IP Chat - Week of March 29th - April 4th
 

Hope I am doing this correctly. New week...new thread :)

Collagen Packages
 

Originally Posted by BevS
Thanks, Uvettee, mine weren't color coded so that makes things clearer. Also, having the jello or pomegranate drink every 3rd day must be something new cause I was told to do one every day to avoid loose skin. Although I admit I haven't done so--they're not among my favorites.

Does anyone know if there's a certain amount of carbs in an item before it's considered restricted. I'm wondering because I use some low-carb alternatives to IP. Also, do any of you count net carbs instead of total carbs? I know this isn't part of IP's protocol. Just wondering.
BevS: My coach said they had just recently changed the guideline for that. We were interrupted and so I never thought to ask. But am going to ask tomorrow why not everyday... End quote

My Coach went to a big IP conference in California a couple of weeks ago. That was my question that I wanted her to ask. She said that a lot of coaches had that same question. They were told that the collagen packets should be taken a few times a week, but everyday would be optimum. So, being the 'more is better' type of person I am, I asked if 2 packets a day would help my skin even more. She said she didn't know.

I will say, however, that I think the the last two weeks (when my loss was a little less than before) my skin tightened up in my legs. I had lost so fast the first two weeks that they were looking jiggly and mooshy.

Happy Monday everybody!

ckanable - I am in week 3. I've lost 10lbs, pretty much all in the hips :) You are doing fantastic though!!!:carrot:

MuayThaiGoddess, Sgt Sparkles:D, and others - I struggle with depression too. This diet makes me feel a million times better (most of the time). The first week I started to have a meltdown and called my doc. He called the top IP physician and word came back that it was likely sodium deficiency that is the cause. So I've been adding extra salt to everything and the symptoms have been mostly at bay - I find I need a lot of extra salt if I have a really physically demanding day. Saturday I did the National Walk for Epilepsy and Sunday I was pretty moody but lots of extra salt on Sunday and I was back to normal. So maybe that's something you can add to your arsenals?

Birman - That is so great about the Wii!! I would love to have a family like that. I told my dad what I was doing and how great I felt, he just changed the subject. haha that is so typical of him.

ohbrandi - It's so great that your husband is so supportive. I think we put the men in our lives in a tough spot sometimes. They love us they think we are beautiful but we don't agree. They don't want us to feel that they don't think we are beautiful so they sometimes aren't the most supportive. Its great that after you talked to him about it he's helping you stay on plan. He sounds like a great guy.

sophie32 - Its 5oz of meat or 7oz of fish measured pre-cooking.

Jordanna - Thank you for the recipe! I love sharing recipes. I figure half the battle of this diet is to teach us how we are supposed to eat for the rest of our lives. We should be eating meat and veggies with a side of starch once we are in maintenance rather than going back to starch being the predominant ingredient. The more variety and options we have the easier it will be to change those habits.

MuayThaiGoddess - Have you tried your ISOPURE yet? Let us know how it tastes! I have been reading body builder reviews. Some of the body builders say it tastes great, others say its horrible, but most just say "man up you sissy its protein" hahaha!! :joker: But since we can't add fruit or mix it with milk I'd like to hear your opinion.

ISOPure looks really good nutritionally and $$$-lly.

The Zero Carb Powders have~
210 Calories
0g Total Carbs
50g Protein

Each 3lb canister has 21 servings. But based on that nutritional profile you'd only need 1/2 a serving to adequately replace IP. I'm seeing these at the Vitamin Shoppe website for ~$35/canister (or $0.83/"meal"). It looks like they also sell it in larger containers.

$0.83 is quite a difference from $4. Maybe I'll take the bodybuilder's advice and just suck it up and try it.

Good morning! I love the story about communion! I went through the same thoughts and I decided it was silly not to take communion! After all, God is in control :) Hope everyone is having a blessed week and is reminded of Christ's sacrifice on the cross on our behalf!

I had my week 5 weigh in yesterday and I was down 5lbs and 2 inches this week! This is such an encouragement after going off the plan during my vacation last week - back in full force :)

RedMonkey - thanks for the encouragement! I was in the same place during week 3 - you will get there :)

Trying to weigh less than my hubby
 

So I am sitting here drinking my morning cup of coffee :coffee: and wondering if anyone else has a goal of weighing less than their spouse?

I don't know about the rest of the ladies out there, but once I got to the point where I weighed more than my husband (and he is taller than me) I stopped telling him how much I weighed. Now I can't stop telling him even if I do still weigh more than him! He has been incredibly supportive and thinks it's great that my next goal is to weigh less than him. :val2:

Funny thing is - he keeps losing weight! :dizzy: Since I got a new scale and have been on IP he has been checking his weight often and making sure that he stays within his 158-161lb range that he is comfortable with. But lately he's just stayed at the bottom of that range when I thought for sure that I would weigh less than him at 165! It is so hard to weigh less than he does when he is losing weight!!! But alas, I am proud of him and glad that he is keeping tabs in his weight (even though he is in great shape anyway).

