Just one tip: read voraciously. Practically every question you have and some you haven't thought of have been answered one place or another. Just skim over the chit-chat and make sure you read the stickies, starting at the beginning. AND BEST OF LUCK.

I am starting the IP plan on Monday. I am a bit excited, a bit nervous and just found this site that I believe will really help me get to my goal.....which is to lose weight and get healthy. This is an excellent way to get started as there are hundreds of great ideas in this thread. Thanks for all your help and wish me luck.

Good Luck!!! This site has AWESOME information. I am a big fan of IP and have lost 30 lbs. so far.

Thanks GetHealthyShelley. I know this website has given me so much information and I am getting more and more excited and less nervous as I read.

Goodluck Cedolohin....you will have great success on this program if you follow it. I know what you mean about being excited and nervous at the same time. I read this forum lots before I made the decision to take the plunge...and I jumped in with both feet...lol. I am enjoying how I feel ...lots of energy and getting a good night sleep (which of course helps with the energy)...my body is loving all the good food that I am feeding it. down 8 lbs and 11.5" in 2 weeks BONUS!!!

By the way love the mitts

Just went on my first IP shopping trip. Very interesting as I bought turnips and rutabagas which I have never even tasted...to my knowledge. I guess I'll be roasting veggies tomorrow to have with my soups at lunch. Am really excited about getting started. One more day!

I've been making turnip fries--we love them. Cut your turnips into fry
size, put some olive oil on them, season with either sea salt or I used taco seasoning the last time. Bake 375 oven for 20 minutes. Delicious!

Hi.. I am new to IP..been on it two days. I have a question..My coach says that you can exercise but not weight lift. Some of the comments have discouraged exercise. Is there any exercise IP group on this site? Has anyone had bad effects from exercise?

Welcome to the site and to IP. you are going to love both. I have found this site very helpful. Make sure you check out some of the different threads ...they are loaded with info and support.

I exercise 3x/wk. I walk and ride a recumbent bike and a stretching class. My coach told me that I could continue what I was doing before I started IP. From what I understand weights should not be done till about week 3...best bet is to check with you coach.
Ip works if you follow it faithfully. You will see wonderful results and feel great.

I am on the sixth day of the ideal protein diet and have not experienced any of the symptoms that I was told that I might expect. No fatigue, not exceedingly hungry, no constipation. I have followed the diet to the t, and I really feel good. I feel like maybe Im doing something wrong since I have not had ony of these things happen. Has anyone else had this experience? My scale says Ive lost about 5 lbs, so I must be doing it right, My first weigh in is tomorrow so we'll see.

do you have to go through a coach to buy the ideal protein packets? or is there somewhere we can buy them if we just want to do the diet on our own.

Go to www.idealtogo.com

You can purchase online, but having a coach is waaaay better in my opinion. My coach lets me trade back packets that I don't like, I don't have to buy an entire box of something either. Also there is the fun part which is weighing on a fancy scale that tells you so much about your body such as body fat percentage, how much your muscles weigh, and visceral fat percentage.

If you can find a coach near you, I would definitely recommend having a one.

I don't know if this tip has already been posted, but here it is:

Be careful when warming packets up! Especially (in my experience) the cappuccino. It will sort of clump and curdle if it gets too hot too fast. I had a shot of espresso added this morning and must have heated it too much before hand because the shot caused it to clump up.

Hello, I started my IP diet today, and as I'm going over all the paperwork, I notice that hot drinks such as tea are encouraged. My coach told me otherwise yesterday, and insisted that I only drink one cup of tea a day and the rest must be water. What do you think? I really love tea and it helps me suppress my hunger.