Thanks everyone for all your kind words and encouragement. It feels great to have a good first weight loss as it keeps you motivated and makes you a true beleiver as in the begining it seems to good to be true

The syrups are Walden Farms products and can be found anywhere they sell WF. They are truly amazing! I buy plain IP soynuts from my coach, but have also bought some real, plain from the nutrition store. My coach is not sure if they are compliant or not so will have to wait until she hears back from the doc to see if I can continue using them!!

Welcome to all the newcomers! I am sure you will love this forum as much as do! Beware though - it is very addictive!!!

Congrats to everyone on their weigh-ins! There are some serious pounds being lost around here! Give yourselves all a great big pat on the back!
Keep up the good fight everyone!

Having some issues this week? Not sure why, but I am very hungry for some reason? Im drinking all my water, eating my vegetables, and having my 3 packets. Not sure what is going on, but i feel this could be a bad week?

bwahahahahaahahaha! Oh thank you Lilita for the best laugh I have had in a long time! Still wiping the tears! lol!!

So happy for you Jordanna! Enjoy your time with your hubby and the extra help around the house while he is home!

SylvieG - Your stats are amazing!!! I am also 5'3 and started at 226. I am very inspired by your results. You're almost there. Keep it up!!

Hey Mystical Mamma - Congrats on the loss and hitting 30 lbs!! I'm hoping to get there this week too! My weigh in isn't until Sunday but as of this morning I only have .9 lbs to get there so I hope it happens!! I would proudly say I'd lost the amount of cheese an average American eats in a year!

Today my husband told me to find a babysitter because he needs to take his hot wife out on a date!

I was having the same problem - as were lots of others. It's weird how much time you either think about or try to "go". I think i've figured out the problem. I was taking my 4 ca/mg tablets every day and just the other day checked the ca levels in my IP foods. I usually have a pudding every night for a snack - either as a pudding or with extra water as a drink. when i checked, the ca levels in the chocolate pudding are 263% of your daily ca requirement and the vanilla is also well over 100%. Other IP foods are low. Because I'm getting well over the requirment with the IP foods i'm having (chocolate and vanilla puddings) I have decided to skip my ca supplements. Every thing is moving again and no problems at all anymore. I talked with my counsellor about this strategy and she's headed to a big conference and is going to ask.

Awesome! Congratulations!

Mystical Mamma - Congratulations on losing the average amount of cheese consumed by an American in a year! 30 pounds gone, wow!!! Thanks for the answer about the syrups- I gotta find those. I like soynuts, so I'll be waiting to hear what your coach says.

Jordanna - congratulations! Did you really think your hubby wouldn't notice? He sounds like a wonderful guy.

Had my weigh-in yesterday and I lost 2.2 pounds. The girl at the clinic was concerned that it wasn't the average of 3-5 pounds/wk, and asked me if I have been "going" every day as normal. So Lilita175, apparently you aren't the only one who thinks that weight deviations are related to pooping! Hahahaaa. I was a bit bummed about "only" losing 2.2 pounds, but it takes 7,700 calories to lose 2 pounds. I'm following the phase 1 sheet so I consider the whole thing a success.

Regarding restricted- I haven't been eating any restricted items, except for 2x during the first week. I just bought some caramel nut bars since I've been craving chocolate and had one last night. They weren't as good as I expected. Tastes like an normal protein bar. I had this idealized vision that it would be so delicious. I'd like to hear from those who are eating restricted items every day. It's part of the protocol after the first 2-3 weeks, so you'd think the diet would work just fine by including them.

Started IP Jan 25
Week 1 -6.4 pounds (I had 2 restricted items that week)
Week 2 -3.6 pounds
Week 3 -4.2 pounds
Week 4 -2.2 pounds

I think it was probably just my own insecurities of having SO MUCH to lose that made me think 27 lbs was a drop in the bucket....plus sometimes men just don't notice stuff....but of course he did!

My husband is a wonderful guy, I've known him since I was 5 and when I was 18 I told my best friend I was going to marry him one day, we got together on my 23rd birthday - we've been together for 8 years and on April 27th we will have been married for 5 And I count my blessings everyday that I have him by my side, I'm a lucky girl

Ok, Novak- you've put together such a rousing and emotional defense of Leek Soup that it brought a tear to my eye! I think OgDog has some that she was willing to send me, but since you are clearly more of a fan (I merely tolerate it), I think it should go to you instead.

Ha! You are too kind...