Geez - I am so jealous of all you tall people!! Love the new picture Wuv. Sorry about your aunt.

Discovered a new Thai restaurant in the area where I can stay OP. It was wonderful. I find it's much easier to have Asian food OP than the others, more so since I don't eat meat. Otherwise I seem to be destined to a tired old salad. It is beyond me why places have a difficult time making a great salad. I still long for some wonderful Italian food though, which is out of the question for quite some time. Oh well.

It's cold in Seattle today - 36 degrees F. I'm going to bundle up later on and go for walk. Getting more exercise is next on my list.

Take care everyone and have a terrific OP day!!

Thanks, Just take it one day at a time and one pound at a time. I promise it will come off!!...36degrees is FREEZING I wouldn't be able to go for a walk in that kinda weather!! I bought myself a stationary pedaler at walmart for $26. Its just like riding a bike but you sit in a regular chair and do it....I LOVE it...its small and fits right under my desk!

Hi Everyone:

This is my first post, but I have been reading the boards for almost two months now. You all have been VERY helpful and I was hoping I could get your advice now regarding my slow losses.

I had my seventh weigh in on Saturday and have lost 15.6lbs. My weigh ins have been as follows: #5.2, #3.5, #2.2, #2.2, #1.2, #.08, #1. I have 79 more pounds to lose and really would like to see better numbers for the cost of what I am paying. I am doing three packets a day with one restricted a day. I drink atleast 64oz of water every day and always try for 80oz, but I don't think I could drink more than that and still be able to work!!

My coach suggested adding another packet, but I'm not hungry. She told me that I was eating too many veggies, if I was having salad and 2 cups at each meal. Then she told me I wasn't having enough veggies so my body may be in starvation mode. Finally she told me that she understood if I stopped the program because I'm just not getting the losses, but I don't want to quit!!!

I would love any advice anyone can provide because I really do not think my "coach" knows enough about the program to help.

Thanks!!!

What a wonderful way to reward yourself...my husband gave me a Pandora bracelet for mothers day in May, I think I may have to borrow this idea. Since losing 44lbs my bracelet is starting to get really lose so I may have to start adding charms to it for every 5 or 10lbs lost...keep up the great work I can't wait to see it with your 100lb charm on it!!

I am sorry to hear that your coach thinks that you should quit. Don't quit the program, find a new coach. That's what I did and I am so happy that I did...I felt the same way about my old coach, she just didn't seem to have enough or the right info...if you can find another clinic and a new coach it may help. I also started a weight loss binder with all the information I could find on IP, recipes, a food journal, and a personal journal...it has really helped me and its almost 3 inches thick...there is so much helpful info on these threads too!!!! I know that for me if I have the restricted I don't lose as much as if I just do 3 non restricted a day, I would try sticking to the non- restricted for a week and see what happens. 15.6 lbs is really great!!!:carrot: Be proud of those pounds, I bet your clothes are fitting better...:hug:

Thank you for your response You and I started IP on the same day and you've lost 44lbs compared to my 15.6!!! Clearly, I am doing something wrong! While I am happy that I didn't gain 15 pounds, I really just want to do this right to have the same results I am seeing others have and that I know are consistant with the program.

Congrats on your loss! That is fantastic! :D

Beautiful, sun-shiney morning here just North of Seattle. Cold though. It is nice how everyone from different areas can connect over the internet. You can feel the love and support as we go through this journey.

Wuv - I like the idea of the stationary peddlar. I've often wondered how the contestants on the Biggest Loser make it through the work-outs. I'm so out-of-shape that I can hardly go up and down stairs. It is amazing how resilant the body is.

Boston - hang in there. It is discouraging that your coach is so unsupportive. Is the person new to coaching for IP? Find someone else who suits your needs. There are a lot of clinics out there doing IP. I'm glad for the forum - it's helped me a lot to discover what I was doing wrong and get back on track. I always come back to Wuv's comment on the boards when I am feeling "weak" - "Suck it up BUTT rcup". Gosh, how that plays over and over and over in my head!! Thanks Wuv.

