Restricted packets - my mistake

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  • For the past 2 WI's, I was secretly trying to figure out whether I was plateauing or whether I am doing something wrong. I didn't want to post on here without knowing the answer because the mantra here is not to say "ONLY" but "A loss is a loss."

    So I figured it out..

    I was eating 2 restricteds a day. I just discovered the IP oatmeal, cereal and crepes. (YUM) On the days I ate these, I also ate my favorite restricted snack - pickle zippers.

    When I told my doc, he said "ALM2000, you can only have 1 restricted per day, you have been eating 2. However, I am surprised you haven't gained. We want to keep our net carb intake to less than 30 grams per day. You have been eating close to 50."

    He chose all my food for me this week and let me try the premixed choco shake for no additional cost. For some reason, the premixed has less carbs than the powder. Doc says we should start seeing my losses increase by the weigh-in.

    P.S. My clinic allows me to pick n choose each packet without buying the box so its easy to get confused. Plus the boxes don't say "restricted" so I really didn't know. Stupid me.
  • Oops! I consider it THEIR fault for not educating you better!
    My coach gave me a product list and all the restricted were highlighted in gray.
    So all whites were unrestricted.
    Grays were one/day
    Dark grays/once per week

    It was really helpful at first. Now I don't even refer to the sheet, unless I'm trying to figure out what I haven't had in a while...
  • Hi Lisa, I sort of feel that way too. I'll ask my coach for a list similar to yours. Thanks for the tip!
  • I was given a sheet for ordering similar to what Lisa describes. It's really easy, I pick 14 that are white, and 7 (max) that are gray.
  • My husband did that the first 2 weeks, ate 2 restricted things. He didn't realize the chili and the oatmeal were... I didn't pay attention because I thought he read the sheet and knew better lol
  • My coach took a black permanent marker and put a big R on restricteds so that you know at a glance. Even the boxes on her shelf have a big R on them. That helps a lot.
    The good thing about learning the "recipes" is it lets you change things up. For example, I make pancakes now with my IP cereal so that I'm not wasting a Restricted buying the crepes. The oatmeal, if I cook it into a "bun" makes 2, so I only use one, which makes in non-restricted IMO. Rainbow's bun recipe (that I still haven't tried-- just remembered) uses the potato puree to make buns I think -- so now you're again using non-restricteds to do the job the Restricted oatmeal can do...

    Stick with protocol for a bit to get on track, but then have fun playing around. I'm not wasting my precious restricted on pancakes or spaghetti!

    I also find some restricteds -- like the Southwest Cheese curls-- can be too much at one time and it's easy to split that into 2 portions, or use half in a recipe for a "crumb crust" and save half for a snack
  • Quote: My coach took a black permanent marker and put a big R on restricteds so that you know at a glance. Even the boxes on her shelf have a big R on them. That helps a lot.
    The good thing about learning the "recipes" is it lets you change things up. For example, I make pancakes now with my IP cereal so that I'm not wasting a Restricted buying the crepes. The oatmeal, if I cook it into a "bun" makes 2, so I only use one, which makes in non-restricted IMO. Rainbow's bun recipe (that I still haven't tried-- just remembered) uses the potato puree to make buns I think -- so now you're again using non-restricteds to do the job the Restricted oatmeal can do...

    Stick with protocol for a bit to get on track, but then have fun playing around. I'm not wasting my precious restricted on pancakes or spaghetti!

    I also find some restricteds -- like the Southwest Cheese curls-- can be too much at one time and it's easy to split that into 2 portions, or use half in a recipe for a "crumb crust" and save half for a snack
    Too much for who????? LOL. It's a serving doggone it, I'm eatin' it!
  • Quote: Too much for who????? LOL. It's a serving doggone it, I'm eatin' it!
    I'm with you sister!
  • Quote: My coach took a black permanent marker and put a big R on restricteds so that you know at a glance. Even the boxes on her shelf have a big R on them. That helps a lot.
    The good thing about learning the "recipes" is it lets you change things up. For example, I make pancakes now with my IP cereal so that I'm not wasting a Restricted buying the crepes. The oatmeal, if I cook it into a "bun" makes 2, so I only use one, which makes in non-restricted IMO. Rainbow's bun recipe (that I still haven't tried-- just remembered) uses the potato puree to make buns I think -- so now you're again using non-restricteds to do the job the Restricted oatmeal can do...

