Welcome bpbo and congrats on restarting!

Everyone here can be your buddy! This is a great community and so supportive. Check out the daily chat, the recipe threads, etc. and hop right onto any thread that interests you - someone is usually around who can give you a pep talk or suggestions.

I don't know what I would have done this past year without all the support I received here - it made losing weight so much easier to have people who understood how hard it was and the tricks our minds play on us to chat with.

Sounds like you have your mind made up to do this - good for you! You'll do great.

Starting Out!!
 

Hello Everyone,
My name is Brandy and I am a newbie to the whole online post forum for weight loss. I have struggled with my weight for 20 years and I know it is time to nip it in the bud. I am hoping to start the IP diet this week. I met with my family doctor this week but she wants my GI doctor to sign off on the doctor since I have Crohn's disease. I have used the threads on these pages to help set up my own plan until I can start. I have found tons of recipes on here so I may just have my doctor monitor me and do the food myself. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Should I eat the IP food? Or do it myself?

I look forward to chatting with everyone! Hope you had a great Easter.

JLUS, Thanks for the post. I am in the same position and trying to figure things out. I will check out the alternates.

I have done both and if I had a recommendation, it would be to start with IP if you can afford it. Once you have been using the program for awhile, you'll feel more comfortable using alternatives. The system is set up as a no-brainer and to start, having the IP things was helpful to me. As I became more familiar with the products, I found out which ones I could switch over to, and which ones I wanted to keep buying from my coach. I had a nice coach and really enjoyed going to see her, getting new info, having my weigh in -- it made me more accountable.
To each their own. Many people use the alternatives no problem. For me though, I didn't know enough about the diet at the start to use alternatives.
Now I am thinking of restarting tomorrow, and I know I can do this with alternatives. I still may go see my coach for those things I like that are harder to find in alternative form.
Best of luck -- just keep checking in and don't hesitate to ask if you need help. Lots of great people on here have more knowledge than many coaches by now!~

First day, doing great!
 

Hi, my name is Lali. I have started today with Ip . I did it before, a couple of years ago, but did not finish it well and since then I have regained the weight and more. I have been trying to diet on my own for the last few months and I managed to lose some weight but it is not enough for what I really need to lose. I don't know why but I have not felt any dizziness or anything during my first day. I had a chocolate shake for breakfast, an IP chicken soup with two cups of broccoli , some chocolate soya puffs for snack and I still haven't eaten supper. I had my supplements too.
I need to lose about 46 pounds desperately. I turned 40 almost a year ago and since then it's been very depressing looking at me in the mirror. I look old and sludgy, tired...horrible!:mad:
I am very excited to have found this forum, I have been reading it for two days in a row :dizzy: and it has so many ideas !
Thank you very much to everyone! ;)

Hello everyone! I just started IP last Wednesday, April 15. I am 45 and this is my first intentional diet. Until my mid-30s, I was quite thin (unhappily so as I had no real girl curves). Then some health events and life changes happened and I've been hovering around 170 for several years. I wasn't unhappy with my weight, but I'm very unhappy with my belly and double-chin. I didn't plan on dieting because I really believe in enjoying what makes you happy and I love fruit, pasta, potatoes, and especially coffee creamer. Yes, I could eat that stuff by the spoonful and I have.

I have been doing some curriculum design for a local IP clinic owned by a friend, and I don't know what came over me but I thought I would understand the curriculum better if I tried doing this myself. So I got my initial measurements and labs on Wednesday and have been completely OP since.

As of this morning, I have lost five pounds (in five days). I know that is mostly water weight but the Ketostix test says I'm in ketosis so I must be burning some fat too! I haven't been hungry except in the morning (which is good, because I was not a breakfast-eater). However, I have been very dizzy, weak, tired, and forgetful for the past three days. I expected that, though.

I am surprised at the lack of hunger. I am having 2 meals and 3 Meal replacements every day; whereas I used to gulp down some yogurt at mid-morning, eat a very delicious and totally unhealthy lunch full of carbs and fats, then pizza or the like for dinner if I remembered to eat. Ice cream, pie, or cookies several times a week. Never have been real big on protein.

So this is a pretty big change. I have 30 pounds to lose and my biggest concern is how I will be able to maintain the weight loss because I just cannot imagine a world without chocolate chip cookies, cherry pie, and Lucky Charms. Maybe I won't even want that stuff when I'm done?

Here's to everyone else who's starting off on this adventure!

