[Billster]

So today was day 1 of IP and it started out great! But here is my issue as I’m sitting here at work starving!!! Friday and Saturday nights I work the night shift (11pm-7am). I was awake at 10:00am this morning and tried to take a nap but it just wasn’t happening for me today. So I ate my IP breakfast at 10:30am and was hungry again at 4:30 so I had some salad. At 8:30pm I had my leek soup (which was the worst thing I have ever had fyi). It’s now 1:00am and I’m so hungry but want to try and postpone my dinner as long as I can so that when I get off work at 7am I’m not starving and hit McDonalds up before my hour drive home. Any suggestions to help fill these long gaps between meals???

Also my coach would not let me pick any of the cool foods for the first 2 weeks (chili, stew, any of the snacks except the pudding, or the oatmeal and pancakes) did anyone else have to do this?? Also she told me to only expect 1-2lbs of weight loss a week??? I have 84lbs to lose to hit my goal and maybe the results I was expecting are not as true as advertised.

[omgzitsmiranda]

Originally Posted by Billster

So today was day 1 of IP and it started out great! But here is my issue as I’m sitting here at work starving!!! Friday and Saturday nights I work the night shift (11pm-7am). I was awake at 10:00am this morning and tried to take a nap but it just wasn’t happening for me today. So I ate my IP breakfast at 10:30am and was hungry again at 4:30 so I had some salad. At 8:30pm I had my leek soup (which was the worst thing I have ever had fyi). It’s now 1:00am and I’m so hungry but want to try and postpone my dinner as long as I can so that when I get off work at 7am I’m not starving and hit McDonalds up before my hour drive home. Any suggestions to help fill these long gaps between meals???

Also my coach would not let me pick any of the cool foods for the first 2 weeks (chili, stew, any of the snacks except the pudding, or the oatmeal and pancakes) did anyone else have to do this?? Also she told me to only expect 1-2lbs of weight loss a week??? I have 84lbs to lose to hit my goal and maybe the results I was expecting are not as true as advertised.

Every single coach is going to tell you something different. About the restricted, some coaches don't let people have them for a few weeks at first; but then some do. It's really up to you, I suppose. Also, about the weight loss, it will depend on YOU and YOUR body! The coach can tell you whatever amount they like, but it's really going to depend on how on plan you are all the time & how your body reacts. 2lbs may be your AVERAGE but not every week could it be 2, it may be higher or it may be lower; just depends on you!

What I do to fill in the gaps is to spread out my veggies in between like this:
Breakfast: ready to drink shake & 1 cup veggies.
Snack: 1 cup veggies.
Lunch: restricted & 1 cup veggies.
Snack: 1 cup veggies.
Dinner: 8oz protein [& sometimes I will wait on 1 cup of veggies for dinner]
Snack: ready to drink shake.

Or just something similar to this
Hope this helps! Let me know if you need anymore help!

[FinnSteven]

#1 I dont understand coaches who wont let you have restricted things like bars the first week. Its been proven that it doesnt make any difference to weight loss and REALLY helps bridge the transition to dieting because of the sweetness.

#2 With that said, one of the best things my coach did for me was to give me ideas of things to "cheat" with. When I was absolutely desperate and hungry the first week (mostly a mental thing), she told me to take an extra packet. I ate up to 5 packets a day for the first month, then went to up to 4 for the next two months, then down to 3 after that when I lost 60+ lbs.

That might not work for everyone, since I started with a lot of weight to lose, but it worked brilliantly for me. So if eating 1 exta unrestricted packet was "cheating" (vs going to McDonalds or eating a sweet treat), then I was doing great (and actuall 100% on program.)

And yes, I have had unrestricted foods since day 1.

#3. If you want to follow your coach exactly, then the best hints for me were:

a) Bring a jar of dill pickles (no sugar) or the new splenda sweetened sweet pickles to munch on at work.

b) dont eat the soups as per instructions. The night before, roast some cauliflower (and if you want, also some brocolli and/or sliced bell peppers). Put 2 cups of water in a blender. Add the soup (any flavor) and blend. Add in 1-2 cups of the roasted vegetables. Add in various spices (try 1 tsp horseradish, 5-10 jalepeno slices + jalepeno juice, rosemary, thyme, fresh basil leaves, Mrs Dash, etc.)

