I have been following the program for 5 months now, and I am just amazed at the results. I have never had a week that I didn't lose at least 2 pounds usually more, and it has been so easy. With the New Year and resolutions, I anticipate a spike in activity on the site and thought I'd start a thread where we share our tips and tricks for positive results. This is different than recipes, etc. as we all know that being successful requires a lot of organization, preparation, etc so I thought we would keep it along those lines because I haven't seen too much of that here or that they are embedded in threads. So, I am hoping we can pick up some tips and tricks from one another.
First some background...
- Carb-aholic (or at least I thought I was until I went on this program and so easily gave them up)
- hate drinking plain water
- Software executive so I have an intense job with lots of travel
- As a result of many work hours, I would basically have an IV drip of diet pepsi all day long before starting IP
- Would rather see big results vs weekly ones
- I do not eat red meat or seafood or game. My only source of "regular" proteins are eggs and poultry.
- I have probably easily lost 1,000 pounds in my lifetime - had never tried a low carb diet before

With this background, here are my tips and tricks I have done to follow the program.
1 - Bought a citrus juicer and have water delivered to my home (4 cases of 1L bottles (15 bottles in a case). I drink a gallon of water a day - haven't missed a day of having a gallon which I think is a feat given that I hate plain water. To accomplish this, I had the water delivered to my home as it is too much to lug that amount of water home from the store every week. I buy my lemons and at night I make my 4 bottles of water by using the juice from 1 small lemon per bottle. I use a funnel for the bottle to pour in the lemon juice so I use the water bottle as my lemonade basically. I have found that it is much easier to drink that amount at room temperature than cold.
2 - I bought extra blender bottles so I never worry about cleaning one when I am ready for a meal. I keep one in my travel bag so I don't worry about packing one. Lesson learned - do not put in dishwasher as the cap doesn't seal properly afterwards.
3 - I have never had a restricted item. I think that it is that many more carbs I need to burn off before my body gets to the fat storage and I am satiated enough with just the unrestricted.
4 - I routinely clean out my closet and donate my old clothes. It is so motivating to continue to see the clothes I fit into that I didn't 2 or 4 weeks prior and that is an extra motivator each month for me to keep going.
5 - I weigh myself twice a month and only do official weigh-ins with all measurements monthly as I like to see big results and I don't need external weekly motivation so going to the clinic monthly is what I prefer.
6 - Bring powdered drinks when I travel as I know I can have those on the plane or out at a restaurant if there is no compliant food I can have. Stay at hotels like Residence Inn that has a kitchen.
7 - I travel with WF individual salad packets and individual olive oil packets
8 - I separate out my supplements into 7 day baggies for breakfast, lunch and dinner as soon as I pick the supplements up. I keep the baggies in my purse so that I always have them - I have never missed taking the supplement with this approach.
9 - Bought a microwaveable food steamer from Amazon - much less time is now spent on waiting for vegetables to get done as food steamer that would plug into wall would take too long!


These are all the little things that I do that allow me to stay compliant.

How about yours?

I forgot one more (I'm sure I'm overlooking others)...

10 - I floss and brush my teeth right after dinner (I have my snack between lunch and dinner). Who wants to eat after that? It is also a mental trigger to say that's it for the day.

I don't do IP (so I might be off on some points because I don't know the guidelines) but I have some water suggestions, since I'm really fussy about how I take my water:

1) Keep it ice cold in the fridge, and use ice in it. I actually find water kind of enjoyable and refreshing this way, but if it's warm or lukewarm it's just completely unpalatable. I know people say lukewarm is better for you, but cold water is better than no water!

2) Have you tried cucumber water? You can slice up a cuke into a pitcher of water and it's good for a day or two. Yum, with ice.

3) Limes instead of lemons, but that's mostly because I'm not a fan of lemons. Might be nice to mix things up now and then, though.

