I have thought about this too, but I don't know the answer. You look beautiful. I am glad you met your goal before your trip. I want to go some where where it is warm, wear shorts, sandals, ect. and be outdoors all day.

I don't seem to have a problem planning a menu for the carb. meal. I can't decide what to do for the fat meal. I know how to add fat to a meal, but I'm unsure which veg. to eat at the fat meal. Have a safe trip.

Thank You! I did contact my coach and he said there is no need to phase out. That's good news. :) It seems like phase 1 has been a little tough this go around coming from 10 days of indulgence.

Good to know. Thanks Clarice. You do look great!

Thank you. Keep us posted, how many days you stay on phase 1 and then go directly to phase 4. Noisy, aren't we? It is about time for me to do my 3rd. "fun" day. I got a bad headache when I did the first one. I had pressure in my head the evening of the second one. We'll see what happens this week. It's like my body does not like all that sugar.

Phase 4 was scary at first, (and I hear you petiteandcute on the headache!) but then again so was ph. 3 for me. It's about doing this in the real world with real food and real choices. It's scary and exciting for sure. It's definitely been a learning curve for me. The powerful thing is...we have choices...good or bad ones we can make. I've already made bad choices on one of my free days, so my body could tell me...YOU CAN'T do that to me girlfriend...got it? So...I got it. Now I know I have to drink tons of water if I"m consuming any alcohol on a free day AND that vodka is better for me than too much red wine AND my body doesn't like lots of fatty food anymore. It actually makes me queasy. So I'm trying to listen and respect what she's telling me. I guess my bottom line, "screwing up" on a free day (at first) is just how we find out what works and what doesn't. It's up to me to use my willpower not to force my body to do things she just doesn't want to do anymore. That would be an act of self abuse and unkindness towards myself...I've already been there and have that tee shirt.
Thanks as always for listening to my rambles, AND I love this thread and everything we're talking about on it. :)

I am still on phase 1. Something weird happened the day after I started phase 1-I gained another 3lbs!! I don't know if all the stuff I consumed just caught up or what, but I lost 2lbs and would like to lose at least another 3 before going back. Hopefully by the end of the week!

I didn't have any headaches or anything after my "fun" day, but can see how your body is saying "what in the world are you giving me??" after eating cleanly all week.

Phase 1 has been rough on me this week (worse than when I orginally started the diet!)....hopefully I won't have to do this for a while.

Hey, I feel ramblings are the pathways to great knowledge and wisdom. You are right, we do need to listen to our bodies-something, unfortunely, we are no longer "programed" to do.

Just Started Phase 2!
 

Just started phase 2. Loving being off the IP lunches...the mushroom soup was my fav...but I was tired of it. My WI last week was a bit discouraging with an increase of 1lb (131) but with 1% BF lost and 3 inches. I'm building muscle right? I really just want to hit 125 so I hope that by being very careful I'll take off the last few pounds in phase two. Does anyone have thoughts on what they did or will do in phase 4 when you are 100% on regular food - what you will do for vitamin supplements. Been :swim:ing this week and last trying to add some extra omph to phase 2 results. Wish me luck!:goodvibes

Has anyone here switched from Ideal Protein foods to Lindora? I ordered several things after I entered phase 4 simply because they are MUCH cheaper than IP. Most of them taste great, but I'm not sure if they are not as satisfying (although the ingrediants and nutritional content are very similar) or if it's just me. I just seem to be hungry and always "wanting" something else with these. I'm thinking that I may need to switch back for my recoup days as much as I hate to because of cost. Anyone else have this experience?

Clarice,

I did order from Lindora for the first time last week. I only ordered the ready to drinks and the caramel nut bars. I think those two items are pretty much the same and I like them. I actually enjoyed most of the IP stuff but can't justify continuing to pay those prices. I plan to try other things from Lindora, Nashua & New Lifestyles.

