IP Daily Chat Monday 6/9/2014
 

:welcome2:
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.

Recipes Here
Ideal Protein Diet Recipes #4 -current thread open for posting
Recipe thread #3
Tips and Recipes from the Incredible Weight Loss Center
Fun with Ideal Protein Packets
Fun with Veggie Purees!
Mix'n in the kitchen...Recipes from the Rainbow
MiX'N' iN THE KiTCH'N.... Recipes from the Rainbow Volume 2

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

Amber
Re: last nite's question about significant increases/decreases overnight. This is an EXCELLENT lesson for why weifghing more than once per day is downright silly.

The main thing that is changing overnight is the amount of water in your system. It's amazing how much water weighs! A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds, and a pint of water (16 ounces) weighs 1 pound (in metric, 1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram). This means that if you drink a 1-liter bottle of water, you instantly gain 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) from the water! That's a big weight change, and it can happen very quickly.

Overnight, there are two processes that cause you to lose water gradually. The first is respiration. Each time you exhale, you lose a little bit of water (exhale onto a cool piece of glass and you can see this moisture). The second is transpiration through the skin, also known as sweating. Over the course of a night, both of these processes eliminate quite a bit of water.

Then there is the tradition of using the restroom prior to the morning weigh-in. That process can eliminate up to 1 pound (0.5 kilograms) of water.

According to this water information page, the average person eliminates about 1.2 liters of water in urine each day, and also eliminates about 1 liter a day through perspiration and respiration. That's 2.2 kilograms (almost 5 pounds) of weight fluctuation happening throughout the day!

You may have heard that it's important to drink about eight glasses of water every day. Respiration, transpiration and urination are the reasons why!

eating out
 

Hi I have only been doing this for 2 weeks and doing well. Unfortunately I have to go out to eat two times next week. How do you plan for it? what do you order that keeps you on track.

Plain meat & veggies. No sauce or oil/butter.
Salad. Either use oil & lemon (most vinegar in restaurants is balsamic) as your dressing or bring a WF packet with you.

I usually save my occasional veggies for eating out. That way I don't have to worry that I've had too many for the week.

Sometimes I order a salad instead but the meat isn't usually 8 oz on a salad. I end up asking LOADS of questions. Ceasar salad w/ no dressing, cheese, croutons works.

It becomes second-nature after a while. My friends and family are used to the way I order.
I typically save my oil that day for my restaurant meal, as well. That way if my directions aren't followed well, I don't stress.

Preparation is the key!

If it's up to you, restaurant you know offers a light menu, salads, grilled meat Steakhouses are great, but i've had success anywhere from fast food (Culvers, Subway, Arbys) to breakfast/hometown joints (IHOP, Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel) to chains (Red Robin, Chile's, Texas Road house, Ruby Tuesdays) and local restaurants can be VERY accommodating.

First, i tell the server i am on a strict special diet and apologize in advance for asking lots of questions. Salads can be tricky...I have better success with side salads. I order no dressing, cheese, croutons.....sometimes use a restaurant' s evoo but prefer to bring my own baggie pouch of WF dressing. I usually order a grilled protein (salmon, steak, chicken, mahi mahi) which usuallt comes with two sides. I ask the meat be dry grilled with no oil/sauce/. seasonings. Then I see what veggie sides will work: steamed broccoli, grilled asparagus, side salad. If there's only one option I get a double order. I also make sure the veggies don't have sauce/seasonings.

I have also have luck with build-your-own omelets...delicious alternative!

If you get a chance, vie the menu before you go...then you won't stress while you're there

Tip generously for the server's hard work!

LOL I knew it was water. I actually have a pretty um... "exact" body. With pretty consistent accuracy I lose approximately 3.4lbs while I sleep, occasionaly I lost 4-5 but those are the whoosh days when I am losing lot's of weight. :) I was actually more curious about how I can "gain" 3lbs of water weight in 24hrs but it takes me 72hours to shed the same water weight lol
:dizzy:

IP43 - per your last comment on weekend chat I have to say my ex husband appears to be finding my lost pounds buahahahahaha he's one of those eat what he wants and never gain a pound, but he turned 40 recently so I think that male metabolism is slowing down and all I can say is HAHAHAHA :)

Well ladies (and gentlemen out there), I worked and dieted and stayed OP to get to this point. I am not yet at goal, but I had planned all along to be diet free on this trip. I hit my first major goal... under 200 although I only saw it briefly thanks to TOM I'm still calling it goal met. I am fully aware that when I get back from vacation I may have some weight to make up for, but I plan to eat more p3 this week. Not going buck wild, but this was my plan all along. Then when I return I will be going all alternatives as I am out of cash for IP... I hope to lose at least 30 more lbs by my birthday at the end of septemeber (although I may need to go for 40 since I will probably gain some weight this week). Off to enjoy my vacation!

