastcoastmama; 03-05-2010 at 08:17 AM.
Eastcoastmama - sounds like we gain in the same place! I think that is the biggest reason I haven't gone down. I can get into some of my 14's, but I certainly don't like stuff to be too tight. I'm kind of in that strange between sizes place too. Thanks for sharing!
Today is my first day on IP, started with my breakfast as a pineapple banana drink and vitamins, it was a little strange having a sweetener in my coffee instead of sugar, I have a little headache, but am treating this with a homeopathic remedy that always works. I've been reading through the board as I prepared to start and am so excited by everything I see here. I'm working on IdealtoGo as there are no clinics by me. If anyone else is on IdealtoGo, any tips to stay motivated without actually seeing a coach in person?
Today is my first day on IP, started with my breakfast as a pineapple banana drink and vitamins, it was a little strange having a sweetener in my coffee instead of sugar, I have a little headache, but am treating this with a homeopathic remedy that always works. I've been reading through the board as I prepared to start and am so excited by everything I see here. I'm working on IdealtoGo as there are no clinics by me. If anyone else is on IdealtoGo, any tips to stay motivated without actually seeing a coach in person?
Babs, I stay motivated by reading these messages and getting feedback from other IP dieters. Welcome to the bunch - I hope your headache is mild and leaves quickly!
Hello everyone, I was traveling in the last couple weeks and I really missed reading the posts here. Don't really write much but I'm here.... lurking around.
Talking about being bad... Last week I was in Orlando on a business trip and I have no idea what got into me but I just fell off the wagon. Lasted 5 days and now I feel terrible. As soon as I got back home, kicked my rear end back on the wagon and going to meet my coach tonight. I'm scared to face the scale...
Sooooo, I wanted to send positive energy to everyone. Please don't give up just because you had a slip up for a day, or two, or five. Keep fighting!
I think it's great that you got right back on that wagon!
You think well, and you bring us really good info. Thanks!
Actually, I try not to think about what is going on in the kitchen. LOL
) You can eat almost any healthy food on it if you do it in the right combinations. Heck, I can eat a whole avacado on it every day and still lose weight! Overall. the diet is very easy to do, you can eat yummy food (lots!), and it works well. If you like, I can PM you a brief synopsis of the plan. But if you are actually considering do it, I recommend that you get one of her books. Reading through the book will give you a much better understanding of the diet, so you will likely get better results. Knowledge is power. 
lurking around.
but I just fell off the wagon. Lasted 5 days and now I feel terrible. As soon as I got back home, kicked my rear end back on the wagon and going to meet my coach tonight. I'm scared to face the scale... 