Good morning IP friends,
I had a NSV at my SIL's yesterday, she had prime rib, I took the very center piece, and before she cooked the asparagus and greenbeans all in oil, I pulled some out for me to steam in the micro and passed in the homemade bread and strawberry shortcake! (I brought my own salad) I was down this AM on the scale so I'm glad I didn't "taste" anything. :carrot:

Re: the communion thing, I take the host, but don't do the wine (I never have as a communal cup just being wiped off skeeves me!) I'm with the majority, it's in God's hands! and I need all the help I can get!! :angel:

I will check back in later, I'm at work today. (work for my/with husband) :o

Congrats to all you losers this week!!!!
Julie

I love having a new thread each week. I had a terrible week and feel like Monday is a great day to start over and get back on track. Having a new thread makes it feel fresh and new.
I love hearing all the stories about husbands/significant others. I know I asked my husband to get on me if I cheat. Well, I did this week and when he gave me a little, very appropriate, grief about it, I burst into tears. He felt so bad. Oops. I know we put them in tough spots sometimes. I think maybe I should be figuring out rewards for him too as I reward myself for mini goals.

steelgal - We actually do little crackers and tiny individual communion cups with grape juice at my church. So glad we don't do the passing of the large cup - I totally agree!

newsiemom - It is funny how we ask our husbands to keep us on track and then we are upset when they do! During my first few days of the diet I told him my breath might be terrible and that he needed to tell me - so he did and I got mad at him! Silly I know. I'm just glad he told me and no one else smelled it first :) Don't worry about last week! Today is a new day and you are going to do fabulously!! :broc:

Good Morning all! Hope you had a great weekend. I am proud of you, Steelgal! You planned for staying on track and your willpower helped you! WOOHOO! Ckanable, I'm giggling because yes, that's one of my "secret" goals. I asked hubby what he weighed yesterday, then stopped him before he answered and said "you don't have to say if you don't want to." LOL!

Gosh, we didn't have communion yesterday at church...but I agree, it's in God's hands. I'm planning ahead for Easter dinner, trying to find out what my mom's menu plan is and what I can bring to have an IP meal for myself. If my sisters are all around, it will be hard for me to stay out of the candy etc. We have a tradition of mutiliating Peeps. I know, it's a little twisted, but it makes us giggle. I can mutilate this year but won't consume. *sigh* can you imagine what that little marshmallow, sugar covered peep would do to my system? I'd probably go into shock. Not worth it!

Happy Monday everyone, hope you have a great week.

Hockey Mom23 - :dust: against the peeps! My hubby loves those!! You would probably go into sugar overload! :D

The funniest thing. . . I saw sugar-free peeps at the store the other day. WHAT? How is that even possible? I found it funny and very amusing.

Yes I have a goal to weigh less than my husband also . He is in great shape because he is in the army and does physical training every morning . I am only 5 lbs from reaching that goal . Im sure Ill make that goal before he comes home from Iraq for his two weeks of leave . Can't wait for that day ! HAve a blessed week everyone and keep up the good work ! Your all so encouraging !

I'm new to this board. I was on IP for 3 wks, lost 15 lbs, 12inches. Ithought that was great but then got an abscessed tooth, put on antibiotics and they killed my stomach with so little in my stomach. So, one root canal and two weeks later, I plan on seeing my counselor on Fri. This week, I'm following the plan without the packets. My problem with the IP plan is one day a week while I'm on plan, I get so miserable with hunger and cravings that I just about give in and cheat. I somehow make it through and then everything is alright again til about a week later and the cravings start up again for 24 hrs. Is this normal with anyone else? just wondering......

ChelleFL - Forgot to comment on your other comments. Yes we did buy a lot of wine in Napa. Shipped from wineries or UPS store every day we were there. Most were cabs for my husband but I got 6+ sparklings too. Some day I will enjoy them!
About our similar start times, I started a little heavier than you so that could be why I have lost a pound or two more.
But my scale dance hasn't work yet. I am stuck for the moment. Staying calm and patient and thinking I should be careful about every bite- measure the 2 cups of veggies carefully. Avoid broccoli and cauliflower that I didn't even realize were higher in carbs. Keep avoiding restricted IPs and try to walk those 2 miles every day. (No I really haven't exercised enough-- some walking, a little Wii-- need to do more but don't have the energy) Trying to be patient. Sounds like you're doing really well!! Keep it up!

So funny that everyone is talking about communion. We also had it at church yesterday. I leaned over to my husband and said, "Oh, oh! This is carbs and fruit juice" I took it because its important to me:) The little wafer of bread tastes so horrible anyway that I knew it wouldn't make me crave more!!