    Stick with protocol for a bit to get on track, but then have fun playing around. I'm not wasting my precious restricted on pancakes or spaghetti!

    I also find some restricteds -- like the Southwest Cheese curls-- can be too much at one time and it's easy to split that into 2 portions, or use half in a recipe for a "crumb crust" and save half for a snack
    Be careful splitting the oatmeal "bun" into 2 portions and only eating half to make it non-restricted...then you aren't getting the full amount of protein you need!
  • Quote: For the past 2 WI's, I was secretly trying to figure out whether I was plateauing or whether I am doing something wrong.

    <snip>

    When I told my doc, he said "ALM2000, you can only have 1 restricted per day, you have been eating 2. However, I am surprised you haven't gained.
    Okay, so I agree that your doctor should have been clearer about restricted items, but I'm having a tough time with a few of these statements. First of all is the idea of plateauing. According to your stats, you have been losing regularly and fairly consistently. In fact, over 13 weeks, you have averaged a loss of over 2.5 pounds per week. There is nothing wrong with that rate.

    The other thing is the statement by your doctor that he was "surprised you hadn't gained." Really? I find it difficult to believe that he would think that a minor variance from the program like that would cause a loss to translate into a gain. After all, what are we talking about here? A 100 calorie differential at the most? Your food intake would still be very low in terms of caloric content (possibly 1000 calories vs 900?), so you still would lose - as demonstrated quite clearly from your 13 week track record.

    Anyway, congrats on the results so far; I'm sure they'll even pick up a bit now that your only having 1 restricted item per day.
  • Well, it's not just the calories but also the carbs. People highly carb sensitive (insulin resistant) may have gained with 2 restricteds, due to the higher carb content. For many of us, IP is about way more than the calorie restriction.

    However, I agree, a plateau is ZERO LOSS on scale or measuring tape over several WEEKS (not just days or a single week). If inches move but the scale doesn't, it is not a plateau. If weight loss is slower than one would want, this is not a plateau either.
  • I understand what you're saying, Lisa, but if you are running a caloric deficit (and at about 1000 calories per day it would be difficult not to), you are going to lose weight regardless - as per ALM2000's results. Like I said, 2.5 pounds per week ain't too shabby! That's about what I'm getting with a max of *one* restricted item per day.
  • Actually, for people who are very carb sensitive, even if they are eating at a calorie deficit they can experience water retention/inflammation due to the extra carbs. So while they may not see a stall in the sense that they have gained or not lost fat, their body may still reflect a stall because of the water retention. And if you are carb sensitive and not reducing your carbs, you won't see the "whoosh" that others see when their water weight flushes out, because that water weight won't go away as long as the system is still being irritated.
  • Quote: Actually, for people who are very carb sensitive, even if they are eating at a calorie deficit they can experience water retention/inflammation due to the extra carbs. So while they may not see a stall in the sense that they have gained or not lost fat, their body may still reflect a stall because of the water retention. And if you are carb sensitive and not reducing your carbs, you won't see the "whoosh" that others see when their water weight flushes out, because that water weight won't go away as long as the system is still being irritated.
    Yes. I'm pretty carb sensitive.
    I wasn't sure when I started IP if I'd be able to have the restricted or not. In the past I've only lost at 25 net or lower (and yes, at a calorie deficit, as well)
    It is REALLY not only calories-in/calories-out for some of us. The hormones (insulin, leptin, cortisol, to name a few) play a MUCH bigger role for some of us than for others.
  • Quote: Actually, for people who are very carb sensitive, even if they are eating at a calorie deficit they can experience water retention/inflammation due to the extra carbs. So while they may not see a stall in the sense that they have gained or not lost fat, their body may still reflect a stall because of the water retention. And if you are carb sensitive and not reducing your carbs, you won't see the "whoosh" that others see when their water weight flushes out, because that water weight won't go away as long as the system is still being irritated.
    Gotcha, but what I was having a problem with was her doctor indicating that she should have been gaining weight on a 1000 calorie diet, vs. [perhaps] merely retaining more water. Based on everything I've read, gaining weight in this scenario is highly unlikely. Even more so than that, her doctor's statement holds absolutely no weight when you look at ALM2000's actual results over the last 13 weeks. Those results speak for themselves, IMNSHO.