Hi everyone! I've been on IP for 3 weeks and lost 11 lbs. Haven't been hungry but I want a treat in the afternoon. I found that by splitting my snack into afternoon and evening, I can have 2 delicious treats using 1 Protein. I use 1/2 cup of the Vanilla Premix, 3/4 cup of ice, and a heaping tablespoon of Walden Farms chocolate. I blend these in my Ninja blender and it honestly tastes like a chocolate malt -- delicious! I have one in the afternoon and another one in the evening on those days when I am craving something chocolate and sinful.

Another thing I have been doing to get in veggies, I bought the sauerkraut package located in the cold food section by lunch meats, etc. I take out 2 cups, drain it,and rinse it with cold water. I put it in a bowl and sprinkle a package of Splenda over it and heat in microwave. It has a sweet, sour taste and is very good.

Thanks for all the tips!!! I am going to try those out for sure! I just started this diet about 3 weeks ago and I love trying different things and I am very excited to try your ideas!!

If you read and read and read through these threads there is lots of good stuff....but here is the low-down:

1. You can go to a clinic (usually a doctor/chiropractor's office) or do the idealtogo (online).
2. You eat one of there packets for breakfast (I eat the omlete packet everyday)
3. You eat a packet for lunch (I have one of their shakes) and lettuce with two cups of veggies (some are restricted or not allowed...carrots, tomatos, etc.)
4. You eat 5-6 ounces of lean beef, chicken, pork or 7-8 ounces of fish or seafood for dinner (ounces differ by clinic) and 2 cups of veggies and unlimited lettuce.
5. YOu are allowed 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil at lunch and dinner and sea salt or other no carb seasonings (soy sauce, hot sauce, etc)
6. Drink tons of water. 1/2 ounce for every pound you want to lose not to exceed 140 ounces a day.
7. no strenuous exercise
8. Eat one packet before bed (8pmish)
9. YOu should end up in "ketosis" ...your body is burning its fat reserves.
10. MOST IMPORTANTLY...THIS IS A NO CHEAT DIET (it works best if you NEVER cheat)
11. You will need to take supplements (about 40-50 bucks a month)
12. My clinic charges $4 a packet and I need about 25 for the week (I have an extra 1/2 a packet on longer workout days)
13. I have lost 36 pounds in 9 weeks and I am thrilled....love the diet and never felt better.

This is a great post Darbs! It should go to the front page...

A couple of questions.....

I was wondering if anyone has had success during phase 1 following plan M- F than on weekends straying from diet and still lost weight?

I am not a big fan of vegetables...can I still lose weight on this diet?

What has been the most challenging part of this diet so far?

Thanks any insight would help!!

This program is a medically designed plan that intends to rest and reset the pancreas. The objective is to stay in ketosis so that the body can heal and, as a result, the weight is lost and maintained.

It will not work well, if at all, if someone is on a 5 days on/2days off process. Probably, if that is your interest, you should explored the carb loading ketogenic diets.

Vegetables are absolutely necessary to get the best results. You can use a smaller selection but, it is essential to have many salads, stir frys, and veggie dishes.

The most challenging part of the diet varies by person. For me, the challenge was sticking to a palate of very green vegetables and little else. I missed my grains, fruit and dairy, despite knowing I will get them back.

When I started this way of eat, (I don't think of it as a diet anymore) I thought "I will be good during the week and then the weekends I will be more lax."
I changed my tune when I saw the results after just a few days. I did go off plan for my birthday weekend, that was a planned "cheat" with my coach's knowledge.
I agree with Carla, she is such a wealth of information, if your plan is a to just have a weekday only diet this is probably not the right plan for you.
good luck.

I just wanted to say Thank you Jordana for posting all this invaluable information and for the members that take time to share experiences and tips. I joined this forum for support, I was feeling alone, my coach seems to know not even 10% of what you all know - Thank you again!

Does anyone know if is allowed to eat butter nut squash while on phase I in the IP diet?

I was told no to butternut squash, I think because of "too many carbs."

I was told by my coach I could have spaghetti squash as part of my vegetables (as part of my 4 cups per day of allowed veggies). There have been others here who say no to spaghetti squash as well. I have had it a couple of times (maybe one cup at a time) and as far as I know, it has not slowed my weight loss.


"One cup of cooked butternut squash, cubed, offers only 82 calories, 0 g of fat, 2 g of protein, 22 g of energizing carbohydrates, nearly 5 g of dietary fiber and 8 mg of sodium. Butternut squash, like other deep orange-colored vegetables, is an outstanding source of vitamin A -- most of which is in the form of beta-carotene. However, butternut squash is also rich in vitamin C as well as the minerals magnesium, potassium and manganese."

"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient database, 1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash provides 42 calories, 0.4 gram of fat, 1 g of protein, 10 g of carbohydrate (4 g as sugar) and 2.2 g of fiber."

I got both of these paragraphs from livestrong's website.

And, as Linden said in a previous post, feel free to post questions such as this in the Daily or Weekend thread. Not a lot of experienced IPers read the newbie thread very often.

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this site and was curious if anyone experiences the following symptoms. I am only only on day 3 of IP. Last night I had insomnia and only got a few hours of sleep. I woke up in the morning extremely hungry and full energy. On or about 7pm, I crashed and became overly tired. In addition, I became nauseous which was followed by having a hot flash, and my heart racing a bit. I still continued with the program as directed this evening. I am just a little concernd for I am not sure if this is normal.

I am hoping someone can shed some light and pick up my confidence..

Thanks - Christine

As for the insomnia........sounds liks maybe you are in ketosis. When I first hit ketosis I slept just a few hours at a time yet full of energy. I have crashed a few times around 9 pm for about an hour then full of energy again. Kinda freaky.
I have not been nauseous, I was dizzy once and almost passed out but that was from going too long without eating.
I am sure others will have the answer for you.
Best of luck.

Thank you ladyvrod for your quick response. I had a bad experience back in Jan./Feb. My Dr. overdosed me with thyroid medication, causing me to have heart palpitations. They were so severe that I wind up having to go to a cardiologist. I was weened off the meds and have not taken anything since. The experience instilled such a fear in me. Since I have not been on any meds, I have gained some weight and have been unable to lose it. IP was recommended to me by my chiropractor. I hoping this was just a one time thing tonight!!

I didn't have insomnia but, I did have nausea, hot flashes and cold sweats, and irregular heart beats (more like anxiety attacks). They came and went but were mostly during my week 1, 4, 11 and 12. I don't know if it was just whatever was changing with my body or what was happening as a result of burning off toxins quickly as I burned fat. My coach was not in the medical profession and did not work with a doctor. I had my own primary care managing my health while I did the program. She did regular blood work and checked my vitals for me every 2 to 4 weeks to make sure I was staying healthy.

I would suggest seeing your own doctor if you aren't seeing a medical professional already. It wouldn't be wise to ignore strange heart patterns if you don't know what is happening.

Thank you very much for the information - I am trying to look for different options - I'm getting tired of lettuce, broccoli and cabbage -. Thanks for the advice about the daily/weekly threat - I am a new bee and trying to get familiar with the site - so far I love all the support that I wish I knew when I just started the program