[Ogdog13]

Wow - if we can use an egg substitute and get the same amount of protein as the omelet packet I would be floored! I would love to know if this is possible. Although I don't know how we would match the soy protein content.[/QUOTE]

The protein, calories and carbs are almost identical. Birman has the stats out there somewhere, try the alternative posts for last month and the regular posts for last month.

[Boydsbearskd]

Lunch is over and time to get back to work keep up all the work ladys : )

[HopefulTricia]

Originally Posted by ChelleFL

Yes, I still have my thyroid gland. I have my blood work checked regularly and will be having it done again the end of this week. I'm on 100mcg of Synthroid and 25mcg of Cytomel. Gradually went up with both and just got to the 25mcg 3 weeks ago. I think it helps. Feel ok so far, not hyper.

Anyone else out there on Thyroid meds???

Guys lose so much faster!

I take 90 Armour but no Cytomel now. I did take it for a number of years. It would be so great to heal my thyroid!
Right now I just feel better and lighter and so optimistic for the future. While I really miss some foods, what I was eating made me feel awful a lot of the time. I don't want to feel that way anymore. I have just done blood work and will do it again in another month or two. I know losing weight can really affect the thyroid meds. My doc has that scale that tells your fat loss. I was there this morning. 15 pounds lost in 2 weeks 4 days and 8 pounds of fat. What is more motivating than that?

[ckanable]

Thanks Ogdog13! I will do just that.

[brenda1980]

Originally Posted by Ogdog13

Okay, that isn't good. Have you called your coach about this?? Definitely call your coach. What have you eaten that hasn't given you a rash so we can possibly narrow down the ingredient(s)?

Ogdog- I think I have it narrowed down to the Banana Pudding and Pina Colada that ARE causing it. Nothing else seems to be the culprit. It's hard, because all of the ingredients are essentially the same with the exception of "natural flavor," which could be about anything. Grrrrr. My mom is allergic to whey protein isolates, but I would think that if THAT was the issue then all of them would be making me rashy. I'll either suffer through the itching or stick solely to chocolate drink. Sigh.

[FTLMIKE]

Originally Posted by skittlescda

FTLMIKE - Can I ask what you meant when you talked about the ridges and weight going down? Do you mean that you stopped eating them or added them once per day? In 5 weeks you have done very well...congratulations!!

ChelleFL and ckanable - do you eat restricted items? I agree ckanable....I couldn't eat the soup if I didn't put sauteed veggies in it. Mushrooms and green peppers are good. I usually cook up a batch every few days and add the veggies to the omelettes, soups, chili and spaghetti.

Someone a few days ago mentioned that they used the egg whites and egg mixtures in the cartons, I bought some today and will try them tomorrow. Can anyone tell me what the quantity would be to match the IP omelette?

Today I'm starting day 1 of week 5 and have my weigh in later today.

For the first three weeks of the diet I did not have any restricted foods at all and was averaging 5 - 7 lbs a week. Starting in week 4 we added the ridges to our diet and had them every night, and I have seen my weight loss slow down since that change. So this week I am going to try to only have them once and see if it leads to more weight loss.

[Ogdog13]

Originally Posted by brenda1980

Ogdog- I think I have it narrowed down to the Banana Pudding and Pina Colada that ARE causing it. Nothing else seems to be the culprit. It's hard, because all of the ingredients are essentially the same with the exception of "natural flavor," which could be about anything. Grrrrr. My mom is allergic to whey protein isolates, but I would think that if THAT was the issue then all of them would be making me rashy. I'll either suffer through the itching or stick solely to chocolate drink. Sigh.

Brenda, don't forget that you can get vanilla and add flavors to it...orange, pinepple, etc. And consider taking the butterscotch pudding and adding some more water to it to make a nice thick shake. That way you aren't having the same chocolate over and over again.

[Sarkbait]

Originally Posted by ckanable

I would try to mix in some steamed zuccini and/or yellow squash. I also love broccolini - it is chinese broccoli (sometimes called baby broccoli) and it is a little sweeter than broccoli and gets nice and crispy if you sautee it with a bunch of garlic and some olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.

