I've had a rough past few days with eating, but have at least been going to the gym still. Yesterday was good, so I'm hoping to keep up the motivation. I've found that fixating on the morning helps, like if I really want to binge in the evening, reminding myself that I can either wake up tired and with a stomach ache or feeling accomplished and proud of myself helps me say no to binging- not always of course.
No weigh in today, but I just wanted to stop by. I'll be back later today, and happy friday!
After my first week of sticking to my plan very closely, I'm happy to report that my total loss is now 7.4 pounds, down 1.5 since my last weigh-in on Wednesday.
It is getting tougher, I had my first food dream last night… I was about to eat a hotdog when my alarm went off. Thoughts of carbs are constantly running through my head, and even though I am allowed carbs on this diet, it's the bad ones I'm thinking about… French fries, potato chips, soft white bread.
It's also getting tougher to make my meals interesting, they are already getting repetitive… But I'm just going to tell myself that it's paying off and that it takes hard work. So far, so good.
Congratulations to everybody with losses this week! I'll try to catch up with personals this weekend.
Angie Hang in there. I'm not familiar with what's allowed on your plan, but a couple thoughts. Maybe, with meat, instead of mixing things up within your day, try eating one type of meat for each day. That way the rotation is spaced out farther. If you eat chicken on the first day, you won't eat it again for 3 or 4 days or even longer, depending on the various types of meat you eat. Does that make sense? I'm not very good at explaining things. For French fries, try zucchini fries, turnip fries, carrot fries, etc. I'm not sure which veggies are good for your plan. I'm not sure if you can have parmesan, but I have read about people making them into "chips" or crackers. I have also heard of people having kale chips, etc. Congrats on the loss, so far and hang in there! You can do it.
Hi everyone
I'll get back to personals as soon as I am a bit better. Naturopath checked me out. Turns out it's just a very painful lower GI virus. Lots of inflammation. Considering I have had diverticulitis, I was relieved to hear it's a virus. But the pain level is high enough so I was not able to sleep.
The silver lining is..... Not many calories until this thing is gone. I bought clear broth. That's all I want. Okay, I want more. But am not a fan of pain
Flower I hope you feel better soon! That sounds really painful.
Angie that is an amazing weight loss! Way to go! I try to eat the same things for breakfast and lunch, but for dinner, I switch up the type of meat and veggies, so it's different every day. Also, if you're not allowed potatoes, you can use cauliflower to make fake mashed potatoes. If you're allowed bread or crackers, you can crush it up, use some egg to bread your meat and bake it. You can also maybe try french toast if you're allowed low carb bread and eggs. Instead of maple syrup, I've cooked and reduced some strawberries for the topping. You can use zucchini to make lasagna and pasta dishes if you crave that.
Volatis Enjoy your night out! Sounds yummy!
Hello Tet & Retrorabbit!
Diana hope you're feeling better!
I've finally shed the water retention and bloat from this past week, so yeay! I'm glad to be less than 20 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. We want to try for baby #2 later this year, but I've been determined to lose weight first. I know with 2 young kids, it will only get harder… Anyone with young kids here? My son is 1.5 years old.
I’m extremely tired so I decided to not do any personals. I just worked out and still have to clean up the kitchen from dinner (blah!!). The kid’s are extra hyper tonight and I feel drained ..so I see an early bedtime here soon! Hope everyone had a good Friday!
Hey all ... the close to another day! And, it was a busy one. I met the Nurse/Coach and I will be starting the Ideal Protein (IP) Plan tomorrow. It's pricey, but thankfully I have the $ at this time so... for the sake of simplicity and quick results... I'm going to do it ... I will probably merge into South Beach (SB) in 2 - 3 months.
Hey NICHOLS - hopefully the dishes will go quickly and you can put your feet up soon.
CieCie - great job on the exercise goal!
UpandAway - 20 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight --- that is so awesome. No young kids here... so... no help BUT ... good luck with #2 later this year!
Flower - OW! I hope that intestinal bug flies away soon and you are feeling much better...
