Yes! I know it seems I am always asking something. Sorry!
So, I had my first weigh in today, and found it quite motivating. I do, however, realize there is still so much info here that I haven't picked up yet. I'd love to hear what your average IP day looks like... If you have a certain daily protocol, if you have found little tips that work great for you every day, etc.
I know when I work out my own foods, scheduling, routine, it will feel so much smoother! The only thing I've worked out is that I love to split my zippers in half, and my bar in half, and spread it over two days so that I have a sweet and salty snack each day.
I've found that eating on schedule is key for me. I make sure I'm eating every 3-3.5 hours...4 hours max because I'm usually hungry by then. Most of the time it works out that I'm eating at the exact same times every day (or close to it). However sometimes appointments or work get in the way and I just eat when I can. It drives everyone else crazy because I have to eat at certain times otherwise I get cranky, but it works for me!
I try to get some veggies in for each meal. I have a chocolate shake with spinach for breakfast and lunch. Otherwise, I find it difficult to get my 2 cups of veggies with lunch.
When I first started, I had to plan all of my packets out ahead of time. I had a shoebox with seven gallon-sized ziploc bags (one for each day of the week). On Sunday, I would plot out my 3 packets a day and set each day up in the baggies. Every morning I would just grab that day's packets and I was ready to go! It made it so much easier for me, not having to remember whether I had a restricted or not that day, or having to choose something to eat.
i fill my 32 ounce shaker cup with ice water first thing....then carry it with me!!! wherever i go!!! i try to drink 3 full containers a day!! not counting my tea or coffee!!
when i have bars, i cut my bars into about 8-12 piece nibbles. put them on a small hors d'oeuvres plate and they last longer
plan ahead as much as possible and leave little to chance
I have coffee in the at the house or at the office if I'm running late in the morning with an EAS shake.
Lunch is either an EAS shake and veggies or protein and veggies. Sometimes I eat my 4 cups of veggies all at lunch, sometimes I spread them out between lunch and dinner.
For dinner I get my 8 oz of protein either with veggies or another protein shake.
10-11am - Ready made drink, with 1-2 shots of espresso and 1 splenda
2pm - Ready made drink
4pm - whole bag of microwave steam veggies
8-8:30pm - 8 oz protein
10-11pm - IP Snack
Sometimes i will have my protein at lunch and save the veggies for when i get home or have half the bag of veggies with my ready made for lunch and the other half for dinner with my protein. And I don't really do restricteds...i will have a bar if i go to the gym only cuz it's convenient
breakfast - cappucino shake w/ some instant coffee and stevia
mid-morning - a peanut butter bar
lunch - spinach salad w/ whatever veggies I have on hand, 2 oz. protein left over from dinner, oil & vinegar dressing
dinner - 6 oz. protein (strip steak, pork chop, chicken, whatever...) w/ 2 c. steamed or stir fried veggies
evening - chocolate shake w/ 2 tbsp. DaVinci french vanilla SF
I agree about the timing being really important. The break between lunch and dinner was always difficult. My husband just got used to the idea that we would start fixing dinner as soon as I walk in the door, even though it was earlier than he was used to. Otherwise, I did become really EVIL!
I boil a bunch a hard boiled eggs on Sunday night, so that I can grab 1-2 to bring to work for breakfast (I only eat the eggwhites).
I keep boxes of packets/bars, and the supplements at work, so I don't have to worry about forgetting them at home.
My fridge at home always has fresh express bags of italian salad, spinach and my favorite salad veggies cut-up and in containters. In the morning I throw together my salad and just put it in my lunch bag. I keep a bottle of WF Italian in the fridge at work. When I am done eating lunch, I wash the salad container and put it back in my lunch bag so it is ready for the next morning.
I eat the same packets most every day. My typical day looks like:
9:00 AM: Dark Chocolate Pudding with Mint Extract
12:45 PM: Lunch - 2 cups of veggies and my protein (shrimp, chicken, turkey)
4:00 PM: Dark Chocolate Pudding with Mint Extract
6:30 PM: Chocolate Caramel Nut Bar
8:30 PM: Jicama (2 cups)
I make all the puddings in batches of 7, so they're just grab and go. I like them much better after they sit a couple hours.
