Ip Weekend Chat Sat 7/13 - Sun 7/14/2013
 

:welcome2:
Welcome back to the Daily Chat thread - post your plans for today, share what's been happening, ask questions!

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TOM = time of the month
WI = Weigh-in
WF = Walden Farms
OP = on program

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The Real Cost of Cheating on Ideal Protein

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More Recipes Here Mix'n in the kitchen...Recipes from the Rainbow
MiX'N' iN THE KiTCH'N.... Recipes from the Rainbow Volume 2
Fun with Ideal Protein Packets
Fun with Veggie Purees!
Ideal Protein Diet Recipes #4
Tips and Recipes from the Incredible Weight Loss Center

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Lisa I'm so frustrated. The scale and tape measure haven't moved in 10 days. I've not done anything different than the first week. I only eat 1 restricted a day, usually at lunch or snack. Should I just eliminate that all together and switch to the lowest carb items? Will that be enough to make my body change?

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post, but I needed to purge. I had a tough week. On Tuesday, one of my closest friends passed away suddenly. She had battled lupus, then kidney failure, two kidney transplants and was on dialysis. She was not healthy, but her death was sudden and unexpected. She had a complication with her fistula for dialysis and one of her veins burst with no warning. She was 43.

I've always been an emotional eater. And while this has been a very trying week for me, not once did I turn to food (or even think about it.) I just realized what a significant shift that is for me.

Part of my weight loss goal was in anticipation of a trip we had planned for September. She was proud of me for the weight I've lost so far (we just video skyped last weekend). And that's motivation for me to keep going.

Unfortunately, we don't get to set the weight loss timetable. We stick to the plan and our bodies respond when they do. The fewer lbs we have to lose the longer it takes. IP works best for those of us with some degree of insulin resistance.
Some people have better results eating salad with each lunch and dinner.

Patience is the key, along with 100% adherence.
Be sure ALL water, salt, oil us being consumed, as well.
Are you using IP products or alts? If alts, are you sure they comply?
Some people stall with too much Mio, WF, or even the bars.
However, 10 days would NOT be considered a stall (4-6 weeks is a stall)

This is when a well-trained coach would be an essential support.

Thank you for helping me along on this path. I only drink water, no crystal light or mio. I dont use WF anything. I only use IP products. I am a vegetarian so my protein at dinner is 4 eggs and 2 egg whites or 1/2 a package of tofu, boring dinners, but I change up the veggies. I do eat a salad at lunch and half the time at dinner. I am not hungry, all the eggs is sooo much for dinner that I am really full.

I'll keep at it. I wanted to lose 25-30 lbs, I guess its going to take me or my body forever to drop the weight.

hangdog- I'm so sorry for your loss. It's a wonderful thing to have such an amazing friend whose loss can break our hearts instead of just going on about our day. It sounds like you had a very special relationship. I'm sure she'd be proud of you as we are that you didn't turn to food for comfort. That's a huge step-take a moment to be proud of yourself, as she would. prayers and blessing to you today.

Why do children think that it's okay to get up at 5:15. The sun's not even ready to get up!!! Well, at least I'll get my metabolism started earlier. Chocolate shake here I come!!!

Thank you for your kind words drivebynotthru. :smug:

Hangdog...My deepest sympathy. There is not much to say...and only those who have ever experienced true friendship will grasp the depth of your sorrow and grief. I lost my dearest friend of 34 years 5 summers ago...also unexpectedly. She sounds like my Anna...I've wondered if she knows I'm finally achieving what I was unable to do when she was cheering me on...wish I knew for sure she knows. Friends often get lost in the grieving process...and I have come to recognize that is because true friendship is indeed a very rare thing. There is not much written...not really any support groups and unless you know someone who has experienced this kind of loss to share it with, the grief just leaks out of you with no place to go. Only one person I know seemed to understand because she actually had lost her best friend a few years before me. She said the grief would "always be just below the surface and with time you learn to control it." I'm still not there...so please be good to yourself.:hug: and let me know if I can help. PM me if you need to...

