I am not sure which number on my body fat analyzer would tell if I lost muscle mass. The stats I have been recording are
Jan 25 wt 234, body fat 43.02
May 7 wt 186, bf 37.7, fat mass 70lbs
May 24 wt 180, bf 37.3 fm 67lbs
June 14 wt 173, bf 33.2 fm 57.5
I am pretty much where I want to be. Would like to get bf to 30%. Or maybe lower as I add more exercise. I am probably always going to incorporate "packaged" protein into my diet now as I do not think I was getting enough prior to IP. I am on P3 now and added Greek yogurt to my breakfast at about 18gm per 3/4 cup, plus a little from peanut butter. Takes a little more effort for us veggies, but it is worth it!!

I did some calculations for you.
You lost about 17.76 lbs of Lean Mass and 44.24 lbs of Fat Mass.
Anticipated is 1lb of lean mass lost for every 3 lbs of weight lost (.33)
You lost 17.76lbs of lean mass for 61 lbs of weight (.29)
So, you preserved lean mass better than average.

To be at your goal of 170 and 30% bodyfat, you will need to lose 6.7 pounds of body fat while gaining 6.7 pounds of lean mass.

I am also going to watch my protein intake in p4 as well, as I am sure I wasn't really getting enough before IP. Realistically, I'll probably keep a protein bar/snack food daily, too. Is P4 really 8 oz protein equivalent at Lunch AND Dinner? My coach keeps promising that I won't need to count calories or carbs in Phase 4, just follow the IP rules.

P3 breakfast sounds great. I think I have missed Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, feta and parmesan, but we shall see if I'm better with them or without them.

With your goal of 170, did you take it down to 165 before starting P2?
My biggest fear is that I am taking it below where I can maintain.

Wow! Thanks so much for doing those calculations for me! I started P3 at 172ishlbs. I kind of panicked though and did not feel I had the right info to start P3. I actually went back to P2 after a couple days. I think I need to be more prepared. I think I will also go down to 165 and then start back on P3. Don't know what happened. So I have to do more reading and planning some breakfasts then I will start. Maybe in a week. I really do not want to count calories, carbs etc. and that really is how P3and p4 are. Kind of disappointing. It is not going back to "regular eating" because we can't combine fat, carbs etc. feels like every meal will need to be planned. I really liked the easy approach to P1 and P2.

Did you/Do you continue to lose weight on Phase 2? The 5 lb buffer is an allowance for P3 and the first week or two of P4 as glycogen is restored. After reading the P3 threads and parts of the Maintainers ones, I, too, want to take a little time to plan the P3 breakfasts so I am able to pinpoint which, if any, foods cause a reaction of some sort. I'm hoping that in the restricted quantities all will be well.

I did continue to lose in P2, i started adding 1-2oz of cheese and regular salad dressing or mayo to my lunches. My coaches encouraged that saying your body needs to experience a calorie increase. With just substituting my own soy protein for theirs would have created little change. Also increased protein at supper from 1 veggie burger to 2, or things like that. Still lost 2-3lbs a week.

Great point on just substituting their soy protein for your own. I'll be sure to ask about that. I thought I was going to phase off for a trip in June and did Phase 2 for a week, but just taking away the IP product at lunch and having the 30g to 40g of protein at both meals. I will definitely ask about the extra fat and cheese. Thanks!

I was wondering about MSF (Morning Star Farms) breakfast sausage patties. These have always been a staple in my diet but I don't know if I can eat them on IP.

Do any of you eat them, and if so how many and how do you count them in your protein intake?

I love the hot n spicy ones. I would have never picked these before IP, so that is how your tastes can change.

I like to have two with one egg and two egg whites. I'm eating that now.

I think four of them makes an IP dinner serving. 4 of them would be 32g of protein and 12g carbs. That puts four of them on the high side for carbs where you might want to not have a restricted that day.

bump

Not sure if you guys have seen this, but I found it helpful!

http://idealcoaching.tv/wp/archives/1133

Thanks so much!!

someone towards the top of this thread mentioned protein powder added to almond milk as a protein source.

is this allowed in P1?

This is an interesting thread.
Is anyone else a vegetarian?
I eat a lot of tofu and eggs.
But someone suggested a Boca Burger with low carbs. Any suggestions?

I am in phase 2. Recently there was an IP video that said vegetarian proteins should have the following nutritional values:

Cal: approx. 100
Fat: <5g
Carbs: <5g
Protein: >20g

I find that there are very few products that meet this nutritional criteria for vegetarians. Most are too low in protein or too high in carbs.

I am using the Trader Joe's High Protein Extra Firm Tofu at least once a day, although I'm basically just marinating it in soy sauce and spices, which gets boring.

I am also using one or two of the Beyond Meat products (their chickenless chicken strips, in particular, seem to meet this nutritional criteria). The Quorn products are too low in protein. The Setian seems to meet the nutritional criteria, but my consultant said I can't eat it yet because of the ingredients (I'm guessing because it contains wheat).

Any other suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!

Bump for vegetarians