Day 1 for me
 

I will be following the IP plan using alternatives. Ive been a member of 3FC for years and have lurked on the IP forum for a long time now. All of you losers are so motivating!:D I need to shed 125 lbs. I don't know how I ever let myself blimp up like this...but it is disgusting and embarrassing and it is not the "me" I used to know! :( Time to get rid of it so the real me shows on the surface!:cool:

Great decision going the IP route! This group of people are the best support system ever!

Good luck! The first few days are the toughest but totally worth it! If you're doing it on your own make sure you check out the Phase 1 protocol sheet in the Newbies sticky thread, and ask LOTS of questions!!!

Good for you! I am a loser and proud of it.:D:D:D

Welcome BetsyAnn! You made a great choice! Remember, you'll have ups and downs, and if you follow the plan, and trust it, it will work. So, just work through the downs and remember how good the ups feel! In the end it's up up and away! You can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and for alternatives there are great options. I didn't move to alternatives until P3 and found some great options. All you need is right her on these boards!!! WOO HOO!!!

Good for you. Having just done the first week I can say it is a bit rough but stick with it. It does get easier.

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Thanks for the welcomes and well wishes, Everyone!
I am sure the first few days of this are going to be a struggle. I'm not gonna lie...I am not looking forward to it, but it is something I just have to endure!
DH and I are empty nesters and live 5 hours from our closest family. Our day to day lifestyle is pretty mundane, to say the least. Our social life on the weekends mainly consists of shopping and eating out, (gonna have to find something to do instead of that eating out part)! Today is grocery day, so I am going to have to work that in a time slot that is not near meal time! DH normally goes with and we spend the entire day hitting the mall, the farm store, lowes, etc... as well as the butcher shop and the grocery store along with working in lunch at a restaurant and coffee at Starbucks at the end of the day. This is going to put our empty nester lifestyle into upheaval!LOL
I have totes and totes full of gorgeous clothes, (most of them with the tags still on them), that are too small! :mad::mad: I can't wait until I can start tossing out my fat clothes and do some "tote" shopping!;) We also travel quite a bit and this fat is just so out of hand that it makes travelling sooo uncomfortable...especially when we fly! I am done, done, done with feeling this way!
It is time to get back to the me I used to be!
Life is Good!

Hi Betsy this is my first day as well. at 250 I'm a bit lighter than you. But I'm 5ft tall. So my bmi is off the charts. I've done low carb in the past and know all about the first few days of sugar withdrawal --and I totally understand the whole issues of flying! Hubs and I are empty nesters too. Just wanted to say hello.. And offer some support. Together we can do this!

Great to "meet" you, Mary! YES, we can do this together...and when we get to where we are going, just imagine how much better we are going to feel and look! I have low carbed in the past also and so I have braced myself for the sugar dt's. They aren't fun! In the past week I have been cutting out the sugar and carbs in anticipation of beginning IP, (or maybe I should call it "IPA"...IPAlternatives), today! Stick with me girl...let's do it!

I am actually soooo excited for you. You've been "lurking" so know what to do. You've got no kids at home to buy "junk" for, so can get rid of all the tempting things in your cupboard. You have "tote shopping" to look forward to, so already have some short term goals. And if you and hubby love to travel, give yourself another short (or long term) goal of where he will take you by a certain date if you stay OP, or a certain weight...

... You have all the things necessary for success. I hope your DH will join you, in at least eating your healthy supper meal, as you'll both be able to support each other. My advice if you are used to eating out on weekends, go for it. Just eat IP! It is easy to eat a salad, nice chunk of meat, and veggies at a restaurant -- just ask for no sauces etc.

I don't want to say good luck. I want to say "good WILLPOWER" as that will be the only thing you really need. You've got the rest! :)

Welcome to the discussions! :) Let your IP day begin!

Welcome to you to! Love the IPA --good acronym!

Don't forget to journal ladies, if you can -- whether it's just food, or if you want to add other little notes about how you feel, NSV as you go. Those notes keep you motivated and help us when people need advice to see what they've been eating

(Note to my nagging self-- get back to tracking-- I didn't do it all week! I need to practice what I preach.... LOL)

Okay, off I go to make cauliflower pancakes AND write that in my journal!

On day 3, it's hard but do-able.

Glad to see others starting out with me

Sonya

I bought myself a fitbit for my birthday in July :bday2: and I have never really "used" it yet, other than to play around with it :o
I will be using that to track everything I eat, weight, measurements, etc... thru the fitbit website!
Cauliflower pancakes sound interesting. I have experimented with some of the veggie purees and am going to use some of those in my soup mixes to make them a little more substantial and filling, but other than that, for the first few days I am gonna stick to bare bones for the most part. Once the boredom sets in, which I imagine it will, I am gonna be delving into more of the recipes listed on here!
I am going to be taking my measurements here in a few and I dread, dread, dread that, but I gotta do it. Time to face the music I guess!