Lisa: I know you stay away from bars, but came across these and thought you may want to try them. They are soy and gluten free and some people have said the Simply Bars are not overly sweet.

http://www.netrition.com/wellness_simply_whey_bar.html

I learned about those from someone on the alt thread a while back
I may try bars again when I get to goal but things that cause me cravings aren't allowed. I just ordered some more quest bars and the cravings are back. I thought it was just a flavor or two but it seems to be the sweet. Gave them to DH. Some things just aren't worth my sanity.

I agree Lisa! I avoid the IP and Pure Protein bars because they caused serious cravings. I thought I would try the infamous Quest bars, but they cause the cravings as well. So, I'm avoiding the bars entirely.
After a few days on IP, the program became easier with no sweet cravings and little hunger. Legal treat or not, if eating a particular item causes this to be harder than it needs to be, then I will have to avoid it.
So, for my restricted items I am sticking with chili, southwest cheese curls, etc.
And, for some reason the sweetness of the chocolate shakes do not trigger cravings, so those are my "treat" on some days.

The shakes don't bother me like the bars either

Thank you 65x65. I am sorry for your loss as well. Your post touched my heart as it's not easy to find someone who understands. You are so right. True friendship is a very rare thing. I would like to believe Anna is still cheering you on just as Judy will continue to root for me. It's incredibly hard to deal with the grief and yet, I feel like it hasn't even begun yet. It just doesn't seem real.

Thank you again.

Hangdog, so very sorry for your loss. Take care of yourself the way your friend would have wanted you too.

Weigh in number 5 down another 2.4! Love this diet but the COST! Holy cow, lol! I am thinking about doing alternatives...thinking about it again. I am nervous to go out on my own. For those of you doing it without a clinic, do you measure yourself each week?
Good luck to everyone over the weekend.

Hangdog, sorry for your friend.

Hangdog
Our friends are our family of choice. In some ways a loss like this can be MORE painful. Be sure to take care of you! You know she's watching and wishes only health and happiness for you.

@hangdog....
so sorry to hear your story. I hope youre able to find comfort and peace soon...

I hope everyone has a good weekend...stay strong and op op peeps.

I've done alternatives from the very beginning with the amazing help of 3FC. I don't measure but do weigh myself once a week. Well, I weigh everyday but count the official weigh in only. I mostly use Premier Protein chic shakes for breakfast and Proti-diet and quest bars for all other packets. Dietdirect.com has a great selection and you get credits on each order to use for future orders. I liked this site because you get free shipping on 49.99 and over orders so if I don't want to spend $100 for other sites, I can place a small order and still save on shipping. Good luck with your decision.

So true about family of choice. I also count my dog and 2 cats in that category, especially since I don't have children.:)

Handog, I am so very sorry for your loss.

Handog, I am so very sorry for your loss. And what an awesome tribute to your friend. God speed.

I've been using alternatives since the start of my IP journey. Only measure my waist. Its my biggest concern due to the link between waist size and diabetes & heart disease. I do weigh daily, but only count my official weight on Mondays. I rely upon premier protein shakes, quest bars and order packets from Nashua Nutrition (protidiet, protithin & weightloss system). You need to check nutritional info on all products because some do have higher carbs & fat. I'm a vegetarian so lots of tofu, eggs and I added back fish to get my protein levels up. Good luck in whatever you decide. This site has the answers & great support.

Hangdog, so sorry to hear of your loss... and you too, 65x65. I've lost two extremely close friends -- my sister calls them "heart friends" -- both suddenly & at young ages (33 and 43) and I know how painful it is. You have my deepest sympathy.

I'm so glad you got to Skype last weekend, that is a recent memory you can treasure. Hold onto the knowledge that she loved you, was proud of you, and was rooting for you-- death can't take that away from you.