My husband laughs whenever we eat out - he says I order the most expensive bowls of lettuce ever!

Seriously. it becomes second nature after a while. Ask questions (how is it cooked, is it marinated?), ask for exactly what you want (no oil. no butter, naked, steamed, dressing on the side). Rarely has the waiter been anything but anxious to help.

The more often you do it the more comfortable you will become. This is an important skill in managing your food, for life!

Good morning!
 

Hope everyone had a nice weekend! I'm recovering from helping a friend with yard work at her office on Saturday. Might have overdone it in the heat and sun, but I was very glad to be able to help her out and spend time with her.
Got a really nice phone call last night telling me that my sermon yesterday really touched someone - it is always neat to hear that kind of feedback!

Here is what I am wondering about today: carb cycling. Not major crazy stuff, but just intentionally changing up carb amounts on different days. I feel certain that I saw someone on here saying something about it but can't for the life of me remember who it was. Does anyone have any insight into it, or experience with trying it while OP?
It's new territory for me to be so attuned to my body and what works best for it. I'm actually enjoying learning, when it's explained in a way I can understand it!

Hi everyone! I'm back after a 10-day trip to the beach. Through determination, small miracles, and a LOT of patience and support from my hubby and kids, I was able to stay 100% OP the whole time I was away, despite being surrounded by everything pre-IP Annie would have snarfed down in abundance. I am so so so happy that I made it. I feel like I can do ANYTHING now!

While I LOVED being away from my computer, I'm glad to be back online now. I've already read about a hundred posts here this morning, basking in the support and motivation and hope I find here! I don't "know" a single one of you, but I missed you and I'm glad to be back with you! :D

Congrats to everyone with staying OP while on vacation and over the weekend! I have a quick question - is sparkling mineral water ok? I'd like to get a Perrier with lime when friends are drinking cocktails, but I want to make sure this is OP.

I console myself when I know I have water weight with the reminder my later father taught me as a child ' "A pint's a pound the whole world round". Thanks, Dad.

Yay, I finally got my ticker! After several days of not budging, the scale finally moved down a bit over the weekend. Looking forward to my weigh in tomorrow and I'm hoping to be down at least 6 pounds total (in two weeks).

I'm also celebrating a non-scale victory today. A month or two ago I bought a new dress for a work meeting. The dress fit, but after wearing it all day I decided it was really a little too snug and not quite comfortable yet. Well, I'm wearing that dress today and I'm happy to report it not only looks better on me than it did before, it definitely fits better too! As cute as it is, I'm looking forward to donating it once it's too big!

My BF is moving in, so we spent the weekend cleaning out my closets to make room for his clothes. I looked at these adorable dresses I could wear two years ago but are now too small for me. I put them in the spare closet (I really just needed the room) but seeing them reminded me what I'm trying to do here - fit back into them!

the end of week one
 

Today is the day! My first weigh in on IP. I have been weighing myself every morning since I started (which I can see is a bad idea) I couldn't help myself. It is neat when you see the scale go down but I do not like the anguish if it has not. Probably best to stay the course and put the scale away.

I was very surprised by myself this week. Many small victories at staying OP. I am very proud of myself. My boyfriend tells me that my stubbornness may actually pay off for once. =)

Wish me luck me luck on my first weigh in. Why did it have to be a 5pm tonight? ugh! After almost 2L of water today I am sure the scale will not be kind. Preparing myself so as not to be discourages. I told myself that I would give this 2 months.

I HATE late-day weigh-ins! But if you weigh the same time each week, this one will give you a good starting point (hopefully your initial WI was also at 5 pm).

I posted this info earlier. I bet it will be helpful to go in with the correct mindset:

It's amazing how much water weighs! A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds, and a pint of water (16 ounces) weighs 1 pound or 1 kilogram). This means that if you drink 1-liter, you instantly gain 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) from the water!

This is exactly why it is so silly to weigh multiple times during the day.
Daily is okay, if you can handle the fluctuations. Just make sure you weigh at the same time each day (I usually do right after getting up and using the bathroom, before eating or drinking anything).

But rest assured, you ARE losing fat if you're staying OP!

Beck Diet Solution Daily tip
 

June 9, 2014 - Monday Motivation

Do you ever think, “I don’t deserve credit until I reach my weight loss goals,”? If so, remind yourself that this is 100% NOT TRUE because all the small steps along the way are what add up to the big changes. If you’re not already, right this moment start giving yourself credit for all the positive steps you've taken. Pay attention to progress, not perfection.


