IP Weekend Chat Saturday 1/21-Sunday 1/22
 

Welcome back to the Daily Chat thread - post your plans for today, share what's been happening, ask questions!

:welcome3:

Some forum lingo:

NSV = Non-scale victory
TOM = time of the month
WI = Weigh-in
WF = Walden Farms
OP = on program

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Check the sticky page for lots of good information and please read before asking what might be a frequently asked question here in the daily thread: Information on Ideal Protein phases (1-4), recipes, newbie guide, FAQ, and other important threads.


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Progress photos:

have been moved to the Mini-Goal Photo Album.

Other helpful links related to the Ideal Protein diet:

Dr. Tran Tien Chanh's website

Dr. Tran Tien Chanh's book (PDF file): The Unbalanced Diet Approach to a Slimmer You

Thanks for starting the weekend chat Lisa.

I've been catching up on posts for the week. The site has been so busy, (which is awesome) it takes a while to get up to date with everyone.

Great WI and NSVs!

Thanks all for the great recipe ideas; especially ones for additional ways to prepare veggies.

I'm enjoying maintenance, but keeping myself pretty close to P2/P3 most days. So busy at work; even if I packed a lean protein to heat up, I don't seem to be able to get away, so a RTD shake has been my go to and fits nicely in my laptop case. I guess I'll stick with whatever is easy until the pace slows down a bit. One observation about P4 is that I was so excited that I could have snacks; in my mind that meant more snacks than my usual bedtime snack. Anyway, I'm finding that I'm full all day and don't really want or need one. In awe of how much this program has changed my lifestyle.

Week 3 barely on program had 2 chamber banquets. Ate dessert both nights, couldn't resist the pecan pie and the cheesecake. Stayed away from the bread and potatoes. I didn't even go to my WI yesterday cause I haven't been OP most of the week. So, I'm thinking this morning maybe I should do the IP alternative products. Not sure where I'm missing the mark, I know any program has to be about reprogramming the mind. Wondering if I'm really rdy to do that. My actions are not reflecting that readiness. Am I subconsciously sabotaging myself? Program cost too much not 2b serious about it. Sorry for the random thoughts.....Can u tell I'm confused LOL

WI#1 this morning - not excited about driving thru the severe weather we are having to get there (possible hail and tornadoes as well as the thunderstorms), but excited for the first time in years about getting on a scale. Keeping my fingers crossed. :)

Now to find my lightest underwear...

Do not beat yourself up. It sounds like you are not ready. Do not think you are subconsciously sabotaging, I think you are consciously doing it. Try ONE day, one hour at a time. Like an addict you have to want it more and be ready minute by minute to say that to yourself.

Today is another day! Good luck!

Good morning! It's my 3rd week on IP and I know I shouldn't check my weight everyday but I just get so excited...anyway I have a question for you more experienced "losers" ;) Has anyone seen the use of Mio or drinking flavored Propel water slow down their weight loss? My coach said to be careful with sweet flavorings because they can trick your body into thinking it is getting sugar and mess up your ketosis? I have not lost a single pound since Wednesday and the only thing I can think of is that maybe I'm using too much Mio? Thoughts...

I like what u said I have to want it more. Minute by minute be rdy to say it. Well at this minute and on this day I WANT IT MORE! One day at a time. I'm gonna do this.:hug:

What I've learned this week is change is not easy but it's necessary for my health and well being.

I haven't experienced that with Mio or the SF flavorings BUT I do think every person's body can react differently. I was eating super lean protein every night (0 fat chicken breast) but it wasn't until I switched to turkey burgers that had 20g fat in an 8oz raw serving that the weight started to melt off - go figure. I'd try eliminating it for a week and seeing what happens - could it be TOM? I never lose weight then....good luck!

Good morning! I am trying the soy patty today for the first time. Does anyone have good ideas on how to best prepare it? I hope you all have a great OP day!

