So I think Ive been on IP 7 weeks now and I have not cheated! Miracle!!!! This is huge for me. However Im disappointed with my results, I have like 60lbs total to lose and Ive only lost 15lbs in 7 weeks, I know its good Im losing every week, but wow I never thought it would be so slow! The other times I did IP I lost 5 lbs per week or more, but of course I always went nuts and binged after like 2 weeks. Im just not sure why my losses are so small, I dont have any hormone or thyroid problems, I had everything checked.
Hysteria, oh, I was voracious yesterday ... and the day before, too, actually. And I attributed it to using a jelly packet instead of a real packet for one meal the day before that. But TOM is here, and now I wonder if that's what was going on. I'll have to pay better attention next month. Good catch! ... Also, you're doing awesome! Go you!
AlaskanRN, that does seem like sort of slow loss. You're starting at a lower weight than a lot of us, and I wonder if that's all that's going on. Still, when I have a slowdown, I stop using the restricted (or add it back if I've been avoiding them), and if that doesn't work I increase my water by one glass a day, and if that doesn't work, I start eating lettuce with lunch and dinner. (I have never been much for salads, so I really only eat them when I'm out somewhere, and then they're more of a "treat" ... and the lettuce doesn't go bad in my fridge while I eat everything else and avoid that. ) I also switch up my main non-IP protein source--so if I've been having a lot of beef, I go with chicken, or vice versa. (Gosh, I should eat more fish. Fish is so good for you.) And, finally, I change my activity level. (I'm worried that all this walking and exercise video I've been doing--while being careful to keep my heart rate low enough--might stall me, so I may end up slowing down on that.) ... I have no idea if any of this will be helpful for you, but those are my strategies. ... This one, I don't feel right about offering as a suggestion, but I will share it in the spirit of honesty: I also drink detox tea when my losses slow down (Yogi brand tastes OK and doesn't contain anything I'm allergic to).
People who use MyFitnessPal: how many calories are you getting, on average? And what do your macronutrient profiles look like?
I have MFP set with 1000 calories as my goal, though my fitness tracker usually puts my goal closer to 1400 by the end of the day. It seems like I go over 1000 when I eat ground beef, because it counts all those calories that I drain and rinse off as calories I've eaten.
I have carbs/protein/fat set to 20%/50%/30%, and I usually end up within my limits for all of those (though it counts total carbs, so some fibrous veggies throw me a little over, at least before the fitness counter has its say). I have sugar set to 20g, and it's never warned me that I was going over that, thank goodness. I left saturated fat at 18 grams, and I don't think it's ever warned me about that, either. I don't think I've ever hit the fiber default goal of 25g, either, sadly. I have sodium at the default of 2300mg, and it only warns me when I eat a lot of pickles. (I don't log the salt I add to my food, though.)
I ask because I'm probably moving soon, and I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to find and afford an IP office in the new place. And I'm not quitting IP; that is out of the question. So I want to establish a good baseline for what IP looks like when I'm doing it right, so that I can keep doing it right with alternate products. (Being the kind of person I am, I already have a Google doc with a list of alt products that are nut-free, aspartame-free, and good to use for unrestricted, restricted, and what I'm calling "very restricted," meaning they aren't for every day. -- The cheese crackers from WonderSlim, I think?, are an example of "very restricted," because they're technically legal but only have 10g of protein. I think one of the entrees I found on DietDirect is also on that list. One unrestricted that I'm excited about is some "bacon cheddar omelets" on DietDirect; I bet those would be good with broccoli or spinach!) I'm hoping the other brands' oatmeals bake up into zucchini muffins as well as IP's do, because that's a super useful tool.
I just finished week 7 on my reboot and I am not losing that much either. I have my goal weight set higher than last time but started higher than last time. But 5 lbs a week? Never ever!!! My coach figured out that at my current rate I'll still be in Phase 1 till about mid-June. Big sigh. I chalk it up to old age in my case. :-)
AlaskanThis is my 7th week also, I feel like I am losing much slower right now. I haven't cheated or deviated from protocol. I read some people have stalled at some point and gone to eating their portions spread out every 3 hours or so and their weight loss increased. I'm going to try that and see if it works.
I got used to seeing big numbers those first weeks! My hubby asked if I thought I might stop the diet and I told him "I look too good to stop!!" He laughed...
magpie I have used My Fitness Pal before IP and after. My calories stay around 700 to 800 per day. Seems impossible to live on that. Just this week (my 7th wk) I've started feeling hunger again. I can't figure out how to eat more calories and stay OP.
