Howdy all. I am following the diet exactly ( 3 IPs a day, one of which can be restricted, lettuce and 2c. veggies at lunch and dinner). and I find that in between meals I am REALLY hungry. I don't mean just that "well I think I could eat something" feeling. HUNGRY.

I saw the idea of eating veggies as a snack between meals, however, I think veggies are gross and it is all I can do to choke down the ones I am required to eat. Also, my coach said not to eat between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner. I am the most hungry during the day (about 90 mins after breakfast, getting increasingly hungry til lunch, then again about 90 mins-2 hours after lunch---I try to put off eating lunch as long as possible (sometimes as late as 2pm) so I only have one part of the day where I really feel like I want to chew off my own arm.

Edited to add----I have tried drinking a lot of water to try to "fill up" my stomach and it works great---for about 30 minutes. Then I have to pee several times in an hour and I am super hungry again.

I am kind of frustrated because I keep seeing people writing about how they can barely eat and how full they feel---that is NOT happening for me.

Suggestions are of course, welcome!

I am on day 5. for the first 3 days I was ALWAYS starving. Now I can barely finish my food.

I told my coach about how hungry I was and she said it was important for me NOT to feel hungry. I was told to snack on veggies. eg. If I had my 2 cups of veggies for lunch and was still hungry later... I would have a cup of veggies (usually cucumbers with salt on them) then for dinner I would make only 1 cups of veggies, because I had the other cup for snack.

Every coach seems to say something different though.

I've been on this almost 2 weeks, and quite honestly, I would rather be hungry than eat more vegetables, since as I said, it takes great discipline to choke down the ones I am required to eat. Thanks tho.

I understand I hate veggies to. In fact, before IP I never ate them. Maybe when I was a kid, but not in many many years.

I hate veggies too. I would tolerate them occasionally before IP. I have actually found one I do like though, it's raw Fennel. It's also good in veggie blends. One way I can eat the veggies is I use the WF Russian (or Thousand Island) dressing. I make the hamburger bowl with shredded cabbage, I put in about a cup or so, then I add some sliced pickles, some cucumber, cooked onion, then I break up my patty and add the dressing. It is pretty good that way. I add spices to the patty also, like sea salt, garlic, and whatever else I have on hand at the time. There are some I absolutely can't eat though like mustard and collard greens, broccoli and cauliflower! I hate, absolutely hate those!

I mostly eat them raw but have stir fried them. You may also want to try the turnip fries, I love those! Peel your turnip(s) and slice them like fries. Preheat your oven to about 350 and line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray your non-stick spray over the foil and then put on the fries, seasonings and I always add I can't believe it's not butter. Make sure you cook them long enough or else they taste terrible!! It takes about 15-20 min. you can taste them to make sure. They should be a little brown on the edges. They are really good!

So I eat one bowl and one serving of fries per week to help me out and I've also started eating some sauerkraut and pickles. I'm not much for cooked veggies, but I try to rotate a few each week to keep variety.

I agree - it is an acquired taste.

I LOVE to eat whether i'm hungry or not. So, I literally cut things up. For example, if I make an IP omelet in the morning, I eat half of it right away when i'm hungry in the morning and then I'll eat the second half about an hour later. The omelet is also great to "hide" vegetables where I load it up with mushrooms and broccoli. OR try to make things with vegetables that mimic other foods like french fries made from turnips! YUM!!

I have been on IP for 2 weeks now. What is really helping me with my hunger is in the afternoon for lunch I eat slowly. First my salad with my veggies then I drink a bottle of water I then sip on my shake. It takes me about 30 - 45 mins. to eat my lunch. As for breakfast I take my vitamins with a bottle of water then have my shake slowly drinking it and about an hour later have my coffee. It is really hard for me to have black coffee but I been doing flavored beans like hazelnut and it helps. I did buy some coconut milk hazelnut creamer I need to see it is ok to add to my coffee.

I didn't see your protein for dinner...I hope you're getting that in! Also, if you are still hungry try adding another IP pack. Many coaches suggest that during your first week or so it is advisable to have 1 or 2 extra nonrestricted packs a day to get you thru the rough parts. Another option would be to add a hardboiled egg as a snack when you feel that hungry. Stick with it...it gets easier everyday and it is definitely worth it!