Lynn

Hi Clarice41, I copy and pasted this from ShowgirlAZ from today's post. Hope that helps on why the gain.


AS A SIDE NOTE TO ALL THOSE RESTARTING AND STRUGGLING:

It always seems harder after you have had a series of "cheat" or off-protocol breaks. I have yet to hear anyone come back and say, "yes, it is easier." It takes more commitment and you go into it with less enthusiasm, more awareness of what you can't have and how you want to "tweak" the system, and you expect the results you got the first time. Unfortunately, that all makes it harder.

You will likely NOT get the same results.. close, sure, as good probably not. WHY? Because when you began the plan your body was really out of balance. You were holding much more fluid than you realized. You were eating hundreds of carbs and the wrong sodium everyday. Now, you have corrected so many of those things. It isn't likely you will have the same response. Also, your body has adapted to how this works. You have "woke it up" to a process, taught it to function well there, and now, it isn't in the same shock or adjustment.

This plan still works. It works well. It works appropriate to where your body is now. Sometimes, it works too well as it also knows how to immediately make glycogen/glucose from amino acids and protein. Before you had an adjustment window for that to take place. NOW, your body may rebel with a "you think you can take away sugar? HAHAHA... just watch what I can do!" That could mean you need even fewer carbs to get things rolling than the last time.

Some people have to go to almost 0 carbs for 3 to 5 days to get into ketosis if they are stuck or habitual low carb diet users.

Atkins suggests a meat feast/fat fast... kind of thing. Basically you eat 1000 calories a day of nothing but egg whites, eggs, meats, (preferably not too much of anything high in salt like sausage or bacon), even a bit of cheese if it is 1 carb or less. You eat frequently. When you are hungry but keep your calories low. Drink lots of water and take your supplements. By the 3rd or at most 5th day, you are pretty well back into ketosis and can slowly add a few carbs. Start with things like the omelette, soup, mango drink, puddings, you want high protein/low carb ratio for a couple days to get you grounded again in ketosis. Anything too high in carb too soon, you might slow down.

I know it may sound crazy. It is just 3 or so days. It has worked for a few people and it has worked for me.

Good luck in PH2, I bet you enjoy the choices. It is easy to put Phase 1 behind, and 2 is really not much different. Don't worry about that 1#, it'll be gone soon. I am starting PH 4 today so I'll keep you posted on my dinner options. In my head, however, I am still having a PH 3 dinner. There are two other 'Life After..." threads that have a ton of info on Ph4 dinner options.

I went to my last WI yesterday, officially in maintenance. I lost 2#s in Phase 3. I added some brown rice to my dinner last night, and couldn't finish my steak. I purchased some nuts and cheese to add to my lunches, along with some non-fat yogurt for dinner, along with the rice and some pasta. My PH4 sheet requires the same PH 3 breakfasts, which I am very pleased about.

PH 4 also has the same vitamin requirements...not sure I'll stick with that forever, but I know someone asked that question. It seems that PH 4 is a balanced diet and the supplements should not be as important.

Good luck everyone!

Thank You! Now it makes sense! I have finally gotten the weight back off. (5 days, 6lbs) Yesterday I dropped 4lbs just like that. It has definetely been harder the second time around. As long as I know it's normal and that I am doing things correctly I can "cowboy up" and continue.

Thanks again. :D

I am like you-I just can't justify paying twice (and sometimes 3X) the amount for one box when I can get Lindora at much cheaper price. The bars are great and I LOVE the mint chocolate shakes. I think I was having difficulties because I spent 10 days of unadaulterated eating and drinking (LOVE pina colodas:o). AmyonIP had some eyeopening things to say and it makes a lot of sense as to why I was feeling that way. I did get the weight off in 5 days so I guess that was really pretty good. In the past I would have kept right on eating and probably gained 25lbs by the end of the month!

