[joellio]

lol I am doing OK with the chocolate thing but I think I am craving cheese We are listening to the radio and there is a song by Far East Movement that is popular right now... it's called G6 and everytime that song comes on I think of Cheese Stix!! LOL It is driving me nuts!!

[dodomommy]

Originally Posted by salesgod

Actually, I got through Halloween without any temptation at all. My kids, of course, have loads of candy. I vowed that next year I would give out something besides candy at my house. A friend of mine suggested I hand out books of matches collected from local bars.

After a certain point, cravings are mainly psychological, and can be conquered mentally. For example, fast food fries smell a lot better than they taste. If they tasted that good, we wouldn't cover them in ketchup before eating them (of course, ketchup is loaded with glutamate, which is why it's so widely used as a flavor enhancer). The same can be said for the cheap white bread buns that make a fast food burger a fast food burger. When you think about it, it's really there to make it more convenient to eat. It doesn't taste good. On the flip side, it's almost an insult to use really good bread in a burger application, as good bread can be enjoyed for its own merits. Just sayin'.

Personally, my recent Halloween experience was interesting, mostly because when I looked at some of the items my kids brought home -- the ones I would have taken as "tax" last year -- they really had lost their appeal. I didn't want them. I didn't need them. I wasn't interested in them. But I also took a moment to reflect on their taste. I know, it sounds weird. But since starting IP, I've actually been doing it a lot. I suppose my reason is that I've already experienced how certain things taste. And I have food memories. We all do. For example, have you ever had really bad Chinese food? Of course you have. But you only know it's bad because of your memories of really good fare. Now ask yourself, have you ever had a really, really good Snickers bar? I mean, they're all the same. And they taste, well, generic. If you've had one, you've had them all, so it's logical that one really would be sufficient for the sake of experience. I would argue that the experience of a Snickers bar is really kind of mediocre overall, and shouldn't be the kind of thing that lends itself to further exploration in the realm of taste. By this I mean that since eating a Snickers bar isn't the ultimate culinary experience, I can look at one, remember what they're like, recall the experience as good but not great and that, in conjunction with my desire to continue with my IP success, is enough to never really feel a genuine craving for one, much less the actual desire to have one.

And that is how I deal with cravings.

I wholeheartedly agree with your synopsis on cravings. Snickers and all that candy the kids brought home are very generic tasting and so not worth breaking protocol. Excellent post!

[CandiceAnn]

Hi to everyone, I am new to this but just want to say how much i enjoy reading about everyone's experiences with Ideal Protein. I am down 44 lbs, 50 more to go. I feel like I have control over food on this diet, it doesn't have control over me!

[JonathanandZeus]

I e-mailed my coach about the newest IP product - the Southwest Cheese Curls --- and I am sooooooo excited because she told me she put an order in for them. Can hardly wait to taste them and I am not sure, but I would bet the farm that they are going to be restricted!!! That's okay --- I am so missing my cheese that this just might be the fix I need!!!

L

[Crystal88]

Originally Posted by pumpkyparry

My goodness, a NSV from left field. Yesterday I was looking for off black panty hose and they had no Queen size....then I thought, "maybe I can wear a smaller size now". After checking the weight/height range, I purchased a size "B" Control Top. Ta-da, drumroll, they fit great. Honestly I don't ever remember buying that size pantyhose. Queen or Queen plus , but never a "B". Thank you Ideal Protein!!!!

And, last noght while letting my dogs out, I was standing in the driveway and happened to put my hands on my waist....know what I felt.....hip bones! The surprises keep coming.

Marilyn

I love it! Yes you do have hip bones, and maybe you will even discover ribs and other structural assets!

[EatAnts]

Better a little late than never...


Hip, Hip, Hooray...Losses and NSVs
Newbies!!