Hi IP43, where do we find journals? Do you mean the blogs? or are those the same thing? i have a journal on the LC website, but warned my friends there i was changing plans, I sure wouldn't mind having one here!

Starting IP on Monday. Glad to know that there is support for when I turn green from spinach and lettuce! Luckily where I am joining the program requires weigh ins every week as well as support or else I wouldn't make it. I am a little excited and a little intimidated by IP Just a thought....How many medals did the french win in the olympics since this is their diet???!!!!!

Good luck everyone!! I am on week 3 almost 4 and I love it!! I love this diet and I love the people on this board! You made a great choice in joining the IP family!

Are journals and blogs the same thing? How do you find someone's journal or blog? I see lots of posters that I'd like to see more of, but don't know how to find them.

Welcome you guys! I am new too, and also have been lurking awhile...I am on day 4 and am very excited to finally be on my way. Only thing with me is that TOM showed up the day before I started IP, so I don't know how my week 1 will show up on the scale! I am not worried though. I feel better already :)

I am a former IP user and have just started again. One suggestion is to complete ALL the phases of the program. The "clinic" I was going to did not encourage this and I have gained because of it. I am now with a different clinic and motivated to complete the ENTIRE protocol and become the me I was 2 years ago. I will tell you that it took time to gain it, unlike the other programs I have been on. There is nothing more frustrating that losing 30 pounds to just gain it back and then some in no time flat.
IP has been THE best lifestyle I have come across and I am so glad to be back! :)

Good luck Mary - yes the first week is a little tough but just wait till you hit the 2nd week and get this amazing burst of energy!! That's worth the first week struggles! Congratulations on your decision! It's a good one .. :)

BETSYANN ! YOU can do this you are NO LONGER ALONE . If we can do this SO CAN YOU :hug:

GO BETSY... GO BETSY... GO BETSY !

I started IP on July 6th @ 225lbs I was JUST DONE with feeling like a loser but not in a good way. I'm only 5'2" I'm NOT suppose to weigh 225 lbs. I've switched to alternatives because of the cost. I love the way IP taste but my budget was suffering...... 1 day @ a time & don't get overwhelmed. 1spunkygal :D

Betsy Ann! I just started today! I have never said this before but I am EXCITED about this eating plan! I already had my first shake and I love it and it kept me full for a long time. I plan on losing 115-120 depending on how I feel once i get to my goal weight. I just feel so motivated and these people on the IP site are so wonderful! I am so in awe of their achievements & hope that one day I can motivate others like they have motivated me to start this program. Keep in touch! I would love a buddy who has the same goals, amts to lose and who also just started!

Welcome maezy1 Congrats on your choice to join the loser's (in a good way)

I am glad you said the 2nd week Angie! I have been waiting on my burst of energy! LOL

Day 3...You all are sooo right! NONE of us are alone! I made it thru my first day of work on plan! With proper planning, I can do this! I guess I havent told you all that I manage a school kitchen...but I did it and it was actually a breeze!
Maezy and spunkygal, I think we have made a great choice with IP!!!

I am on day three also. Like some one else said, I feel better already. Ie, less bloated but man, the sugar withdrawal is rough. Had a lazy Sunday yesterday, took some Advil to combat a bad headache. I've done lowcarb before, and fought this fight a few years ago, so I was prepared.
Thanks wuv for the journal comment, yes I'm writing it all down. I thought she meant an online journal. Another diet forum I'm on has them and I miss those.

Another thing I was going to comment on is the food. Lol after talking to ladies here at home, and reading online comments, I was surprised by how much I like the food. Ie, I just had a blueberry yogurt drink with my lunch and it was pretty good! I'm surprised. Thought from what I heard, that everything would taste like chalk...lol.

Hey BetsyAnn! I started "IPA" 9 days ago and this is my first posting on 3FC and so happy to find a place to find the answers, maybe vent a little and also to share successes and failures (which I'm sure there won't be many of!). The reason why I'm using an alternative to IP is because there are no IP distributors in my city. I'm trying to change that and hopefully will find someone to take it on in the near future.

I'm finding meat and salads to be getting boring after 9 days and also, breakfast is a hard meal for me to get past. I'm used to eating cereal for breakfast (probably the reason why I'm constantly on a diet) so having an egg or egg substitute or turkey bacon is not really doing it for me.

Does anyone have ideas how I can spice things up a little so I don't get bored with my food?

I lost 5.6 lb in the first week so I'm absolutely thrilled with the results so far.

Best of luck to you all :wave: and I'll certainly be checking back and try to stay active!

Welcome to all of you just getting started. This is "the last diet" you'll ever need. For variety in food, the recipe threads are a must! Mixn in the kitchen with Rainbow, fun with veggie purees, there's a few of them in addition to the recipe threads in the stickys. Minch..IP and IPA have cereals, I don't eat it as cereal..found a recipe here to make pancakes with it..incredible good. Enjoy your new journey, it's truly life changing!