I've been eating my sauteed asparagus with garlic and some spicy mustard (kind of makes a sauce - I add it after the asparagus is cooked and let is simmer for a couple minutes).

I've also been adding vegetables to my soups. I add sauteed mushrooms and garlic to the mushroom soup and sauteed bok choy, garlic, and mushrooms to the leek soup. I think someone had a great idea of splitting up the protein between lunch and dinner - I personally like having a meal to look forward to that doesn't involve an IP product at the end of the day.

I thought squash was a not permitted food?

[denialdoesntwork]

WOW! Just checking in and seeing all the amazing weight loss on this board. I wonder if we added up everyone's losses per week how much it would be? AMAZING is what it is to me. So glad that everyone here is supportive and helpful. Truly an amazing group of people.

I have been on the diet 2 1/2 weeks and can tell you I already notice my clothes fitting so much better, pants are looser, etc. That alone speaks volumes besides weight loss.

Congratulations everyone!

[ckanable]

Zucchini is permitted and is in fact squash - it is actually summer squash and so is the yellow (crookneck) squash that is usually right next to the zucchini at the grocery store. But the yellow squash does have more carbs than zucchini. Hope this is helpful

[Ogdog13]

Originally Posted by Sarkbait

I thought squash was a not permitted food?

??? Summer squash has about the same amount of carbs as zuchinni. It is acorn, spaghetti and butternut that has really high carbs.

[alihal]

Is anybody exercising while on IP? I know we aren't supposed to at first, but I was wondering if anybody thought it was helping/hurting weight loss.

[Ogdog13]

Originally Posted by alihal

Is anybody exercising while on IP? I know we aren't supposed to at first, but I was wondering if anybody thought it was helping/hurting weight loss.

I believe it is okay if you add an extra packet in to be eaten right after you work out. Anyone??? I remember seeing it in last month's posts. Try looking there.

[brenda1980]

Originally Posted by Ogdog13

I believe it is okay if you add an extra packet in to be eaten right after you work out. Anyone??? I remember seeing it in last month's posts. Try looking there.

Exercise is good, BUT you have to make sure you're adding an extra packet on days where you workout. You need to do that 1.) to replace the protein that you are going to burn so you don't force your body to deplete your muscles and 2.) so you don't lead your body into thinking you are starving it, thus making it try to hold on to it's current fat stores.

I've been doing about 2-3 times per week weights or swimming. I cut back on my running/heavy cardio for this diet and because of a pulled groin. I have lost 5lbs each week, and hoping for a third 5lb week when I weigh in tomorrow night, so I don't think it's slowed me down any on weight loss, and it keeps me from going insane from inactivity (I've always been very active and it helps my mood, so didn't want to give it up completely). Here is a weight-lifting carrot to get you motivated.

[Birman]

Originally Posted by ckanable

Wow - if we can use an egg substitute and get the same amount of protein as the omelet packet I would be floored! I would love to know if this is possible. Although I don't know how we would match the soy protein content.

You would use 3/4 cup, or slightly more, of an egg substitute (i.e. egg whites) to match the protein and calorie content of the IP omelette.



To my knowledge, you don't need to match the soy protein content, per se. For that matter, the main protein ingredient in the IP omelette is egg white anyway.

There are lots of ways to use egg substitute. My favorite way is to mix veggies like spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, etc with lots of spices, throw them into pie dish, pour egg substitute over top, and bake it. This keeps well -- even frozen. I make up a bunch of these at a time and store meal sized wedges in smaller containers. Then, whenever I want something healthy and easy that's on my diet, I can just take one of these out the fridge or freezer and microwave it. This is one of my main staples.

If I am making some of these up at the same time for others not on the diet, I add more whole eggs to theirs, and sometimes put cheese on top of theirs. My whole family enjoys this. (Note: We are allowed 2 whole eggs per day as our dinner protein portion, so you can put whole eggs in yours as well. Just keep an eye on your overall fat level. Each whole egg has 5 grams of fat -- about the same amount as a teaspoon of olive oil).