Newbie Chat
 

Hi all! :welcome2:

I just started IP a week and a half ago. I've been reading a lot of posts and realized that there are quite a few other newbies to the program. I figured it would be nice to have a spot for all of us to talk. I myself have had a hard time with all these initial changes and would like see how others are adjusting. Also, I figure it's a great place to share why we are doing this, what we hope to get out of it, and other experiences we have. :)

For me, I've been heavyset for years and steadily gaining, but never really noticed or worried that much about it. Then this past year there was a month that I gained a lot at once and found that none of my clothes fit, not even my baggy ones! That became the moment when it hit me how much I've really gained. Then during the summer I found that my body was sooo sluggish and out of shape that I physically couldn't do a lot of the activities I love doing. I tried exercising, but found it hard to do because my system is so out of whack... 5 mins would absolutely exhaust me. Since this program adjusts the system, I'm hoping it will help me overhaul my body into being healthy again!!

Ok so that's my long winded story. I like to remember that because I love my unhealthy food (especially my Mt Dew) and it's been a struggle. Even something as simple as grabbing a pickle and NOT the cheese I usually wrap with it. *baby steps* It hasn't been that long and already I'm seeing results and off Mt Dew for the first time in over ten years! I've never been able to go off it because of the severe migraines I'd get, and this has helped that. Just wish the bf would quit drinking it too.

And a question for you all... anyone else feel almost obsessive about this? I've spent so much time looking for recipes, learning to cook (yep, I didn't even know how to hard boil eggs), checking labels in the hopes I can eat items, and learning about it. My main topic of discussion now is IP. :)

Also, I'd like to thank WannaBeHotMum for her I'm New thread, which made me think of this. And thank everyone else who's put their experiences here and help answer questions. This is such a great community!!!

I'll join in. I'm an ultra-newbie. I don't start until Monday - that's when I have my first appointment and get my starter pack. Meanwhile I've been trying to really cut back on carbs so maybe my first couple of days OP won't be so hard.

I too am a newbie. I started on 10/11/10. I have been up and down for the past 10 years. Gained, lost, got pregnent, lost, got pregnant with twins. :-). The twins are 4years old and it is time to get my body back and lose some weight.

I noticed my self lacking energy for most of the summer and have just been so unhappy with the way I looked and feel. I knew I was not making good choices and with the summer fun induldged in a few adult beverages several times per week causing me to gain MORE! UGH.

My friend started IP on 10/6/10 and inspired me to do the same. So here I am :-)

I started at 185. WI week one down 9lbs woo hoo.

I have read and read and read so many threads and tips and tricks and recipes on here its been VERY HELPFUL and INSPIRING. I too have found I am being a bit "obsessive" :o

Thanks everyone for being so supportive!

Hi and :welcome: to all the Newbies! :)

I hope no one feels left out of the general forum/daily chat. You all are certainly welcome to create your own thread and discuss specifically issues related to new Ideal Protein dieters but, please, don't avoid the general discussion or other threads.

Your new energy, enthusiasm, and rapid losses are very inspiring for all of us who have been with the diet for quite sometime.

Also, most of your experienced dieters do use the general chat. In fact, we have many who are in phase 4 and maintenance who share time chatting in the general chat and life after thread.

If you bring up a topic or issue that you can't find answered on the board or that you don't seem to have a resolution for please remember to address with the Daily Chat where all forum users are chatting. You will be most likely to get the quickest and best responses in that thread. :)

Thanks!

Pre-cut veggies!
 

Hi! If you haven't started yet, I would recommend pre-cutting the veggies you like and plan on using (if you have extra time this weekend). I get a lot of my veggies from adding them to soups or the omelet, so its nice to just be able to grab them, measure them, and toss them in.

Congrats!

Hi Leigh!

Take some time to read the tips for newbies "sticky" thread! There is a great deal of advice in there. :)
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...s-newbies.html


I hope you have taken your own at home weights and measures. In truth, by cutting back now, before your first official weigh in you won't be able to see your real beginning which has already happened. Later you will want to be able to note all the change you have experienced related to removing carbs from your life and this week will be important. It will likely also have a significant impact on your results for your week 1 weigh in.

