My coach said that we can have it but only as a treat every now and then, not on an everyday basis

you have to use your own judgement and talk to your coach. Some people have used it and then had a sugar buzz feeling. It is not really carb free. It does use erythritol (a sweetner) but, that erythritol doesn't always act carb free and is absorbed by some people according to journal studies done on it.

If you must, I guess try it but, it is not recommended on plan. It is still soda despite being a 0 calorie item and soda is not permitted on this protocol because it effects the acidity that is trying to be achieved by the diet and it can cause loss of minerals to neutralize the acidity of the drink thereby defeating some of the impact of our supplements.

Thanks
 

I have learned so much from this site. My first App. is on Thursday and will be starting the plan after that. I am excited but nervous. Again thanks for all the comments and help. I feel more prepared and have made a list of questions to ask my coach.

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Newbie here...I know I am supposed to read all the FAQ, and I have been reading this site for days, and have not found the question I need answered. I can see various places to get the IP, the phases to learn, etc., but, I have read about people talking about their "coach". How do I find a coach? do we have to have a coach? I have been searching in my area and cannot find anyone who actually sells it, or a dr that sells it, etc. Any help on how I can get started? I have about 100 pounds to lose, widowed, emotional eater, and unemployed, so looking for the most economical way to do the IP...any suggestions? Thank you so much!

Are you located in Canada or the States? If you google Ideal Protein along with your location you may find one near you, or you can email the head office off their website and they will put you in touch with a place near you

Day 11 - Bloated and Heavy
 

Had my first weigh in on Tuesday and was down 4.6 lbs, just weighed myself tonight and I'm up that amount! (I had checked my scale to hers). I feel totally full and bloated - Not TOM:?:

I have been following the program with no cheats, I know I have perhaps 2 oz of skim milk instead of 1 per day. Other than that everything is what it specifies. I also use only 1 pkg of splenda per day (both milk & splenda in my 2 cups of coffee)

My coach initially said cucumber & celery & lettuce was free so I know I went over on that but have since changed to include them in my measurements (except for the lettuce)

I do take metamucil twice per day but my coach said that wasn't an issue. Only day 11 but now I'm discouraged. I've been reading about ketosis and don't have the sweet breath nor have I had headaches, I drink plenty of water.

What if I'm not in ketosis yet - can that happen?
Is metamucil for sure ok?

Metamucil has 45 calories per tablespoon in according to the site that came up first in a Google search. I'd ditch it right away. Your coach should have suggested Novi-Lax, no calories, and supported by the IP program.

And before you take a laxative, make absolutely sure you're getting the right amount of magnesium and potassium. Hope this hellps.

Please see my answer in the Introductions thread.

I have searched the faq thread as well as the alternative threads and the site as a whole. How dangerous is it to use something with "Maltodextrin" Does anyone eat the Health Smart Protein Chips, seems like an okay restricted alternative other than the maltodextrin. Is it like a sugar alcohol where you divide by 2 to get the carb amount? I did find some comments from Carla on it but it was over a year old and I just am wondering if there is any other new thoughts on it? Thank you in advance!

Well kept researching and I see in Dr. Tran's book it is the first one listed as a High Glycemic/Bad Sugar (Fast, Simple, etc etc etc) So I probably should avoid it! ? :?:

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Issues With IP Drink Packet?
 

Hi everyone,

I recently just opened a new supply of pineapple banana drink packets, and I noticed I am having a difficult time dissolving all the powder. I usually pour it into a water bottle and shake it up. I've never had a problem with it before. I'm not sure if it's possible for a box of the powders to get spoiled or something. It looks like it's thoroughly mixed up, but after a few minutes, the powder separates from the water and just settles at the bottom of the water bottle, so I have to keep shaking it up. I've tried dissolving it with a bit of hot water and then adding cold - this seemed to work okay for one day. Then today, I noticed a lot of clumps, and it felt gross to drink it with the clumps, so I drained it. There was a lot of clumpy stuff (I took pictures to send to my IP provider just in case).

Has anyone else had any problems?? My cappuccino packets are perfectly fine.

I'd be really grateful for any suggestions or feedback. Thanks! :)

Thin4Me
 

Hi,
The lactose in milk is a sugar, and I believe skim milk has more of it than whole milk. I would ditch the milk altogether. Also, my coach told me that the only thing that is really free is iceburg lettuce. She said to count romaine and spinach as a vegetable.

Finally, are you getting all of your packets in? How about your daily serving of protein? I was told never to miss a packet and that I should have 8 ozs of protein (not 4 or 6) every day because it facilitates the burning of fact instead of lean mass. Maybe you were in a situation where your ratio of carbs to protein was off. Did you coach tell you to push up your protein? Good luck.

all we eat is romaine lettuce as we were told this was also free and have not been counting it as a vegetable. I will have to contact my coach to get this checked out. Thanks for the info.
Also agree with you about getting enough protein in for the day.