I wrote up some 2012 thoughts for my coach as part of documenting my IP journey and successes. I thought it might be helpful to pass along some of the IP tips that I noted for all those new to the program. I'm sure there are a lot more out there.

Some IP tips:
• Stick to the program. It really does make it easier to not question or test your boundaries. Your body won’t have normal cravings, it won’t starve unless you let it. If you eat off program and go out of ketosis, then you’ll get cravings back. Once you go off a little, it is harder to stay on track too because if you start with a little, why not go for a lot.
• When you do feel hunger, you need to evaluate – is it true hunger or is it just head-hunger? If it is head-hunger, this is what you need to learn to control. Drink a glass or water. I find hot herbal tea helps more than cold drinks most of the time. Go for a walk, take a bath, read a book. Find anything that will distract you for a few minutes until the feeling passes and you are back under control.
• True hunger can be dealt with by having your regular meal or snack. Try celery sticks or cucumbers if you need a little extra to get you through a day. If you need a little more you can even have a Blueberry pomegranate drink or raspberry jello. In a pinch, egg whites or an extra packet will work too, especially if you’ve done enough exercise to warrant the additional food.
• Drink your water!!! This is important for the weight loss process to metabolize fat and get rid of the toxins / by-products. It also keeps you from feeling hungry which is often dehydration not true hunger. I found it hard at first to drink the required amount plus the extra to make up for my added coffee. Here’s what I have found to work:
o I drink it at room temperature or hot
o Add lemon or lime slices, MIO flavouring or herbal tea to make it more interesting
o Drink a large glass when you first wake up. I find it helps me wake up better. I also drink 1-2 glasses with my morning supplements as I’m having breakfast. I drink another 750ml container on my way to work in the morning so by 9am I’ve had half my daily amount.
o If you feel bloated and think you are retaining water, then more water will help to flush it out.
o I have a Soda-Stream unit so I can make sparkling water without the phosphoric acid or artificial sweeteners in pop. The sparkling water makes it a little more interesting once in a while.
• Have your salt, oil and lettuce every day. I have discovered that I prefer romaine lettuce for the crunch or arugula for the peppery taste so I tend to eat only those. I use a bit of oil in cooking but mostly I use it in homemade salad dressings so I know I’m getting it in. Without the oil, your body isn’t getting enough calories or fat for proper metabolism so don’t skip this.
• Keep your body regular and don’t delay dealing with constipation issues. I have struggled with this on and off because I think I need a high amount of fiber. I use Chia seed daily, digestive enzymes, Novilax when necessary or other herbal remedies. Work with Jan to find solutions that will fit for you.
• Take your vitamins. You need to ensure you have proper intake of vitamins since you aren’t getting as many in your daily food.
• Pre-cut veggies in the fridge make a quick easy snack whenever you need quick food. I usually have peppers, celery, cauliflower ready to eat. Cucumbers are easy to slice anytime too. The crunch and effort of eating raw vegetables helps me to feel fuller.
• I prep for the next day’s lunch at the same time as I’m making my dinner. I have the cutting board out to prepare any vegetables I require or plan to use dinner leftovers for lunch. I often mix my protein packet for breakfast and lunch the night before too during the week to ensure I don’t make bad choices in the morning. Shakes and puddings thicken a bit more when left to sit overnight too.
• Find new interesting ways to use your packets. There are lots of recipes to make them different and you may find you like them made up rather in the original format. I.e. I don’t like the potato puree but it works great as a wrap, potato roll or pancake. Puddings can have spices added to make them like pumpkin pie filling or mixed with extra water or coffee for a ‘latte’. I’ve never had crispy cereal as a cold cereal but it makes a great pancake!
• When you first start out, you may not like some of the new things you try like the packets or vegetables. Don’t get discouraged but keep trying other new things until you find what you do like. Also go back to previous things later on to try again because you will find that your taste buds change as you go through the program and what you didn’t like before, you may like now.
• If you find things you like, then it makes it easiest to keep having those foods. Weight loss experts often encourage this as a way to stay on track by keeping a predictable list of foods. However I also find that I need to try new things too as a way of keeping it interesting. After all, vegetables and proteins will be a lifelong habit so learn to enjoy it. If you like cauliflower steamed but are getting tired of it, then try roasting it the next time or puree it for a mashed potato effect. Add garlic and other spices to change the flavour. I also found getting new, fresh spices helped improve their flavour.
• Find the times that work for your schedule. Weekdays I eat breakfast around 8am, lunch around 12 noon, snack at 3pm and dinner around 7pm. It fits my work and hunger schedule. I don’t keep to the same schedule on the weekends but still make sure I eat every 3-4 hours.
• Travel with IP appropriate snacks and water even if you are just out doing errands. You never know when something will delay you but if you get overly hungry you are prone to making bad choices. Having a suitable snack or veggies at the ready will help keep you on track.
• If you do fall off program, try to do it wisely. Don’t make it an all-you-can-eat buffet for the rest of the day or week. I do have extra protein or vegetables at times, I have had wrong choices at moments but the key is to get back on track immediately and not make it worse. Forgive yourself for being human and move forward with a lesson learned.
• Walden Farms or similar no-carb products can be good and can also be not so good. Try doctoring them up with vinegar, lime juice or seasonings to improve their flavour. These products can add a lot of variety in your food once you’ve found ways to use them.
• Talk to your coach. Share your struggles and find ideas of how to cope. Share your lessons learned to verbalize it for yourself and also for your coach to learn from for others.