Thanks again. :)

Sounds like you're doing great on ph4. I'm doing OK too. Just still trying to remember about the added fats and when to and not too have certain things. I find myself reading the ph4 material over and over again.
I have to say...the ph1 recovery day after a "free day" (once a week cheat) works like a charm. I have actually lost another pound on ph4, so the chemistry in this program is astounding. Having the tools that we now have to indulge and recover safely, and maintain the weight loss is the greatest gift of all. In the past, I would lose the weight, be clueless, lose my mind all over again and start eating everything in sight as a reward.

On the vites, my coach/nutritionist frankly told me to ditch the IP vites, start getting the nutrition from all the good healthy food I'm eating, and get a high grade womens multivitamin, plus my omega's. That's pretty much it. He said to stop taking the potassium for sure.

Thanks for posting this. I felt that phasing out again wasn't necessary and asked other IP'ers about it a while ago and was firmly told you MUST phase out again. I didn't really agree, but let it go.

Now that I am back on phase I to drop the last bit, after a 6 month break, I've decided not to phase out again. I will probably jump to a phase III type diet for a few days just to get my system used to food again, for those of you who have phased out or are phasing out I'm sure you remember how "uncomfortable" it felt the first few days of phase III.

Here are my thoughts as to why I don't think it's necessary...before I started IP last June my diet was crappy. It took me 6 days to get into ketosis, I had so much junk in my system. The idea behind IP is that you give your pancreas a break in phase I and retrain it in phase III. I've done that and I can tell my pancreas is doing its job. This time it only took me a couple of days to get into ketosis, which tells me that I'm not storing all that junk I used to. So, if I think my pancreas is working correctly, phase III is unnecessary.

I do want to say that for the most part, my diet has been pretty healthy for the past 6 months after phasing out. I did eat more junk than I should have, but I also incorporated lots of healthy things too. I do believe that if you are off IP for a very long time and your pancreas has picked up its old habits, then yes, maybe it is necessary for you to follow protocol to a T. But if you're just doing a couple of weeks of phase I to get back on track, I just don't see the need for it.

Clarice,

Lindora is having a sale this weekend through 3/14/11. $40 off if you spend $150. I think Nashua always has free shipping if you spend enough.

I'm in Philadelphia this week at a conference. Eating out at every meal. Brought quite a few packets but I'm supposed to be in phase 4 and my hubby doesn't want to be forced to eat protein packets in the hotel room (although he is very supportive) so I am venturing out into the real world. Take my WF dressings with me everywhere. So far, so good. It's fairly easy to order grilled meat and a salad w/o drsg. I'm just too chicken (so to speak) to take a free day as I won't be able to really do phase 1 day until I get home. We'll see what happens. I actually had lost another couple of pounds before we left while on phase 3. Have a great weekend.

Lynn

Interesting to hear all these perspectives. I've taken myself through various phases as the "Coach" where I buy product rarely offers or requires any coaching -- it's relaly just an IP store. This Board was my Coach along with my desire to stick it out at least 2 months. After 4 weeks of strict IP and was gagging down meals and miserable. Though I'd lost 12 lbs, I was ready to give up. Rather than doing that, I started a phase 2 approach. Actually, a taco salad (no beans/rice/shell) at lunch and I was in so much happier. After 9 weeks, am down 21 lbs and will live in a phase 2 now to keep loosing. I've stopped all IP products and use EAS or Atkins Advantage for 1 meal / day.

Thanks for sharing your stories so that others can be successful. Best of luck to all!

I have been in phase 2 for almost 2 weeks and I am down 3 lbs after being stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks! Happy camper here.

Congratulations! :)

That is great LadyV! Phase 2 rocks!

I had my first free day on Saturday. Went to a restaurant to celebrate my cousin's 40th bday. It was great not to worry about what I was eating and drinking. I did the no-carb day yesterday, and really missed my PH 3 breakfast, probably because I was wanting carbs to help my stomach since I had a few too many....!

So far, so good!