It's getting harder and harder to hide the fact that I am doing this diet. I had my brother's birthday party last night and ate nothing but filled my water bottle 3x. I could see people's questioning looks. Tomorrow I have a lunch and dinner date!!!!! Oh what to do. I guess I will have to tell my lunch date that I can only have salad and explain why. I'm not ready to tell my dinner date:) Friday I will be in the same boat with a day date with my mom and lets not even get started on Easter:( I'll tackle that when it gets here.

Have a great week all you Ideal Protein Winners, or should I say Losers!!

http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/bar-pl...5/160/192/.png

HockeyMom23 - Oh, peeps. So glad I don't like them myself, but everyone else seems to love them. My sister does and whenever I see them I think of her. Hang in there and here's more : :dust:

newsiemom - What? Sugar-free peeps? What would they possibly be made of? Maybe aliens are invading and they are disguised as sugar-free peeps. Sorry, I'm having a strange day so far so I don't feel like that would be too far-fetched! :easter:

ckanable - No fair on your hubby losing weight! He's moving the goal posts on you! :D I think it's a good goal to have. You're doing great. :hug: I'll join you for coffee - it's one of my favorite things!
:coffee2: :cofdate: :coffee: Hope you enjoyed your morning cup of wonderful coffee!

RedMonkey - Sgt Sparkles reporting for Monday morning workweek duty here! :D I love that you put a smiley after my name! :) Thanks for the suggestion with the salt. From now on I'm going to measure those little granules of the sea (1/2 tsp exactly), put it in my shaker and use it for the day. I haven't done that so far AT ALL during this diet. I just shake it on and hope for the best. But the simplest thing might make my mood better. Thank you thank you! Today I feel good because I slept in. I'm also going to get more sleep this week. Hopefully I can get back to my sparkly self soon. I did use glittery hairspray this morning. Makes me feel like I'm going out to the club even though I'm just going to work! :dancer: :flow1: :dancer:
:flow1: :goodvibes: :sunny: :sunny: :flow1:

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all have a fantastic week! :D :grouphug:

does anyone know how long walden farms takes to ship from their website, I used the buy 5 get 5 free coupon last week, and haven't heard anything from them about shipping, only the order itself, running low on dressing and caramel sauce so I'm anxious to get my order (I like the italian dressing and the caramel)

Happy Monday Morning! I have not been able to finish reading last week's thread so I will just jump into this week's fresh thread. I need a fresh start so this is perfect.

I have gained 4 pounds this week on Phase III (after maintaining for 2 weeks) so I have gone back to Phase I as of this morning. Dr. Tran Tien does say to expect a weight gain when adding more carbs. But my favorite size 12 skinny jeans are getting tight and that is a BIG RED FLAG for me. I refuse to go up a size ever again.

I have a lot of IP packages that I need to use up anyway. I also have some Isopure No Carb protein powder and tons of Walden Farms products so I am good to go.

Yes, my secret goal is to weigh less than my boyfriend. He keeps losing weight also so it is hard to catch up with him. He currently weighs 165 and he is 1 inch taller than me. He has lost 7 pounds since we both started going to the gym 3 weeks ago. Drats! It's always so much easier for guys.

Alrighty, so I am going on vacation May 22nd, to April I will be going off plan, I will go to phase 2, to 3, and finally to maintenence. She was going to do this for me anyways, she went to a big conference and it said after you are on the plan for about 6 months, its a good idea to restart everything again, it gives your body a jumpstart and you lose more faster again and I have been losing pretty slowly as a guy these last few weeks. I am going to Disneyland and Hollywood with family I havent seen for years, so sticking to plan would be hard, but I should be able to atleast stick to maintenence.

So I've been away for a bit. I'll catch up on all the posts during the PM this week.

I had my weigh in on Friday and was flat. Not too disapointed as last weeks -3 was POST workout so I kind of felt it wasn't a true -3.

Went on a little vacation this last week and cheated. Basically had 2 "free" days. I'm sure they won't = free when I get on the scale this Friday. But the good is that I'm back on track as of this morning and will push ahead....ON TO THE 220s!

RJ

I did the buy 5 get 5 with Walden Farms also. It has been 2 weeks. I called today and they said they were behind from the snowstorm. Totally get that, but then I asked how long their shipping was normally and she said 3 days to process the order and 7-12 days to ship. Couldn't help myself when I said "that is a really long time". Anyway, my shipment is supposed to be here tomorrow according to her.
I have gotten 2 shipments from Lindora and they both were here in 3 days. I was impressed.
Oh, yes, the husband thing. My hubby informed me he lost a couple more pounds and was down to 169. Thanks honey, I needed that!!! Really, though he is very supportive and I couldn't ask for a better guy. He eats what I do and sometimes fixes it himself.
Been feeling pretty good about myself. Put another 4 tops(1x) in the thrift store bag. Got out some L and XL that fit. My scale says I'm down another 3 lb., but Friday morning will tell me the real story when I go weigh in. I would so love to be in the 170's this week.
My NSV....I can get my wedding rings off(not that I want to) for the first time in over 2 years.
My next big goal is to be able to wear the beautiful Black Hills Gold watch that DH got me years ago. It has been too tight for a couple years. I tried it on the other day....it is still a little tight, but it won't be long. :smug:
I can't wait to see what new products my coach has this week. That orange thing sounds good.