Take care, and be gentle with yourself. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Newbie
 

Hi! I am new to IP but my husban does it and has done well. Over the last 4-5 years I have lost over 60 lbs and am now down to the last 20. I am extremely active ( runner, triathlete) but have to have rotator cuff surgery in a few weeks. I hope to use IP over the next 6+ weeks to prep for my surgery and during recovery since I cannot be as active as I normally would be during that time. I do have a soy allergy, so I am a bit anxious to see how it will pan out. Officially starting Monday but had Chicken Pottage for lunch and a bar for a snack today. Lean protein and veggies is always my dinner so no big change there. I also seem to be I tolerant of Splenda but planning on tolerating it for 6 weeks. Hoping to at least jump start the last 20 lbs. Whenever I google IP I get this website so it seems like a good idea to join.:wave::wave::wave:

Cholesterol/Blood Sugar on IP
 

Wonder if any of you who have high cholesterol have come off your meds with success on IP?

I take Lipitor (started about 3 years ago) and my number since then has always been between 105 and 120. (before I was around 220).

Two months into IP I decided to stop taking Lipitor as I have read a great deal about how statins can elevate blood sugars. I am Type II Diabetic and am looking to IP to make great strides in that area. After a few month on IP and 20 lbs dropped I still didn’t see my sugars down where I thought they would be which is why I decided to take out the Lipitor. Since then, my blood sugars before meals are regularly in the low 90s which I am happy with.

My thought in stopping the med was that on IP, I am not eating any dairy and only lean meats, so there shouldn’t be much of an issue with cholesterol from what I am eating. I eat lean beef about 2x week and otherwise stick to chicken and pork and salmon maybe every 10 days.

My bloodwork with the medication and after 1 month on IP was 115 (where it always is), but after 4 months on IP (and 2+ months w/o medication) my cholesterol came in at 198! I was QUITE surprised! :o I will go back on the meds and watch my sugars. Hopefully now that I am down 30+, they will remain in the lower range regardless of the med.

I suppose I could be one of those people who naturally have high cholesterol, not just from what I eat, but as part of my genetics (family members also had high cholesterol).

Any thoughts or stories to share??

I have some WF Alfredo sauce that I would like to use for dinner tonight? Any suggestions on how to jazz it up?

add fresh garlic?
or some spicyness to it?

and then use it over roasted veggies?

First of all -- Welcome! :wave: This is a great forum, lots of support, experience and info here.

Forgive me for asking -- is it a good idea to be on IP right before/during/right after surgery? I am NOT a medical person, nor am I that experienced with IP (just started end of May) -- but I *have* had surgeries. IP is a VERY restricted calorie diet, and others please correct me if I'm wrong, but it's also a little stressful on the body? Totally worth it for those of us who need to lose weight, but maybe you don't want to add the stress of the diet when your body will be going through the trauma of surgery (and ALL surgeries, no matter how minor, are traumatic to the body). You want to give your body its best chance to heal.

I am hoping others will reply who know a whole lot more than I do. I wish you all the best, Balanced Life!

Edited to add: Do you have a coach? What does your coach say?

