Hello. I'm on Day 2 and havce a question....is the 5 oz of protein at dinner the weight before or after you cook it? I may have screwed up because I weighed mine after cooking both last night and tonight! I'm trying so hard to do everything right and I just don't know all the answers yet!

Same for the veggies...Is the 2 cups before or after cooking. And, can you eat more than 2 cups or do you need to be careful and stop at 2. Same question for sea salt...can you have more than 1/2 tsp?

Thanks for your help!
Debora

I was told 5 oz of raw protein and 4 cups of cooked vegetables.

Speaking of vegetables, I so do not want to eat mine tonight. Sigh....

I am also, just had my first weigh in. My understanding is for the protein weigh it before you cook it. As for the vegetables it's unlimited lettuce but 2 cups of veggies. And I am with ya SiJe, the veggies seem like alot and I struggled with eating them at lunch. So for dinner I made a stirfry just to stir things up a bit!

I've been sitting here staring at them for about an hour. Read that in a whining voice.

LOL! I wish I could help you out with that!

Thanks, I'd send them but I don't want to pay postage to Canada.

LOL Not gonna lie... if you mailed them I wouldn't eat them!

I was told the opposite: 5 oz. cooked meat and two cups raw vegetables.

It should be, in both cases, before cooking. It really doesn't make much difference in the meat because it is protein and no carbs, unless it is very fatty. It can make a HUGE difference in the veggies. For instance, spinach really wilts down and is quite different in proportion. BUT, another big factor, 1 cup raw spinach is zero carbs. 1 cup cooked spinach is 5 carbs (wilted 1 cup is several cups of raw) so, if you go overloading on the cooked spinach you get many more carbs.

My coach pointed out on my diary that the 5oz of meat or 7oz of seafood should be weighed when it is cooked. It makes about an ounce to an ounce and a half difference between raw and cooked. I had been weighing the meat raw and then cooking. It was kind of a relief not to be fooling around weighing raw stuff.

Okay...I'm getting different answers! I guess I can ask my coach...I agree that it is much easier to weigh COOKED meat than raw! It's frustrating that the infomation I was given doesn't tell me enough details!

Deborah,

Cusu and her coach are not wrong about the meat. It really doesn't make much difference with weighing the meat before or after unless it is fatty. When you cook meat, you lose a lot of water and fluid weight. We are only concerned about the "tissue" volume. So, the weight after cooking is more important.

The veggies should be weighed pre cooking because when veggies shrink down a "cup" is not the same volume anymore and the carbs can be more pronounced. Also, the fiber breaks down.

With veggies we want to keep our carb count low and our fiber counts high so, pre cooked is best. UNLESS the cooking instructions (like for onions, green or colored peppers) say otherwise. In those cases the method of cooking makes fibers and sugars more or less available.

I know the sheets say too little which is aggravating at times. Feel free to ask us or your coach. The key things to watch are: keep your fat low... it helps with the cellulite reduction part of the program and prevents to much of an acidic environment in the body, keep your protein in a moderate to high but NOT high range by not significantly over eating protein (this varies by body needs), keep your carbs low under 40 total per day and some say around 25 net per day. Ideal protein does not state exactly what any of these numbers are. Some people have heard it from coaches and others have been tracking their food for so long it has become obvious to them. As you do this, you will learn just how much your body which, is unique, can tolerate.

Thanks so much for your help Carla!! There is so much to learn and I really want to do everything right!

Carla,
I am new to this forum, but wanted to let you know how much reading your posts over the last couple of weeks has helped me. You provide such great information and knowledge. This is a great site and I am so glad to have found it. It seems everyone has such success with this plan. It is great to have a place to come to when things are not going so well!!!

Deborah,
You're welcome! I think you will be just fine. This plan gets easier with use and time.

Lakelover,

thank you. I have learned so much from people who came before me and were here last year. I am glad I can continue to share some of that.