I have lost nearly 39.5 lbs in 19 weeks. That averages to a little over 2 lbs/week. My clinic said from day one that women average at 2-3lbs per week. According to them I'm right where I should be.
BUT I know this number would be higher if I didn't cheat. I probably go off plan about once every 7-10 days. Some deviations are small and others like last week are large (a medium reeses blizzard at DQ). In a perfect world I wouldn't cheat. I do not live in that perfect world yet so I try not to stress about it and pick up where I left off.
Hi KaraNoCarbs. Sounds like you and I are the same! I started in July of last year, and lost 20 lbs in 2 months; took a break, and then cheated my way through the winter. (Speaking of winter, a Reeses Blizzard sounds delish.) Unlike you, though, my weight loss did not continue until I stopped cheating altogether. In fact, I'm worried that it screwed up my metabolism, making it harder for me to lose now. So, I've decided that the next time I cheat, I am just going to go off the diet, and try something else. I had a cheat-free week (The 1st in a while), and lost 3.3.
I think you're wise not to stress, either way. Keep up the good work!
Just an update. I have now lost 28 pounds in 11 weeks. I will be starting on Phase 2 in a week. The first week or two was the most then I settled around 2 pounds a week. Last weigh in, only one.
My goal is to lose 90 lbs total. I started on Feb 8, 2017 and I am down 47 lbs so far. I am averaging about 4 lbs lost per week which is higher than normal.
My first go round is reflected in my sig. I allowed life to take over and old habits back in and regained almost 50 of those 136 lost. Am back on track, finding it a bit harder to stay true to Protocol (I use alternatives as well as IP favorites).
rissb - I just got started a couple of weeks ago, but have already saved money because of what I'm not eating. But I'm a busy workin' gal so no time to cook at home.
IP is $100 in food, 1 lb veggies per day = $25, 3 lb meat per week = $15, and misc seasonings, say $150 per week total.
Before I was on plan, I would buy a coffee out almost every weekday ($4) , and eat lunch out, i.e. subway, or a prepared salad from trader joe's most weekdays ($5-$10). Then for dinner, I'd dine out at least twice a week, probably more, at least $30 a pop including a cocktail. So with another $20-40 in groceries per week, my weekly total food bill was around $200 - $300. And I tended to waste food because produce would go bad before I ate it. I definitely don't have that problem now.
To save $ I can re-use the premade shake containers I got first week with 1/2 scoop protein powder, and put them right back in the fridge. IP tastes better, but I save probably $3 per bottle, or about $20/week.
I'm on a lookout for replacement snacks and bars next. If I can find those for $2 or $3 each instead of $4, that would save another $20/week. But I have to say, IP snacks are surprisingly good, and there is a nice variety. Some of them even too sweet for my taste. So when eating only 800 cals/day I really want to end the day with something tasty enough that I don't crave other things.
I may order from eBay after a while, but for now I like the accountability and coaching I get in clinic.
Losing weight and feeling good is worth a LOT of money to me in the long run, so it's a real investment in my health.
lala: I may be interpreting it wrong but just wanted to throw this out there. You mentioned 1 lb of veggies per day. I just wanted to make sure you know veggies are weighed by volume, not weight. You can convert them into grams to be completely accurate bc the way veggies are chopped will affect how much you can fit into a measuring cup but 8 oz of veggies twice per day doesn't equate to 1 lb the way it does for meat. It's 4 cups per day, by volume.
For example, cauliflower, measured in grams, is 200 which equals 2 cups. But if you were to put 8 oz of cauliflower on a food scale it would be overflowing.
I originally lost 57 pounds in 5 months doing IP and going to a clinic. This time, I'm on my own with alternative products and the support I get here (and from my wonderful husband and son) and I'm down 12 pounds since June 1.
The great thing about this diet is you will almost always get positive feedback every week. That is, you will show loss of pounds on the scale or loss of inches with the tape measure. For me, if I did not lose any weight, I always lost inches. For this "Instant Gratification Girl" that was all the motivation I needed to stay the course.
By the time I was done with my first go-round with IP, I was off of blood pressure meds, that icky statin for high cholesterol, and was no longer considered overweight, much less obese. I reversed my insulin resistance and no longer needed to take metformin as well. Did I mention that I am surgically post-menopausal and could not lose any weight whatsoever (due to hormonal imbalances) on any other diet -- and believe me, I tried them all?
I encourage you to do it! This diet *will work and it *will happen faster than you can imagine.
Last edited by marcibeaucoup; 07-23-2017 at 01:46 PM.
I just started a reboot on June 29th. I've lost 27 pounds in 33 days.
This is my 3rd go round with IP.
I can lose weight pretty fast --
However, I have not mastered maintenance yet.
Alexandra, soooo goood to see you again! Sounds like you are doing pretty good with your plan, don't fret, one day maintenance will stick, lol. I admit that's the toughest part of the whole game.
Liana
My first round of IP I lost 50 pounds in about 5.5 months, unfortunately, life happened, between losing 2 babies after ivf then going through a divorce while at the same time having lost my job, I gained it all back plus 23 pounds. I tried almost everything to lose weight and didn't succeed, I tried juicing but couldn't stick to it on the long run, I tried counting every calorie I ate, I tried recently to exercise like crazy doing the insanity workout five days a week and nothing worked, I'd lose the same 3 pounds that I rapidly gain, so this week I decided to get wiser about my approach of losing weight and do what worked for me, so since Monday I restarted IP being 100% on program. I know that I shouldn't, but I am one of those who weigh themselves every day and since Monday, I lost 9 pounds already, I can't be happier with such a progress especially after I got so exhausted from training with no weight loss at all and now to lose all this without even working out, I'm thrilled.
I know the haters would always find something bad to say about this diet, such it can't be good and it's too restrictive bla bla, I believe that this is what works for me and for plenty others.
Last edited by sandralosingweight; 08-09-2017 at 03:32 PM.