3rd day of Ideal Protein! I have been reading everyone's posts here for the last couple of weeks and I am so excited/nervous for this diet. I must admit that these last couple of weeks have been pretty hard. I have been having some massive headaches and feeling very very hungry!! I do have a couple of questions though so I thought maybe you ladies might be able to help me out! I have been cooking for the last 3 days using cooked onions and not the raw (my food list says raw onions only) and I am thinking and hoping that this is ok. I want to follow the diet as strictly as I can but I am finding that I am already having a rough time doing so!! Not that I have cheated or anything but I know I have probably eaten more veggies than it says too and used a couple things that I don't think are "allowed" (chicken broth, cooked onions) I know it might sound ridiculous but like I said, I just want to make sure I am following this diet as strictly as I can :)

Here's the deal: None of us want to say it, but the truth is, some of the more couterintuitive things your coach has told you may not be strictly true for everyone. The cooked onions thing may not be that important, as well as the no aspartame thing. But everyone is different, and I think that as close as you can follow to his/her advice is preferable, especially in the first crucial weeks. So try that...but in the 3rd or 4th week, if you can wait that long, take an hour to read ALL the posts from Oct, Nov., Dec.,...we have all asked the same questions, and tried different alterations to what we were told. You'll find the right balance. We ALL have, without exception.

The one thing I would question, though, is that you are having a rough time after the initial week. Maybe you could write down your daily intake for this forum. There may be hidden carbs, like in chewing gum or something, that is keeping you from experiencing the full benefits of ketosis, the best one being NO APPETITE. Even for those of us who eat when we aren't hungry. Your appetite should be kaput....so think about it. Also your headaches should be over by now. OK, let us know. Good luck!










Good luck to you...

I think as far as the onions go, it's more a "don't saute them," because then they caramelize. I still throw them into soups and let them cook in liquid. I was told that chicken stock is okay, but that is something you want to use in moderation since it can be high calorie. And depending on the veggies, it's okay to go overboard, especially in your first few weeks. The main this is, make this diet work for you, otherwise you'll have a lot more trouble staying on it!

My first cycle on IP was heavier than usual the next one was lighter and shorter than usual by quite a bit.

I've decided to try at least a week to do no restricted IP to see how much of a difference it will make. I really enjoy the crepes and chocolate pancakes, but if I can be done faster, it will be worth it.

Hello All! Just want to make my first post...starting the program tomarrow. Went to an amazing meeting tonight about the program and got so excited I just couldn't wait any longer. I have been researching it since about October/November and watching others and was impressed.

I have similar weight loss stories as just about everyone who has ever struggled their weight and look forward to trying something again. My last effective plan was W.W., but for many reasons found it just didn't work for me (I won't bother explaining here).

My goal right now is to lose 80lbs, however it seems like a weight goal may not be the way to look at this program....or "protocol" as they were calling it tonight. My ultimate goal is to feel good in my skin...clothed or naked. I am not sure I care what the scale says. Goodbye FAT!

Looking forward to wearing some old/new clothes hiding in the closet!

Welcome Emichelle and Commited! I too am just beginning this journey. Today is day four for me and I am loving it! Thought drinking all the water would be a problem, but when I counted yesterday's intake I was at 164 oz! No wonder I have been running to the ladies room every five minutes! :)
Kris

Can anyone help? I am unsure why it is a requirement to eat salt everyday on the IP plan. I always thought that salt made you retain water which equals #'s on the scale. Confused.

We need some salt for normal body function. I assume that salt is required because of the amounts in the products (low?), and the increase in water intake. Here is a quote from Wikipedia:
"Sodium is one of the primary electrolytes in the body. All four cationic electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) are available in unrefined salt, as are other vital minerals needed for optimal bodily function. Too much or too little salt in the diet can lead to muscle cramps, dizziness, or electrolyte disturbance, which can cause neurological problems, or be fatal.[39] Drinking too much water, with insufficient salt intake, puts a person at risk of water intoxication (hyponatremia). Salt is sometimes used as a health aid, such as in treatment of dysautonomia.[40]

Long term high levels of salt intake is associated with increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.[41] However, some scientists believe that excess salt intake has no significant role in hypertension and coronary heart disease, as adults' kidneys are able to remove excess salt.[42] It is now also believed that excess salt consumption is not linked to exercise-induced asthma.[43]"

My experience with mentalpause (LOL) was a sudden onset like you have described. This has been going on for over 2.5 years for me now. All of a sudden no periods for 2-3 months, lots of night sweats etc. Then I would get a mild to no period (a little spotting) and then go for another period of time with nothing (sometimes up to 5 months) and then the spotting thing or sometimes a normal period which would start the whole counting thing over again (12 months with no periods to get through mentalpause). I found that the longer I went with no period my night sweats etc. seemed to start to even themselves out and then I would get a sort-of period or a few months of full periods and everything would start over again with a vengence!!! I was not on IP at this time. I am now 6 months with no period or spotting (please cross your fingers for me that this continues) and found that while on IP my hot flashes, night sweats etc seemed to be much better than before. I have found unfortunatly that during the last month things have picked up again and that may be from going off IP for the few weeks of the holidays but then again who knows for sure? I used to use Silk soy milk for my tea etc but stopped about a year ago. Did not seem to make a difference either way.
I have been told to watch my intake of certain things that trigger hot flashes etc. such as alcohol, caffeine, hot drinks of any kind, to name a few. Good luck with this, you are not alone.