Happy to be here
 

Hi,
I am new to this website and usually I just read and learn. Since I am making new food decisions, I'm trying for some new behaviors as well. So here goes.....I started IP at the end of March. I lost 7 lbs. in 2 weeks. I missed weigh in this week because of a family get together. According to my scale, I am down 10 lbs. but we will see on Saturday what the IP scale reads. My biggest problem is eating everything on the plan. I continue to strive toward following all the rules. I am getting better with drinking water. I haven't had a diet soda in 3 weeks and that is amazing. I am having trouble eating enough veggies. I'm a picky eater and I don't like onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and several other veggies. Lettuce, cukes, and celery are my mainstay with some roasted asparagus for good measure.
I am excited to be part of a group with a common goal and I look forward to sharing and learning some of what has worked for others.
Oh, I have a high school class reunion in July so there is a bit of motivation in seeing class mates that I haven't seen in years.
Lynne

Deepblue - Congrats on getting started again! I think I read here for a week - went through most of the old threads and learned so much.

alienoreo - This is a pretty amazing diet in terms of curbing hunger, etc. I have found that things I used to love (like all the stuff you mentioned!) don't really appeal to me any more. I'm in Phase 3 now and they still don't call to me like they used to. I think our tastebuds change - I enjoy the veggies and protein for dinner every bit as much (maybe more) than I enjoyed the pizza, burgers, etc., etc.

lynnemt - Congrats on the great losses! On the veggies - you may be surprised at what you like once you get further along. Things I thought I hated are now good. Be sure to read the recipe threads for really creative ways to cook veggies. I love roasting peppers or pretty much any veggie (well, maybe not cucumbers!). Try some new veggies too - it's amazing how many are out there that I had never thought of eating before.

Hello everyone!

I'm new to this forum, and new to IP as well. I'm on day 3, and so far it is going better than I had expected. According to my scale I am down two pounds! (That is 2 out of 100+, so I am thrilled! 2lb gone!) I'm spending lots of time reading through the old threads, because I feel like there is a lot that I need to learn.

I have known about the program for years, because one of my friends is a coach. She is being really supportive of my weight loss, and she is giving me plan information and a resource for buying packets, but we are concerned that signing up for "Official Ideal Protein" with her office may not work for me. I have a list of food allergies that is as long as my arm. Many are foods that are excluded from the IP protocol anyway, so they aren't such a big deal. The problem is that because of my legume/soy allergy I can only have a few of the IP drink packets, no bars/rtd/puddings/crisps/etc. Her initial thought was that I would not be able to complete the program with so few choices. She is concerned that I will "burn out" or get bored. She recommended that I work up a plan using the IP "theory", but substituting protein supplements that will meet my allergy needs. I was thrilled to see that so many people are doing this exact thing, and having great success!

While I understand her thinking, I think that I will stick with the IP drink packets for a few weeks. It may be boring, but I feel like I have a lot to learn before I venture out on my own!

Thanks for being such a great resource! Glad to "meet" you all!

There are several here with soy and other allergies who started with the IP packets they could use, and just repeatedly used them... Until they felt comfortable with the whole IP protocol. THEN they ventured out looking for other alternatives that fit the IP profile.

Keep reading here, visit he daily chat and alternative threads and you will connect with them as excellent resources!

Hi :-)
It's my second time on IP. I intend to go throughout all the phases this time :-) just need to kick that peanut butter addiction -_- is it normal to lose less the second time around?

Hi! I've got to lose weight for the golf season so that I can swing the club around myself, and I'm going to Hawaii in August. Looking forward to the Ideal Protein program, which can be rapid when done correctly.

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement!

Newcomer to Ideal Protein - started 21 April 14
 

Hi there
I just started the IP diet with the packaged food & supplements and have found it really hard. I get really hungry after lunch and have had to have the extra drink that they have allowed me for week 1. I don't have a problem with dinner because it is so much protein and then you get the snack as well usually quite closesly together because Im trying to finish eating for the day by 8pm. I have my first weigh in tomorrow but I have had so many sugar cravings still, I think because unfortunately my periods started during this week.

Hi RoseWinter I stated IP on April 16th I had the same problem the first few days. On those days I moved the evening snack to about 2 hours after lunch and then ate my dinner 2 hours after that. It worked really well for me. I have no hunger or cravings now day 9. I have my first weight in tonight and haven't weighed in at home. Hope I have done well!! Good Luck to you and I hope your sugar cravings stop soon.!!