I made that decision - to start to phase off before my coach wanted me to - and did not regret it. I went straight to phase 3 and then maintenance after 2 weeks and continued to lose until I found the right routine in maintenance.

They talk about this "glycogen gain" that is supposed to happen when you phase off, but it never happened to me. I'm sure it has for others, but definitely not everyone. Seems like that is why they sometimes want you below goal before you phase off.

I don't know what's right for you, but thought I'd share my experience with this.

I used to just pour the remainder in a container with a lid (an empty strawberry-banana smoothie container works great!)

Now I mix up my own vanilla drink from vanilla casin powder & plain syntrax nectar (to reduce the sweetness) and I use that, instead. If I mix 8 oz, it lasts most of the week (I usually mix every 5 or 6 days)

Lisa Isn't the vanilla Casin powder a protein powder and the sytrax the same? Couldn't I mix the Designer Whey vanilla powder the same way? or does it not mix well or something?

You can use any IP compatible vanilla powder. I just prefer to cut the sweetness with plain powder, too.

Lisa Thank you! I might try that instead of skim, I dont mind the sweetness. I usually add stevia. I don't mind the skim in my hot Tea but not in my coffee. Thanks again

I used mine a little longer than a week and it seemed ok. It doesn't add as much flavor/cream-like experience as you might expect but it does help. I find it sinks to the bottom easily so stirring/swirling helps.

RTD drinks are my staple breakfast...can drink during the commute.

Hello Everyone and happy day to all. Just a few shout outs to a few folks:

@SweetScrumptious - that's funny about the weird look from the barista @Starbucks but, do you really care? Lol. So long as you get what you're paying for, I say, don't let the look affect you - besides, they are probably thinking "I'll have to try that next time". Haha! You mentioned that you get the daily videos and typically don't have time to watch them all. I encourage you to get up 10 min earlier and go about your daily routine and squeeze it in. They are worth it, for real. Even if it appears irrelevant or something unappealing, just listen and it will rev up your day and help you focus on IP. Try it

@Sonyasbug - glad to hear your review of the Doppio drink, as well. I think I just like to hear myself say: Doppio, it's funny. Adding the WF Caramel Syrup sounds divine however, how much of the syrup do you use - 1 tbsp? My thing is, I don't trust myself with the WF syrups and caramels - I mean, they look delicious however, I fear I would go overboard and, one of my bad things is portion control (which is why WW was no good for me). How do you limit your consumption?

@Sonolady - @Lisa offered up a nice idea (thanks Lisa!), which was very helpful to read. I never considered using the casin powder and syntrax nectar, that's a little too advanced for me at this point to think outside the IP Box, haha. But, I will try it in time. I have a sweet tooth and I don't mind the artificial flavorings (probably a bad thing but, for a limited time, should be okay) - so I really like the Ready-to-go drinks. The vanilla offers me a sweet kick to the coffee coupled with 2pkts of stevia. My coach wants me to eventually ween myself off and go straight up black but, that's not going to happen anytime soon. It's like a coffee ritual right now that I look forward to in the AM. Last wk was my first week trying the vanilla pre-made and, it comes with a silver tab that covers the hole on top (where straw inserts) so I just lift that, pour 1oz into measuring cup and then replace the silver tab and place into the fridge; it lasted all week and there was no spoilage. I've read that a bunch of people complained about this nasty residue that's left on the bottom of the coffee cup after using the pre-made Vs. skim milk and I actually had the awful pleasure of witnessing that at work, it was lovely *yuck*. So, I've started to continually stir it up before each sip (especially if the coffee has been sitting there awhile) and that totally solved the problem.

@Clarington @sonyasbug: glad to hear you like the omelette's as well. I never considered adding WF Maple Syrup; sounds yummy. And, what a great idea to pre-make and bring it to work for lunch (easy re-heat if you have a microwave).

Thanks for the feedback & ideas everyone!