Chuckles,
That is funny about the underwear! I am sure you will do great at your weigh in, just be careful getting there.
I have my weigh in this am as well. I tend to wear the same thing from week to week but now have to change to a different pair of jeans because the ones I had been wearing are tooooo big. That can only go in my favor with a little less fabric right?
Hope everyone has a great OP weekend and stays warm.:cool: Oh, and will soon get power back on for those that are surviving without it.:crossed:

Good morning IPeeps. Congrats to all the great WIs over the last day or two and good luck to all who WI today.

I am feeling a bit discouraged :( I am VERY sodium sensitive and retain water if I'm not careful with my sodium intake. I find that I am retaining more water than usual on this program and it makes me very uncomfortable. My hands, feet and ankles swell as well as my toes and makes it hard to walk sometimes. The scale is barely showing a weight loss since my first week. The body scan thing they do is showing body fat loss and lean muscle gain so I am hanging on to that. It's just hard not to see the scale move when I have been 100% OP. I talked to my coach and I am eliminating the sea salt (I was barely using it anyway), eliminating all soups and choosing the lowest sodium items. We will see how it goes. I don't want to stop this program because I see how successful a lot of you are and I am determined to stick it out and see if the sodium issue subsides. Sorry for the long message but I am kind of upset today.

I know for me personally I really wanted to do this more than anything. I was down right excited by the time I started. I think for me that was the key and I haven't cheated once in the four months I've been on the plan. There have been times I wanted something so badly, but getting thinner is way more fun than some piece of food can ever be. Decide if you really want this MORE than anything. I also have to say that buying the IP foods OR the alternatives will be a waste of money if you haven't made the commitment. Make the commitment to yourself to be healthy today. Get your head in the game so to speak.

I don't have Mio all the time, but it hasn't caused me any problems. However sometimes I stop it for awhile because it makes me start to crave things again, I think because of the sweet taste. Putting a slice lemon in your water is always a good choice.

It's not unusual for the third week to be a lower weight loss week because generally people have their biggest weight losses the first two weeks. It's your bodies way of saying, "Whoa slow down." It generally then settles into normal around the 4th or 5th week. I do weigh everyday because the scale going up or down doesn't bother me, but I would recommend putting your scale away if it starts to stress you out at all if the scale doesn't move that week or goes very slow.

I had the exact same problem with my ankles when I started this program, but now that I've lost weight that problem seems to almost have gone away. When I was having that problem I was making sure I drank more than enough water, got rid of the sea salt (still don't use it that much), got rid of the omelets and soup mixes too. I stuck to bars, RTD and puddings. I still mostly eat those foods only. I also started drinking dandelion tea (you can buy it at health food stores or even Target sells it) which is the best to deal with water retention (I did my research on how to deal with water retention).

The most important thing is that you are loosing fat and gaining muscle. I definitely wouldn't get discouraged as you ARE loosing. The scale will catch up with you eventually. Hang in there!

Lorilou, I can totally related. My weight has been on a roller coaster since I started IP. The first week I lost -10.8, second week (and TOM) I GAINED 10 lbs, third week I lost -18 lbs, 4th week gained 4 lbs, 5th week gained 1 lb, but I have steadily been losing inches and my clothes are getting bigger. My coach even called the doctor in to go over everything with me. I have been 100% OP and have made the eating suggestions my coach told me, such as not eating pork or bbq (smoked meat, not bbq with the sauce), and still it is a struggle for my body to release the water retention. The doctor said he felt it is all water and soon I will have a big whoosh of water. The other thing is that I have been in strong ketosis this whole time - I bought the Ketostix and measure every night. I am not in ketosis in the morning, like others, but that is to be expected since your liver releases glucose during the night/morning, which is why diabetics have to test their sugars in the morning. From what I have read, you should test yourself at the same time of day to see if you're in ketosis. I have been very frustrated with my lack of progress and begin researching ketosis, water weight and not losing and came across this article that made a lot of sense to me. http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/at...ll-anyone.html It is specifically talking about another program, but the principle of inducting into ketosis is the same, as that is their main goal, too. This has given me hope that eventually my body will finally release all that extra water it's holding on to. One last thing, I increased my water even more this week, from 110 oz to 130-140 oz and I've lost two pounds so far this week...would love for it to be more, but I'll take what I can get. =)