I broke my "emotional" weight aka plateau
 

How I did it:

Yesterday I had 4 packages of IP (2 restricted) and ate salad and veggies all day. I took one bite of someone's lasagna at work (I'm human.) I drank so much water that my pee turned as clear as water.

So this morning I weighed 182 point something! That is less than I have weighed in 25 years!

Body image: I finally took a good look in the mirror yesterday morning before getting dressed. I "saw" my small waist, my collarbones, my thinner legs, my thinner neck, my less round face and of course that "flat butt" (well, there's still something there but what a difference!)

I agree that I look and feel smaller and better than I did at the same wt. and size in the past. My body has "shaped itself" around my muscles. I have thigh muscles that I didn't know existed!

Re: eating non-IP foods. I am the poster who has several siblings on IP.
The original IP losers in my family are my brother and sister-in-law. My brother lost 90 pounds and my sister-in-law lost 50 pounds (size 10 jeans, last I heard) since April 09. They have been in maintenance for over 6 months. They have not gained any weight back which is amazing to me. They have things like lasagna, risotto, cheesy soups, drink red wine and share a dessert whenever they go out to restaurants which I think is about once a week. Then the next day they "cut back" and have an "IP day." I do know that they don't eat bread. My sis-in-law told me that her portions are a lot smaller than before because she gets full so easily. I was with them at a BBQ party last year (before I started IP) and we were served brisket sandwiches. They quietly removed the bread and ate the brisket with a fork.
So there is hope for a somewhat "normal" life on maintenance as long as we know we can NEVER go back to pigging out on carbs on a daily basis.

My brother told me that he is so surprised not to be gaining any weight back now that he is eating carbs again.

We concluded that IP really does change your metabolism by "healing" the liver and pancreas. Our poor livers and pancreases have been overloaded for years trying to handle all the sugar we have been sending down the gut to them! We are giving them a "break" and a chance to become "normal" by sending down only good quality proteins and healthy greens and flushing them with water instead of sugary drinks (juice is high fructose, folks!)

Re: menopause. It was a wild and crazy ride and I'm glad it's over and now a distant memory (like a bad, bad boyfriend LOL)

Going out of town for a few days to visit my boyfriend's family. They haven't seen me since I lost 28 pounds! Will report back upon return.

Have a great week!

P.S. I, also, might change my goal wt. to 165 instead of 153 which would be at the top end of my BMI range.

Hey, if I look and feel this good now, 20 more pounds will be "the bomb!"

PSS I just heard that my niece has lost 52 pounds on IP since September 09.

This diet works! Yay!

This is absolutely correct. Your body does require a certain amount of sodium and other minerals to be able to properly function, and you just don't get that on this diet. That's also why it's so important to take the Ca/Mg and K/Ca supplements... too little potassium and first your muscles will cramp up, keep it up and eventually your heart might fail. Calcium is important if you're at risk for osteoporosis, because if you don't have enough of that in your blood stream, your body will take it out of your bones, making them weaker. Interestingly enough, more energy is spent maintaining the electrolyte gradients in your cells than any other process in your body.

"One more thing" (like Columbo, the TV detective):

I have been watching slender people to see how they "live and move" in their bodies. I am starting to identify myself with them instead of with the bigger folks. Slender people get up from their chairs so easily.
Their clothes fit them so well. They (mostly) look younger than their age.

I realize that I used to "stare" at overweight people and notice how "big" they were, especially their butts. I think I was comparing them to myself to feel "better" about not being that big.

Now I am more interested in the slender people which I think is a good thing.
Comments appreciated.

A note on BMI...

I think people take it waaay too seriously. Calculating your body mass index only looks at your height and weight, nothing about build, musculature, bone structure, etc. My fiance is a little overweight, but he's pretty athletic and broad shouldered, and if he were the weight suggested by BMI, he'd be positively skeletal. BMI was devised by a Belgian mathematician in the 1800's as a social measure on the relative heights and weights of different economic classes.

In other words... finding out your percent body fat is much more productive than just going by your BMI.

Thanks Elisha! I didn't know that some social snob had devised BMI! Ha-ha. So we must be in the royal class because we are affluent enough to eat well?

I would love to have my body fat percentage measured by the water method. All I have is a scale with body fat percentage that is very questionable at best. I should be a puddle on the floor according to that number :?: