I think your coach is misinformed about Romaine lettuce. Iceberg has practically no nutritional value and not worth eating. Romaine has been recommended over and over as the go to lettuce because it is high in nutrients and fiber. And yes, spinach is a vegetable, one of the very best if not the best all round vegetable on our unrestricted list. I don't want to sound dogmatic, but honestly, I can't figure out where she/he is coming from. Maybe what I'k saying is that good sense should prevail.

How long should one be on diet?

that is a good question, everyone has their own answer I think... I will ask my coach that tomorrow but I would think it is until you meet your goal... but really we will be on this diet forever as we should be in maintenance for the rest of our lifes... we are changing the way we eat and see food and if we slip we go back and work phase 1 again.

Hi all, I just started yesterday but am anxious to join in. Any tips or hints I can get will be wonderful. How long does it usually take to get into Ketosis?

usually take 3-5 days....read the very first post of the daily thread. Lots of information to links there.

My husband and I are planning to go out for dinner tonight and I'm having anxiety!! It's a steak house so would it be okay to have a steak with steamed veggies? I'm on an alternate plan and am permitted foods from a list and a small boiled potato is one, so I'm guessing a baked one might be okay? There is also a salad bar where I could have lettuce. Any other suggestions??

I honestly would stay away from the potato and have other veggies, broccoli, cauliflower, zuchinni. They have to have other veggies besides potatos..its a steak house I know when I have eaten at OutBack I order the 8oz sirlion with grilled veggies and its filling and also yummy. No need to be nervous or have an anxiety attack, you have to learn, this is a way of life, its food, YOU control what goes into your mouth and the choices you make Enjoy your night out with your hubby, don't stress!

i'm sorry to keep beating a dead horse and apologize to all of you who are tired of the aspartame (sweetner) question but... i'm still confused, mainly because my couch told me at my first check up last week that i could have sugar free jello-o (no more than 5 servings/ day) and sugar free soft drinks. i have checked my ketones thru-out and have found myself to be in varying stages of ketosis from mild to moderate with no apparent correlation to my sugar free snacks. what is the bottom line? the past couple days my weight has been up .5 lbs and then 1 lb in that order. i am trying not to panic as i believe it to be hormonal...and yet i have this nagging feeling that all would be well if i would give up the aspartame and artificially sweetened splurges. can anyone clear this for me, once and for all? thanks!

oh, and what about chewing sugar free gum? would that affect your blood sugar/ ketosis too? still confused... thanks.

Every coach is different, yours if the first that has said you are able to have the jello and the soft drinks. I would not recommend having either of those but of course I am not a coach this is IMO only. I have always had splenda, divinciy syrups and such and have had no issues with my losses.

I chew sugarfree gum daily, extra is what I chew. I have 2-3 pieces a day again, hasn't affect me in my losses. Everyone is different some have issues with it, just depends on your own body

A couple of questions here. I've used the "Search" option for both FAQ threads and couldn't see an answer to this. Are Eggbeaters permitted?

I'm glad to know about the sugar-free gum. I have a stick occasionally and wasn't sure if I was being legal.

The only headache med that works for me is Excedrin. I take a couple maybe once a week. Since it contains caffeine, do I need to increase my water the same as I would for coffee?

Thanks. Eggbeaters are egg whites--no yolk. The kind I like are Southwestern style with little bits of peppers and onions and added spices.

Wow, thanks for the advice here on the jello and sugar free drinks! i will continue now to question things a bit more. have seen that others in stage 1 are seeing their couches weekly where as i see mine every 2 weeks... glad i have this board for some direction.

Here is an article that my coach gave to me about Diet Soda and why we should not have it OP....


WHY IS DIET SODA DISCOURAGED DURING IDEAL PROTEIN DIET?
Very interesting insights from the "Ideal Protein Nova Blog". There is a science behind why this diet works and the things you can do to take best advantage of it.

All diet drinks (i.e. sugar-free, carb-free) are NOT recommended on the diet. The problem that can arise is imbalances in acid/base regulation. The protocol is very alkaline and this is why we do not see complications common to other "protein type diets." Some diet drinks (Crystal Light for example) are mixed with water and these are acceptable. Many others (flavored Aqua-fina, Dasani, etc.) contain a lot of phosphoric acid. This is a very strong acid and will play havoc with the body's bicarbonate buffering system. This goes for diet soda's too, particularly the brown ones.

Flavored seltzers are usually OK, just read the label and make sure it is carb-free and contains no phosphoric acid. This protocol provides so many health benefits besides weight loss, it would be a shame to compromise some of the benefits by consuming these products. Also- remember, an extra cup of water for every coffee you drink!

So what CAN you drink? Drink unsweetened Herbal Tea. Add 2 bags to a large pitcher (1.5 liter) or container and seep for about 10 minutes. Use a funnel to pour into an empty 1.5 liter plastic soda bottle. I usually make 3-4 batches in one night of different flavours, so there is a wide variety of choice throughout the week. It also helps you crave drinking more.

‎1. "Aspartame" is the sweetener which Ideal Protein recommends cutting out from your other foods. The reason why is that your body can react to it like sugar, spiking your insulin. (at a certain amount.) So Crystal Light (made with nutri sweet) is not recommended. There is something in the US/Canada called MIO which you add to water which is recommended.
2. Cascade Ice wont work because there are fruit juices in it (Pear Juice concentrate).
‎3. Yes, you can add Stevia, Splenda, Truvia or other approved sweeteners to your tea. However, note that the sweeteners do have carbs in them and are not "free". Adding one packet (like a coffee sweetener size) to 1.5 liters of iced herbal tea is usually enough to sweeten it without worry. However, i drink the iced herbal teas with no sweetener and dont miss it.
‎4. Carbonation is not the problem... you can have sparkling water. However, some find that cutting out all carbonation helps with bloating/gas.
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