@sonolady - Yeah, what @vachinyc said (in less words than I). Haha, sorry for being so crazy wordy today; I am just psyched to be a part of this forum!

Hahaha... Thanks KareVT...I don't think I've ever been known as a gal of few words.

I love the forum too. It helps so much biz we are all facing a lot of the same things. And sometimes people who are not on IP either don't get it (you should eat carrots, they are good for you) have a negative reaction (taking out a food group isnt responsible) or want to give you "ideas" (which aren't OP). The forum helps so much.

Happy Sunday all!

@vachinyc, i hear ya sister! I'm the youngest of 4 girls so typically, I am the quiet/shy one but alas, I've found my voice!

Yeah..3FC IS an amazing site / tool. I agree, not everyone gets the IP but once they start seeing that we're so successful on it, don't be surprised when they start to grill you for questions. That's happened to me once or twice, so far. A friend who thinks she is a nutritionist (but is not) tried to convince me to not join IP about a month before I did. I opted to give WW another whirl and oh, ended up losing 3lbs the first week and gaining 6 in all the following two. The gal who weighed me in, was so rude about it too, she whispered (quite loudly in fact) "You're up this week - were you expecting that?" It was so mortifying to the point where I will never go back again. SO happy that I decided to go IP.

IP 4 LIFE!!!

I've been on IP using alternatives for 12 weeks. Decided to move to P3 last Friday. There was no ah-ha moment, but my losses had slowed to a snail's pace and it just felt right. I was very concerned about BOB (big ole breakfast)...eating almost as many calories just for breakfast as I had eaten all day, scared the bejesus out of me! Well it's been 3 days and I weigh exactly the same as the day I started P3...UNBELIEVABLE.

Yup. The program works!

re: Videos
I'm putting in a plug for watching them, as well.

We had a thread for them but IP has since secured them and the links no longer work

I'm glad I had access to them when I did!

KareVT: Wow. Vanilla drink AND sweetener? Yup. You're hooked. I used to be. I worked on de-sweetening prior to IP so a LOT Of the IP stuff is just too sweet for my taste.
I just use the combo b/c I'm using mostly alts now. You could get the same effect from the IP vanilla drink (I actually used the pudding, just mixed a little thinner for a while)

Good news indeed! I am 2 weeks in doing alternatives and have lost 11 pounds. My plan is do Ph 1 until the end of October and see how close I am to this goal. Then, like you, I will go straight to Ph 3. then Ph 4 until just before New Years and then it will be time to reset my goal weight and start Ph 1 again.

This is my second time on IP, but the first time I had no plan in mind other than reach my goal weight. For some reason having predetermined times for phasing off and phasing back on is making it mentally much more doable for me. I also do not feel hungry at all, nor have any food cravings this time. I attribute that in part to eating eggs for breakfast which powers me up much better than any other IP or alternative food I could choose. I also wake up feeling a little light headed (My BP has always been on the low side) so I take my 1/2 tsp of salt in warm water and slug it back with my breakfast.

I just feel so much more in control of my destiny this time.

Really glad to hear you are enjoying your BOB without the expected weight gain, I think this just shows you were right to listen to your body and phase off when you did. Well done!!!

Good Sunday morning all! I was hit with a lovely bug yesterday that had me flat on my backside all day...yuck! Still managed to eat and stay OP but slept most of the day.

The IP videos - my clinic sends them every morning and I really enjoy watching them, a nice bit of information and uplifting at the same time.

Went through Rainbow's recipes again over the weekend - lots of inspiration there! Tomorrow is my birthday so I'm making the cake from the chocolate pancake IP packet and thanks to Rainbow, I'll be mixing some WF marshmallow dip with some WF caramel sauce for icing - yum!

My son and I are going to a football game this afternoon. It starts at 3:00 so at least I can eat at home before we go and not be as tempted by the bad/good stuff there Then we can head home and have supper.

Jo