Blend (you may need to turn the blender off and stir, then blend again until smooth. Should be thick.) Then put in a sealable container and take to work to microwave the next day. It should make a huge portion (still counting as 1 unrestricted!) which you can either eat all of and be satisfied or eat throughout the day.

c) Make meat rollups with ham (no added sugar/glucose) and american mustard. (take a slice of ham, spread with mustard, and roll up.) Put about 6 of the rollups in a container and take with you. It is an additional meat, but if its between cheating, or having a protein snack that wont kick you out of ketosis, this is a good substitution. And you can eat a little less protein later if you want to balance back)

d) Slice up bell peppers and put in a ziplock bag in the fridge.

e) When you have finished eating a jar of dill pickles or jalepenos, SAVE THE JUICE. Add in chopped cauliflower, brocolli, and bell peppers. Gives them all a brand new taste and a quick snack to munch on.

f) Make the "pudding muffins" (actually turn out more like pancakes because they deflate... recipe on my FB link below) for breakfast. Eat half, then bring the rest to work to eat later. Taste great even cold, even if they dont look so nice.

g) See if your coach will let you get the restricted southwest cheese puffs. They taste like spicy cheetos and if you eat one at a time (vs handfuls) they are a great little snack to tide you over til your meal.

Good luck. Its so worth it if you can make it past the first month and relearn new habits and overcome the mental challenge of dieting.
s

[starry1672]

I agree with what everyone is saying. For my snack, I slice cucumbers and just kind of pick at them like chips. I also am allowed one restricted a day, and I average 4 lbs a week. You can do this!! Good luck

[starry1672]

Originally Posted by FinnSteven

#1 I dont understand coaches who wont let you have restricted things like bars the first week. Its been proven that it doesnt make any difference to weight loss and REALLY helps bridge the transition to dieting because of the sweetness.

#2 With that said, one of the best things my coach did for me was to give me ideas of things to "cheat" with. When I was absolutely desperate and hungry the first week (mostly a mental thing), she told me to take an extra packet. I ate up to 5 packets a day for the first month, then went to up to 4 for the next two months, then down to 3 after that when I lost 60+ lbs.

That might not work for everyone, since I started with a lot of weight to lose, but it worked brilliantly for me. So if eating 1 exta unrestricted packet was "cheating" (vs going to McDonalds or eating a sweet treat), then I was doing great (and actuall 100% on program.)



And yes, I have had unrestricted foods since day 1.

#3. If you want to follow your coach exactly, then the best hints for me were:

a) Bring a jar of dill pickles (no sugar) or the new splenda sweetened sweet pickles to munch on at work.

b) dont eat the soups as per instructions. The night before, roast some cauliflower (and if you want, also some brocolli and/or sliced bell peppers). Put 2 cups of water in a blender. Add the soup (any flavor) and blend. Add in 1-2 cups of the roasted vegetables. Add in various spices (try 1 tsp horseradish, 5-10 jalepeno slices + jalepeno juice, rosemary, thyme, fresh basil leaves, Mrs Dash, etc.)

Blend (you may need to turn the blender off and stir, then blend again until smooth. Should be thick.) Then put in a sealable container and take to work to microwave the next day. It should make a huge portion (still counting as 1 unrestricted!) which you can either eat all of and be satisfied or eat throughout the day.

c) Make meat rollups with ham (no added sugar/glucose) and american mustard. (take a slice of ham, spread with mustard, and roll up.) Put about 6 of the rollups in a container and take with you. It is an additional meat, but if its between cheating, or having a protein snack that wont kick you out of ketosis, this is a good substitution. And you can eat a little less protein later if you want to balance back)

d) Slice up bell peppers and put in a ziplock bag in the fridge.

e) When you have finished eating a jar of dill pickles or jalepenos, SAVE THE JUICE. Add in chopped cauliflower, brocolli, and bell peppers. Gives them all a brand new taste and a quick snack to munch on.

f) Make the "pudding muffins" (actually turn out more like pancakes because they deflate... recipe on my FB link below) for breakfast. Eat half, then bring the rest to work to eat later. Taste great even cold, even if they dont look so nice.

g) See if your coach will let you get the restricted southwest cheese puffs. They taste like spicy cheetos and if you eat one at a time (vs handfuls) they are a great little snack to tide you over til your meal.

Good luck. Its so worth it if you can make it past the first month and relearn new habits and overcome the mental challenge of dieting.
s

Oh, Finn, by the way..I commented on your FB that I bought the potato puree and am going to try it out today. I'll let you know how it is

[ShanCo]

I know it's not going to help you right this second, but I want to let you know that the hunger goes away after a couple days, I promise! As soon as you hit ketosis, it's a whole new world When I started out I went from eating whatever, whenever I wanted...which meant junk food all the time...and the first few days were a challenge, but my hunger has really gone down. Like everyone says just keep cucumber and bell pepper slices at hand and crunch on them when you need them. It gets easier, I promise!

[geminezmarie]

I'm just at Day 10 and unlike some of the vets here, my first days were just a week ago & the memory of torment is fresh! :-) All to say, it's nearly a distant memory already as Day 4 I woke up with ketosis breath, euphoria and no hunger. It really does get easier so eat as much lettuce as you can hold between meals in the mean time but don't give up!

