I spoke to my coach via text today. He told me that I need to eat all five packets because I need to eat every three to four hours while I am awake. He said this will be only for the first two weeks. He told me to cut down on the veggies if I am not hungry and suggested I get the IP fiber drink. I am really not sure how I feel about that advice. It seems a little fishy to purchase a fiber drink in lieu of real vegetables, but this is all so new to me. I guess I will follow his advice this next month and see what happens, but if it doesn't work out, I will find a new coach. I really like the program and plan to stick with it, but I recognize that some coaches may be a better fit then others.
Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice about this situation. After years of lurking I am really glad I decided to join this forum!

This is going to be different for me as I love exercize, and its kinda what keeps me in a happy mood. But I cannot seem to get the right balance of exercize and food as I am always working out to eat I find.
Went in for my consult today and these were my numbers:
Body Fat %39.3
Body Fat Wt. 82.9 lbs
BMR 1626
Lean Body Wt. 128.1 lbs
Total Weight 211 lbs

SO I am a little scared to give this a try but am excited to se if it works!

OK so first thing that jumps out at me is the whole "you must eat every 3 hours" nonsense. In ketosis, your body is CONSTANTLY tapping your fat stores for energy. The only real benefit to eating no more than 4-5 hours apart is that you won't be starving at your next meal and will be less likely to binge. But if you make use of your unlimited raw veggies in between meals (IF you feel hungry) you won't binge AND you'll be getting good, healthy natural fiber.

The second thing that concerns me is his suggestion to take a MANUFACTURED fiber supplement in place of VEGGIES. I have to be honest, that makes NO SENSE. You can eat 10 ounces of fresh raw mushrooms (like, a whole package from the supermarket) for a whopping 60 calories. How is a glass of fiber supplement better than a cup of raw mushrooms or cucumbers???

You should NOT cut back on your veggies. They are there for nutrition, fiber and to teach you good snacking choices. You should NOT replace veggies with a fiber supplement. Honestly, if you have another option for coaching in your area, I would look into it.

I agree with this 200%! It's one thing to try to make extra money selling IP, but to me this not only is costly but sets you up to have less than optimal results. I almost could get behind the 5 packets (well, not really), but telling you to eat fiber packets over veggies is not sound.

A dill pickle at night often does the trick for and my nighttime hunger.

Sounds like he's trying to make as much money off you as possible while he can, as you don't have a very long weight loss journey ahead of you.

Veggies contain plenty enough fiber if you eat the right ones (think dense green leaf veggies - broccoli, collard greens, turnip greens, kale, spinach) that you should never need to drink a processed fiber drink in replacement of a real food. That's just plain bad advice, and my guess would be that this coach has not actually done the IP diet for himself.

Some of our IPers started in the 300s and were only ever put on 4 packets a day for the first week. I would be hearing alarm bells about this coach and his motives, and have some very frank questions for him on my next visit.

Don't be scared. IP will work for you if you are honest with yourself about what you eat and follow the program.

Will it be hard to start ?... yes, the first few days CAN (but aren't always) be miserable with hunger pangs, feeling like you have flu while your body adjusts to burning fat as a major fuel source.

However, you can get past the cramps by increasing salt intake and making sure you never miss a potassium supplement. You can get past feeling lightheaded by drinking lots of water, and you can survive for four days feeling less than perfect. With luck, you may one of the lucky ones who gets a real burst of energy from using ketones as your fuel. Fingers crossed and welcome to IP. :)

Less than 25 lbs
 

I have an appointment to start IP on the 19th of this month. I'm very active, love running and working out in the gym... But I'm having problems shedding weight. I believe this has something to do with menopause. I don't have very much to lose. I'm hoping to lose about 20 lbs. Anyone out there only needing to lose about 20-25 lbs? If so, how is it going with IP? How long will it take to lose this amount of weight?

You will also have times while on IP that you get the best sleep of your life! But I did find at the beginning that I woke up a lot at night and not just to pee.

Welcome! There is a thread just for folks who have 20 or less to lose, but there are certainly plenty of people who began IP to lose that amount, or are within that range of their goal weight :)

There's no way to say for certain how long it will take....IP users with larger amounts to lose tend to average 2-4lbs per week (that is averaged over the entire time they are on Phase 1, not a hard & fast weekly number). Less to lose generally means lower weekly numbers (because the difference between what your body needs to function and what you're eating every day is smaller as you weigh less) but most see better results on IP than other conventional diets. There are way too many factors that play into how fast you will lose (hormones, stress, sleep, metabolic function, etc) so the best thing is to follow the program, and see how your body reacts to it. The first week is usually a bigger loss than normal due to water weight loss, but after that you should be able to get a sense for your weekly average and figure out your timeline from there.

I lost 24 lbs on IP in just over 2 months. As Scorbett says everyone loses at their own pace. I did not have a huge loss the first week like many do, but again 20 lbs is not a huge amount to lose. Overall I did lose about 2 lbs per week.
Remember it took tome to gain the weight so we cannot expect to get rid of it overnight.
My recommendation is take it one day at a time and when you are happy with the weight you have lost that is when you should start to phase off. A date to finish a diet is not as important as reaching a point in which you are happy with your own body!
Good luck

Good morning, all. Started IP in October 2012 and kept the weight off, but over the summer and holidays, it began to slowly creep back on. On Jan 2, full of fear, got on the scale - to have it plainly put in front of my eyes...8 of the 20 pounds I took off had crept back on. Doesn't seem like a lot, but when you're barely 5'4, it is. So, I started my reboot. Yes, I've wanted to naw my arm off at night from hunger, but am determined to take the 8 pounds off and phase off correctly! I know it won't be as fast as I want, as I don't have as much to loose, but it can be just as challenging, so I keep reminding myself what it will feel like to put those spring and summer dresses back on in April and have them fit correctly without hugging my hips and thighs! I'm using alternatives this go-round - lots of things from Nashua and Quest - as well as Muscle Milk Light from Costco! Happy New Year to everyone and 2015 will be our year!!! Very big thanks to Rainbow for all of your wonderful recipes....really was the secret to my success 2 years ago!

Hi Everyone :)

I started IP in November weighing 183.4 at 5'2". I've lost 19.8 lbs so far with about 40 more to go. While I was able to stay in ketosis, I wasn't 100% faithful to the program over the holidays (I had a bit of cheese here, some bacon there, a bit too much oil/dressing). I'm looking forward to stepping up my weight loss by following the program faithfully in the new year.

I look forward to keeping up with everyone on here and wish everyone the best of luck and steady losses :)

Same story here. It didn't take me long to put back on the pounds. I started in Oct. 2013 at 378 losing down to 214. In Oct. 2014 went off the rails mainly due to some high stress, I guess and went back up to 270. I found out it doesn't take me long to put it back on. I've been back on IP for a week now and feel so much better. The bloat is gone and my energy is coming back. So glad to be back.

Not new, but I'm back on the IP bandwagon. Originally started in September 2012 and lost 71.3 lbs in 7 months. Phased off to go to Vegas and had trouble getting back OP when I returned and thought I could lose the rest of the weight on my own. Unfortunately, had some set backs over the last year and half (moved, evacuated due to severe flooding, victim of an arson, victim of 2 attempted break & enters to my home in the middle of the night) which triggered anxiety, depression and binge eating.

So here I am again, ready to lose the 65 lbs I gained back and then follow through with the rest of the weight loss until I get my goal. So excited that IP has changed a few things with the program since I did it last. Loving the new additions to the unlimited veggies and new products. I am so ready for this!