[makeitmatter]

I just checked out the 20 Pounds by Labor Day Challenge thread (for the first time in a long while, sorry) and was amazed to see the cumulative progress everyone has made. WOW!!!!! FANTASTIC job everyone!!!!

It was also interesting to see the losses AND the gains which occur over a specific time period. Hmmmm... maybe I should have kept track of my progress on a nifty, little spread sheet. Yah, right! Who am I kidding!

What's the next challenge? 20 pounds by Thanksgiving? Yikes, the holidays are quickly approaching...

Again, CONGRATULATIONS everyone!!!

[damgi]

Originally Posted by leilousha

Hi all!!

Today is my first day on the program! It's not too bad, but I feel like im going to have trouble eating their food, like the spaghetti was horrible! The bars are not too bad. This stuff is pretty expensive, are there any suggestions on whether I could buy them elsewhere, for cheaper?? Any tips for beginners ?

If you go to page 1, post 1 of this thread there is a great summary with links to other thread topics that answer your questions.

Also, I know every coach is a little different but many of our coaches tell us not to eat the bars and other restricted items until after a couple of weeks. They often recomment adding extra packets instead.

Best of luck and I know we all look forward to sharing your journey with you.

[livelaughlove1981]

Originally Posted by makeitmatter

I just checked out the 20 Pounds by Labor Day Challenge thread (for the first time in a long while, sorry) and was amazed to see the cumulative progress everyone has made. WOW!!!!! FANTASTIC job everyone!!!!

It was also interesting to see the losses AND the gains which occur over a specific time period. Hmmmm... maybe I should have kept track of my progress on a nifty, little spread sheet. Yah, right! Who am I kidding!

What's the next challenge? 20 pounds by Thanksgiving? Yikes, the holidays are quickly approaching...

Again, CONGRATULATIONS everyone!!!

I would be willing to go for that challenge!!

[Linden]

Originally Posted by HopefulTricia

Linden Well yes I have been planning to post a photo to replace my favorite puppy but I am the family photographer. Need someone to take some pics of me. That profile pic was from April or May-- need to change it too. Pics of me tend to be great or really really lousy. Mostly lousy. Am I noticing that you look like a beautiful cat????

Well, I'm not the photographer in the family. What you're looking at is a cat and a puppy, sleeping with each other, complicated by the mammoth black ears of the Papillon, and one dangling foot.

[Aunt Sheshie]

Back from my weekend in Colorado, doing trail work on the Continental Divide Trail... we camped at about 10,000 ft. & worked between that & 10,800 ft... it was one of the most exciting, exhilarating, & satisfying experiences of my life!.. the project was to build turnpikes in the trail where there were previously mudholes, plus we fixed a bunch of places along the trail for water to run off... there was a lot involved in building a turnpike... we hauled about 30 wheelbarrow loads of rocks down from about 500 feet higher on the mountain, sizes ranged from football-size down to golfball-size, then had to dig the dirt even higher up on the mountain, about 1000 feet above the project, & that took at least twice as many wheelbarrow loads... the soil had to be mineral soil with no organic material in it so it'd compact better, & evidently that's not found in the lower areas... organic soil tends to stay spongy... plus, there was cutting down the trees & stripping the bark off... we actually built 2 turnpikes, but the second one was only one log long instead of 2... each log was about 17 feet long & they were laid down along each side of the trail, then we filled in between the logs with rocks, then topped those with soil... I didn't do the tree part, but I did a little of everything else... the work never really made me tired, but I always got out of breath hiking up the hill... but so did everybody else, so I didn't feel too out of shape... we had a crew of 25 people, about evenly split between men & women... ages ranged from early 20s to over 65, so I wasn't the oldest one in the group...

The Continental Divide Trail Alliance is an amazing organization... if any of you think you might want to work on a project with them next year, just Google "CDTA".. they'll put up the new projects on the website in February 2011...

I never could've done it without losing weight & getting in shape with the exercise I've done since starting IP... this is the most wonderful diet EVER!!!.. I'm re-starting Phase 1 Boot Camp today... the CDTA camp chefs didn't exactly follow IP protocol, so I've got some repair work of my own to do!..

I missed y'all... howdy & welcome to all the new folks!..

hugs

[HopefulTricia]

Originally Posted by Linden

Well, I'm not the photographer in the family. What you're looking at is a cat and a puppy, sleeping with each other, complicated by the mammoth black ears of the Papillon, and one dangling foot.

so you're a cat and a dog... i get it. btw, we are the same height & weight. I will be watching your progress...

Originally Posted by Aunt Sheshie

Back from my weekend in Colorado, doing trail work on the Continental Divide Trail...
I never could've done it without losing weight & getting in shape with the exercise I've done since starting IP... this is the most wonderful diet EVER!!!.. I'm re-starting Phase 1 Boot Camp today... the CDTA camp chefs didn't exactly follow IP protocol, so I've got some repair work of my own to do!..
hugs

Sheshie - How cool are you? I would love to be able to do something like that sometime. Contiental Divide or the Appalachian Trail. This is a dream... so out of my normal life. I admire you and welcome back.

Originally Posted by LBM

So I forgot to bring my packet of soup for lunch today to work. Had my spring mix and 1c of cukes with dressing I made.

