Staying OP this weekend
 

Happy Friday to all. Had my first Easter lunch of the weekend today, with ham, potatoes, chicken in amazing looking sauces, etc... I can proudly say I stayed on program! PREPARATION is everything! Cut up my 2 cups veggies and brought a shake. I even had no problem serving everyone apple pie... although it smelt delicious! Felt very proud of myself today.

OP for 5 weeks... and down 24 pounds. It really feels great. Got more obstacles ahead this weekend with family dinners... but I have every intention of staying OP.

STAY STRONG FELLOW IPers!!!!!! We can do this.

My weight fluctuated weirdly all week. I'm down today. If we're gonna weigh daily, we can't let normal fluctuations get us down. We just need to be neutral observers.
My go-tos til I learned to enjoy veggies more: veggie purée in IP soup, spinach in my chocolate smoothie, ip muffins w/ shredded zucchini (look for one of my posts in the what are you eating thread)

Strips are a waste of money. Unnecessary
Why are you worried about going into Ketosis?
You're following the sheet. No worries.

I'm thinking its time to confront behavior that allows people to tease/shame people who are trying to correct a health condition (obesity)
I will no longer take it.
Point blank & up-front:
I'm on a medically supervised diet to correct my health problems. If you wouldn't tease or pressure a diabetic, then I expect the same consideration. Thank you.

Congrats on your loss. "Only" is a four-letter word on this board.

Cool!:bunny2::bunny2:

Can someone tell me why green beans are on the occasional list? I didn't know they were on the occasional and have been eating them every day. Does it really matter as long as I have under 40 net carbs per day?

The sheet is there for a reason. It's based on scientific research as to what works and what doesn't. Part of the process involves the level of acidity in foods as well as carb/calories. If you want to "tweak" things you're not going to get the same results as following the process by the book. Do you love green beans so much you can't limit them to once a week?

Help!! My family wants to eat ham for Easter. I was planning on buying a spiral ham-is that OP????
If not, what kind of ham is OP?

No, it isn't that at all! It's just that green beans are the cheapest vegetables offered frozen at my store and up until about a half hour ago I had no idea they were only allowed occasionally and not every day. So now I have a bunch of green beans in my freezer and no money to buy other vegetables with (because I am working on a very limited amount of money for this diet and I don't get paid for another three weeks... my food stamps also don't refill for another two weeks).

It's not that I don't want to follow by the book, I just made a mistake in reading an old sheet of mine and am trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do until I get more money.

IP190

Here is my advice, and others may disagree, take it with a grain of salt.

The green beans are a higher carb veggie at 9g per 1 cup. What are you working with for your protein packets? Is it possible for you to cut out a restricted until you eat up the green beans or can get other veggies? Or reduce your carb intake by choosing lower carb protein sources?

Others can chime in. I totally understand where you're at and applaud you for not letting finances stand in the way of a healthier you. :)

My aunt gave me a bunch of IP packets for free. I mostly have chicken soup, hearty soup, plain crepe mix, and some other soups. I could definitely look closely at the carb amounts in my food and restrict them!

Also, the nutritional info on the beans I bought say that they have 5g carbs, 2g fiber per 1 cup. They are fine French beans, not plain 'ole green beans.

Hey everyone! Adding another HAPPY FRIDAY!!
I am starting phase 2 tomorrow (crazy!). After 21 weeks of Ideal Protein, I lost 73.6 lbs!! I am so happy; this diet has completely changed my life! I am going to do a modified version of Phases 3/4 to reach my final goal. Since I've never really been this weight as an adult or teenager, I'm ready to add lots of activity and movement into my life!
Congrats to all the losses and I hope you all have a great weekend & Easter.

This might be helpful for you to look at different products carb counts.

Thank you!
As soon as I get rid of these beans and have more funds, I will only eat them as directed on the sheet and find the cheapest veggie available on that list. Until then I will keep a close eye on my daily carb intake to make sure I don't go over the 25-40 range. Even if I don't get the best results, I would rather use up what I have left than quit and go back to eating fast food!

Just as an FYI, cabbage is often fairly cheap and pretty versatile. You can slice it thin and roast it, saute it in a stir-fry, chop it up and add it to a salad. And there's usually not a ton of waste. You cut out the core, but the rest is good to go. Fresh greens can be on the lower end, also. And where I live turnips are a cheaper option. Good luck and way to go on your commitment!

I agree about the cabbage. And it seems to last a long time - doesn't go bad as quickly as other veggies in the fridge.

Have any of you had the WW (Weight Watchers) veggie soup that on their plan you can have unlimited???
Well, I make that in an IP version and love having tons of cabbage in it. Just another idea. I then add fresh grilled chicken or if I'm in a hurry or tired after work, I'll just add the canned chicken breast that I get from Costco. :) Jen

With the green beans and eating the lower carb packets, I'll be coming in around 20-21 net carbs per day.

Thanks for all the tips!