Great job with all the preparation! It really is the keep to having success with this, and I suppose any, plan! :hug:

Newbie
 

I started IP on 10/6/10. I am loving IP. I have not had the huge losses, 9+ lbs in the first week, like others have. I am ok with that. down 8 lbs in 2 weeks, I will take that, better than gaining 8 lbs in 2 weeks. I pretty much cut out sugar and have eaten low carb for the past year. (so I am telling myself that is why only 8 lbs in 2 weeks haha this is my story and I'm sticking to it!)

I have maintained my current weight of 165 for the last year and not happy about it that's for sure. I saw a friend of mine that I do not see often like once a year and she looked GREAT. I asked her what she was doing and of course it was IP. Sign me up. I went on line and found a clinic near my home and am on day 2 of my 3rd week.

Obsessive................yes. I live to read the posts here and plan all my meals and pre cut veggies and have even gone though my closet in preparation for my skinny self. I have an entire wardrobe waiting for, clothes that I have not worn in 4 years.

I started the IP skeptical. My birthday is the 23rd (this saturday :o) I was thinking "ok I will do this for 2 weeks until my birthday weekend and the eat whatever for the weekend away, (6 of us girls rented a luxury cabin in the mountains YAY)" Now I am scrambling to get all of my veggies cut and bagged up to take and figuring out which IP packets I want. Yes there will be some cheats, wine for example, but a far cry from what I was planning. I am a wine lover and thought not having wine between my start date and my birthday was going to be a real challenge since I am the only one not drinking in my circle of friends but it has been a breeze I have my club soda with lemon and lime and enjoy it. I am very shocked to be quite honest. I guess things are easy when you finally put your mind to it.

Hi all, I just started on Monday too. I am doing this because I was addicted to sugars and I was always thinking about food non-stop. The first couple days were REALLY hard for me (must have been the sugar withdrawls) where I was getting so hungry I thought I was going to pass out or eat a bunch of sugary stuff. I resisted and ate my IP meal and veggi's and it satisfied me. Now, on the 5th day, I can hear my tummy growling when I'm hungry which I never heard that before. I can eat regular portioned sized meals and feel so good about it. I am down 8 pounds since I started, so I'm so excited to continue this journey. Every one has kept me motivated, so I am as well addicted.... to this site, the scale, and for once, I'm not thinking about what I'm going to eat next.

Well I started the 29th of September and have had 3 WI and lost a total of 11#'s. I too was a sugar addict. I had a couple of small cheats and I'm sure that is why my weight has stalled at first. I've been pretty strict the last week. We traveled one weekend so that was really hard. Even my small cheats didn't feel like cheats like on other diet programs. I'm now staying on the wagon.
I'm finding that even with out true hunger that emotionally I often want to eat and am trying to get this emotional thing wooped while I'm on IP. Hope everyone is doing great that just started out. ;)

Good job on everyone's successes!!! Keep at it and I hope everyone continues to do well.

I have been on the program for 8 weeks now and have lost a total of 43-1/2 pounds which I am so proud of.

I have never joined a weight-loss program until this one.

The results are just amazing!

The only thing I am leary about is the maintenance part of it when I have reached my goal weight.

But I know with determination and dedication, I will be able to do it!!!!

Thank you for starting this thread.

I started on 10/17/10 and the first couple of days were pretty rough.

I had my WI yesterday (after 5 days) and have lost 7.5 lbs and 4.5 inches.

Amazing!

I will be 50 in December and instead of buying something expensive I've decided to get healthier. I want to be in better shape for when I get older so I'll live longer (God willing).

Christine

You're welcome! I'm glad you were able to share your story too!

Hello to all! I am on day 2 of the Ideal Protein diet and was so happy to find a community to share this journey with!

I'm not truly hungry but I keep feeling the need to mindlessly eat (I haven't yet), but I am suddenly very aware of my urge to just grab something and snack on it. I never realized how much I did that before. I am following the diet exactly and am very excited for my weigh in where I am hopeful I will start seeing results! I am experiencing the headaches and leg cramps (which are miserable), anyone else?

I am using salt on all my veggies...not sure what else to do besides take advil. I had no energy day 1 to exercise, but today I managed to get out for a brisk walk.

Anyone try the lemon or strawberry pudding? Let me know your opinion.

