Great Idea! I've been kicking that thought around in my mind for awhile and now I think I'll try it! I already have some Now whey protein isolate that I make my husband his morning protein shake with. Unfortunately, it's unflavored. Maybe I could some of those divinchi (spelling?) coffee flavorings? Or just buy my own chocolate like yours. I've had trouble finding whey I like the taste of in the past.

Hi, Tricia, you might like the olive oil and vinegar better if you add a teaspoon of water, a shake of sweet basil, and a sprinkle of stevia to cut the sour taste. I do this for one of my salads every day in order to get in my olive oil.

Just had weekly weigh in. Lost 2.2 pounds. I knew it wasn't going to be as much this week. I struggled drinking all the water and forgot to take third protein pack twice.
This is motivating though to get back on track 100%. I love to read about everyone successes. I think I am becoming a 3fc addict also.
Getting ready to go shopping and am going to use everyone's ideas for meals for the whole family instead of one for them and one for me. Thanks for the help.

I did add splenda today but I love basil so I will try that too and the water. Thanks for the suggestion. Now I need a butter substitute for eating a lobster tail.
I hope I stay as motivated as I am on day 2. Diet seems easy and just made for me. I thought there would be serious sugar withdrawal but unless it is yet to come, I am really very good. No headaches, nothing. Maybe a bit more tired but just a bit. Why didn't I find this diet sooner???
Guess I am just happy to have found it at all!

I asked my dr. if the soy cheese was okay to use as a sub. for one of your veggies. She said that she would find out from the i.p. people and let me know on Monday when I go for my third weigh in. I'll post what I find out.

thanks so much! hopefully I'll have better luck finding them w/ a name brand

Weight Loss
 

Double check the vegetables you are eating - try to avoid the restricted - thus keeping with the lower carb intake. Also watch your carbs on the IP packets. Remember as a rule, guys have a higher metabolism and can burn the pounds faster.

For your friend, lots of variables. Did she start at the same time? Is she getting enough water and grape seed oil? What is she eating for her evening protein? Remember lettuce is an unlimited vege. She also may just need a little more protein. On this forum lots of us agree it would be better to eat a little extra protein rather than cheat and eat something on the forbidden list. Please tell her to hang strong. When I've been flat - especially for the meal I am just to have an IP protein - I've thrown a boiled egg with my oil and salt on my salad and that seems to help. Also may want to sip on hot herbal tea...

Best of luck to you. Hang in there - 12.5 by your 3rd weigh-in is AWESOME.:carrot:

You are drinking a LOT of water. Are you sure you are getting enough salt? I know on other low carb diets they say to eat a little something like cottage cheese (just a couple bites). I think it is the carbs needed to supply glucose to the brain....but cottage cheese is also an excellent source of protein. I got lightheaded once when I forgot my salt, took some table salt and some alka seltzer (high in sodium) and felt fine. How much salt are you taking every day? And is it natural sea salt?

Wouldn't it be funny if you took a can of PAM butter flavored spray and just whipped it out at the restaurant? OK, bad idea, but I've been using Molly McButter on my veggies and oatmeal. Or if you want to have a liquid to dip into with a squeeze of lemon, I think they still make Butter buds, which is a powder that comes in a packet. You mix it with water. Happy Valentines day!

Almost forgot.....Congrats Canada on the Olympics. I love the Winter games.

Yeah. What she said. With that much water, you should be eating extra salt. The extra potassium is good, but you need more iodine. Good luck.

Muscle cramps
 

Has anyone ever woke up with muscle cramps in your legs - kinda felt like a "charlie horse" kind of cramp in the calf of my leg this morning.

I get cramps in my abdominal muscles but not enough to wake me up at night - my husband has leg cramps that wake him up. The Dr. told him he needed more water so if he drinks a glass of water quickly they go away within a few minutes.

Well, I think it tastes great, and the 4 or 5 people I have recommended it to in the past think it tastes great. The isolate tastes better than the non-isolate. (My sister-in-law agrees.) They both taste better if blended in a blender.

I mentioned this particular brand as an example of protein powder with a good nutritional profile that I think tastes good. I'm sure there are lots of good protein powders out there, though. (Oh. By the way. Forgot to mention earlier that this one also does not contain Aspartame.)

Hope you like it! Let me know.

cramping means you need to up your potassium for a few days

Hello Ms. 20 Questions! Nope, I have never been to a coach and have never done IP officially... 'cause I'm tight. My sister-in-law did IP last summer on the advice of her doctor and lost a ton of weight. That's when I started investigating it to find out exactly what it was and how it worked. It looked to me like I could do it just fine on my own. I have tried several of the products (either purchased from Matol, or ordered by my SIL through her doctor), but I'm not overly impressed with them. I'm not opposed to them, by any means, and I'm glad that they are available. I do use the soups occasionally -- maybe 3 times a week. It's just that I don't see a reason why I need to use too much of them.

As for your question about my results, well I am not an expert with this diet, nor have I done it a lot. I don't have the interest or the self discipline to use such a strict diet for too long. Also, I am not 100% convinced that it's healthy to be on something this strict for too long. So I alternate it with my regular diet which is much easier, more balanced, and still works. Doing the alternating thing I lost 37 lbs last year from April - September. Then, was an idiot and gained a bunch back. (By the way, the weight does not automatically come back after this diet.) I want to be down to 160ish by my 50th birthday in September, so I have just started a 21 day stint with this diet to give me a bit of a jump start. Not only does losing a lot of weight fast feel really encouraging and motivating, but then it makes my other diet feel extra easy.

As for a journal of my foods, well, yesterday I had a Prolab chocolate protein shake for breakfast; decaf coffee throughout the morning; mushroom/spinach omelet and salad with Walden Farms dressing for lunch; zero carb broth throughout the day; a veggie stir fry with vegetable protein (I'm a vegetarian) for dinner; and another chocolate shake right before bed. That's 793 cals, 34 g carbs, 13 g fiber, and 25 g fat. I am also sure to take additional supplements. When I eat like this I DO lose weight fast -- about as the same rate as every one else here. Also, I'm not hungry. If I ate more carbs (like those IP bars!) I'd probably be ravenous. But not when I just eat protein and veggies.