4) Filtered tap water, at least where I am, tastes WAY better than bottled water. Try filtering, try boiling... try some different methods because the taste can be surprisingly different.

5) As far as bottled water goes, try Ice Age, which comes in a dark blue bottle. Tastes like pure nothing, instead of like a weird, slightly-off liquid.

Anyway, probably you've tried lots of these things already but maybe there'll be one helpful thing, from one water-fussy person to another ^_~

Great tips!!!

I am with you in having my snack between lunch and dinner. Nothing after 6pm for me!

I had a heck of a time getting my salt in. I don't eat a lot of salty things and the idea of putting 1/4 tsp salt on my veggies was gross - I tried. So I bought the IP mangosteen water flavouring and add salt to it (up to the whole 1/4 tsp doesn't taste bad to me). It's like gatorade.

Great tips! Great thread!

Travel Thoughts:
I have actually found that travelling with IP is fantastic. It is a bit disappointing to not have the full travel experience of trying unique foods or restaurants but actually, I've found that being OP saves time to fit more in while travelling (whether for business or pleasure) and it's revealing how much time is left when we are not thinking about food, where and when to get it. Some products travel better than others - I stock up on the vanilla and chocolate drink powder, oatmeal, and cereal when I hit the road.

SPECIAL EVENTS:
I am wondering what others do about social situations? Here are some of my strategies:

1) avoid sit down dinners (usually I do this by declining the entire event or arriving late)
2) eat a pouch right before going to an event so that I don't get hungry at the event
3) speak to the host in advance to make special arrangements for my meal
4) bring my own meal
5) (very infrequent because I'm pretty open about being OP) I will move the food around on my plate and pretend to eat
6) enjoy the buffet extremely selectively being 100% OP
7) If at a restaurant just ask for something special/specific
8) Have my DH eat of my plate
9) plan ahead about which of the above will work in the given situation

Definitely sit down formal dinners where there is limited flexibility are the most challenging (think wedding banquets without a buffet) but generally, after a long time on the program I learned not to let events phase me and didn't skip a beat in invoking a strategy that worked.

My coach said I have to eat the snack before bed but I would prefer it in between lunch and dinner like you do. Do you think this will hinder my progress? I almost added in an extra ip today. First day back on. Did it a few months ago and I went to a different clinic that had me have an extra packet the first week. This clinic didn't have me have the extra.

Great thread!
sapphire83 Everyone is different. IP coaching videos suggest an evening snack so that you don't go for a super long stretch of fasting--that can force your body to burn muscle to maintain overnight blood sugar. I'm someone who cannot sleep if I fast after dinner. My brain requires a few carbs to maintain my sleep or I'll wake up at 3 30am, and can get really cranky. But initially on IP, I did not eat after 6p and felt so liberated--evening snacking has gotten so many of us into trouble! You can play around with that snack and see what works for you.

2 tips to add to the collective pool:

If something is threatening to derail you, give yourself permission to throw it in the trash--yes, waste food if you must. Okay to bring it to work or give it to hubby, etc. but if you encounter a situation where some tempting food is demanding ongoing will power, calling out to you while you are going about your business, throw it away if that's what it takes, and do so in an irreversible way, like cover with detergent.

Next tip is what to do about shrinking clothes size. If at all possible, wear clothes that fit! You deserve it and I think it helps adjust to a new body image. There are so many sales and good used clothing venues out there. I encourage donating big clothes as you go down in size. Not only does it cement your commitment but not fitting into clothes is a powerful tool in maintenance, a last gate after the scream weight.

"a last gate after the scream weight"

That's brilliant!

Thanks!

1. Never eat standing up. If it doesn't make it to the table, it doesn't go in my mouth. Only exception is the gum I chew while walking or in the gym, to stop the dry mouth effect.

2. When hunger pangs start up, drink water. I have no problem drinking plain water UNLESS I have the metallic taste in my mouth. At that stage I adulterate it with lemon or an additive or both. Starting to realise that it may be cheaper and better for me to make my own black tea and use the lemon rather than use the additives which are full of sodium.