Hi all. My name is Shannon (yes, the Jen part in my name throws everyone but I actually go by Shannon) and I'm 39 living just outside Toronto, Ontario.

I started IP March 1, 2012 and by October 15th I'd lost 132lbs. Pretty amazing!! I phased off at that point because I was going to start a rather intensive running program and my body decided that phase 1 and running didn't mix. I also decided that I needed to take a break overall and that I'd go back to 100% OP in January.

So here I am! Back again with a few extra pounds. Part of it was the running (I've built up new muscle, I'm sure!!), part was general celebration, part was holiday overindulgence, but I own every pound and am back at it working as hard as ever to get them gone once and for all. I learned some very valuable lessons about what phase 4 can look like, how easy it can be to put the weight back on, and that a day of phase 1 after some splurging really can bring you back in line. All important lessons that will stick with me and be super useful once I'm done once and for all.

Feels good to be back in losing territory once more! Wishing everyone continued success in 2013. :)

AMAZING!!!!!!!! And who is this slim beautiful lady in your new siggie??? Wowza you look fantastic!!!!!!!!! Way to go!!! Love your HUGE smile!! :hug:

Good afternoon! I am Kelly, from Colorado. Woke up this morning to a balmy -29 degrees out! Yep... that is a negative! :)

I started IP (using alternatives) on December 1st. Since then, I've lost about 9 pounds. I am a very slow loser, and before IP I was in a 16 week plateau even with a strict eating plan and heavy gym schedule. IP broke that plateau and I am excited to see what it can really do! I am a gym rat, and avid outdoor-loving person! I love obstacle runs, and am planning some new ones in 2013 that I haven't done before. (Tough Mudder, Run For Your Life, Spartan Sprint...) Sometimes I am amazed that I hold onto weight at all, but through IP I am really realizing that carbs affect my body differently that many people, and the sensitivity that I have to them is great.

I've always struggled with my weight, and three kiddos in less than six years really added to my problems.

I fell off the wagon a little bit over New Years when it was my first time out of my own kitchen while on IP (visiting family in the big city). It was a huge eye opener that carbs/sugar/etc. still have a real hold on me, mentally. It is something I still have to work on and I acknowledge that. Boy it really is true that staying 100% OP is so much harder after a little slip up. I went a few days really trying to get back on board, but would find a little lick or taste happening later in the day. I am back at home and now completely 100% OP -- and that makes me happy.