Just hang in there and keep at it. I wish I was a fast loser like most on this forum, but unfortunately there have to be some people that don't lose quite as fast. I just keep telling myself to stick with it, that results will follow because how can they NOT given what we are eating caloric wise and being in ketosis? I wish you well...hang in there.

its so funny you said that about your lightest underwear. Yesterday was my second weigh in and I tried on 3 different outfits and weighed myself before going to see which one was the lightest...and then I took my bra off to see if that would make a difference LOL...I ended up wearing my scrubs...witha bra

Hi Everyone,
Have almost made it to the end of my second week and its not so bad. I found a substitute Parmesan Cheese thats not so bad tasting and great to sprinkle on my morning eggs and can't wait till I do my miracle noodles and meatballs with it on it. Its called Veggie Grated Parmesan Flavor by Galaxy Nutritional Food and you can find it in the cold section of the fruit and veggie aisle with tofu, and vegetarian products. 2-tsp=15 calories, .5 gram fat, no carbs or sugar. I use 1 tsp and it is only 7.5 calories. Not bad.

Morning, I have tried the soy patty and did not like it. It definitley needs something to spice it up. Good thing I only bought one packet. Good luck :)

Thank you Dana. I will have to find that tea and see if it helps. I know I have to hang in there and will do just that and stay strong!

Thank you hmt for proving the link to that article. I will make sure to read it. I drink up to 100 0z of water a day any will try to increase it. My coach has said that the water will balance but it is difficult waiting for that.

Thanks again to both of you for the support :hug:

I make my own taco seasoning mix and put that into the dry soy patty mix and then make it as directed. I crumble it up and put it on my salad with 2 cups of veggies. I use 2 tablespoons of a fresh salsa that I really like plus 1 Tablespoon of olive oil for my dressing. I now have a taco salad...yum!

:D

I mix the soy patty up with IP friendly taco type seasoning and then crumble it up in the skillet while it cooks. Make a taco salad out of it. I find it has a bean flavor, making it acceptable for taco salad if seasoned properly. I never ate it any other way.

I think that eliminating the salt, soups, and omelets is a great first step. Also, drinking a wedge of lemon squeezed into a cup of very warm water helps me. I do that around TOM when I am so swollen I can't get my rings on before bed and it really helps. You might also start shooting for a little more water. Personally I drink 4L a day (which I think is about 140ozs).

Congrats on getting to maintenance!! That's funny that you say that about the snacks. When I got off the program in October I found I just couldn't eat as much as I 'used to'. It's amazing how your body adapts and really does know what's best for you.

I am not intending this to come out harshly so please don't take it that way, but honestly you might not be ready yet. You aren't going to get the results you desire with little cheats here and there, and in the long term you will feel deprived and wonder why it's not working for you. I read someone post that they would not cheat unless they were willing to tear up 2 $20 bills, because that is basically what you're doing. I'll see if I can bump the "Reasons not to cheat thread" for you.

This diet is a change in mindset. As for me coming off of calorie counting and WW I had to realize that this diet is totally different, there is no room for a bite or taste of something in moderation like there is on those plans, but this is a fixed plan. You will only be this limited for a certain period of time, and then you will be back to learning how to eat for your body and maintaining the weight loss (and can have the pie and cheesecake!). I hope this helps!!

I check my weight everyday too, the key is to not get discouraged when it goes up a little. For me, I know how it fluctuates and don't worry to much, I just like seeing the number, it's a control thing.

I've never tried the flavored propel water, but I do use MiO just about every day. I try to alternate it and do 1L plain water and 1L water with MiO but that's just so I am in the habit of drinking plain water. You're in your 3rd week (as am I in my restart) which tends to be where it really slows down. I wouldn't worry about it honestly.