Angie - 7.4 AWESOME! I'm concerned about things getting boring too... but, I'm hoping to preplan and pre-prep and I really am hoping that will be helpful. It's so hard to cook for one or if others are in the house... stuff for them and then something diff for you. HANG IN THERE! There are tons of ideas in 3FC's. I'm cheering for you!
Hi RetroRabbit -- good job getting back on the horse, so to speak. I've not met you before... so... "HI"
Hi tet -- I am amazed at all the helpful posts in 3FC's ... I look forward to steal some of the people's menus for eating ideas. I'm sure you will find the plan that fits you.
Volatis - Yes, I'm motivated. I think changing a life style is 99% mental... I'm hoping/believing this is the LAST - NEW BEGINNING ... I have spent a lot of time on 3FC's ... looking at before/after pics, reading posts. This has to work... or I won't be able to walk in a couple years. Enjoy your treat this weekend AND ... Go ENGLAND!!
Hey Diana -- I'm not sure if I'll be watching the SuperBowl... I haven't had my TV hooked to cable or an antenna since last Feb -- so, unless someone invites me -- probably not. I'll miss the commercials (best part unless the PACKERS are in the SuperBowl ) I love grilled food... I guess I'll have to learn how to do that for myself this summer. Even when my DH and I were under the same roof... I'd nearly have to beg him to start up the grill. OH WELL! I hope it doesn't take you all weekend to get caught up and you have a little RnR for you!
CoolMom - be kind to yourself and do what is necessary. HUGS!
So folks... tomorrow night I will write in my menu for the day. I'm going to TRY TRY TRY to stay off the scale so I can SURPRISE myself next Friday for my first WI. I'm excited... and I hope the IP food tastes good.
Beloved Warrior, I'm excited for you! I found IP very user friendly, and got great results. The first few days as you use up your stored glycogen can be challenging, aka 'ketosis flu'. Once you are in ketosis, you should feel pretty great, usually day 4 or 5. I pre-emptively took some Alleve for that first few days.
fyi, once you get the hang of it, you can buy virtually identical products at half the price from Nashua Nutrition and other places. The IP forum has an alternatives thread with great info. Some coaches are ok with clients mixing alternatives and IP brand to save money. The 3FC IP forum provides great support too.
The first post of this closed thread lists exactly what to look for on the label to be IP compliant:
Meanwhile, I wish you success and look forward to reading your updates!
flower123 I'm glad it's "just" a virus and hope you are back to your healthy self soon.
Diana Nice drop!!!!
Today has been on plan so far, cals 1080, net carbs 47, and I haven't snapped at anyone
B cabbage omelet, protein shake in coffee
L cauli/broccoli soup, salad with chicken, 0-cal dressing
S sweet red pepper, protein shake in coffee
D protein chips, cabbage
S protein bar
2 L Yogi Vanilla Spice cold herbal tea
Thanks Diana!
Weight is down 4 lbs since Tuesday, but still over pre-holiday/family crisis weight. The good news is I feel ok so far with my calorie and carb levels. I thought I couldn't tolerate low carb anymore. But maybe I can, as long as it isn't too low. I find it so much easier to follow a structured plan--no decisions, no "why not" thinking about food.
Today's plan is the same as yesterday's: cals 1030, net carbs 44
B Cabbage omelet, protein shake in coffee
L Salad with chicken, evoo, 0-cal dressing
D Protein chips, home made veg soup
S Protein shake/coffee, protein bar, cauli
2-3 L cold herbal tea
SUNDOVE – GREAT JOB on the 4 lbs in 4 days. Thank you for all the info. I have a question about your menu. You say the following: cabbage omelet, protein shake in coffee AND Yogi Vanilla Spice cold herbal tea // Can you give the cabbage omelet recipe? Explain the protein shake in Coffee? And what is Yogi Vanilla Spice tea? Also… what dressing are you using for your salad?
Thank you. So far I have had my breakfast and lunch and things weren’t too bad. I am going to give IP a good month … or two, and then I will look at alternative products. In the mean time I will be studying the differences.
DIANA – thank you for the hugs and encouragement! I also checked and Tamilee Webb's stretch videos are on youtube. I made a note to myself to look into this and Jane Fonda’s videos in about a week or two. Can’t wait… and I don’t like exercise… but I LOVE stretches!