I read somewhere else that the program has an 800 cal target per day, the rest of the calories coming from released fat storage.
magpieSorry y'all, I'm hogging the forum today! But I wanted to tell you (magpie) that if you google "ideal protein alternatives" the 3fatchicks forum is full of ideas of alternative products that are the same as IP. I just ordered a couple of items from Nashua but will be staying with my meetings/coach/IP products until I go on maintenance. I'm afraid to quit, I guess. But I am going to try the alternatives to cut down on some of the costs.
3bigdogs, I've also read that it's about 800 calories (and that burned fat makes up the rest), but that doesn't match my experience while logging it, so far, either time. (I'm a rebooter.) I feel like I must be logging wrong, or something. Yesterday I had the 4 eggs + 2 egg whites option for dinner protein, an unrestricted oatmeal, 2.25 cups of jicama, 1.5 cups of pickles, a chocolate shake, and an unrestricted pancake mix. With the required 2 tsp olive oil and 2 fish oil caps (18 cal) (and coffee and mustard, both legal, under 10 cal total), that came out to 980+ calories.
How are people getting less than 800 cals? Are you only doing the puddings/shakes/soups and no restricteds or oatmeals? (I know the oatmeal is high. It would pain me to cut it out, but I could if I had to.) Are you skipping the oil? Getting 6 oz of lean meat instead of 8? Only eating cucumber and lettuce for your veggies? (Jicama is high, I noticed, but half of it is fiber. Same deal with cauliflower, which I eat almost daily.)
I guess I shouldn't freak out about this, so much; no matter what MFP says, I am losing weight, so I'm doing IP "right," whether or not I'm logging right. This WI (Thursday) will be the first time my coach sees MFP instead of the IP journal, and if there's anything wrong, I'm sure she'll tell me.
I know about the alternates thread, and I do peek into that now and then. I got several really good ideas for my list from there. Thanks!
magpie I just do the drinks and one restricted. Also I was a vegetarian before starting IP but am eating some chicken and fish now. I wonder sometimes if I am not entering something correctly on mfp.
I wish you were here to show me how to set all those alerts on mfp! Wish I was more computer savvy...
Hysteria, oh, I was voracious yesterday ... and the day before, too, actually. And I attributed it to using a jelly packet instead of a real packet for one meal the day before that. But TOM is here, and now I wonder if that's what was going on. I'll have to pay better attention next month. Good catch! ... Also, you're doing awesome! Go you!
People who use MyFitnessPal: how many calories are you getting, on average? And what do your macronutrient profiles look like?
I have MFP set with 1000 calories as my goal, though my fitness tracker usually puts my goal closer to 1400 by the end of the day. It seems like I go over 1000 when I eat ground beef, because it counts all those calories that I drain and rinse off as calories I've eaten.
I have carbs/protein/fat set to 20%/50%/30%, and I usually end up within my limits for all of those (though it counts total carbs, so some fibrous veggies throw me a little over, at least before the fitness counter has its say). I have sugar set to 20g, and it's never warned me that I was going over that, thank goodness. I left saturated fat at 18 grams, and I don't think it's ever warned me about that, either. I don't think I've ever hit the fiber default goal of 25g, either, sadly. I have sodium at the default of 2300mg, and it only warns me when I eat a lot of pickles. (I don't log the salt I add to my food, though.)
I ask because I'm probably moving soon, and I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to find and afford an IP office in the new place. And I'm not quitting IP; that is out of the question. So I want to establish a good baseline for what IP looks like when I'm doing it right, so that I can keep doing it right with alternate products. (Being the kind of person I am, I already have a Google doc with a list of alt products that are nut-free, aspartame-free, and good to use for unrestricted, restricted, and what I'm calling "very restricted," meaning they aren't for every day. -- The cheese crackers from WonderSlim, I think?, are an example of "very restricted," because they're technically legal but only have 10g of protein. I think one of the entrees I found on DietDirect is also on that list. One unrestricted that I'm excited about is some "bacon cheddar omelets" on DietDirect; I bet those would be good with broccoli or spinach!) I'm hoping the other brands' oatmeals bake up into zucchini muffins as well as IP's do, because that's a super useful tool.
ANYWAY, thanks for any insight y'all might have
Thanks magpie I really think my weekend weigh in might have been a little low b/c of the illness - I was up almost 2#'s this morning...we'll see
I use MFP and 'forced' it to take 950 calories - it will do it but yells at me every day b/c I am not eating at least 1,000.
I didn't weight anything the last ten days and just got back to it yesterday.
