[idealproteingal]

Hi - I am on Phase 2. I have only started putting in my food diary details into myfitnesspal recently but I'm a little confused. In P1 my lunch would be an IP packet plus 2 cups veggies. In P2 I replaced the lunch packet with my own protein.

But when I look at the numbers in myfitnesspal my lunch proteins add up to way more protein than a packet would contain. At least 2x as much protein if not more. I had been following the 8 oz raw protein guideline but now I'm wondering if I should have been shooting for around 20 grams of protein instead.

My coach is on vacation right now so if anyone has insight into this I would appreciate it. Thanks!

[jodi73]

I'm in phase 1, and also input my food into myfitnessal. I notice that after I have my 3 protein packets (which are generally btwn 15-19g of protein each), before my dinner i'm usually around 60g of protein, but my 8oz of lean protein is usually somewhere btwn 30-40g, so that brings me up to 90-100 for the day. I'm not familiar with phase 2, but if you're eating more raw protein, your daily intake will probably be more, as that contains way more than the packets.

[idealproteingal]

Thanks, Jodi. That is consistent with what I'm seeing. The question I have is, why so much protein? I think it's not good to have too much protein. I'm thinking I should reduce the amount of protein in my regular meals. My total grams of protein yesterday was 143 grams!

[JLUS]

I am pretty sure replacing the packet with protein in Phase 2 is not supposed to be a direct correlation to the protein in a packet. The idea of the Phases is to begin increasing your daily intake so you are moving into more calories, protein, carbs, etc. that would be considered in the "normal" range.

In other words, you are building back to the average intake for everything. Many still lose weight in Phase 2 and 3, but the idea is that once you acheive your desired weight, you move toward maintenance intake at a slower pace... not just BAM - now I am consuming more. Your body needs time to adjust to the increase in calories, etc. so each Phase assists with that.

[idealproteingal]

In other words, you are building back to the average intake for everything. Many still lose weight in Phase 2 and 3, but the idea is that once you acheive your desired weight, you move toward maintenance intake at a slower pace... not just BAM - now I am consuming more. Your body needs time to adjust to the increase in calories, etc. so each Phase assists with that.[/QUOTE]

Thanks JLUS, this makes sense. I will try to stick to the plan, but will take a small break from animal proteins tonight and have tofu instead. Maybe that will make me feel better.

[JLUS]

Do you work with a coach? I noticed in another thread someone said their coach lowered the amount of lunch protein for them. I know some coaches alter the plan even when it may not align w/IP protocol and purists would argue that it should not be done.

However, if you are struggling to eat the lunch amount you could talk to your coach about eating less. (I didn't notice your height and current weight but perhaps 8 oz is just too much for you.) I also wonder if you can move any of the protein to breakfast (you have protein at bfast in P3). Also keep in mind you can have eggs for your protein if you don't want meat (4 eggs/2 whites).

Good luck - I look forward to P2 and especially P3 maybe by fall for me!

[onmyway1014]

My clinic had a workshop about phasing off yesterday.

They said you need more protein from an animal source than a packet because the packets are more easily absorbed.

[JLUS]

Originally Posted by onmyway1014

My clinic had a workshop about phasing off yesterday.

They said you need more protein from an animal source than a packet because the packets are more easily absorbed.

Ah, yes... I forgot that important point as well.

[idealproteingal]

Thanks Laurie and onmyway, I am working with a coach but she is on vacation right now. I definitely felt overloaded on protein today after lunch today and felt just awful, extremely thirsty and just bad. About 5 hours later I felt much better though, and I am having a light dinner with 7.5 oz tofu.

I will definitely discuss this with my coach as soon as I can. I handled Phase 1 just fine and Phase 2 for over a week and a half, so I was trying to figure out what else changed recently. Unfortunately I did come up with some changes, which were the addition of small amounts of baking powder, baking soda, a few extra egg whites and splenda, during my packet baking experiments. I will also try going back to more plainly-prepared packets tomorrow and see if that helps. I just have to survive for a few more days until Phase 3, but I really enjoyed the packet baking so I hope that was not the issue.