[JellyMae87]

The first week is hard... No beating around the bush.... If weight loss was easy we wouldn't be here.... Right???
My coach didn't allow any "good" stuff the first 2weeks either... But I lost 18lbs those 2 weeks... Once you start seeing the results. The hunger is in the back of your mind.... If you want something sweet. Get the chocolate drink.... Going out for coffee with the ladies. Do the cappachino. with flavored sryup. Stick it in a hard plastic Starbucks cup. And no one will ever know that's your meal... I agree with whomever said slice cucumbers... Or try kale chips..

[patns]

The first wek is very tough and some coaches don't help much. As Finn says restricting restricteds doesn't help weigh loss. But I remember the first week being the toughest because you don't really know what to pick for food. The second visit to the clinic is great because you sure know what you don't like by then.

The best thing to do is to take the protocol sheet and use it steadily. Keep checking on there and make sure you are eating everything allowed. Keep checking back to it and see if there are new things you can try to mix it up.

Then ignore all the things you read on here of how hundreds of coaches interpret things differently.
The program is on the sheet. There is no way your coach has any idea of how much your weekly average will be. This is a very individual thing.

That said once you get through the rough part and the hunger goes down it is still important to keep checking the sheet because it is easy to start leaving things out without realizing it. It my case I had really cut back on the oil which really slowed my rate of loss.

Good luck, time will go by much quicker than you think.

[gs463]

I also agree with everything everyone has said. If you are hungry than eat some pickles, cucumbers, celery. When I am hungry I eat some allowed veggies during the day. I never eat lettuce except for my 1 salad a day at lunch. That's just me. I prefer to eat a big salad at lunch time. Hang in there and do not starve.

There are also some wonderful recipes to make with the ideal protein packs. By themselves most of them can be horrible.

[Billster]

Thank you so much everyone for all of your wonderful ideas! I did make it through the night, I ended up eating my salad without dressing like chips lol (my co-worker thinks I’m crazy but that’s fine by me). Day two has gone some much better! My headache that I had yesterday is gone and I’m not over the top hungry today. I just need to remember to take it one day at a time.
Finn- LOVE LOVE LOVE all of your ideas so helpful! My coach only allowed me to take 21 packets for the week (3 IP’s a day) and wanted to charge me an extra $9.00 for any extra’s I took and at $90/week and being a social worker I can’t afford any extra’s. Today since I woke up at dinner time and made my husband’s dinner I decided to have the soup for breakfast (lol) I had left over steamed cauliflower and broccoli from yesterday and chopped up about ½ a cup and added it to the broccoli soup, it made it 100 times better and it was so much more filling. I do have to say so far I’d not a fan of the soups but since I have a week’s worth I’ll be trying some of your ideas and seeing if I can make them better. I also will be trying your pudding muffins! MMM sounds good! I put my pudding in the freezer last night as I love ice cream and it gave me the sense that I was having ice cream!!!
Thank you again everyone, finding this site is going to be a life safer!

[Eck]

Hang in there with all the support and ideas here you can do it!

[galpal445]

I started out at 249 pounds and my doctor told my coach to have me eat 4 packets a day until I lost some weight. So I was eating 2 restricted items a day for the first couple of weeks and lost 10 pounds! So I don't understand these coaches that think they need to not let their people have the restricted items the first couple of weeks. The protocol was designed to use those restricted items.

Having said that, unless you can find a different coach, I guess you are stuck with following what they say.

As far as the soups go, I always cook some zucchini & anaheim peppers, smash them and add them & some Mrs Dash Onion & Herb Seasoning to every soup I eat. It changes the texture & the flavor so they are more tolerable to eat.

[WingnutandMe]

Originally Posted by gs463

I also agree with everything everyone has said. If you are hungry than eat some pickles, cucumbers, celery. When I am hungry I eat some allowed veggies during the day. I never eat lettuce except for my 1 salad a day at lunch. That's just me. I prefer to eat a big salad at lunch time. Hang in there and do not starve.

There are also some wonderful recipes to make with the ideal protein packs. By themselves most of them can be horrible.

I have found a great way to eat my celery. With WF Peanut Butter. It makes snacking worth it and gets in some of those 4 cups of veggies.

[maykatcooper]

Originally Posted by WingnutandMe

I have found a great way to eat my celery. With WF Peanut Butter. It makes snacking worth it and gets in some of those 4 cups of veggies.

Mercy I can't believe I just discovered this too! IPing for a year now. For SuperBowl I made 1" cuts of celery and got out every one of my WF sauces and dressings... Resounding winner by a mile... Celery with Peanut Butter. I'm going to get more now. Smile.