I am not losing as fast as others either and I am not cheating. I have lost 10lbs in 4 weeks. Some people lose that in one week!

Glad I found this post!

You mentioned that you were consuming tomatoes every day and I believe my sheet says I can have them once or twice a week. Maybe that might have an effect too- aside from that I think you're doing well.

I think this is posted in a few places, but here is some info on ketosis from another source. You can google it to get more info...

"Ketone breath, which imparts a sweetish smell, does not cause bad breath so much as a different breath odor. Try drinking more water, and remember this is a great sign you are changing your metabolism, burning fat and just your body letting you know!!!

Lipolysis, the process during which your body primarily burns fat as fuel rather than glucose, causes ketosis, which in turn generates ketones, the by-products of fat breakdown. During ketosis, ketones are released in your breath and your urine.

As long as you drink enough water, the bad breath caused by ketosis usually lasts only a few weeks.

Ideal Protein is a ketogenic diet and once your body's two-day supply of glycogen (stored glucose) is gone and your body starts to burn fat, the natural appetite suppressant side effect of lipolysis kicks!!! Believe it or not you may "forget" to eat a meal. But DO NOT do that. Never go six waking hours without eating.

Increased Energy!!! Once you have hit ketosis, usually on the third or fourth day you may get a huge burst in energy!!!!! During the first days you may also experience a slight light-headedness.

Thirst.

Different taste in your mouth. Some people call the taste sweet, others say it is "metallic". It is caused by your tongue tasting ketones in the saliva.

Different odor of your urine and/or sweat."

My coach had mentioned that I don't have to eat my occasional veggies all in one sitting. I can space them out during the week, as long as the don't exceed two cups a week. For example I cook two cups of green beans and eat them a quarter cup at a time.

I went through the same thing about 4 weeks ago. I lost 15 pounds then hit a brick wall for 2 1/2 weeks. I was constipated but I do not think this was the only reason because even when that resolved I only lost a few then leveled for a while. I think the initial weight loss kind of slowed down my progress for a while. I felt bloated for 3 weeks. I started taking in more fiber and with time, I began to lose weight again. It is not as fast as I would like but slow and steady wins the race. Don't lose faith. Sometimes you just have to ride out these plateaus.

Hi Sunshine:

I do feel that too. They told me to get senna tea from drug store but I couldn't find it. But I do have bowel movement everyday.Sorry TMI...I do think though that I should consume more fiber veges.

So which fiber veges did you eat?

Thanks,
Reema

GREAT idea!

I can add this...I started this with my BFF and we do pretty much the same thing..the biggest difference is I struggle with my bowels. Suppose I probably did before but not so aware of it. She steadily loses more than me. We have been on the program since Jan and it always comes back to the only difference is my slow colon. And believe me I TRY everything out there..I take Novilax X2 and probiotics, lots of water (and of course the splash of Mg. Citrate and Calm when it gets worse than the normal "slow")..

I am in week 4 and am feeling a stall as well. The scale has not budged in almost a week, but I just keep telling myself to stick with it. I have been 100% OP and plan to stay that way.

Coming to this site and "chatting" with everyone here really helps enforce this. I know my body is changing because all of my clothes are fitting so much better and I know that even if I don't actually lose any weight this week, I am still losing inches. I am so thankful to have found you all, you really help me stay focused and keep my wits about me. Not to give up when the chips are down (or the scale is up!) and to just keep at the program it WILL work.

In any other diet I have ever tried, I have been a slow loser too, so it is not surprising to me that I would be on IP. It's funny how our whole perception changes, because when I was doing Jenny Craig, if I lost 1/2 pound, I would be so happy! Now 1/2 pound seems so disappointing. I just have to remember to keep things in perspective. I guess maybe we all do!

I don't think you are neccessarily doing anything wrong. The rapid weight loss from this diet is from water loss and glycogen store depletion. After the first couple weeks, your weight loss is from restricted calorie intake...not from ketosis. So don't worry about if you are in ketosis or not, just do the program. Most of us have MUCH slower loss than the 4lb/wk "IP average"

Your weight loss will be determined by your lean body mass and metabolic requirements and your calorie intake. If you punched the numbers, with the amount of calories you are consuming and the amount of fat on your body/lean body mass will probably only render a 2-2.5 lb loss per week (at this point, I weigh about what you do and that is all I lose). There are a couple factors that can impact your rate of loss. If you have a metabolic slow down (usually after months of restricted cal diet), or eating more cals than required for greater weight loss. If you want to jack up your loss, take out the empty cals, not the protein. You may consider trying a restricted every other day or eliminating those carbs altogether.

I know this rate is discouraging, but consider that the majority of you loss has been pure FAT. This is a muscle sparing diet and that is the advantage to other diets, IMO...

Good luck!!

You are so right! That is why I am definitely trying to mentally keep everything in perspective and not get too crazy. I know I am burning fat and sparing muscle, which was the greatest factor in doing this diet. I guess it is easy to get glamorized by the "3-7 pounds per week" that if you don't do that, it feels like you are not doing something right. I do have a lot of lean body mass, as I have been working out with weights for years.

I love how everyone on this site is so supportive and we all keep each other sane

I started this when a close friend had been on it for 6 weeks and lost 30 lbs !! My first week I lost 2 lbs :-( 2nd week I lost 4lbs. one thing my coach and my friend both said is be sure to have the 2 cups veggies with lunch and dinner as when I have less I seem to lose less. BTW, try to stick to the leafy veggies, for the most part.

Congrats!

This is great advice. But, what if you are not having any of the restricted foods. What else can we do?