I have had 2 cheat days so far in Phase 4. I'm beginning to not really like them. I eat too much and feel icky, plus I am paranoid the entire day I'm going to gain tons of weight. But, just like you, I miss the breakfast the next day! It is my favorite meal of each and every day. I have experienced the 3# gain in Phase 4. I lost in Phase 2 and 3. The cleanse day is hard for me....I eat mostly protein and veggies, but have yet to go back to full Phase I..as in 3 shakes, 4 cups of veggies, and one protein. I think I did one shake, and two proteins plus my veggies, so more like a phase 2.

170.2/139.4/137

Good morning, I have gained some pounds, I'm trying to figure out what I need to change. Clarice, did you go on phase 1 for a number of days and then back to phase 4? If so, how many days did you stay on phase 1? Do you know how many days you can do phase 1, go directly to phase 4 without doing phase 2 and 3?

I don't know the answer to this but I know that Dr. Chanh's book recommends going on phase 1 for a week each year as a "refresh" and I have never heard it put in the context of then needing to phase off. I'm on phase 1 now (dropping some pounds I picked up traveling) and have been since Saturday. I wanted to drop 3 pounds, which I figure will take a week, and then I'm going to "pop" back to phase 4, so I'll let you know if I get any side effects. I follow the logic model that the first long phase off was to reset my pancreas after a long rest, but I don't need that process at this point...hope I'm right!:D

Yes, please let us know how you are doing with your phase 1 test.

I am trying fat free greek yogurt as my protein snack at night. Its low carb (6) high protein (15) and only 80 calories. It seems comparable to an IP packet, which is what they are recommending. Plus it is creamy and delicious. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Hi Clarice41, I've not tried the Lindora, but I have switched my snacks to Pure Protein - bars and shakes. Way cheaper and you can buy then at Topps and Target. I'm not as full eating a bar or shake as I am with say the IP omelet, but it's easier and way less expensive. I think that the protein isolate in IP food absorbs into your system faster....I don't know if this makes you more full or not though....:shrug:

Thanks for the response. I have gained a little from just living. I think I need to make some adjustments on my phase 4 days. I'm just not sure exactly what I need to do. I know I have drunk less water lately. I have no problem adding carbs. to dinner, but I am unsure of what I should eat for lunch. Let us know how your phase 1 to phase 4 goes.

Oh yes, I should mention, I have not had an IP food at bedtime lately. Some nights I have eaten a piece of fruit(that I didn't have at dinner).

Ugh - I miss phase 1...
 

I have been maintaining for a few months now. I find it hard. VERY hard. I find myself often having cheats and then feeling guilty and doing a phase one for a day or two, then cheating again, and I just found phase one was so easy. It was easy being in ketosis. I wasn't hungry and I was good with always saying no.

I'm also really struggling with the no fats at supper, but still adding in a carb. I need ideas! Anyone else out there on phase 4 that can offer advice?

Hi Amanda,

I am only on my second week of Phase 4, so I don't have a lot of personal insight to share. I am cutting and pasting a post from Novak from a prior 'Life After' thread. I hope it helps:

Phase 4 info
________________________________________
Before Thursday night, I’d studied all the materials, read all the posts… but somehow I wasn’t getting the big picture. I thought my success was the sum of my weight and measurements and blood work and how I look and how my clothes fit. That was all great, but I wasn’t quite grasping the practical aspects of how this would change the way I manage my weight for the rest of my life.

I don’t want to go back to where I was, but I don’t want to have to constantly count and measure and make trades and sacrifice my enjoyment of food.

Now I know that I don’t have to.

I’m going to paraphrase much of what was shared at the Phase 4 Workshop I attended, led by Dr. Z, a chiropractor/nutritionist/IP regional rep. She is a Type II diabetic, and like me, does not eat meat. She has also lost a great deal of weight on IP, and looks fantastic. Like us!

