Happy New Year, and new you! :)

I started IP proper at the end of July 2012 (switched to alternatives 10 weeks in), and I'm going into the new year 60lbs lighter, looking towards maintenance and the rest of my life! This site is invaluable for the information, but even more so for the amazing men and women that inspire, encourage, dish out the tough love, and cheer you on!

My one piece of advice to new folks - do NOT let yourself be talked into falling off plan just because of an event that involves food. I got through Thanskgiving, my 20th High School Reunion, Christmas (lost 3.4lbs that week!) and countless trips to restaurants and dinners at other homes - all without ever going off plan. And I'm nothing special! If I can do it, anyone can!!

Hi everyone,

I am Shannon and I am starting IP on Jan 3. (App. is on Jan 2) I am nervous as well as very excited. I am 22 years old and I am from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. (Canada) It will be a new journey for me and I know I can do this. My weight before Christmas holidays was 265.. but that has probably changed! I know I will have about 100 lbs to lose but I will just take it one day at a time. You all are very inspirational! Good luck to everyone in the new year! :)

Hi everyone! I just started IP on Dec 28 and so far so good! I have been lurking for a few days here and you are all great inspiration. My mother-in-law has been on IP since October and has lost nearly 40 pounds. Her sister has been on IP a bit longer and has also lost a huge amount of weight. After seeing them this Christmas I was convinced to begin my IP journey.

2 years ago I started Weight Watchers at 195 pounds and lost almost 40 pounds. Over the last year I started to be a little too relaxed with my eating habits and I have managed to gain back 25+ pounds. Ugh!

So here I am on day 3 and feeling pretty motivated! Can't wait to get to know everyone here and hopefully share my own weight loss story!

I'm new too but saw your post about nausea, it may be the multi vitamin. Make sure you eat food with it and if it still persists try switching it to nighttime.

Hi everyone,
I just started on the 26th. I'm having a bit of hunger, but I keep drinking my water. I know I want to lose about 25-35, not real sure. I've been having a hard time losing this past year due to peri-menopause.
It's wonderful to hear all the wonderful success stories and also the stumbles (which keeps it real). I'm from Mass.

Hi everyone,

I started IP on July 20 and have lost 60 pounds. This is the first diet that has worked for me in the last 14 years! And I had tried every diet out there, short of gastric bypass. So if you're older like me (I'm 51) and/or have hypothyroidism, you should be able to see good results with IP.

I never had the bad symptoms at the beginning that some people have talked about like headaches or dizziness. The worst thing for me was that I was really hungry the first week as I had to get used to eating way less than I was used to. My coach told me that if I was hungry I could just have a fourth packet for the day. Once I got past the first week, the hunger went away and I have found this so easy to stick to. Seeing great results on the scale is what has kept me motivated. It does take a lot of commitment to plan your meals, and at first for me especially getting all your veggies in. I was NOT a veggie eater before so that was big change but I read through all of the great recipe threads here and have come up with so many different ways to eat veggies and to also try new ones that I had never eaten before. Now I actually look forward to my veggies each day and some days I wish I could have more!

Good luck if you are just starting out! Come to this board often to get great tips, advice and motivation!

Hi!

I am on day 4 and so far so good. I am 59 and my goal is to lose 35 pounds, and even more importantly, avoid starting on a statin to control my cholesterol counts (my doctor seemed to think losing this weight might lower my count).

I waited until my daughter and her boyfriend returned back to NJ to start the diet. She thinks the diet is a bit drastic and that I could lose the weight by watching what I eat more but my husband who lost 30 pounds the HMR program last year is encouraging me to try IP. My doctor also said eating healthy at the dinner meal might benefit my husband as well. IP would not work for him as he is not a vegetable eater.

I live in Baton Rouge.

I am curious about how long y'all think it will take to get to phase 2.

Also, do you know whether it is ok to switch the dinner meal of meat and veggies to lunch time and do an IP packet for dinner?

I am glad I found this website. I have learned a lot already, and the support is great!

