Do you get one restricted a day?
 

Just wondering, since everyone gets different coaches. I am allowed one a day, but I want a faster weight loss; so I'm thinking of cutting down to 4 restricteds a week and lower and lower til I reach my goal. :)

How long has it taken you to get to a 13 pound loss so far?

I'm still new to the program, but I'm using the restricteds more for convenience then anything else. My coach has said no more than 1 a day since day 1 (and I think that's the general protocol), but when I'm ordering my food I sit down with my calender and super busy days where I don't have enough time for anything else I get a restricted.

Last week I got 4 and lost 11 lbs but this week I only needed 2. Time will tell I suppose.

Three weeks, going to be one month this friday.

Bit I am considered to be a slow loser since I don't have much to lose.. :\

I am losing rather slowly week to week too. I know its all relative though. I've lost 20 pounds in 8 weeks but it's slowing to 1.5 last week and 1.0 this week. I had been doing 2 nonrestricted packets + 1 restricted a day. Some days I'd just do 3 nonrestricted packets. My coach told me today I should absolutely be having 3 nonrestricteds + 1 restricted every day. She said if we deprive our bodies too much of carbs(I.e. Not eating restricteds) then our bodies will have to generate carbs on it's own to survive. The brain requires carbs to function. So if we restrict too much we will stall. I am going to have my 3 + 1 for the next week and see what happens. If I have a bigger loss I'll let you know! If I have a gain I'll let you know when I'm finished crying:)

I'm also going to try limiting my restricted packets to three per week. Somedays however it's the only thing that keeps me going!
My weighloss has slowed down in the last two weeks.

http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/bar072...0/125/132/.png

Darn! I only lost about 2lb last week, and so far only .5 ; this is a really slow week for me. I've been also trying to drink green tea every morning to see if it helps.. I don't know. Just gotta go see my coach I guess. But I know of some people doing bootcamp.. but not sure if it actually works.

Our restricted packets were limited to one per day. I found my weight loss was better when I had my restricted earlier in the day than late at night.

Bowel movements
 

Is anyone having trouble with very loose bowel movements

This makes total sense. This is how the program is set up. Following it as it is outlined it is still low cal, low fat and low carb. I am amazed how many people immediately start cutting back. The body then thinks it's under attack and shuts down. Also when you phase off and start adding things back the body is in shock and then holds on to every carb.

Hmmm, that sounds reasonable! Thanks.

& I find it hard to go to the bathroom sometimes..

My coach has me on TWO unrestricted and ONE restricted a day. I have only been on IP for about 9 days but have lost over 6 lbs already. I guess we will see how it goes. I asked my coach if I NEEDED to have my 1 restriction and she told me ABSOLUTELY for my brain!! Good luck to you! You are a very pretty girl!!

Hi All - there seems to be quite a few differences in all of our coaches. The general protocol says that we have 3 IP packets a day (no more than 1 can be a restricted) - however, some of us do all 3 packets as non-restricted.

I haven't had a solid BM since I started. My coach says this is not the usual. I have to check with my doctor and see what he says. Most IP users are supposed to have the opposite affect. Maybe we have trouble with absorption? I would check with your coach, how long has it been going on?

I have always had one restricted a day, its like a little snack, I love it. 3-4 unrestricted for me and one restricted. Always worked well for me.

Coach said if your hungry have a packet, your body needs it, some days we burn more then other days. We have to learn to listen to our body, it almost tells what what we need. The other night I woke up at 12:30 starving so had a ip shake, then went back to sleep, when I weighed in the morning was down a whole lb. I go to the gym each day and work is pretty active and stress full so I burn off alot I guess. The packets dont have alot of waste, its pure protien in them, Not like eating a hamburger where most is waste our bodies dont need and empty calories.

I love this discussion--it is helpful for me. I haven't been having an extra non-restricted--my coach only mentioned it for the first week. So, on those hungry days I am going to have an extra silver packet.

Locks, I agree with you that we should listen to our body. I wonder if we should listen when it is the other way?? That is, if we aren't hungry. Yesterday I had two non-restricteds and my meal. I know I am suppose to have 3. So, I made some pudding and had it at about 9:45. I wasn't hungry at all. I had it because I have read that we can lose muscle if we don't have enough protein. What would you have done?

What my coach is telling me really makes sense to me. You need the 3 nonrestricteds per day for the protein. They are VERY low carbs and little calories but high in "ideal" protein which our bodies must have or we will break down muscle. The restricted then gives you the carbs your body must have to function. I'm going to o this for a week and see how my weight loss is. I was down another 0.8 this morning and I had 3+1 yesterday:)

Well said locks! This makes sense to me!!

I tend to eat the restrict one early in the day, if I have one. I get up for work very early and normally get hunger for it around 10:00. that gives your body the day to use up the extra carbs.

My coach was quite adamant that I have one restricted a day, preferably for breakfast. If the body goes into starvation mode from ingesting too few calories, your metabolism slows down resulting in a slower weight loss. I've lost 40 lbs since May (some before I started IP) and it's been the case for me. I've never had a week where I've gained, but I've been a slow & steady loser -- in the best possible way!

My coach told me that I must eat 1 restricted each day to ensure I get enough calories and carbs. I'm a VERY slow loser, so some weeks I haven't had restricteds to try to speed up the weight loss, and those are the weeks with my lowest losses! I find the weeks that I have more restricted's, I lose more! It's definitely different for each person, but I would try it out to see. I am now eating 1 restricted each day.

My coach tells me that 2 unrestricted a day, 1 restricted. I try and find ways to speed up my weight loss but it sounds like cutting IP food out may not be the way to do it. I am told not to do any cardio or exercise at all and I wish we could and burn more weight. Anyone doing so - would love your advice on how you are sucessful in that.

There is a whole thread about exercise. Most do 1/2 a bar before they work out and the other half after. Here is a link to the thread http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...-exercise.html

I dont know why Coachs tell us no exercise. Mine said go for it, but not wild. Imagine losing alot of weight with no muscel tone, thats going to look real bad. Once your not 20 anymore things arent so elastic, and well the little bit of movement makes a nice shape. I have a packet before or after training, depends on the time I go. Since I am doing alternaitves mixed in I use the powder mix protien to help keep the price down a bit.

My told me to hold off for about two weeks on exercise until I'd gotten into the diet and my body had settled into its new routine, then to begin adding exercise slowly. Made sense. They also suggested 1/2 bar before and 1/2 after as well. I did have a couple bars one night when I was very tempted at a potluck, but as they said it was better to have two in a day and not cheat then to cheat.

Thanks! That's the same as me, but good luck to you. :) I've only recently started about a month ago and lost 13 pounds. Don't lose motivation! =\ Those cravings sometimes really get to ya.