I have tried the cappuccino (great), the chicken soup (great-even with flax meal spooned into it), chocolate on the go drink (YUM), omelet (yum) and banana pudding (good-but, I think I'd rather have choco or vanilla)

Happy wishes to all!

I think that's great, Christine! I too am rewarding myself this year with the gift of good health (in lieu of stuff). Good luck to you :)

Congrats on beginning! I hope it works well for you!!!

My first week I almost always had celery in my hand because I always felt hungry or the need to eat (grabbing a celery stalk helps ward off the bf eating a bowl of ice cream). Now I almost always feel full and have to find ways to be able to get all my required food in. Wild how the body and mind adjusts. :dizzy:

As to the leg cramps and headaches... I'd suggest several things. First definitely mention it to your coach, but check the forums or even mention it in daily chat. For myself, I had severe headaches because of my switch off of Mt Dew (I usually get migraines whenever I've tried). Check your "How Your Body May Initially Respond" sheet, it covers both headaches and muscle cramps. More sea-salt and water may help with headaches. Have you actually measured to make sure you're getting enough of both? Remember that if you drink caffeine, you need to drink extra water. And for the cramps have you been taking your supplements as directed?

I was told not to exercise initially (apparently it can be counter-effective at first), but perhaps your coach instructed otherwise.

As for food, there are many discussions on flavors!!! I myself love all the puddings I've tried (sorry, haven't tried the lemon or strawberry though). They go great with either coffee or chai tea depending on the flavor. You'll find everyone's taste varies... I LOVE the banana pudding in my coffee!!! And a new favorite is the orange-mango drink with a little cold chai tea (to cut the sweetness). Hmmm... talking about this makes me want to try that orange dreamsicle combo I saw on a thread.... yummy!

Thank you WorldTraveler!

Good luck on your journey to lose weight.

Started IP on 9/15/2010
 

I started IP about 5 1/2 weeks ago and have lost 21 pounds so far. I started the plan about 2 1/2 weeks before my 50th birthday. This afternoon when I looked in the mirror, I could not get over how much better and younger I look :) and I still have about 60 more pounds to go!

I was quite fortunate that the first several days of the plan I did not have any of the adverse effects. Most of the time when I was really hungry the first week, it was time to eat anyway. When I started getting hungry I had a cup of hot tea with lemon and that helped. I think a couple of times I did use a 4th IP supplement.

Now between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. I usually get very hungry. Some days I have an extra IP supplement, some days I use that time for my 3rd IP supplement of the day, and other days I have extra veggies available to eat along with having a cup of decaf tea with lemon and Splenda. My coach has instructed me to go ahead and have extra veggies to get rid of the hunger. He's not concerned if I have more than 2 cups at lunch and/or dinner either. (I don't think though that he meant on a daily basis, but I did not ask him.)

I am very grateful to have all of you for support (directly and indirectly) and I will support you all too to the best of my ability.

Mary

PS I liked the lemon pudding, but not too keen on the strawberry pudding.

Welcome!

In the past I've generally always craved chocolate, but for the past few days my first strong cravings kicked in. Its not for chocolate... but for cheese and PB!

I hear you with the cheese. I am a mouse when it comes to cheese and I miss it. I have been using the grated parmesan in the "can". It seems to help some.

Good morning!
I am new to IP, currently on week 3 day 2. I weigh in on Mondays.
week one -7.8
week two -4.2
total= 12 lbs in 2 weeks!! yeah!!

Hi there,

So happy to have found this board. I just started the on 10/15... couldn't believe the results after just 1 week... There is hope! Well just wanted to say hi... I am slowly reading through the posts trying to get a feel for the site and gathering all the great info on here.

Hi there, I posted in the daily discussion yesterday but no one responded. How can I upload a picture? It keeps telling me my upload had failed. The pictures aren't big either. Any one know? Also, yesterday was my first WI and I am down 7 pounds! I got the chocolate puffs and I had a whole pack yesterday on top of the required meals. I don't know if that's considered a cheat?? I too have a hard time with kid's food and licking their yogurt top, etc. then as soon as I do it, I wash my mouth out with water and spit it out. Habits are hard to break, so I'm getting into this new habit and hopefully I'll stick to this way of life from now on! I LOVE how my pants aren't rolling down at the waist now (only when I bend over) and that's worth it, just for that! Congrats to all, I feel your awesomeness ;)

Amy - way to go on the 7 lb loss!