Hi Laurie,
Few thoughts on the cholesterol for you, since you asked. It's great you have read and had concerns about the effect statins have on your blood glucose. However; elevated cholesterol is not just a reflection of your current diet. There are some strong genetic components and your own family history as you indicated. If some of them have elevated cholesterol and are even normal weight you may have a family predisposition. Compound that tendency with a diet that is not cardiac friendly and even a slight weight problem... you create a really bad picture. Stopping any Rx with out medical advice and something like lipitor with out proper guidance is risky, so am glad you had it checked and got back on track fairly fast! There is also some evidence in the literature that statins may actually do the same thing in the brain and head for those blood vessels that it does for the heart. Eliminates plaque buildup! That indicates some lessening of the tendency for alzheimers. A bonus! Two for one!! Get your arteries and blood vessels under control with this and you are doing yourself and your family an act of love and caring for the future. We have a son in law (40+) who is a long distance runner and his chol level was well over 250 before starting statins. Yet, he has always been thin, very diet and health conscious and a daily runner (7-10 miles) since his early teens. He really had a hard time mentally getting over the hump to start taking Rx because he thought of himself as so super healthy and fit, but now has two babies age 2 and 6 months...so he got his mind over the hump pretty fast thinking about their young family! Let your Dr know you'd like to not be overly dependent on pills, and reduce or eliminate any meds you can...or you are at least interested in going to a less aggressive treatment plan if the weight loss impacts things positively enough that it is safe to do so. Depending on what you take it will require monitoring and some tweaking by your physician to make sure the doses are right. Another reason we all need to keep our Docs in the loop on what is happening health-wise once we start to take control of our weight. There are other factors too that are best if taken into account by your Dr...a whole lot of things make up an individual total cholesterol picture:triglycerides, HDL, LDL VLD.
In good health, Best wishes...and congratulations for WANTING to be more in control!

My husband started IP when he tore his Achilles in February. He is also a triathlete and was hoping to do quite a few races this year. I would make sure you speak with your surgeon, his had no issue at all with him staying on IP before and after. He lost the difficult last 15 and has recovered well. He did decrease his exercise a ton while in recovery and as he increased exercise he increased his intake and eventually came off IP but stayed on a ketogenic diet.

Best of luck, I hope everything goes well. It can be difficult to "slow down" when you are used to pushing your body. Take care of yourself and use this time to fine tune things. There is a lot of info out there on high performance athletes and ketogenic diets (not IP), it may be worth looking in to.

IP was originally designed for off-season and injured athletes.

Great book on ketosis & exercise
The Art and Science of Low Carb Performance by Volek and Phinney

Low carb diets are fantastic for reducing inflammation and would AID healing!
Unfortunately, most MDs don't really understand low carb

Lisa, you amaze me with all your knowledge! Can't wait to read the book mentioned above.

I've learned from the best.
I've read many books and websites from low carb experts, plus there have been many smart cookies here!

I know from personal experience that I have less inflammation on this program than on any other. Being a veteran of 20+ surgeries to rebuild a body that was mangled by a boat prop, I am amazed at how much better my joints and muscles feel eating in this manner.

Lisa, what a perfect way to sum up what friends mean to us. My best friend and i referred to one another as sisters and said that we were better than blood family because we had picked one another. :)

Hangdog, i lost my best friend on February 17th. The loss is devastating to me. I am utterly heartbroken. She had battled cancer for just under a year and a half, but declined rapidly in a matter of days, very suddenly. I tear up at the thought of her and still haven't reached a point where i can think of her without doing so. I was truly blessed to have her as my friend for the 30 years I knew her. My thoughts are with you. I also feel my friend is with me every day and "talk" to her often. :hug:

Good luck to everyone for the remainder of the weekend on staying OP!

65x65 THANK YOU for your very thoughtful response. I think I pretty much have my proof that my cholesterol numbers are more a product of my genetics than my diet, though my new and healthier ways are WAY better for me for many other reasons too!! (My numbgers for HDL/LDL and Triglicerides are good ones too when I keep my total cholesterol down and were even still good when off the meds!)

Back on the Lipitor and will continue to watch my blood sugar and hope to see it eeek its way down even a little more!

Thanks!

Starting week 3, so far so good. Started to get discouraged by all the posts of people losing +8 lbs in a week. Week 1, lost 3. Week 2, lost 1.5. Better to lose than gain. Know I can't rush it but am wondering if I am not following program correctly. Will discuss with coach on Fri WI.

You may want to google "low T3 syndrome". Essentially in a number of people low carb diets can affect the generation of active thyroid hormones and create hormone imbalances. One symptom of it is that LDL levels skyrocket. You may want to do a full thyroid panel and make sure your thyroid hormones are normal. Taking statins would help with LDL levels only as they would not correct thyroid problems.