I lurk here more than post, but I have also found that reading this forum helps me stay on track. I am trying to plan more and plan better, and hope to see these 25 pounds disappear forever. I do get nervous reading posts from people that did great but then gained everything back after phasing off (correctly or incorrectly). I do think that my 16 week plateau is a good indication that I can maintain my weight well with 'regular' diet and exercise, so that is the motivation that I keep when I see all these old members back after the start of the new year.

At the rate I seem to lose at, 25 pounds seems like a far way away... but I'm optimistic and am glad I found such great information on here!

This! Love it. :) I just past KitKat's post on to a friend who is just starting. Great advice there.

And OMG, KitKat looks amazing! So skinny and beautiful. Wow, wow, wow! :)

Happy New Year, I am Dawn and I am from central Georgia. I started IP on 7 Sep. 12. After years, and I mean years, of trying to lose weight a coworker told me about IP. She had recently lost 40lbs so; I thought I would give it a try. It was the best decision ever. It also helps that for once I am doing it for the right reasons. To date I have lost 52lbs and am working to lose 30 to 40 more.
I don’t have as much time on this site as I would like but, just finding a few minutes to read the daily chats has made a world of a difference. Anytime I start to lose motivation, I just read about what others have gone through or are going through. When I have a slow week it helps to see that everyone’s loss varies from week to week. More than likely if you have an issue, someone one here has already addressed it.
Having said all this; those of you who post regularly, thank you. You might be surprised by the number of people you inspire that you don’t even know are reading.

Hello fellow IP'ers.
My name is Melanie and I am from NE Alberta. I started IP (alternatives) mid-Sept and have been pleasedwith my loses to date. For me it has been slow but consisitent loses till Christmas break. I gave myself permission to cheat for 4 days through the holidays. No it was not chocolate, wine or cookies that I craved. It was fruit. Plain and simple. Oranges, pineapple, kiwi and berries. I told myself that if I still had room at the end of the day (after eating all my protein, veggies and drinking 1 gallon of water) if I was still hungry I could indulge in fruit.
And so I did, and gained 3 lbs for my indulgence.
My goal is to reach Onderland by Sept and to do that I need to be more accountable and to do that I need to post more often and participate in more discussion.
There is a wealth of knowledge and support on these boards and I hope to make better use of those who so willing share their information.

A few more newbies starting IP so bumping this thread!

Agreed! :) We need to bump this thread up many times in a day. It's a great place for the newbies to read all the amazing stories here too. Very inspirational!

I started IP in May 2012. I had great success and loved the program. My girls' daddy passed away in June, and faced many challenges. I had to sell my business and found a teaching job, moved and had a lot of challenges, and some of the fallout of all this was verrrry difficult. I continued the program through September, but there was no center where I had relocated to. I had a hard time getting packets, so I went off, while trying to maintain. I am restarting. I still don't have a center but will go to my old one about once a month. I am going to make this work. I love how I feel on the program and being in control.

It's great to be back!! :)

Hello Ipeeps,

My name is Karen and I started IP in July 2011 and got to goal in Nov. 2011, I phased off and all was great for awhile. I then fell back on old habits and regained. grrrr. I took the journey with WUV and she is such an inspiration,now I am back for another journey, started this past wednesday and still having a headache.

My name Bellamack came from combining my last dog, Bella (Shar- pei/boxer rescue who has passed) and my first grand-fur baby, Mack, my daughter rescued him.

For whatever reason, I have never been able to post pics on this site, if you want to view me. lol. , PM me and I will friend you on FB, that is what Wuv had to do.

I WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON MY WEIGHTLOSS JOURNEY! I will be 55 on the 7th of January, I am fortunate that I have no health related problems, other than aches, my doctor told me before I started IP the first time, good health won't last forever at my weight and I know she is right. So here I am, right back at it.
Welcome Newbies and Old friends :)

Maybe we could start a new post that is titled: "Newbies Introduce Yourself HERE!"

Hello all :) I did IP in the past and decided its a new year and I need to start again! I had amazing results the first time but fell off the wagon. Hoping that I will stay motivated this time!