O.K. I went grocery shopping again - OgDog13 you had mentioned using eggs instead of buying the ones from IP -it got me checking things out.

I bought two packages of those liquid egg cartons. one is an original flavor and cost 1.50 the other is egg whites and cost 2.29 - they are both 500g or 2 cups each. of course there are other flavors like south west and so on. i just wanted to buy a couple and take them home to compare to the IP scrambled eggs - which cost 3.86 and makes approx a 1/2 cup serving (add 4 oz of water).

here's the basic nutritional info for 1/2 cup of each product (hope my table works out):
IP eggs/Egg white/original creations
Calories 100/ 60/ 60
Fat(g) .7/ 0/ 0
cholesterol mg 1/ 0/ 0
carbs g 3/ 0 / 2
sugars 0/ 0 / 0
Protein g 20/ 14/ 14 g
Cost (for 1/2 cup) $3.86/ .70/ .38

so someone tell me - why aren't we just eating these products? If we're worried about getting enough protein - we could even have 3/4 of a cup of these liquid eggs and we'd get 90 calories and 21 g of protein and a max of 3 carbs.

That's quite interesting. I wonder what other foods may be comparable that we could use. Thanks for sharing this information!!
Elishatamar...you looked good before but you look great now!!

I do.

When dieting, I buy Egg Beaters in bulk from Costco and use them for lots of things. Healthy, good for our diet, and affordable. I also use whole eggs and egg whites a lot. Tons cheaper than IP eggs.

Thanks for the welcome, toomanycats!

Ya know, every time I see your name I think "not possible".... to have too many cats.

I have to agree Elishatmar, you look great!! Congratulations on all your hard work!!! Great pics of the dogs too!!!

I have been using the egg whites and the "fake eggs" since I have been on maintenance and have them probably 3-4 times a week for breakfast. Costco is the cheapest place in Canada that I have found for both products.
Today I am trying my own type of pudding. I made up a batch of fat free, sugar free, jello instant pudding with skim milk and before eating it I am going to add one scoop of low carb, etc protein powder. I will let you know how it turns out.

I have to admit it was easier on the diet because everything was so black and white. I have gone through a few stages since being on maintenance... eating everything in sight, eating all the sweets I want, being very strict, etc. I still manage to watch portion control...for the most part... and have slowly come back to a reality that I think I can live with and follow for a long long time. Exercise is a big part of the whole package to be able to keep up what I have accomplished and to continue to aid with the "jiggly bits" that I have left.

Best of luck to everyone, got to run!!!!

For some reason I keep thinking the 22nd is Torcklaker's b-day but just in case I am wrong

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

Oh yeah on the eggs people!! I have a cup of egg whites every morning with some differnt herbs to spice things up as my breakfast. I save $28 a week there!!! Sorry, but IP eggs aren't that special. Otherwise, yes, you can make your own shake with whey protein. I do. Again, I add in sugar free jello pudding for a richer shake, and it adds about 3-4 more grams of carbs, but it tastes great, is satisfying and again saves me another $28 a week.

Thanks everyone for the compliments. :-) A ton of people at school have been noticing, too, which feels really good. Yesterday I tried on some two piece swimsuits, and actually didn't hate the way I looked in a bikini. I just need to tone up for summer now. Burt's Bees has some products geared towards new moms to help improve their skin elasticity and get rid of stretch marks, but they can be a little expensive. I like them because the first ingredient in them isn't water! I've been using the oil, it's probably not as good as the body butter but it's waaaay more affordable for the surface area I'm covering. I'll let y'all know how that works out.

And I think the deal with the eggs is that the IP ones are flavored and have a suggestion of bell peppers in them, I'm probably going to pick up some egg whites and use those as soon as I run out of the IP eggs.

Oh you all are so great. I love reading your posts. Where are Torchlaker, Mirazon and MeghanO?

Ottawa: your style of eating sounds like mine for the past few weeks. Except that you've reached your goal and I haven't. Could it be we're like a pendulum trying to find our center?

I did do a little research on "plateaus" and it is very interesting to realize that our bodies have a "set point" where they like to "hang out" for awhile.
And if we've been at a certain weight for more than a week it is considered a plateau. The only way to break a plateau is to "shake" things up. Do something way different from before. Like add exercise, eat a lot more salad or drink a lot more water. Or take a one day break from low carbs (carb cycling) and go right back to low carb the next day.

I don't think we will ever know exactly how our bodies function from minute to minute at the cellular/DNA level but we have come a long way.

Cost: I am done with ordering most IP products except for the pre-made vanilla shakes and bars (the caramel chocolate ones taste like Snickers bars) which save my diet on my 12 hour shifts at work. I have my protein powder, my eggs, my chicken breasts, my Canadian bacon (hi Ottawa and Manitoba.)

And thanks to Ogdog for all the pudding and shake recipes on the recipe thread.

But if we start substituting it won't be so "black and white" anymore, huh?

It requires a bit more planning. I still have lot of IP packages left so I don't have to think about it for awhile.

Elisha: I've been wanting to ask: do you dance? I love to dance and have taken 2 years of Salsa dance lessons in the past.

Amen on the plateaus. I've always had 2 weights that my body fights tooth and nail to hang out at. 155 and 150. I was stuck at 154-55, but mostly because I was always blowing my diet. Now, even though I'm being a good girl, I've been stuck at 151-52 for about 10 days. Maybe I should try carb cycling for 3-4 days.

Echobaby, wouldn't you love to be under 150? That's how I feel about being under 180. I was at 178 for one whole day right before I went to Texas.

If I were you, I would increase the water and start eating a big salad with olive oil dressing at night followed by a big pudding. That is what helps me lose 1 or 2 pounds overnight. My coach (sister in law) says there's something about eating a pudding at night that makes a difference.

Eat pudding at night huh? NP.

Regarding a little more planning. Come on y'all, a little more planning now makes Phase 2 and Phase 3 and Maintenance even easier when we get to them!! A little more thought now will save us quite a bit in the future!!

I think there is an awful lot to what Lilita said. In fact, Wendy Chant's "Fat Loss Code" diet is based on shaking things up.

Shaking things up when our body adapts (and plateaus) is another reason why I think it's good to alternate the IP diet with other diets.

I just cheated and had 4 chocolate covered cherries from italy. Bad, bad, bad. But what a stressful day at work and man if chocolate doesn't help!!

People, the cost alone for the same/similar products is enough reason to shake things up and try some diversity with other products. If we find we aren't losing we can go right back on to just IP again. I think we will still lose though.

anybody tried the "cheesecake" from Lindora yet?