My comment: Thank goodness I deserve credit for all the positive steps I've taken!

Simple answer: It is not part of the IP plan.

Longer answer: It might give some health benefits (especially for thyroid, especially for people with LOTS of weight to lose who will be OP for 6 months or more) to cycle off after about 12 weeks on. For example, perhaps a week of Phase 3 after 12 weeks on, but then straight back to P1, just to jump-start the thyroid again. After all I've learned about low-carb/low-cal stress on thyroid, it might be beneficial.

But to do it on a more regular basis, this is not part of Ideal Protein and wouldn't be recommended for remaining in ketosis. It would definitely slow weight loss.

I also do evening weigh-ins. I just stop drinking water a couple of hours beforehand so I have a little time to pass a lot of it out, and that seems to help. Then once the weigh-in is over, I'm back to gulping it down.

Dragged out a pair of size 12 jeans pants today but had been reluctant to wear them as they had the fake pocket flaps on the back - just where my pear figure does NOT need help.

Exacto knife and 5 minutes later they are gone and I am rocking a pair of yes, I'll say it again, size 12!

Now I do know that sizes vary widely but in my defense, there is a second pair of size 12 causal jeans in my closet that I can also wear. I have not fit into a size 12 since college but we will not go into how many years ago that might be.


You who are out there know who you are for the thank you....

AWESOME!!! Congratulations.
 

Wow- that is awesome! I bet it feels great :smug: :bravo:

Start of week 3 of IP alternative
 

Good morning,

Today is the start of my 3rd week. I had my weigh in today for last week and am down 2 more lbs. I am happy about that because from Jan - mid May I averaged 2 lbs a month just watching what I ate and such. I have seen on other posts that people loose a lot more, but I am not going to let myself compare myself to others...this is my own journey and everyone is unique :flow2: I really LOVE having some nourishment every few hours - I think my body really likes it and responds with more energy and less brain fog. I have not done the protocol perfectly, but am not aiming at perfection here. I do not want to be critical of myself because I had a glass of wine or something. Looking forward to this week - moving into it with momentum:cheer2: and motivation.
Good luck this week everyone!

Week 1 -2.5 lbs
Week 2 -2.0 lbs

Morning gals! I am back from a wonderful 5 day vacation to Canmore (Kananaskis Rockies) and Calgary. We did some hiking and biking on trails in the Park, and strolling around the city & river valley. Didn't actually watch what I ate or drank but really wasn't crazy either, lol. I started off on day 1 writing everything down but couldn't be bothered after that :p. I will say that I didn't drink enough water - sheer laziness because there were lots of places to fill up the platypus bottles and our fancy hotel provided Eska natural spring mineral water for us too. Short story is: I weighed 133 when I left and now I weigh 132.5. So after all the gourmet Indian & Mexican food and the 4 diamond restaurant breakfasts I LOST a bit! Still in maintenance so that makes me a really happy gal!

Liana :dancer:

Hello all. I am back at it again. Today is my first day OP for quite some time. I am afraid to say that I weigh more now than I ever have before- and I am TERRIFIED to get on the scale. I am hoping to work up the courage to do so tomorrow morning, so I can at least know my starting point.

I stepped on a couple weeks ago and cried. Literally, cried. The time is mine to be healthy. All the positive thoughts you can send my way are appreciated.

I brought up the carb cycling, but I am in maintenance. I would never think of doing something like that in P1-P3. You actually are cycling a bit with a fun day followed by a P1 day.

Not only should you get your starting weight...make sure you get a picture! Think of it as just putting the starting points on your journey. You won't know how far you've come unless you'vr seen where you've been!

AmberLS, I think it's hysterical that you know exactly how much water weight you lose overnight - the preciseness cracked me up! Don't go too crazy on vacation and have an awesome time!

12Anniepoo, that is great news! I am going on vacation soon also, so really enjoying everyone's vacation posts and success stories!

NotCoolEnough, congrats on your ticker, I look forward to seeing it! It's funny how there can be a sense of accomplishment on the forum, I felt the same way when I was able to get a signature. Totally relate to you on the dress, and even though you may have to donate it when it gets too big, that is a good problem to have!

12Anniepoo - that is an amazing accomplishment, way to go! I hope to be 90% successful when I am in Mexico for 4 days at the end of the month.

Schnenectady, :bravo: on the size 12's. A great NSV. Keep it up.

