Isn't it great to get compliments like that? The esthetician at a recent spa visit told me my face looks better than most people who lose weight :D :cloud9:

Good afternoon to all!

Lisa: I love your new photo. You look fantastic! One of the consistent compliments I receive has to do with how I look in my face; so much younger. I never thought that would be such a noticeable thing. I love it! :goodvibes

Ruth Ann: thanks for that little tidbit of info. It is amazing the stress on our body from the extra weight, not to mention the internal stresses on our organs. I noticed something recently about aches and pains. I had been feeling so much better and over the holidays I indulged quite a bit. I ate a lot of things I had thought I was never going to eat again; namely a lot of baked goods with wheat. I also stopped taking my supplements regularly. Well, I have noticed a lot of pain in my knees, and other joints. I started back on my supplements and the pains have abated! I wonder if it is simply eliminating bad foods again, or if the Omega, Calcium, etc...are beneficial for joint pain as well. :dance:

I want to say welcome to the newcomers. I have been absent quite a bit lately and not able to post much, but I love the posts and reading all the many successes and everyone taking control over their health! :grouphug:

65X65: it is wonderful seeing you again. I wish for you a wonderful year with healing and renewed joy in all the little things. You have been such an inspiration to me and I thank you for that. Big hug to you! :hug:

Lisa: Stunning new picture! Look at those collar bones :D

Hi Dak- So good to see your happy smile! The Xmas crunch mush have been horrible for you at your job...hope you are feeling strong now and we look forward to your contributions. Thanks for all your kindness! I'm enjoying being back...and really need to get some heavy cleaning done after the last few months, but this is so much more fun.....

I also LOVE the new picture, Lisa! I haven't added one yet...partly because I'm not super sure how, too. I know I can't have a ticker or anything quite yet either.

Ruthann - those are amazing numbers and a reality check for me. I have bad knees and they hurt all.the.time. I want to go in and get them checked again (I've had multiple surgeries) but told myself that if I lost 50-60 pounds, they might feel better anyway. That's one of the top reasons for me doing IP...so that I can hopefully stop hurting everyday. If after losing the weight, they still hurt, then I'll go in. But at least I'll know I tried this way first.

Do you all limit your "restricted" packets to even less than 1 a day? I've heard that some do so that they might lose a little faster. I only picked up 4 restriced this week.

I lost 4 pounds, even with how yucky I've been feeling (tummy issues...irregularity, possibly TOM, bloated) so I'm thrilled with that!

Lisa, love your new photo. I am not sure that I would recognise you if I were only given a photo of your before shot -- that goes for you Dak1lls, too!

Yes, both esthetician and doctor (along with many others) have commented with surprise as to how great my skin looks after this weight loss. Speaks well of Ideal Protein.

Hi Jen,

I personally made the choice to use the 'restricteds' for special occasions only. So they very rarely cross my plate.

I also made efforts to choose packets that were at the lower end of the carb spectrum. eg, the drinks:

• the peach and mango drink mix has 1 carb+ 20 g of protein
• the chocolate drink mix has 9 carbs + 15 g of protein
• the blueberry cranberry drink mix has 5 carbs + 18 g of protein

In times of real hunger, I will reach for a peach and mango drink mix or an egg as an extra for that day.

I also used the chocolate and vanilla rtd's everyday ... i like them, they are creamier than the packet vanilla or chocolate + they have fewer carbs than the choc/vanilla packet versions.


When I used the soups, I would use the broc and cheese soup less often because:

• broc and cheese packet has 7 carbs
• whereas chicken soup mix has 1 carb

My weight loss over the last 7 months has typically been steady. Bumps seemed to happen when I got careless and stopped tracking/measuring things like oil, meat, etc.

Also, things got better for me when I started learning how to incorporate extra spices like cayenne, tumeric, cinnamon, ginger, etc. I use lots of Mrs. Dash and often some dehydrated garlic and onion flakes with my salad. I deliver generous servings of salad ... not afraid to maximise use of lettuce as long as I have the spices to go with it.


Annik

ps if ever i was retaining water, the peach + mango drink mix always seemed to help shift that.

Thanks so much, Anniak! That's great info. I haven't looked at the labels for any of the IP foods yet, to be honest. I've been getting individual packets and not the box, so haven't looked them up, but now I will to really educate myself. My first 2 weeks, I had several of the drinks (sample packs made up for me with variety) but I prefer to "eat" my food then drink it. So, this week, I got mostly puddings, soups and a few snacks. I guess maybe I need to incorporate the drinks in afterall for lower carbs and higher protein. Interesting. I didn't take any drinks this week...I'll switch that up next week.

Jen,

I think you should feel confident about going forward with whatever format works for you ... and including the higher carb content if you want. I made those personal choices to aim for the lower carb content versions and things seem to have gone well.

But I know many others who have not paid any attention to 'content' and just gone with package directions have achieved really good success, too.

It is however something to keep in mind: if you are using more of the higher carb content packets and hit some stumbling blocks, sometimes it helps to shift down on the carbs (and for strange reasons that I don't completely understand, vice versa, too. ... sometimes our bodies just need a bit of a shake up in routine to get going again.)

Annik

First off, Lisa...your pic is great!

Annik, That's interesting info. I love the choc drink mix and have it every morning so I'm glad to see it's on your list! Your weight loss has been great so I want to follow in the footsteps of the wise!

ps Someone just posted charts of the nutrition data of all IP food.

I thought it was very useful. I'll see if I can find it or maybe the person who did the post can direct us to it.

My advice: Follow Lisa!!! She's brilliant!

Your weight loss is none too shabby yourself, girl!

lol Annik, for the most part...I do!