It is CRAZY that the coach is telling you to eat nothing between lunch and supper!! I am super hungry during the day too....so I always eat my snack at 2-3. This is what I do and I am satisfied.
Breakfast at 8 (IP + 1-2 extra eggs)
Lunch at 11
Snack at 2
Dinner at 5

I am not a night time snacker so this works for me, but when I am moving and expending energy during the day, I get hungry, so I eat then. I've averaged a loss of 3.6 lbs / week so far.....so it is FINE to make the food work for you!

I think at your weight you should may very well need 4 IPs/day.

As to getting used to eating veggies.....I have spent a lifetime hating ALL of them. I've managed to get myself to the point where I can eat spring greens and broccoli without gagging. I have tried many others and found them just too repulsive. I will try the "turnip fries".

Jaclyn- I do not have the luxury of being able to eat slowly. I eat lunch at my desk everyday. I have three teenagers, work as a supervisor in child welfare and I am pursuing a PhD in counseling. While I understand logistically the benefits of slowing down, that is not an option at this time. Other than sipping whatever drink I'm having for lunch.

Willbethin- I follow requirements for dinner. My strategy is to eat dinner somewhat late and then have my last IP of the day about an hour later so that least one time a day I can feel almost satisfied instead of perpetually either on the brink of hunger or starving. It is the one time of day I get some relief.

I've been on IP for a couple of weeks, too, and am still hungry. I'm not a healthy veggie lover either, but that's why I weigh what I weigh. Meat, potatoes, dairy, bread... my foods of choice!

I"m also envious of those who say they're full, but I've had to make up my mind that I CAN be hungry, and it won't hurt me. It's a new feeling... I rarely let myself feel true hunger in the past 20+ years. The grumbling must my stomach healing from all the stretching and stuffing it's had to contend with all these years.

It's not fun. But I know my body is getting the nutrition it needs. I also know that if I don't take control of my eating, I'm going to end up on the cardiovascular surgeon's table, or worse yet, the morgue gurney.

I don't mean that to sound preachy, words on a forum don't show tone and emphasis. Just to share that I've decided I am in control, and hunger isn't going to rule me, and sympathize.

Also, I'm surprised a coach is having you stick that closely to timed eating. Mine doesn't care when I have a snack, and I choose mid-afternoon instead of evening. I also divvy up my eggs like SWP, and those eggs are crammed with veggies. I'd think any coach would have you do what works to keep you on program and losing as opposed to creating an obstacle.

And, at some point, the hunger monster has to slow down, surely!

Tate, I used to feel the same hunger so I can understand too.

My coach gave me a few options, and it's been working for me. She says this is not a calorie based diet, and if you need to eat something more, then eat it. She says to add another packet, a cheese string, or low calorie, 0 carb & fat deli meat. For herself, she prefers to wrap a piece of meat around a pickle and munch on that. I like the cheese strings, but usually I will take an RTD chocolate drink to work and keep it for after lunch, in case I get hungry mid-afternoon. If budget is an issue (is for me ), you can use alternative drinks as long as they are IP plan compliant.

Good luck, and let us know how you're doing.

Thx for the info. In part, I would like to add an IP, but I am losing about 1 pound a DAY at this point and quite frankly will starve myself silly if it gets the weight off that fast. In 13 days I have lost 14 pounds. I have been on a gazillllllion diets and they have all been soooooo slooooowwww, but I was comfortable doing them. If I have to be uncomfortable for awhile to get the weight off faster, I can deal with it. If I can add and IP or a little extra protein without slowing my loss, I would be very happy about that, too. I will talk to my coach about it at my next WI (Thursday).

I agree and have generally taken that attitude. This is, after all a diet, and by its very nature i am not going to feel full and satisfied most of the time (especially since I can't readily increase volume via vegetables ).

I suppose i had the expectation (based on my friend who tried the diet) and on what I saw posted here and the advice from my coach that at some point I would not be hungry. I can shift that expectation and just choose to accept hunger as part of the process. My inquiry was more to determine if there was something I was missing here, since "everyone else" seems to be full after eating. I sincerely thank you for piping up and letting me know that I am not alone in the "being hungry" category!

My starting weight is 240 and my coach has me eating 4 packets a day. I'm just starting my third week, and still feel some hunger, but I'm figuring out which packets are most satisfying. I think the puffs just make me feel hungrier. I do mostly pudding-shakes.