Okay..there is nothing worse than stepping on a scale on day 4 after you have followed the most strict diet to a T, only to freaking find out that your hard work has resulted in weight gain..i dont det it?? Whats the deal? I dont understand.. i do 4 shakes 64 ounces of water and a light walk each day plus my 4 cups of veggies.. And yes im doing the alternative shakes because i cant afford the IP protocol food....

I was discouraged before, but now i feel really discouraged..why isnt it working for me?

My first week I showed no loss on the scale until the end of the week, it actually seems to be that way every week so far. I wouldn't concentrate on the scale too much, it can be discouraging, if you follow the diet protocol it WILL work. Also, your weight fluctuates throughout the day for me personally I can see a 3-4# change in a day. So I no longer step on the scale during the day, only first thing in the morning and I really do rely on my coach's scale NOT my own. You are only on day 4 don't get discouraged and don't give up you will see the results!

I always weigh 2-3 pounds more in the evening. I have also struggled with water retention the entire time I've been on this diet (12 weeks) My rings are so tight in the mornings that I can't take them off! I can go 2 weeks and see very little weight loss, but I am going down in size so I have the scales on "ignore."

Even starvation (no food, no calories at all) can result in random weight loss, and as long as you're drinking water (because you'll die in a few days if you don't take in liquids) you could even see occasional gains.

I would bet money that I would still gain during TOM if I were only drinking water, because even perfectly on plan (not IP, at least not yet) I gain up to 8 lbs of water weight that disappears about mid TOM week (unless I go drastically off plan).

You can't judge any weight loss method as unsuccessful based on four days (whether they're your first four days or not). You can't judge a weight loss method by a week or even two or three. Not all bodies (in fact, I'd guess very few) work that predictably.

I hate people talking about plateaus or gains when they're talking about less than a month's worth of scale activity, it's not at all unusual to drop the weight only every few weeks. Some people call this "losing in whooshes."

I think whooshing is more common than we even talk about, because many people are ashamed to admit they're not losing weight every week, most especially if they had so much as a 10 calorie "cheat." They think "well, I wasn't following my plan PERFECTLY so that's probably why I didn't lose any weight," or they find some other reason to believe that they're failing or the diet isn't working, so they try something else. And when that doesn't "work" the way they expect it to, they think they're failing again, and the cycle repeats until the person believes they can't succeed.

Don't fall for this trap. Understand that fluctuations are normal. Refuse to be discouraged and derailed by uneven results. Give it time (a lot more than 4 days).

Just wanted to share my pain with you, as I had 2 weeks in a row with no weight loss...nothing, not an ounce. The week after that, I lost just over 6#...but the following week...NOTHING again, so I can really sympathize with you. Keep plugging along, I'm sure it is working...but like I said, I know how you feel when everyone is losing, even small losses are better than nothing.

I see a possible problem -- depends on whether you do 4 shakes with 8 oz of water (or more) + 64 oz of water OR you're just getting 64 oz of water a day. The rule of thumb is 1/2 oz of water per 1 pound of body weight with a minimum of 110 ounces of water per day if you weigh 220 or more. This has nothing to do with whether you're using IP products or alternatives. I'd bet my bottom dollar that if you increase water to 110 ounces, maybe more if you live in a high or extremely low humidity area, AND walk 10,000 steps a day, you'll lose, and lose, and lose. Good luck. [Several weeks ago someone posted an EXCELLENT summary about water poisoning. It's a cautionary tale about why you shouldn't go overboard. BUT YOU'RE NO WHERE NEAR!]

EDIT: OMG! I just read your next post and you're only on day three? Dumping waste into your system? And not flushing it out? Drink water. PLEASE.

I agree with what everyone else has offered in the way of advice here. I would give it a lot more time before throwing in the towel, increase the water, add some exercise, and I think you will be amazed at the results. I understand it can be frustrating, especially when trying to get used to a very different way of eating. It will work if you give it some more time and stick to it 100% (with alternative products, if that works for you).

Let us know how you're doing. We want to support you!

Karen

I agree with the weight fluctuation - I weigh up 2-4 lb more in teh pm. I think it is from all the water and the water in the veggies and more if I get hit with the big C. That si where I think measuring inches means a lot, if i am losing inches, the scales shoudl follow shortly. Remember, water is denser than fat, so it takes less volume for the same weight.

I'm just going to rephrase what people have been saying in a slightly different way that might be easier to understand. It is quite simple but believe it or not this is a very simple topic for most people.