Don't be discouraged as I too think the program is too expensive and with 2 children in college next year I can't think of wasting money but I have done the alternate program and looked at all these posts to get great ideas,recipes and ip packet ingredients to compare to get same ingredients and I purchase from Netrition, Lindora store and get ip packets from a friend.
:)

Chuckles, you made me laugh out loud and my DH too, because he wanted to know what the commotion was about. :D

Thanks NavyMommy! :hug:

Just got home from the grocery store :) I was SO SO excited, I got a screaming deal (basically buy one get one) on MiO so I got 4 more to add to my collection :) I might be a bit of an addict, I have ALL the flavors. Don't forget, MiO is a Kraft product so if you have a coupon for a Kraft product or drink mix it qualifies. :carrot:

Heading out today to get my hair cut and a pedicure. The haircut is just because I need it and the pedicure is to treat myself because I saw a number yesterday I haven't seen in at least 2+ years. I still have a long way to go, but I am making progress and that's what matters.

Hope everyone has a great OP day!

1FineChick - I bumped the cheating thread for you.

I am also in week 3 and I have been struggling myself. I haven't cheated but I am finding it so difficult to stay OP. There are nights I lay awake thinking about what I am going to eat when I finish this program! However, I agree that it is too expensive not to be serious about this diet. I also believe that since I have tried every other diet out there and failed, that if I don't stick with this one, I will always be overweight. In 3 weeks I have lost 18.5 pounds and in the past it has taken me 3 or 4 months to lose that much. I think we have to try and find strength anywhere we can get it. If I didn't have my WI this morning there is no doubt in my mind that I would have given in and had a slice of pizza last night. Friday night is pizza night in my house and always difficult for me, but knowing that scale was waiting for me stopped me. I hope I have given you some inspiration not to give up. These boards have been a God send to me but this is my first post. Good luck :)

good morning, hope everyone has a great OP weekend.

1finechick - Don't give up. It is hard to retrain our thoughts and behaviors. This is coming from someone who would eat a tray of pizza for breakfast - now i'm having a SHAKE. Your mind body and soul has to want it. My wake up call was a trip to the doctor almost 4 weeks ago, when they told me i have to see a cardiologist to check for heart blockages - I see this cardiologist on this tuesday. I am 26 years old. i thought to myself, something HAS TO CHANGE. I am slowly committing suicide each time I put something unhealthy into my mouth.

Being overweight, is not simply out of a bad habit, it's a lifestyle, its unmanageably when it comes to food. I felt out of control, i had to start looking at food as an addiction.

just keep your head up... you will have your wake up call too :)

Very well said MrsMurphy, when I went to the Dr for my hip and he told me he couldn't do a hip replacement because I was too big and if I didn't lose the weight I would soon be in a wheelchair. I did not want that. When I went see him 3 months later I was down 60lbs, he could not believe it. I just went see him 2 weeks ago and he was amazed at the progress I have made with 114lbs gone at the time. I am walking with barely a limp now and he said I more than likely will NOT have to have that replacement now. He said I am his FIRST patient to FOLLOW his request and I should be his poster child as to if you follow a correct food plan you CAN LOSE THE WEIGHT! You have to have it WITHIN YOURSELF, you have to find that Inner peace with yourself. ONCE you do that, you will kick this in the tail. Remember eating this way is only for a period of time...NOT FOREVER!!!

After all the talk on here about MIO, I had to go get some. I had a glass last night and it was so yummy. I am feeling a little guilty because that is my first non-water or IP drink in 4 1/2 months. Maybe I should just stick to water. My question is: why is MIO allowed (sucrolose) and some say no to Crystal Light or anything with aspartame and why is Splenda and stevia ok? Anyone know?