3. Crock pot, baby. Put the food on, walk away. No more need to be in the kitchen.

4. When eating out: learn to ASK the server how far the restaurant can accommodate your specific dietary needs. I have yet to go anywhere that they will not adjust food to satisfy the customer. Most servers are curious, rather than judgmental, and often ask if it's effective and safe. Cue good service while they ask questions between order and delivery.

5. Plan meals in advance. Shop for ONLY the ingredients that you will need. If you have other family members to prepare for, separate your food items from theirs so there is a dividing line in both the cupboard and in your mind.

6. Be open to trying new vegetables. Before I started IP I would *never* have eaten half the foods that are now regular to my plate. I had never heard of jicama, had never eaten collard, mustard or turnip greens, would never consider vegetarian style food.

7. Never go shopping while hungry. This has been the single biggest problem solver for me. If I go shopping while hungry I end up with food that I can't eat, don't really want and certainly don't want to pay for when it's going to end up in the trash can. Don't plan meals while hungry either, for the same reason.

8. Check out the glycemic index for vegetables. Look at which of the higher value ones have a good amount of fiber to offset the higher carb count. Generally these will fill you up for longer, and reduce the desire to snack.

9. Hope never to need them, but prepare desperation snacks in advance. Could be a half bag of the chips or the soy puffs or anything else. Better to snack on an OP food when you simply MUST have something, than binge on foods that are off plan.

10. Learn some distraction techniques for distress, anger and frustration. I find that a hot bath with a book, or the laptop, cures many emotionally hungry moments.

11. Make your own IP compliant salad dressing. You'd be amazed at how far your oil allowance will go with a little vinegar and some spices.

12. The only restricted item I eat is the chili. Not keen on the bars, but if I was I'd be cutting them in half to keep them in the non-restricted range. If I'm going to have extra carbs, I'd rather have an additional half cup of veggies with dinner than a bar whose texture I dislike.

13. Tracking food keeps you honest. It also builds a big picture for the long term, of where your food weaknesses lie and at what meal time. You can see trends of which foods give you best loss values versus those that cause you to retain fluid.

I like all your tips! I do have a question about this part though. My coach basically crossed out the list of restricted foods on my sheet and told me to disregard it. So I have eaten two restricted foods in a day a few times. Now I'm wondering I'm doing it wrong. Was my coach wrong to tell me to disregard it?

You can split up your food for the day any way that works best with your schedule. As long as you get all your food in - every packet, all the veggies, supplements, water, etc - every day, the program works There are MANY coaches who apply conventional dieting wisdom to IP, but IP is a ketogenic diet and does not work in the same way that other diets do.

If you prefer having your snack earlier in the day, give it a try. You can always have some unlimited raw veggies as an evening snack if you get hungry. And if you find you're waking up uncomfortably hungry in the morning, that might be a sign that a later evening snack is better for your body.

You should only be eating one restricted per day. I have no idea why coaches choose to tweak the program, it works the way it is written. In the long run having more than 1 restricted in a day could hinder your losses with the extra carbs and calories, especially as you get closer to goal (when the calorie gap between what your body needs and what you're eating is already getting smaller).

Some of the previously restricted items are no longer restricted due to reformulation. Off the top of my head it's the oatmeals, which are now regular packets. I suspect there are others, too.

If you're in any doubt, check the back of the box and see what the carb and calorie counts are. On the Alternatives thread, the very first post details what is regarded as a restricted, and what is regarded as non-restricted in those values.

Purely my opinion, but I say eat your restricted and enjoy it. I always did and I was never disappointed with my weigh ins. Depriving yourself can lead to cheats.

I kept my hands and mind busy by reading and posting on 3FC.

Hot tea got me through many hungry afternoons.

And I agree with throwing away food. If you don't it will never stop calling your name.