If you consume fewer calories than your body needs your body takes the energy it needs from fat cells.

Another way to say this is:

Eat less than your body needs = fat loss***

Eat more than your body needs = fat gain***

Based on what you're consuming there are literally only two possibilies:

1) You're losing fat
2) Your body is a miracle and is able to create energy from the very air you breath and water you drink

I am 100% certain it is #1. Stick with it and you will be rewarded!

***NOTE***
Fat gain or loss is very difficult to measure accurately even with expensive testing procedures. Fat gain or loss has nothing to do with what the scale says because water levels flucuate like crazy especially in women and the bigger you are the more water can flucate. Thus - the best way to measure progress is not with the scale but with pictures and measurements.

It seems we base how we are doing by what the scale says. The first week of IP I only lost 4 pounds. I felt that I should have done sooo much better than that, after all, I was hungry and I never strayed off the plan. But, according to my numbers I had lost 1% of body fat. My coach was so proud that I lost body fat on the first week as she claims that most only lose pounds but not body fat. The second week I lost 3 pounds. Once again, I was so upset because my body won't let go of this weight. Although, on the second week I lost another percent of body fat.

We are so use to focusing on the scale we forget what else is happening to our body. I now do not weigh myself. I exercise everyday, drink my shakes, eat my protein and veggies and drink my water. There really is nothing more I can do. I am very disappointed in the weight on the scale when I read so much about others losing 9 or so pounds the first week, it is almost depressing. But I have to remember that this weight did not come on overnight and it is not going away in a week or two. Keep your chin up and do what you now if right. Mother Nature will take care of the rest.

If you have constipation the scale will not show a loss. The colon can hold 17 lbs of material.

If you have diahareah your body will hold on to water to protect you and you will actually gain for a couple of days.

Too much salt, including sodium content of those shakes or soups, and TOM will all cause water retention.

I deal with every one of these issues and I hacpve actually lost 5lbs in two days before when everything normalizes.

I spend most of my time losing weight that won't show up for three weeks than having a 4-5 lb loss happen in a couple of days. Then another 3 and a half weeks of no weight loss on the scale.

Hang in there. Don't stress out like I do and cause a real stall from adrenaline.

John, are you on ideal protein? Because what you shared is very encouraging but doesn't line up with dr. Tran's research or the ideal protein science. We can be fat on far less food than we burn due to hormonal imbalances, a low calorie diet that is too high in refined carbohydrates, food allergies, an overheating pancreas. I'm someone who weighed 250lbs, ate 500 calories a day in the form of protein bars, and did 2 hours of high impact step aerobics plus walking and weight lifting 5-6 days a week. After years of doctors and tests it was discovered that my weight was being caused by a dairy allergy and adrenal burn out. The less I ate +the more I worked out put my body under such stress that it constantly made fat to protect me from dying. I didn't lose weight until I stopped working out, had accupressure to relieve the stored stress and begin sleeping again, and increased my calories so my body would not be under stress anymore. Ideal protein is the first thing to ever work for me in my life and it is because of the chemical reaction in the body by the pancreas being shut down so it would stop hyper producing insulin. I know that not everyone has the weird issues that I have, but I just want to encourage you that not everyone has success with eat less + exercise more. Sometimes the math doesn't add up like that.

Well, i went to a wedding today discouraged and in the end i ate salad and a shake..but these salads were not OP...they were potato salads and pasta salads..so perhaps ive botched today..but i will give it another go tommorow morning..i promise not to give up.. i will keep trying..

I feel ashamed that i resorted to salads that werent OP for this wedding..suprisingly i got out of there before i touched cake or bread..so im proud of that..but in terms of the salads.. i feel bad..but i really do want to get back up again and keep trying..So try try try.. i will try and i will let you know how it goes tommorow..Thank you for all your support..its means so much to me to have people who can belive in me

I weigh twice a day, usually first thing in the morning and once before I go to bed,and my weight goes up and down. Every week I feel like I haven't lost, but I always do. Stay on program, if you are following it to a T, theres no way you wont lose weight.

Figgypudding -

My post was not intended as anything other than an encouragement to the OP that in fact the IP diet was working dispite what the scale says.

You may have missed the word "most" in my post. The math always adds up but there can be a large variety of things that make the math more complicated in a small percentage of people. You seem to have hit the jackpot. Congratulations on finding a diet that works for you.