My coach told me yesterday that it was okay to have up to 5 of the IP packs a day when we are starting out.

I did that too Leigh and I feel it helped!

Congrats to all on their successes!!! So far IP seems to be truly ideal! Keep up the good work!

I really don't know about the picture, I would try daily chat again. The experienced members are usually very good at answering and they have a wealth of knowledge and are happy to help! Sorry it was missed the first time, but they truly are wonderful at helping. Remember with the soy puffs that they are restricted so just try not to have 2 restricted. I was told initially that initially an extra packet is fine. After just 2 weeks though, I've noticed that once I started getting all my salad and water in, I haven't needed extra. Making my bf's PB in the morning.... so tempted to lick the knife! (actually did a couple times the first week and felt bad). Seems to have gotten easier though as my body starts adjusting. Cheers to better fitting clothes!!!

The Walden Farms peanut spread is pretty good for PB cravings!

Thanks Leigh and 100Butterflykisses! I'll repost again. The Choco puffs are really good, so I'll stick to just 3 if I really have a chocolate urge. Thanks.

Almost to week #4 and waited too long to eat dinner tonight. Ended up eating an extra protein bar......of all the things to have a restricted was probably not the best. I was ready to dig into anything at that time. I'd already eaten a fairly big dinner. It just hadn't satisfied me.....feeling a bit guilty with weigh in tomorrow and all.
AmyonIP----I had Coco puffs at 3:00 FOR A SNACK yum, YUM!

Welcome fellow newbies!!

so exciting to be a part of this great forum!! I have been on IP for 8 weeks and down 17. WI tomorrow hoping to hit the big 20!!!! Still learning to navigate this site and use everything!!! I have become completely addicted to this site also! LOL I guess that's a good thing!!! Wishing everyone luck!!!

I'm new to IP as well, been on it for 3 1/2 weeks, down about 12.5 lbs. I have had the opposite problem as a lot of people, I get soooo full off of the packs and veggies I feel like I'm going to burst sometimes! Guess maybe it's because of the large amount of protein? My life consisted of eating so many carbs I'm sure that's part of it. I also had the bad headaches the first few days, though I think it was due to caffeine withdrawals (used to drink up to 2 energy drinks a night, work night shift in a busy trauma unit... and coffee just doesn't cut it!)... so I took an Excedrin Migraine and my headaches were instantly gone. Weird stuff.

Glad to find this forum, it's kinda cool and encouraging to see everyone's progress :) Keep up the hard work!

Hi all!
I am in the middle of week 4 on IP. I have lost 20 pounds and love it!:carrot: I never craved sugar or sweets, but I definately loved carbs. The thing I crave the most right now is more meat...LOL! I am used to having chicken etc with lunch and I miss it. I have always ate healthy I just ate too much. I can't believe I am surviving on such few calories. It is amazing how I am not hungry. I have tried low calorie diets forever and was always starving so I never made it past 2 weeks on them. This is the longest I have stuck with something. Seeing the weight come off every week is what keeps me going! :)

Welcome all! Glad to see so many people are enjoying successes with IP. Keep up the great work!!!

new here
 

I am super new, and I actually didn't know this was a program in itself. I thought it was just a message board for people trying to lose weight. I'm trying to do weight watchers, but now i'll look into what this is. Anyways, I'm 26, 5 feet tall, and about 185 lbs. I am athletic and into Capoeira, but I just slowly gained all this weight from eating crap so i'm trying to change my life.

Hello everyone! I am getting a bit better at navigating this site, and enjoy everyones comments and suggestions!
I am so thankful to have you all to communicate with! THANKS!!!

Lisa:carrot::sklol::spid::bat::haphal:

I feel like a lame n00b asking this but what is IP?

http://www.idealprotein.com/ipcl_caen.asp?no=142

This diet is amazing as long as you follow it to a T. No cheating, no deviating.

Another tip read all the posts that you can on here for IP. You will see some amazing results posted under some of the people's avatars that post here!

Thanks so much! I did read a tiny bit and you have to buy protein packets? I have no money to spend lol

Yes u have to buy their food!! A bit costly but definitely well worth it!!!