It’s tough to get out of diet mode, particularly after the rigidity of Phases 1 and 2. Phase 3 is still quite specific, and, incidentally, is an extremely critical part of the program—it is important to do it right, particularly if you are diabetic. (I will post more about Phase 3 separately.) Phase 4 is, by design, much more general. The whole point is that you should eat healthy foods and follow a few general principles that will allow your body to retain the benefits of resetting the pancreas to function more efficiently.

I’ve posted a Phase 4 protocol, but don’t get hung up on the measurements or the food lists. Dr. Z said if you ask for those things, she can give them to you, but it’s time to go ahead and live your life, which happens to include eating normally. The overarching guideline is to eat healthy. So if your previous version of “eating normally” was not particularly healthy, don’t go back to doing that!

The Phase 4 sheet outlines a healthy diet, if you need some guidance. The key points NOT to ignore are to include protein with every meal and snack before bed, eat your carbs at dinner rather than lunch, and minimize the fat you have with your dinner. Following these guidelines will help your body mimic the way naturally slender people process food: “eat it and burn it” rather than “eat it and store it.”

Beyond that, just make healthy choices. Eat vegetables and fruit. Choose multigrain alternatives. Eat when you are hungry, but in quantities that satisfy you rather than leave you feeling stuffed. These things are easy to remember.

That said, go ahead and enjoy life in your new body. If you miss a meal or eat a sandwich at lunch, your world will not fall apart. But keep some protein foods or drinks on hand if you don’t always have time to eat. And if you can’t live life without sandwiches, try to have them at dinner or on your cheat day.

The only metrics you need to keep track of are your weight (check 2-3 times a week), and your measurements. If your weight goes up, check your measurements (are your pants getting tight?) to see if you are actually gaining fat. If you are, cut back on the carbs for a few days, and get yourself back on track.

Decide on a weight that tells you it’s time to do something more serious. If you hit that number, go back on Phase 1 until you drop down to your ideal weight. Maybe it takes 3 days, maybe 2 weeks. Then do Phase 3 again. If you want, just plan to do 2 weeks of Phase 1 annually; Dr. Z reserves the 2 weeks every year after the holidays to get back with the program.

Cheat days need not be a major production, nor do they have to be an entire day. Consider following Dr. Z’s lead. Her “cheat day” is actually Friday, Saturday and Sunday after 3:00 PM. She eats a healthy breakfast and lunch each day, then has her evening out with friends on Friday, goes to the Saturday cookout, and prepares a nice Sunday dinner at home. Every Monday it’s a no-carb day—either with IP products or without—so her body can’t store the fat.

The point here is that you need to find a routine that works for you. If it’s not, “good during the week and bad on the weekend,” then choose another approach. Use your cheat day if you have a special event coming up. What’s important is that you know how to keep your body from storing the fat, and because your body has been retrained through the IP phases, it is more than happy to oblige.

For me, this is actually the key to the whole IP protocol. This is how I can manage my weight, determine what changes I might need to make in how I eat, and recover if I find that my body isn’t burning fat as efficiently as I’d like it to. This is why IP is billed as the last diet you’ll ever need... not because it’s a magic bullet and you’ll never gain weight again, but because it is now a weapon in your weight management arsenal. IP has to be an unbalanced diet because the human body is not built to lose weight. Quite the opposite: it is built to store fat.

I read all this over and over before and during the diet, but I guess it’s like learning a foreign language: if you don’t use it, you’re really not going to get it into your head in any meaningful way. Now that I’m back to living a normal life, I see how this can work for me. I’m no longer focused on quantities and weights and trying to remember to eat everything I’m supposed to, when I’m supposed to eat it.

I can easily implement the “cheat approach” –it’s a French diet, says Dr. Z, and the French love their food and wine... no way would they expect people to make such a sacrifice! I can remember to have my carbs for dinner, with minimal fat. I can remember to eat fruits and vegetables and to not stuff myself. I can use IP or not to supplement my protein options—a premade shake before bed or a handful of nuts will do just fine. Do what works for you.

