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

Some forum lingo:
NSV = Non-scale victory
TOM = time of the month
WI = Weigh-in
WF = Walden Farms
OP = on plan

Bookmarking:
Ideal Protein Sub-forum Home page
Consider making it a bookmark or a favorite in your browser so you can come back easily to get your RDA of Ideal Protein information.

Information for newbies:
Check the sticky page (top of forum, above all the topics) for lots of good information and please read here before asking what might be a frequently asked question: Information on Ideal Protein phases (1-4), IP Ultimate List Recipes, FAQ, Newbie Guide, Exercise, and other Important Threads,
and here are the most recent Ideal Protein Protocol sheets

And before you cheat, read this thread:
The Real Cost of Cheating on Ideal Protein

Before starting new threads: spend some time reading the forum. Most new threads are duplicates, triplicates, quadruplicates. Folks who are the most successful, make time for research/reading.

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

For those looking for alternative products
Here is a thread with tons of info. Spend some time in it. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...phase-1-a.html
And here is a link to a chart to help you choose appropriate products

Tickers and Signatures:
There are 2 requirements to have access to signatures and tickers. You must have been a member of 3fatchicks for 20 days AND posted at least 20 messages anywhere on the 3fatchicks forum. When you've met those requirements check The Ultimate Signature and Ticker Thread for more information and instructions.

Quoting:
The best quoting tip - EVER!! Thanks Rosie, aka 6710.

Searching:
If you can't find what you're looking for in this forum using the website search function, try using the "double search" using Google.

1) Go to Google.com. Search 3fatchicks by using the term site:3fatchicks.com at the end of your Google search.

For example, if you want to look for "big mac in a bowl", type "big mac in a bowl site:3fatchicks.com" in Google search. No need to include the quotation marks when you type.

2) This will bring up the page that you are looking for, now hit Ctrl+F to search on that page. Type "big mac in a bowl" and all instances of that search term will be highlighted.

Progress photos
Mini-Goal Photo Album.

Other helpful links related to the Ideal Protein Dr. Chanh Tran Tien's website

Let's keep up the positive attitude from yesterday
I loved all of the NSVs and can-dos!
We can (and will) do anything we make up our minds to do

Good morning, everyone!

Thanks for the support yesterday. It was a long day, as I worked my part-time job last night, and I was too wiped out to post last night before the thread closed.

Slipfree, I hope you are enjoying break, too!

Everyone had such positive posts and vibes yesterday! Excellent! Keep it up!

Have a great day!

~Renee

As much as I don't want to be, I'm still torn up about this 1 # weight GAIN. I know it's 1 # and not the end of the world and it could be related to constipation or TOM...but How does one eat like this and GAIN weight?! I just feel so defeated today and my next weigh in is not till Monday, but I'm hoping for a big loss!

Holly - don't let it get you down. My scale has been up 3 lbs since Thursday and then boom - down 3 lbs today. I blame some lunch meat I used - way too much sodium. What you have to realize is that you did not gain a pound of fat, no way for it to happen if you stayed OP. It takes nearly 4000 (or something like that) calories to make a pound of fat and you didn't eat that many calories.

Most likely culprits are sodium, injury or illness. If you have pulled muscles your body will retain water to help repair them. And illness (colds, etc.) will cause inflammation which is just water retention.

Quit stressing - it slows your weight loss! You're fine, this happens to everyone. Just relax, it will go away.

I had a couple of weeks where I gained during p1. Inflammation can result in an uptick on the scale. As Ruth Ann said, there is no way it is a pound of fat. You are in good company, as virtually everyone here has had a similar experience. Stress, increased activity, sodium, hormones...there are many contributing factors. My first gain was around the 5 or 6 week mark, which is common as well. The best thing you can do is accept that it is just part of the process and move forward. You are doing fantastically well.