Thanks.

I believe there is no problem switching the dinner meal to lunch time. Sometimes I also split the protein amount between the two meals (e.g. 3-4oz of chicken at lunch and 3-4oz steak at dinner.

I vehemently disagree!! YOU ARE INDEED SOMETHING SPECIAL !!!! Very special!!! :hug::hug:

I'm Pattie. I started IP May 8/12 and have lost 85 lbs (20 lbs lost before I started IP but I include them, they count too! LOL!). I took a week off for Christmas as mentally and physically I needed a break, but I've hopped right back on P1!!!

IP is easy. The hard part and the work is all in your head! Don't eat for stress or emotions. Feed your body fuel and learn to feed your soul something else other than food! YOU GOT THIS!!!!

Hi! I did IP about 2 years ago and hit my goal and lost 20 lbs.... BUT, without phasing off, I left on a week long trip to Mexico and just couldn't get back on the wagon! Now I am trying again! This time I have a little more to lose (30lbs) but I know I can do it!!

Today was my first day and I think I did okay... stayed with it 100%. New Years Eve will be hard but I just figured there was no sense in waiting until after New Years because I will always be finding some excuse to wait... may as well jump in and just start!! Wish me luck!!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Allison, I'm 27 years old and I'm hoping to begin IP in the next couple weeks. I recently visited my family on the west coast and my grandmother shared her experience on the program with me. She was dangerously obese and has lost 50lbs in about 3 months. It was a great inspiration to me and thus I'm going to give the program a shot.

I am about 215 lbs (I went from 160 to 215 in 2011 and have been hovering there for the past year) I would very much like to get back to 160 and then hopefully down to 130 after that!

On another note, if ANYBODY has any suggestion as to where to go in the Philadelphia area for the program I would greatly appreciate it. I'm having the toughest time finding a center!

Here's the the New Year! 2013 is going to be amazing!

Great thread Wuv! thanks.

My first thought on reading your post was that you'll have a long drive to find all the new clothes you'll need to buy after losing weight on IP.

My name is Kim and I've been on IP since mid-January 2012 except for a few weeks phase off for a vacation in the fall. I've lost 97.5lbs to date and have another 8-18 to go. My first target is 179 but if I feel okay about it then I may go all the way to my original goal of 169. I have a lot of leftover skin to deal with so I need to account for that in my final weight.

I'm Barb. I've have lost 107 lbs since the end of June 2012. I am using alternative products (not IP branded) except for potassium tablets.

I started on December 6 and have lost about 10 pounds so far. I wanted to get started ahead of the holidays and be where I wanted to be early in the year. So far it's working. :) I've made it through a 5 day out of town trip early in the program, and have been in the Caribbean since December 22 and made it through Christmas with the family and lots of restaurant meals on IP. Once I get through dinner tonight and a party our neighbors are having I figure I'll be home free! :lol:

I'm very glad to have found this board and all the great, supportive folks here!! (And, needless to say, I'm *very* glad to have found out about IP! No other diet was working for me for years!)

Welcome to all the new people! And what great inspiration all of the people who are using this diet are! :)

I started this diet in August of 2012, and I've lost almost 80 pounds so far. I really love this diet. I'm a Vegetarian, so it was tough going at first because of the protein choices, but I'm so glad I'm doing IP. I never thought I'd see myself putting on size 10 Levi's again, but I did that this weekend (still tight, but I could zip and button them). I was a tight 22 plus size in August and now my 12's are getting loose.

I am a serious carb/sugar addict, and this diet has corrected that in me. Although I still crave the sweets when I see them, it's easily controlled. Even after just a week or two, my carb cravings were gone; my mind was cleared, and mentally and physically I just felt so much better.

I feel like myself again, and IP is responsible for that. And thanks so much to this forum. I do this diet without a coach, and this forum has taught me everything I need to know about the diet, and the support here is tremendous.

And I love that there is a maintenance plan for this diet. This diet has a road map to eating well for the rest of our lives, and that is just a god-send.