• JudoGirl is nervous and excited for her WI#3 today. She has already dropped a size.
• Welcome back, Hockyemom! And congrats on your 6.6 lb. lost at your "new" WI#1.
• SmileyLisa, busy chasing her 4 and 6 yr olds, lost 2.8 lb this week for 14.8 in her first 3 weeks.
• TennesseeLeigh watched the scales go down 7.9 lb at her first WI.
• Foot1227 had her first WI with 4.2 lb lost and now is setting her focus on WI#2
• SJackson lost 1 lb and 5 inches this week.

Shrinking Daily

• SJackson WI#5 today
• Clarice41 WI today
• Co-workers of Ciebelle and of lobolexus are starting to notice their steadily shrinking bodies. Woo hoo!
• ginBAM has lost 26 lb and is now sporting a weight she hasn't seen in 10 year during her first year of marriage.
• Almost half way to her goal at her WI#4, queenmimi has already lost 14.6 lb and 8.25 inches.

Welcome to Onederland

• Candace5 lept right into Onederland
• onederland=reached a weight under 200 lb.

Monday was the first day of the Christmas 15 lb. Challenge. It is not too late to get in on the fun and it is a terrific way to help stay on plan through the tempting holiday season. PS. Thanks to Journeysend for tracking everyone's results.

The Halloween 20 lb. Challenge is now over. Journeysend announced the 65 participants in the challenge lost a total of 865.1 lb in 6 weeks. Wow, all I can say is WOW.

And Everything Else from Tuesday

• ShrinkingSusie celebrated that she would have no birthday cake temptation with her man still away.
• tle1103 has been worrying about her parents who are not well and hoping to refocus after some recent setbacks.
  RhondaLynn had a slip-up on jury duty and worries about her daughter's health, but is sticking with IP through the life's stresses.
• Many of us are evoking the best of our will power to walk on by all the leftover Halloween treats and other tasty goodies lurking around us.
  FiggyPudding noted that once you give in just a bit, the flood gates to cheating open so just stay strong and walk away from the unhealthy junk.
  TravellingStitcher, also, points out that a "cheat" or slip up will cost you at least $40 in wasted packets. Who wants to throw money away and delay your losses any longer?
• A word of note from Ciebelle, "don't drink the water..don't lose weight". Flush those bodies and DRINK YOUR WATER!
• Journeysend spent the day making cowboy cookies for her grandsons. PS. Happy 1st Birthday to her new hip. She celebrated by taking it to the Dr.
• Rough life? damgi has survived her Mediterranean Cruise with hopefully minimal weight gain.
• Another vacationer...gibster has returned from Niagra Fall with a slight loss.
• Mrs Diettrich stocked up on some SF syrups from her local cash & carry. SJackson reminds us all to check the labels on the SF syrups. Some have carbs, fat, and/or aspartame we need to stay away from.
• Calebs Grandma is asking for our opinions on WF PB and fruit spreads
  Stay away from the WF PB is the advice from 100ButterflyKisses
  From the taste buds of natchamp, "WF fruit spreads are great"
  On the WF banbd wagon, Linden suggests using th WF BBQ sauce for dipping celery in.
  SJackson[/] suggests using the WF BBQ sauce for turnip fries too.
• amylew got her share of exercise today going door to door urging people to get out and vote.
• Foot1227 inquired more about how IP works and wondered if you would still lose weight if you were not in Ketosis
  Mrs. Diettrich and natchampexplained how ketosis works vs. a "starvation diet"...and why cheats are bad.
  Salesgod piped up too with his knowledge of ketosis and how it is hard on the bodies to be pulled in and out by cheats.
• Beware if you are lactose intolerant, natchamp & her BF had bad reactions to the WF Carmel syrup.
• CalgaryGirlie wanted to know more about the protocol changes since this summer, especially green peppers.
• PetiteandCute stopped in with a great IP testimonial and some works to encourage you to stay true to your losses.
• We need some hug and poke support. Pegsi is struggling with a plateau for the last 2 weeks and is getting discouraged. Please flood her with your support and suggestions.
• MellowYellow is looking for the weight loss differences between the regular and alternative IP plans.
• Welcome back pookee to your IP journey.
• kismet155 sends her appreciation to everyone on the forum.