Thanks, Beloved Warrior!
I'm glad to hear you have liked the products so far. Which ones have you tried?
I hope your coach sells open box so that you can try things without investing in a whole box! Please feel free to ask anything at all, either here on the thread or PM. I have many opinions about IP, but since each of us is so different, I try to keep my unsolicited comments to a minimum
I'm re-booting & not not following the protocol strictly. I have a very active job and need to make sure I have enough cals and carbs--on strict p1, I had a couple of hypoglycemic episodes.
Re omelets, I put leftover veggies in them. I use 1 whole egg & 1/2 cup egg whites from a carton.
The cabbage is 1" slabs (cut top to bottom), spritzed with evoo & garlic powder, roasted on a cookie sheet at 425 x 30 min. You're supposed to flip them but I don't bother. Alternatively I slice up the cabbage, like very coarse cole slaw, and toss with EVOO spritzed or measured out. The I saute in a great big skillet, maybe add a bit of water or chicken broth & cover for a couple minutes to tenderize it. I measure out 1 cup in the omelet.
For the omelet, I have a small non stick pan, called Green Pan, and use a plastic (silicon?) spatula from Target rated for high heat. A metal spatula will scratch the pan and then the eggs will stick. Plastic can melt so I use the high heat-rated spatula. No oil or it ruins the coating of the pan. Super easy to clean.
Just to avoid confusion, strictly speaking for Phase 1, I should count the omelet toward my 8 oz of protein.
The protein shake is an alternative RTD product. It is similar in macros to the IP vanilla RTD. On P1, I had the entire shake in 2 cups of super strong Tasters Choice instant coffee. It's a nice rich way to wake up, and pretty filling. Now I use a 1/2 serving with the omelet, so it's close to IP. If I were just starting out, I would follow to the letter before tweaking. I don't want to mislead or confuse you!
The tea is Yogi brand. I used to use Mio water enhancers to make sure I got my 2L without fail. I loved it, but after I got to maintenance, found that it stoked my sweet cravings. Now I use 1 teabag/2liters to make the water chugging more enjoyable. Sometimes I add a few drops of liquid stevia. Vanilla Spice, it turns out has a little caffeine. I think it's made with black tea. But Yogi brand has many delightful herbal teas. So does Republic of Tea, but pricier. Some have carbs or caffeine, so good idea to check labels
I use a lot of the Walden Farms dressing. Some I can't stand. The ones I like are Italian Vinaigrette, Balsamic, 1000 Island, Blue Cheese. I don't like any of the other dressings at all. Make sure you are choosing 0 calorie, as they also sell sugar free that has 40 cals/svg.
Another Walden Farms dressing I used to love on chicken was their Mayo mixed with Hot n Spicy BBQ sauce. It also tasted good on portobello mushrooms. I have some odd tastes.
IP will say to limit the WF servings because even though they say no calories or carbs, they actually have fractional amts that add up. But I never limited them as they helped me stick to the program, and I lost just fine.
Both Yogi tea & Walden Farms can be found cheap at Vitacost.com.
Be extra extra kind to yourself for this first week! I wish you a speedy transition into ketosis!
Thoughts of carbs are constantly running through my head, and even though I am allowed carbs on this diet, it's the bad ones I'm thinking about… French fries, potato chips, soft white bread. 
from pre-pregnancy weight --- that is so awesome. No young kids here... so... no help 
BUT ... good luck with #2 later this year!
AWESOME! I'm concerned about things getting boring too... but, I'm hoping to preplan and pre-prep and I really am hoping that will be helpful. It's so hard to cook for one or if others are in the house... stuff for them and then something diff for you. HANG IN THERE! There are tons of ideas in 3FC's. I'm cheering for you!
I found IP very user friendly, and got great results. The first few days as you use up your stored glycogen can be challenging, aka 'ketosis flu'. Once you are in ketosis, you should feel pretty great, usually day 4 or 5. I pre-emptively took some Alleve for that first few days. 
your way to avoid the night time eating.
Thanks, Beloved Warrior!
