Great to see so many still staying OP and doing great!! I started on Jan. 11 and I'm at 40 pounds down right now, hoping for at least 15 more before we leave on vacation in early July!

I'm not a poster, but I read daily (sometimes multiple times!). Wondering if anyone else has noticed a surge in hunger? I'm 69lbs down since Jan 5. I've never felt totally satisfied, except for after dinner (my "whole food" time), even if I did my protein at lunch or split it. My coach (who I'm not really fond of) has only said to eat more veg if hungry (and I do!) or eat an egg (which I hate). My day is typically this: choc drink mix, ice, water, cinnamon blended for breakfast about 9-10 (any earlier I'm starving by 9!); big salad loaded with free veg (and some not) around 11:30-12:30; rotini/potato purée pancake/chips and 2c veg for lunch (always varied, I don't not like any veg, for as picky as I am) about 1:30-2:30; dinner (8oz meat and 2c veg, both always varied no fish, no eggs) 6-7:30; restricted bar 8:30-9:30. I don't worry about my fats, I find a higher fat week will give me a solid 3lb loss, while a lower fat borders on 1.5-2.

I can't stomach the soups, any other drink mix, the puddings, the jellos, the fruity flavored things, the premixed shakes, or anything cheesy so I have a very limited menu of IP foods to choose from lunch-wise. Whether at goal or not, I'm planning to phase off the first week of August (and if I continue my average I'll be there).

I guess I'm just half venting my boredom, and half wondering about hunger. I've just never felt satiated unless I'm eating the whole foods! Has anyone else experienced this? Sorry so long and whiney!

Whoa, I thought I'd checked all the threads since getting back from my trip but I somehow missed this one! The trip went really well. Food wasn't a problem. Found out that broccoli and cauliflower last 5-6 days in a good cooler! Hubbie is burned out on broccoli but it's become my fav veggie, raw or cooked. Had a stall last week; up and down the same 1.5 pound but finally dropped past it this morning. We'll see if it stays gone! I am 1/3 of the way to my goal weight, so it's too early to start stalling out for me! I had begun allowing myself a few extra "extras" and have decided they aren't worth it (4-5 pcs a gum instead of 2-3 pcs, 3-4 WF products a day instead of 2-3, etc. It all adds up and evidently it does make a difference. Next week will show a bigger loos, I'm sure...I hope...but, if not, I'll just do this thing one pound at a time.:snail:

Just checking in with everyone. Tomorrow is my anniversary, and I am doing Phase 2 for the day.

Green: I KNOW how you feel about the boredom and the hunger. People say that they aren't hungry ever on IP. Well that's not me. I am hungry every day. I am never so hungry as to cheat or go off the plan, but my stomach is literally growling in the mid to late morning so it's not all in my head. As for phasing off in August, I am with you! I've pretty much said I am continuing for June and July and then I'm phasing off.

Frawnie: You rock! Does your Clinic allow you to have gum or is that just allowance you make? I am always fascinated about the different Clinics. My husband and I go to different Clinics and the information we get is slightly different. No matter what, you are doing super well. I read on the general thread that you are going totally IP for a week, so hopefully that will stimulate something.

Great job to all of us who are still OP! Yay! I saw a guy at my Clinic who started with me way back at the orientation, and he looked fantastic! Just exciting to see how all of us has progressed over he past four to five months.

Take care and hope everyone meets their goals!

MiWi My coach (who just quit to start her own tanning business :( ) knows that I chew gum. I use to chew up to a 15 pc pack a day (addict, anyone??) but I have cut back to maybe 3 or 4, and that is not everyday. I count gun as one of my 5 "extras" (the same with WF, sweeteners, etc). I chew Extra (rarely), Orbit (sometimes), Trident (mostly). Spry is too expensive for the amount I chew. I sometimes pop an Altoids Smalls in place of gum.

Clinics everywhere are different. Coaches in the same clinic are different. But I guess that is good since ALL of us are different. While I am losing wieght by adhering to (maybe not quite 100%) Protocol, I have to look at this whole venture as a journey into my future and teach/train myself to eat a certain way not just for now but for later as well. So far I think what I'm doing is working out for me. My way may not work for someone else, though. Just like their way may not work for me.

GreenAbout being hungry: there are days when I could eat a horse! And then others when I have to remind myself it's time to eat. I haven't pin pointed a cause for this yet though. My meal times stay pretty regular (8am-B, 1130am-L, 630pm- D, 830pm -S) but on those "hungry" days, I'll eat extra "free" veggies around 10am and 3pm. Although I started out at just over 300lb, my coach never told me I could eat a 4th packet. I have , though, but only a time or two, when I read here that it is okay to do so.

Tossing an idea out - with the recent decline in activity on the boards, I was wondering if there would be any interest in combining the remaining January / February / March IPers in a Winter 2015 group? Let me know - if the general consensus is positive, I can start a new thread Sunday.

re: hunger… I had a lot of it and my doctor said it indicated a thyroid problem that had previously gone undetected. I had to keep adjusting my thyroid meds through P1 so I had a lot of hunger on and off as things got figured out. They say that in ketosis you shouldn’t feel it, but I did quite a bit, but it might have been a combination of the thyroid issue and also I did moderate exercise nearly daily.

That works for me!

I saw the board! Great idea.