[Crystal88]

Originally Posted by Lesley

Hey everyone! I signed up for IP last night, and just had my first cappachino! I have been on LOTS of diets before, like Herbal Magic. Hopefully this is my last! Excited to start loosing weight!! Looks like you are all doing good things here!!!

Welcome Lesley. This forum will really help you and we are glad to have you here!

[DanceMama]

Thank you Salesgod for putting the cravings in perspective! Being new to IP I still am learning day by day. Thank you again, it really helped!

[Crystal88]

Originally Posted by salesgod

After a certain point, cravings are mainly psychological, and can be conquered mentally. For example, fast food fries smell a lot better than they taste. If they tasted that good, we wouldn't cover them in ketchup before eating them (of course, ketchup is loaded with glutamate, which is why it's so widely used as a flavor enhancer). The same can be said for the cheap white bread buns that make a fast food burger a fast food burger. When you think about it, it's really there to make it more convenient to eat. It doesn't taste good. On the flip side, it's almost an insult to use really good bread in a burger application, as good bread can be enjoyed for its own merits. Just sayin'.

Personally, my recent Halloween experience was interesting, mostly because when I looked at some of the items my kids brought home -- the ones I would have taken as "tax" last year -- they really had lost their appeal. I didn't want them. I didn't need them. I wasn't interested in them. But I also took a moment to reflect on their taste. I know, it sounds weird. But since starting IP, I've actually been doing it a lot. I suppose my reason is that I've already experienced how certain things taste. And I have food memories. We all do. For example, have you ever had really bad Chinese food? Of course you have. But you only know it's bad because of your memories of really good fare. Now ask yourself, have you ever had a really, really good Snickers bar? I mean, they're all the same. And they taste, well, generic. If you've had one, you've had them all, so it's logical that one really would be sufficient for the sake of experience. I would argue that the experience of a Snickers bar is really kind of mediocre overall, and shouldn't be the kind of thing that lends itself to further exploration in the realm of taste. By this I mean that since eating a Snickers bar isn't the ultimate culinary experience, I can look at one, remember what they're like, recall the experience as good but not great and that, in conjunction with my desire to continue with my IP success, is enough to never really feel a genuine craving for one, much less the actual desire to have one.

And that is how I deal with cravings.

To add to what you are saying, a lot of fast foods are eaten just that way - FAST! They are not to be savored. Because if you slow down and chew them, say 20-30 times, before you swallow, a whole lot of unpleasant flavors start to show up - the chemicals, the oversweetness or oversaltiness, etc. Truly good food unfolds as you chew it, and your body likes it too. The converse is true with processed foods; very often your body will start to tell you it doesn't like them if you are observant about the signals.

[JonathanandZeus]

Originally Posted by joellio

lol I am doing OK with the chocolate thing but I think I am craving cheese We are listening to the radio and there is a song by Far East Movement that is popular right now... it's called G6 and everytime that song comes on I think of Cheese Stix!! LOL It is driving me nuts!!

You are in luck ... a new IP product is out and they are called Southwest Cheese Sticks ... my coach is ordering some --- as I, too, am missing my cheese!!!

L

[Figgypudding]

QUOTE]

We were on the Brillianc of the Seas, planning Allure in May!! We basically "tried" to eat sensibly. By that I mean I still splurged on some pasta, cheese, occasionally bread. But I always tried to eat all my veggies and protein per IP. There was a LOT of walking involved so I really think that helped. I do not recommend going that far off protocol on a normal basis, getting back into ketosis is not fun.

My official weigh in last night (3 weeks after the last one) and I was only up 3.4!!