can any one tell me how to upload photo's? I am having a heck of a time trying to get it to work! Thanks!

i had my first weigh in today! i lost 6.2 lbs this week. down to 172.2! woo hoo!! it feels so good :)

Good Job Brandi!!! I'm so excited for you. :cp: That just gives you so much incentive to keep going. Congratulations.

thank you! it really is this website that makes it really easy. between you guys, and my husband... you're all my saving grace!

I had been stuck at 192 for about 3 years. I had been taking a homeopathic/holistic thyroid support (TG100) and felt great, but just couldn't lose a pound. 12/22/08 I went off TG100 so I could be evaluated by an Endocrinologist. I gained 20 lbs. in 4 months as soon as I went off the TG100. After about 10 months I finally got my thyroid regulated. I started my own diet the first of this year and over the 5 weeks before I started IP, I lost 5 lbs. So, I really started at 212. IP was 207.

I've been stuck a few times myself and generally slower than the rest of the folks on this board. Week 2 I only lost 0.8; Week 4 - 1.3; Week 5 - 1.8; Week 6 - 1.9. This past week was better - 3.6. Total is 20.6.
I seemed to do better after dealing with constipation and potassium issues. But, I never get into ketosis and I also weigh my vegetables and I still am retaining water. I may take your suggestion and try some extra potassium. I walked 2 miles/five days a week and did water arobicss 2x/week until January. I'm going to start again.

I will persevere along with you.

Ok, where do I put the ticker information so it will show up on my posts. Got it all made, but can't figure out where it goes. Thanks,..

Click on "User CP" above. Click on "edit signature." Copy your ticker into the url square to the left of the smilies. Arrow down and click on "save signature."

Yay Brandi! :joker: glad its working!

I have always wanted to weigh less than my husband, we've been together for 8 years and known each other since we were 5 years old...even then I'm sure I weighed more than him lol. I'm getting close...his job went from physical to mental last year and he now sits on his butt and drills for oil...I have 8 lbs to go and I CAN'T WAIT!!!

JoshB
my coach recomended the same thing for me. I am going to vegas in May, Hawaii in June, and Denver in July. I have just finished with Phase 2 and move to Phase 3 tommorrow. I am excited but nervous.Way to go on your incredable weight loss. You will do great when you come back.

:bravo: That is soo awesome. You should be proud. It gets easier too.:congrat::cheer::dust:

Keep up the good work:)

Ckanable- About the breath. I had that same concern as my DH hates the ketosis breath. So I found that if I used a tongue scraper and BreathRx mouthwash a few times a day, I didn't have any problem. I am sure my DH would tell me if I did! Hope this helps. Actually I really want to weigh less than hubby too. Rather embarassing.

Carla- I know what you mean about getting to where you have to share about the program. I have been really reluctant to tell people as I just didn't want to have to explain and convince that I was making a good decision. I have a lunch in a few weeks with my girlfriends to celebrate birthdays. We were going to go to a restaurant as usual, but then one said she would cook. That makes it much harder, and last night I dreamt about what I could do all night! Well, this morning she called and I told her I needed to talk to her about the menu, and she is going to make a salad with chicken and just keep some out for me without all the extras and dressing. That is a load off my mind. I guess it's a good thing that we will need to start doing some explaining!

Josh- I can't wait to hear your ins and outs of going on a family vacation. I will be going in April.

Brandi- Congrats on your first WI. So exciting!

yinyang - thanks for the suggestion. It hasn't been a problem since about day 3 after going into ketosis and I am chewing a little spry gum. Thanks though!

ohbrandi - congrats on your first week!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/othe...-8-14th-7.html

I think this is it, I was using the nacho recipe from the same person!! Awesome

AHA thanks babs!!

i owe it to you, for sure. it's no 15 pounds in one week but ppsshhh i'll take it!

Good afternoon IP friends,
I'm waiting for DH to finish up and close the shop so we can go home! I think we are stopping for dinner along the way so I looked up menus to see what I could have where. I am leaning towards grilled shrimp and asparagus with salad.

The DH game, Mine is heavier that me, we are from pasta loving Italian stock, so he enjoys his starches much! He actually has lost weight as I'm not cooking the mass quantities as I once did. I'm waiting for those noodles to come so I can try having "pasta" again!

BBL
Julie