Thanks!!
 

I am on week 3 of Phase 4...I needed this!! Phase 4 is hard and I think I put too much thinking into it and just need to live and make the good choices I know I am capable of. My body craves fruit/veggies/lean meats now instead of the garbage I used to eat. I think all I need to do is cut back on portion size a bit. Thanks for the good read! ;)

170/139/137

I feel the same way! I have been doing more traveling than usual this month-which does not help matters much! I do fine if I am on phase 1, but maintenance is a chore some days. I feel that I am eating too much fruit, nuts and oats, but I CRAVE them! Also, my cheat days have been too much, which I am working on getting control of. I usually do phase 1 at least 2-3 days a week. Maybe this is my routine. I guess if it works. I am also trying to only weigh myself once a week (I obsess over the numbers if not).

I wind up doing phase 1 for a few days too. I've still been maintaining, but struggle with phase 4 eating. The whole no fat at supper gets me, and I find I cheat too often. I don't know. I guess it's going okay - I just wish there were more guidelines.

If you're in phase 3 or 4 and are CRAVING sweets, try not eating wheat and other grains for a week or two and see what happens. The wheat we eat today is not the same as 100 years ago. It has been engineered to have higher yields per acre, much higher gluten, and much higher sugar than ever previously existed.

You can get your carbs from potatoes, sweet potatoes, root veggies, berries (wild berries if you can get them). For many -- perhaps not all -- wheat is *the* gateway carb. ;)

Thanks! I am going to try it. There are certain foods that seem to just set me off.

Oh Noooo!!!
 

Hubby and I got back from New York last week, I immediately went back to phase 1 until I got down to 154. I did maintenance on Saturday and Sunday. Had a bad day on Sunday so went back to phase 1 on Monday. I weighed myself this morning and now I'm 160!!!! ARRRGGGGG!!!s!! I do not understand what is going on! I have been exercising everyday. It seems like my clothes got tight overnight. The worst part is I have to go to NC this weekend. I will be glad when all this traveling is over with and I can get back to my old routine! So far I get an "F" in maintenance. I mentioned earlier, but I guess I'm eating too many fruits and oats (I make a concoction (on maintenance days) of sliced apples, walden farms syrup, raw oats and cinnamon for my snacks during the day. I thought it was better than something "bad"). It seems that I will not be able to relax-even in maintenance. This is what happens when I do!
Not a happy camper this morning:stress:

Try not to stress out too much Clarice. We're not going to do maintenance perfectly even the first few months. It's a time of learning curves. How many carbs can your body handle. Are fruit carbs your friends? Are oats, beans, lentils, bread etc... So you'll find out what works and what doesn't and you'll start to understand what kind of foods your body likes and which are only right in very small quantities. I still can't eat too much pasta. It still sticks in my body and goes nowhere. I only have fruit in the morning. I"m very careful with the protein bars and so on. My body is OK with 1 piece of toast and no more, but boy, that one piece is heaven. ON my "free" day" vodka is way better for me than red wine, so it's my indulgence of choice.I'm still learning, so lets keep each other in the loop and share whats working and whats not till we get it right. Don't give up. You can and will find your way. I travel a lot myself and it's a constant balance. How many chicken caesars can I have in a week? Sometime 5 or 6!!!! But I know it works and w/o the croutons, dressing on the side and extra lemon, I make it work my way and know I got thru midday with the right protocol. Anyhoo...I'm routing for you and know you'll be fine :0)

I"m with you on the wheat and grains, Svelting. I'm finding lentils and yams to be fine at dinner, but not pasta and most grains as I was telling Clarice. I have hot oat bran as opposed to oatmeal for breakfast and that works better for me as well. There are triggers for sure. I think wheat/gluten are the nemesis for a lot of us. Thanks for mentioning it.