Look at this as practice at honing another skill needed for permanent weight loss: keeping the scale in perspective. Unjustified gains happen, and they are a bummer. This is where the mental work of weight loss kicks in. Grab onto what Ruth Ann said, there is NO way that you gained a lb. of fat without ingesting 4000 extra calories (on top of your base caloric need, which is already higher than what IP has you eating). In other words, you would have had to have eaten TONS of extra food for this to be a true weight gain. If you had eaten that much food, you would be feeling lucky to have gained only a pound. So, now that you know that this is not a fat gain, you have to find a way to push that little defeatist voice out of your head. Distract yourself. Do whatever it takes to shut down that voice of doubt in your head.

As someone else said, these gains happen, but, in my experience, especially relatively early on, you will make up for it and then some next week . . . as long as you don't give up or give in. So, look at this week as a good chance to work on the mental game . . . and go get 'em!


hope2781 -- You talked about having too much salt late in yesterday's chat. Looking at the P1 protocol sheet, salt minimums are listed. I am not aware of a salt maximum. I believe, and someone correct me if I am wrong, that there is no firm limit on salt . . . if you have high blood pressure or some other factor that would suggest keeping a cap on your salt, that would be another matter. So, give yourself a break. If you're having more salt than you think you should be, you are still doing just fine.

Holly, these ladies know what's up. Don't worry about the scale all the time. I used to, it probably added stress which caused me to maintain. Look at your measurements and how your clothes fit. We are putting our bodies through so much, you'll never know what will happen! My spotting was out of control (in my opinion) for a week or so before my period and I was like..this is it..im dying (drama queen over here) but we've done so much to our bodies and now we're helping it! So enjoy what you're eating (knowing that it'll make you stronger) and let your body do the rest!

Slipfree, I saw your question in last nights thread but i'll answer here. My new coach is great! I'm much more motivated for weigh ins now, even if I know it won't be much. I don't mind. I know that if something goes wrong now, I have someone who can confidently answer my questions.

On another note, I just got a message from my dad. He was on a flight from Dubai to Dallas. They had to stop in Minneapolis because the woman next to him had a heart attack. The crew has been giving her CPR for the last hour until they were able to land. I do not know this woman but know she needs prayers today. This is the most supportive group of people I know of so I ask you to keep her and all the people on that flight in your prayers today!

Thank you ladies!! Gosh I love you so much!
I honestly felt yesterday like grabbing a bag of Oreo's and having a pity party for myself. But I didn't even stray a tiny bit. So that makes me feel victorious. I did a workout last week...okay, it was only one day. And only for 10 minutes. But I am not lieing, that little workout was intense and man....can I tell a difference in my muscles.

EMS: praying for that women. What a heart wrenching moment. To not be able to do anything. Things like that affect me. Some people can brush them off and go about their day, but I never can get them out of my mind as quickly.

EMS- sending out positive thoughts for the lady on the plane as well as all the men and women on IP today!.
It looks like it might be a beautiful spring day here. I hope so cause I'm ready to spend some of my spring/Easter break outside!!!! I've been trying to figure out why my neck and shoulders have been hurting. I think I'm sleeping on them funny. I've been really cold all the time (thanks to IP and weight loss) so I think I'm not relaxing enough at night maybe.

It snowed here. >.< I know I know I live in Michigan, but IT'S APRIL. Common! I just want to wear flip flops and not freeze. Is that so much to ask?!

Holly I do that all the time! I walk down the chip/water aisle to get some sparkling water and I'm like...LOOK AT ALL YOU DELICIOUS BAGS OF CHEMICALS! But then I remember how much work I've done! And how much my stomach would hurt! How I would feel puffy! Now worth it. I'll go home and have some salt/vinegar crisps!

Amber, I'm jealous of your beautiful spring day! We've already been in the 80's for a week now. But then today it dipped back down to 44. I'm not quite sure what to do! It's never been this cold in April!

My scale isn't going down this week either but I've noticed a pattern emerging where I have 2 big weeks of loss, one week of moderate loss and one week of "UHG! You have got to be kidding me! I've been 100% on plan and this is the thanks I get?" I'm currently in the "UHG" week. Looking forward to next week for sure!!

My scale isn't budging either. It's going up a pound and down a pound all week long.

it is hard to swallow but stressing on it makes it harder to lose it!