Canadjineh- sounds like a lovely trip, I would love to go there some day. Congratulations on losing a bit while on holiday. I have read some of your posts in the maintainers thread, you seemed to have done a great job figuring this out. Congratulations.

I loved reading such positive posts for a Monday. I hope everyone has a great week.

I love Canmore, can't wait to get back up that way some day. Nice job on maintaining, 1/2 pound gone on vacay sounds like a good deal to me!

I don't know what's wrong with me. I went from being extra hungry all the time to have no appetite at all and that's just not like me. Food doesn't even appeal to me. Yesterday I switched out my soup for lunch and had another ip shake and spinach then I forced myself to eat dinner. Today I had an ip shake with spinach for breakfast and lunch, haven't touched my snack. Maybe i'm coming down with something? I'm not complaining, this is just odd.

So here is a question for the group...I have spent countless hours searching threads and going thru peoples posts, but I can't waste any more time trying to find this information... when you are in cycling out thru phase 2 and 3 are you supposed to continue taking all the vitamins? What about on Phase 4...when you are in maintenance? Are you supposed to go back to your regular multi vitamins? Just trying to figure out what I need to buy more of. I am starting phase 2 this Thursday! :)

... and that is the beauty of IP! LOL... It's funny how few calories we eat and yet don't necessarily feel hungry. For those people not staying OP however, (me included at times) as soon as I have something "carby" I could eat a horse. I love the power of ketosis -- burning the fat without the cravings. Enjoy -- it may not last. Tomorrow you may be needing that extra egg white or pickle, or an early bed time to cut the hungries.

I wish this could last forever!! Lol I had to make myself eat dinner!! That's just so not me!!

Phase 2 sheets are linked at the top of this thread. Looks like you will be using the same supplements as phase 1. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm still on phase 1.)

Alright, since I am rusty with IP and everything... What is a safe estimate as to pounds lost per week (average) for figuring out approximate duration of phase 1? 3 pounds? I know this varies from week to week and person to person, but I trying to get my head wrapped around this and have an approximate end date in mind. :)

Thank you!
 

Great quote and inspiration! Thank you :hug:

Officially IP used to say 3-7 lb average weight loss per week but that was misleading so they changed it. It probably DOES average out to that but usually you'll have the first 2 weeks be larger numbers. It really is impossible to say -- some people will lose 0.5 lbs, others 1-2 pounds.... as long as the scale is, in the long haul, heading down, that's the main thing for most of us. You could use 1-2 lbs a week as a fair guideline, but just be realistic that some weeks will be more, some less and don't stress if it isn't meeting your guidelines. We do have "challenges" from time to time -- to lose 25 pounds by Labor Day, or something, but those are for fun. A lot of people will post their weekly losses on their tickers, so just look as you're reading and you'll see peoples' success rates.

Hi all. I thought I'd just jump in and say I'm back. I'm finishing my restart week tonight, using alternative products again, and it's going well. I tried to restart many times in the last year and just didn't have the will power to make it past a couple days. Getting into ketoses really has made this restart lock in. I'm sure there are other factors as well but I won't bore you with it all.

I don't want to dwell on my 2013 year of gains. Let's just say I need this to be the way I eat, no end date/weight to let my guard down. I know how to lose the weight, I can do this. I'm here starting from where I am, going where I need to be to be healthy. It's great to see friends still here. I look forward to getting to know new folks as well. I am leaving my photos from goal before there to help me vision my goal. I will get a new ticker soon.

You can always use the "food allergies" line when eating out. I've used it and I figure it's true - certain foods make me break out in fat!

Welcome back and congrats on staying OP on vacation! What a great achievement!

Yeah for clothes fitting! I love cleaning out my closet of too big clothes - gives me a thrill every time!

Excellent on the size 12s! And good work with the knife - where there's a will....

Welcome back and so glad you had a good time!

Positive thoughts headed your way - you can do this! Good for you for getting back at it - it's hard to get started again, so you've made the hardest step already.

I lost 10 pounds a month average over the course of a year but you really can't compare someone else's rate with yours - all of us have different bodies and different challenges. I know it's tempting to try to set a time limit, but your losses depend so much on your own physiology that doing so can set you up for a big disappointment.

Welcome back! Sorry you had such a rough time. But congrats on restarting - we're all rooting for you!

First week WI was tonight and lost 6 lbs! I was worried this was not going to work. I have not felt hungry, quite the opposite! Some food has be not so good but I found several I really like. I am looking forward to week 2! One interesting thing, I feel warm for the last 3 days or so (no fever). In general i feel great, especially after the first 3 days, those were rough. Excited to be here and be inspired by all of you!