While I will agree this program is a little more costly then WW (however they have weekly meeting dues) The IP package is $4.00/meal. For those who eat out one or more meal a day, it is less expensive then a Big Mac, fries and a coke, or a Grande Starbucks coffee or even soup and salad at Panara or a salad or sub at good ole healthy Subway. You must be ready. My hubby and I started on IP on the day after Thanksgiving and many thought we had lost our minds. I am still OP (AND LOVIN IT) and hubby is not. I do agree with you that if you are not committed to IP you are just being unfair to your body honestly. One day you restrict it and then the next you cheat. It is a mind set and a real committment to yourself. Only you can decide when you are ready to change your life. IP really is a life changing journey! I have had issues with weight since I was 8 and know it will always be an issue and the older I get the harder it becomes.

Dont be hard on yourself, maybe it really is not the right time. But you are hear and hearing the good and the bad about one way that you can break the yo yo diets and lose the weight for good. I wish you much success in whatever decision you make.

Still no power here but I've been cooking on our wood burning stove. Hasn't been too bad. We have heat and I still get hot food. Thanks again to Wuv for giving me quick suggestions for alternatives until my doctor's office is back up and running. I panicked thinking I'd have to go off plan when I couldn't get more food and I missed my second WI. Hopefully they'll be able to schedule me soon. We made it through and now our snow and ice is melting. Our branches have finally stopped breaking off our trees. It was a tense couple nights hearing them come crashing down all night. Here's to a better week next week!

I started the Ideal Protein diet in early December. I found it quite easy to follow and stay on. As of yesterday, I lost 21 pounds and have 35 to go...I was amazed at the number of inches I've lost too. The weekly check-in at my doctor's office keeps me really motivated.

Beautifully put, mrsmurphy; this is a road travelled best together!

I decided to redo my signature and to try to redo my mindset. I can't keep beating myself up for needing to lose 120something more pounds. I decided to just focus on 10lbs at a time & in my signature. That way it moves *faster* on the ticker & in my head [I'm hoping lol]. But here's hoping!

I'm pretty sure that powder has done me in this week for weigh-in, just a feeling, but we'll find out for sure Monday. But I'm back on what I need to be on apparently, so hopefully the whoosh fairy will be back my 3rd week :)

Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!

On Day 4!!!
 

Good morning - so obviously I am a newbie newberson here, having started on Weds of this week and feeling a little overwhelmed by the learning curve and how far I have to go - BUT, reading everyone's posts this morning has been wonderful!
This is the first thing I have done for my own self-care in a very long time, and I am terrified I am going to fail at it like I have failed at every other diet/eating plan - but your posts are so encouraging and have made this the best Saturday morning I have had in a long time:)
My main issue currently is the hunger between meals - gotta shrink that tummy down! Also, I am gluten-free so my options in the IP packets are even more limited... fear of boredom is on my list as well.
I am scared of my first WI on Tuesday and that I will not lose anything and become discouraged again.
I am babbling in my first post- but it feels good to write something down!

Thanks NavyMommy! I add lemon twice a day to my salad to spread the WF around. Would that do the same as putting it in warm water? I eat the herb and cheese omelet which has only150mg of sodium as compared to 440mg in the plain omelet so I'm not too worried about that. Most of the soups are horrible so I will stay away from them. I hope the water retention resolves soon as it is frustrating (well more than a little).

Hey there, Looks like where on the same weight loss track. I'm also 5 8 but started a little heavier than you at 229. I'm contemplating my final weight...I was thinking 165 and now I'm considering 155... ??? I guess I'll decide when I get closer to the end. :) Best wishes!!! Maggie

Very good point!!! This is about being healthy.... Having Silver jeans that make my butt look good are a bonus!!!! Thanks for saying this!!!

Hang in there - Seattle should be up and running again soon - it has been a dreadful week! I am North of Seattle and it has been a real challenge, but woke up today and rain had melted most of it.

If you are going to stick to the program you should go weigh in even if it is a gain. That is how you will build accountability, which might help you think about the repercussions when you are tempted to cheat...