I have decided to phase off for the holidays and start back on Phase 1 in January to get to my original goal. I am pretty comfortable with how I look and feel in my new clothes at my current weight. And my coach does say that Phase 2 is still a weigh loss phase. Anyway, if I find the struggle to phase out too difficult I will just return to Phase 1.

Today is day one of Phase 2, we'll see how it goes....[/QUOTE]

When you say you are going to try to phase off for the holidays, what do you mean? I'm not a big fan of meat so phase 2 has no appeal to me. I'd rather have a lunch hot chocolate and salad than meat and salad. I'm asking because I have a big vacation coming up in December and I'm considering two options. 1. going off for 2 weeks completely. or 2. sticking to IP faithfully for 12 days and having 4 cheat days where i go off completely. I really need some advice here.

Originally Posted by Lesley

Hey everyone! I signed up for IP last night, and just had my first cappachino! I have been on LOTS of diets before, like Herbal Magic. Hopefully this is my last! Excited to start loosing weight!! Looks like you are all doing good things here!!!

I love the cappuccino! I like it iced better than hot. For hot cappuccino I like to make an espresso and add a little hot vanilla drink! YUM!

Originally Posted by JonathanandZeus

I e-mailed my coach about the newest IP product - the Southwest Cheese Curls --- and I am sooooooo excited because she told me she put an order in for them. Can hardly wait to taste them and I am not sure, but I would bet the farm that they are going to be restricted!!! That's okay --- I am so missing my cheese that this just might be the fix I need!!!

L

I've had these and they are wonderful! Such a huge portion compared to all the other packets. Very spicy. My coach says they won't last long and they're a limited batch so stock up now! Oh- they definitely ARE restricted. 15 carbs. Same as the barbque crisps.

Tried a new WF product today. The marshmallow dip. I put it in my hot chocolate. I was told people love this. I found it disgusting. Like a cross between gelatin and chemical plastic. The only other WF product I've disliked this much was the peanut butter. Tasted more like chick peas and gelatin. I think all the WF products must be spices and flavorings with sucralose and gelatin to make them thick. This was a huge disappointment. I've tried a couple of recipes from the forum and discovered that I can't have sugar alcohol at all. I had atkins peanut butter cups 2 days ago and meringues made with splenda yesterday. I haven't lost any weight in 2 days! I had my weigh in today - down 2.5lbs. But I know that my home scale hasn't budged since i ate the treats. I should have been another lb down based on my average. My coach also fussed at me for having beef so many times this week. She said I can't have it more than 2x a week. I honestly don't remember this but my life is pretty busy and hectic outside of dieting so I probably didn't retain everything I was told in that first visit. I despise fish and seafood of all kinds - and chicken I have limited desire for. So, I'm going to try a week of chicken, no restricted veggies and no restricted packets and see if it makes a difference. Today is day one. I weighed 198 and I've had crispy cereal and hot chocolate (with disgusting goo). I'm interested to see if it makes a difference.

[100ButterflyKisses]

As always, thanks for the recap EatAnts. Hope that means you're feeling better!

I was wondering if anyone else makes the zuchinni fries? I like them, but can't seem to get them all consistent. Still have about half that end up mushy instead of crunchy. They're still good both ways, but when I'm craving crunchy I want them crunchy... lol. Hoping someone who's made them has suggestions.

[joellio]

Wrote it down... will ask my coach about it!! The first time I heard that song I was 3 days in and I was convinced that they were signing about cheese stix... now everytime I hear that song it is all I think about!

[MaryKate89]

HI!! I'm brand new to this blog and have my consult a week from today! I have heard nothing but good things about the weight loss that comes from following this plan! I'm excited and nervous!! Any advice or suggestions?

[Linden]

Originally Posted by Coqui

Good morning everyone!!! It's another wonderful day in Chicago. I survived two days of junk food temptations. Have a great day! Be strong. God Bless you all!

Coqui, as in coqui frog? Been wondering since you started to post.