My 44lbs is not only from IP...I started on my own in July by just cutting out gluten and lost 16lbs...so on IP I have lost a total of 28lbs and 28 inches... 15.6lbs is really great...how many inches have you lost?(if you don't mind me asking) Also I try not to use any restricted packets (because none of them are gluten free) I only have a restricted when I am craving a treat, but I know that the weeks when I have used restricted it has slowed me down...For example>> No restricted w1:-8.9 w2:-7.5 added restricted w3:-3 w4:-2 w5:-2 No restricted w6:-4.6

You are averaging about 2lbs a week which is great. What other diet would you see those results. Can you share with us what you eat in a day so we can try to help you out. One thing I would do is UP your water intake. 64oz is the minimum to drink. I know its hard to drink a lot and work but the more water you drink the better results you will have. Once you get used of it, you don't go as often. Your body just has to adjust. I have been drinking a lot of hot tea and I feel that I am losing better drinking the "hot" water. I will drink 2-3 pots of 12cups a day. The first pot is with a new tea bag but the other 2 I just add more water and use the same tea bag. I use decaffinated tea, this morning I tried something new and added a pack of crystal light into my pot before I started brewing it, so it was a completely different flavor, was yummy. But share what your day of eating consist of and we will see if or where you are going wrong :)

I'm happy to provide all information if it will help!!! I have lost less then 5 inches. BUT, I have had 3 different people measure me and they don't do it the same way... That has been frustrating. Two of the coaches are brand new, the third has lost 75lbs on the program but just started coaching last week. I don't have another clinic to go to as this one is the closest to me and it is a 40 minute drive from my house.

My normal day is:

Breakfast 9:30am: Black decaf coffee, 2 equal with a splash of the Chocolate drink mix I have for breakfast.

Lunch noon: restricted (bar or soy puffs)
1pm: big salad - I fill a dinner plate (romaine, baby spinach, green peppers, red onion, cucumbers -- sometimes a couple pieces of tomato with 2 tsp of Italian dressing)
2pm: if I'm hungry, a cup of broccoli/cauliflower mix

dinner 6 or 7pm: 8ozs of protein, chicken, cod or lean ground beef or steak (they are all weighed and packaged that way in my freezer). I usually add my protein on top of the salad I described below and have a 1 cup side of veggies.

Snack 9 or 10pm: RTD shake

Sometimes I mix up the restricted from lunch to night snack depending on what is happening at work...

Couple of things: my coach has told me that asparteme is NOT restricted on this diet. I have asked three times because of what I see here on the boards. She said they asked again at the seminar they all just went to and was told it is acceptable. So I do add it to my coffee in the morning and I drink Chrystal Light (8ozs) with dinner. I also add Mio to my water during the day, a very small bit to just give it a tiny bit of flavor. I also usually have two pieces of gum a day, but I switched that to listerine strips this week incase it was a problem...

I have also used Ketostix and have always been in atleast trace.

I will definitely try to up my water but my coach told me that for every cup of coffee or tea I drink (decaf or not) I have to add another 8ozs of water... I could NEVER drink that much!!! :dizzy:

Thank you so much for looking at this for me!!

WUV YOU LOOK FABULOUS!!!!!!!!

Looks like you are eating everything you are suppose too, but it does look like you are eating a lot of veggies. Try to keep it at 4 cups a day. That is the only thing that I can see besides the upping of your water. As for as the aspartame, I try to not have it but if I have it, it hasn't effected me. Just use it in moderation. I have 2-3 pieces of gum myself, drink the MIO as well. There is one of our posters who uses MIO in ALL of his water.

Measuring is important for you if anything. If possible I would take my own measurements at home. I do this because I know where I measure every time. Its never in the same place when they do it at the clinic. I have loss almost 100lbs and sometimes I don't lose any inches at my WI's. I have loss 73.5 inches seems like it should be more that is for sure.

Hang in there, remember 2 lbs is what you are averaging and that is great. Some of our posters average a pound. Stay positive and keep doing what you are doing, it will come off :)

Thanks :)

Boston,

You are doing fine, I would skip anything with aspartame, because it can trigger the pancreas. Try to use Splenda if you have to have sweetener.

I was a slow loser also and I didn't cheat. Wuv and others cheered me on and I have lost. I did switch to alternatives because I was losing so slow, I did great with them. I also had my thyroid meds readjusted last month. Some people lose slower, depends on alot of things. I am 53 yrs old, post -meno and hypothyroid, all three are known to slow loss, but at least I lost, which I did not on other programs. Stay the course, you will be so pleased that you did and 2lbs/wk is a healthy loss. :)

Thanks Wuv!!! I appreciate your input... I come to the boards everyday just to see what you have posted!!! I will keep plugging along hoping that everything just clicks one of these days and my body starts to let go of the weight...

I will up my water this week and hope for the best!