I plan on drinking a packet when I get home (between 5-6pm, its 1pm here now) before i go ride my horse. Dinner wont be until about 8. Is that ok? Or have I screwed up?

Can i eat white wine vinegar? Regular white...blech...I only have it to clean my coffee pot.

You didn't hurt anything as long as you aren't starving when you get home and have more than 1 packet. Salad dressing sounds good and yes on the white vinegar.

Originally Posted by Becca7

If someone out there is needing to encourage themselves, I did this before and it was a nice little boost. Take a measuing tape if you have one, and instead of measuring your current size, hold the tape at what your starting number was. I did this with my thigh measurement and it was so encouraging to see what size my thigh had been, compared to what it had shrunk to. I know my pants fit differently, but the visual was just really good.

.

What a great idea! I am away so I don't have my measurements with me. Darn it! But I'll definitely do it when I get home.

[Linden]

Originally Posted by Aunt Sheshie

Back from my weekend in Colorado, doing trail work on the Continental Divide Trail...

I never could've done it without losing weight & getting in shape with the exercise I've done since starting IP... this is the most wonderful diet EVER!!!.. I'm re-starting Phase 1 Boot Camp today... the CDTA camp chefs didn't exactly follow IP protocol, so I've got some repair work of my own to do!..

The word "wow' has become ubiquitous here, so maybe it doesn't have the impact it might. But WOW.

And I've been curious, since I started to read you posts, how you could work with a coach and not raise your heart rate above what's good. I mean, it sure worked for you.

[nitenic]

Originally Posted by WyoSun

I didn't think it was possible to get sick with all the vitamins we are taking!!!

I wish that were the case! I had more colds and sinus infections this summer than ever before.

Originally Posted by Becca7

If someone out there is needing to encourage themselves, I did this before and it was a nice little boost. Take a measuing tape if you have one, and instead of measuring your current size, hold the tape at what your starting number was. I did this with my thigh measurement and it was so encouraging to see what size my thigh had been, compared to what it had shrunk to. I know my pants fit differently, but the visual was just really good.

What an awesome idea!

Originally Posted by makeitmatter

I just checked out the 20 Pounds by Labor Day Challenge thread (for the first time in a long while, sorry) and was amazed to see the cumulative progress everyone has made. WOW!!!!! FANTASTIC job everyone!!!!

What's the next challenge? 20 pounds by Thanksgiving? Yikes, the holidays are quickly approaching...

I will be out of pocket from mid-November until after Thanksgiving but if no one will run the one you suggested, and people are interested in doing a challenge between Labor Day and Halloween, I will volunteer to do the tracking. I'm going to St. Thomas in mid-November for 16 days and will probably phase out starting Nov. 1 and resume phase 1 after my trip. Or maybe a couple of us could do it and I could bow out after Halloween?

[Aunt Sheshie]

Originally Posted by HopefulTricia

Sheshie - How cool are you? I would love to be able to do something like that sometime. Contiental Divide or the Appalachian Trail. This is a dream... so out of my normal life. I admire you and welcome back.

Originally Posted by Linden

The word "wow' has become ubiquitous here, so maybe it doesn't have the impact it might. But WOW.

And I've been curious, since I started to read you posts, how you could work with a coach and not raise your heart rate above what's good. I mean, it sure worked for you.

Thanks y'all... this was way out of my normal life too... I've hiked & camped in the Rockies, but never did anything like this past weekend... I feel pretty great about it...

To answer your question, Linden... I don't have a coach, I've been doing the IP protocol on my own, according to Dr. Tran Tien's website... my workouts are interval training, a few minutes of cardio, a few minutes of strength training, so I rarely raise my heart rate above 70% of max...

hugs

[Linden]

Originally Posted by LBM

Can i eat white wine vinegar? Regular white...blech...I only have it to clean my coffee pot.

I was told no, and one of the sheets my coach sent says no. So I guess it's no. BUT you can use apple cider vinegar. That works for me, but I like lemony, vinegary tastes. Thanks for the recipe.

[Linden]

Originally Posted by Aunt Sheshie

I've been doing the IP protocol on my own, according to Dr. Tran Tien's website... my workouts are interval training, a few minutes of cardio, a few minutes of strength training, so I rarely raise my heart rate above 70% of max...

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback.

[sarahs1976]

Can someone tell me if I should start this diet when I am trying to get pregnant?

I need to lose about 30-35 pounds, I am very active just have poor eating habits. I'm afraid this diet might mess with my hormones or that I won't have enough energy to work out 4-5 x a week.
Thanks in advance (and sorry if this is the wrong forum- I am new and I really have no idea where to ask this)

[Linden]

Originally Posted by Coastalcrafter

..we'll be fine..we are inland off the beach..unless we get a tsunami( sp?) then I'll have beach front property.. I think we are gonna just get wind and rain here friday...watching the weather channel.....

This is SO WEIRD. Just as I read the word tsunami, our tsunami alarm went off! I was so taken aback that I forgot that it was the first Wendesday of the month, at 11:45. I'm glad to say the system works and that I live just above the tsunami warning level on the island.

[Novak]

Originally Posted by Coastalcrafter

Speedo Dave

Oh, yes... I love this.

[cindystellrecht]

yay me! Down 4 lbs and 3 more inches at weigh in today