I do a lot of the same thing M-F and change it up on the weekends
B: Spinach smoothie made with Dark Chocolate pudding, cold coffee, 1-2 handfuls of raw spinach, and coffee ice cubes, all whipped up in vitamix. I drink about a third of it before I leave the house (before 8). I drink the rest about 9:30 am
I also have about 8-10oz coffee with 2 oz vanilla rtd at home
L: I've changed recently
I used to have a soup with pureed veggies every day. Either mushroom, chicken, or leek soup and 1/2 c. pureed veggies (1 c raw)
I was getting hungrier so now I have a salty restricted
SW Cheese Curls, White Cheddar Crisps, Dill Zippers or Salt/Vinegar Crisps along with either stir fried veggies or some raw veggies
Water!
D: I get hungry for dinner pretty early. Sometimes right at 5 pm.
8 oz meat & roasted veggies. On hungrier days the whole dinner goes on top of a bed of romaine lettuce.
S: lately its been something chocolatey (I'm not someone who likes things too sweet - Dk Chocolate is less sweet than others):
Dark Chocolate pudding with mint extract, slightly frozen
Dark Chocolate/banana pudding, slightly frozen
Dark Chocolate/strawberry pudding, slightly frozen
I also like the pink lemonade - was liking it more in hotter weather.
Weekends I make veggie omelets or zucchini pancakes for breakfast (made with oatmeal or pudding packet). Sometimes have chicken patty or chicken ala king for lunch.
My first 6 weeks on IP, I also gathered all my packets for the week in a box. I had 7 ziplocks, each labeled with a day of the week. It helped me stay organized and planned. I did a LOT of planning head (and still do). Last nite I chopped up and froze bell peppers in ice cube trays. Tonite they'll go into a ziplock in the freezer & the chicken broth in the slow cooker will go in the ice cube trays. It is so much easier to grab out just what I need for quick meals and nothing goes bad.
Breakfast around 10:30 -
IP Crispy cereal pancake w/WF syrup
OR
IP Omelet packet w/sauteed mushrooms, jalapenos & scallions
OR
muffins made w/IP pudding & crispy cereal, 2 egg whites, 1 tsp baking soda and Torani syrup (makes enough for 2 meals) - bake at 350 for 20 minutes*
Lunch around 3:00 -
salad w/lettuce & mini cukes cut-up w/homemade dressing (grapeseed oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, basil, spices)
AND
either
IP soup (broccoli & cheese, chicken or mushroom) w/cauliflower, celery & garlic puree
OR
IP potato puree made into tortilla
Dinner around 7:30 -
8 oz. protein (I love grilled trout or salmon, sometimes a grilled steak or pork chop)
roasted radishes (tastes a little like roasted potatoes), roasted cauliflower and broccoli
OR cauliflower fried rice
Snack around 10:00 -
restricted bar, usually peanut crunch bar or strawberry wafers
If I haven't eaten all of my veggies for the day, I'll make zucchini chips sprinkled w/garlic salt and cayenne pepper and also have those for a snack at night.
*Some of my favorite combinations of IP puddings & Torani syrup in the muffins are:
-butterscotch pudding and Pumpkin Pie Spice syrup - tastes like pumpkin muffins
-banana pudding and Peanut Butter syrup
-dark chocolate pudding and Almond syrup
Wow, I am so impressed with both Scorbett and Lisa, doing all that planning when they first started! I wish I could, but I learned early on that organization is not my thing! I'm lucky to get out of the house with matching socks most days! :-)
My weekdays look like this:
Breakfast--some sort of IP drink (usually orange, pina colada or chocolate). I drink this at my desk around 8:30 or 9:00.
Lunch--around 12:30. Lettuce and 2 c. of veggies. Lately I've been eating more raw veggies, but occasionally I will have leftovers from the night before.
Late afternoon--IP packet, usually pudding.
Dinner--it's usually late, around 7:30 or 8:00. I have my 6-8 oz protein, and the remaining 2 c. of veggies. I used to have more lettuce, but I found I didn't want all that food after about 4 weeks into the diet.
After dinner--IP packet, often a restricted one for a "dessert".
Breakfast around 7 am: cheesecake protein bar
snack around 9 am: barbecue soy puffs
Lunch around noon: 4 cups of veggies. Usually stir fry
Dinner around 6: 8 oz chicken, pork, seafood
Snack around 8:30: pink lemonade protein drink
It took me a while to figure out what worked best for me. I felt so stuffed for dinner when I would eat 8 oz of meat plus 2 cups of veggies. It works so much better for me this way. I am usually hungriest in the morning so I almost always need 2 packs before lunch.
A Day in the Life of IP
