what can i eat with the lettuce? just plain?

I don't seem to be that savvy with using this forum... Is the daily chat just the Ideal Protein board in general? When asking questions, do I need to share the fact that I'm using alternatives?

Thank you for the welcome by the way

You can use lettuce to make a big salad with your 2 cups of veggies at one of your meals, or eat lettuce between meals to curb hunger. You can make your own salad dressing with your 2 tsp oil, some apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, salt and herbs. In moderation (i.e. sticking to the recommended serving size of 2 Tbsp) you can use Walden Farms dressings, which are 0 carb, 0 sugar and 0 fat.

If you are on the Ideal protein forum, there is usually a thread opened for that day where most folks check in. The first post has a lot of great links in it too!

Bumping for new folks

Here's today's 'Daily Chat' thread Nalas - just look for the similiar one, day by day. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...-1-2013-a.html

And yes, to make things clear when you're asking questions I'd include that you're following the IP program but using alternative products.

I purchase the Proti-Thin Chili Soy puffs as less expensive alernative to SW Cheese Curls. Not quite as much per bag, but I use these as 'croutons' to give my salads some kick. The BBQ are pretty good too - not as spicy; actually a little bit sweeet.

Hi there

I just posted this on the Canadian thread... but thought I would pass the same info on in case these products are also available in the US

I will be starting the IP program on Monday using alternatives and I am so excited to get started. My neighbour has just gone into phase 3 and her results are amazing... so her daughter and I are following suit and are going to be buddies. She will do it through 100% IP products and I will be doing alternatives.

I just wanted to say that I picked up some products today at Shoppers Drugmart as they were on sale.

I got bodylogix RTD shakes 4 for $9.49: and they are 170 cal, 6g carbs, 25g protien and have sucralose (2g sugar) not aspartame. I got the chocolate and the vanilla ice cream. They are also gluten free. They also have the powdered versions in larger format.. but I wanted to try small sample sizes before I went for bulk purchases.

I also got the new IsoFemme powdered protien for shakes. There are three flavours.. straberry, vanilla and chocolate. Each bottle was on sale for 18.99 and has 14 servings in it. They are 115 calories, 2 grams total carbs and 25g protien ... also sweetened with sucralose (1g sugar) and gluten free. And they are designed for women.

I plan on staying away from the bars and puddings as long as I can.. as I have a terrible sweet tooth and know I will get to depend on them.. so I hope these shakes are good. I have a pharmacist friend who is going to help me find the right supplements to match the ones from IP (which is why I am waiting till Monday to start).

So for 80 bucks today I got almost 3 weeks worth of protien shakes/drinks which I think is pretty awesome... my goal is to have a shake for breakfast, eggs with veggies for lunch or a shake if im not in the mood to cook.. a full dinner and then a shake before bed... (plus everything else we are supposed to include).

I am so excited to have found this site and see the amazing successes of everyone on here! Thank you for the inspirations! I cant wait to share my progress with all of you as well

I know this has probably already been explained, but I've been on here looking at the alternative threads for 2 days now and how do I figure out if something is restricted or not? It seems like it its over 8 carbs it restricted. I got that part, but I don't understand the part about the calories? Also has anyone made a chart with the Healthsmart, Protidiet, Protithin and weight loss systems? I did IP last year, but it got to be too pricey so I want to do alternatives. I apologize if I am asking for repeat information.

I've posted the guidelines in a few places, but I'm sure the posts are buried by now Here are the basic nutritional guidelines that make a product compatible with IP:

Under 200 calories per serving
less than 30% total calories from fat (multiply cal from fat by 3, if it's less than the total calories it's fine)

8g NET carbs or less = unrestricted
9g-16g NET carbs = restricted (once per day)
17g NET carbs = super restricted (twice per week only)
Above 17g net carbs is too high

at least 12-15g protein

Thank you very much for re-posting that information for me. I feel like I can now order my food and start losing weight at a fraction of the cost of Ideal Protein. : )

I have a quick question, my order for Carbthin protein shake 0g carb, 0 sugar, 26g protein, 0g fat, 100 cals. Should I treat it as a regular packet? and
Is it possible to over do it on how many grams of protein a day?? Also my coach has me include fiber as normal carbs, is that ok? Thanks!

Yes, use one serving as a "packet".

A person who is generally healthy (without liver/kidney problems) would have to eat an OBNOXIOUS amount of protein to "overdo" it, so don't sweat it if you go over a bit. Because that shake is almost twice the protein of an IP product though, I would say try to use it once (max twice) a day. You can't really cut the serving in half because then the calories would be too low.

You should NOT be counting carbs. That's not how the program was designed. But when you are looking at whether a product is restricted vs unrestricted, you should not be counting the dietary fiber in the carbs - dietary fiber is NOT digested and so does not trigger a glycemic response in the body. Subtract the dietary fiber from the total carbs, and that is the number you should use to figure out restricted vs unrestricted.

Scorbett, you always have the answers to my questions
Thank you so much!

I shouldn't worry about being put out of ketosis if i got over a bit on the proteins right?

I get asked quite often on how I pick my alternatives and how to decide if it's restricted or unrestricted so maybe this will help everyone. You an add it to your desktop or print it out.