So yesterday, per my measurements / MFP my total calories were 829
B - 162 calories - pure protein shake (160) & black coffee (2)
L - 172 calories -
since lettuce is free, I eyeball that & always put in 2.5C. (12)
I measure out my meat portions when I cook them, so 4oz lean chicken breast (spiced, but again, that is free) (140)
3 sprays of evoo (12) - I wonder about measuring this sometimes but know I am not using more than a tsp
Also, I usually have a few more veggies that add 70 / 80 calories
D - 334 calories
Rutabaga baked fries - weighed 175g (approx 1.5C) (52)
93% Lean ground turkey - 6.8oz (272)
cilantro (1)
green onion - 1oz (9)
S - 160 calories
Quest strawberry cheescake bar
Macros = 53 / 25 / 22 (protein, fat, carb) - very close to my targets
Hi everyone... MFP will always yell at you if you are doing IP P1&2. Best to not bother with it until you get to P3 and 4, then it's important. Or just ignore the 'yelling at you' part, lol. Useful things to log for macros are Protein grams, Fat grams, Carb grams, Fibre grams (since carb g minus fibre g = NET CARBS - what we actually are counting), and Calories (which MFP always counts anyhow). You will notice that there are also many choices for the same foods in MFP and not all are correct... some idiots just put anything they want into the list and screw it up for the rest of us. If you don't see any vitamin percentages when looking at the 'nutrition info', likely that is an incorrect choice and not taken from USFDA or off the Nutrition Facts on the package, just someone's guess.
Keep on going, group!
Liana
Last edited by canadjineh; 03-25-2015 at 01:59 AM.
AlaskanThis is my 7th week also, I feel like I am losing much slower right now. I haven't cheated or deviated from protocol. I read some people have stalled at some point and gone to eating their portions spread out every 3 hours or so and their weight loss increased. I'm going to try that and see if it works.
I got used to seeing big numbers those first weeks! My hubby asked if I thought I might stop the diet and I told him "I look too good to stop!!" He laughed...
Let me know how you do on weigh-in.
Thank you for your response, I will post how my weigh in goes on Friday . Good luck to you on your too!
Hysteria, oh, I was voracious yesterday ... and the day before, too, actually. And I attributed it to using a jelly packet instead of a real packet for one meal the day before that. But TOM is here, and now I wonder if that's what was going on. I'll have to pay better attention next month. Good catch! ... Also, you're doing awesome! Go you!
AlaskanRN, that does seem like sort of slow loss. You're starting at a lower weight than a lot of us, and I wonder if that's all that's going on. Still, when I have a slowdown, I stop using the restricted (or add it back if I've been avoiding them), and if that doesn't work I increase my water by one glass a day, and if that doesn't work, I start eating lettuce with lunch and dinner. (I have never been much for salads, so I really only eat them when I'm out somewhere, and then they're more of a "treat" ... and the lettuce doesn't go bad in my fridge while I eat everything else and avoid that. ) I also switch up my main non-IP protein source--so if I've been having a lot of beef, I go with chicken, or vice versa. (Gosh, I should eat more fish. Fish is so good for you.) And, finally, I change my activity level. (I'm worried that all this walking and exercise video I've been doing--while being careful to keep my heart rate low enough--might stall me, so I may end up slowing down on that.) ... I have no idea if any of this will be helpful for you, but those are my strategies. ... This one, I don't feel right about offering as a suggestion, but I will share it in the spirit of honesty: I also drink detox tea when my losses slow down (Yogi brand tastes OK and doesn't contain anything I'm allergic to).
People who use MyFitnessPal: how many calories are you getting, on average? And what do your macronutrient profiles look like?
I have MFP set with 1000 calories as my goal, though my fitness tracker usually puts my goal closer to 1400 by the end of the day. It seems like I go over 1000 when I eat ground beef, because it counts all those calories that I drain and rinse off as calories I've eaten.
I have carbs/protein/fat set to 20%/50%/30%, and I usually end up within my limits for all of those (though it counts total carbs, so some fibrous veggies throw me a little over, at least before the fitness counter has its say). I have sugar set to 20g, and it's never warned me that I was going over that, thank goodness. I left saturated fat at 18 grams, and I don't think it's ever warned me about that, either. I don't think I've ever hit the fiber default goal of 25g, either, sadly. I have sodium at the default of 2300mg, and it only warns me when I eat a lot of pickles. (I don't log the salt I add to my food, though.)
I ask because I'm probably moving soon, and I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to find and afford an IP office in the new place. And I'm not quitting IP; that is out of the question. So I want to establish a good baseline for what IP looks like when I'm doing it right, so that I can keep doing it right with alternate products. (Being the kind of person I am, I already have a Google doc with a list of alt products that are nut-free, aspartame-free, and good to use for unrestricted, restricted, and what I'm calling "very restricted," meaning they aren't for every day. -- The cheese crackers from WonderSlim, I think?, are an example of "very restricted," because they're technically legal but only have 10g of protein. I think one of the entrees I found on DietDirect is also on that list. One unrestricted that I'm excited about is some "bacon cheddar omelets" on DietDirect; I bet those would be good with broccoli or spinach!) I'm hoping the other brands' oatmeals bake up into zucchini muffins as well as IP's do, because that's a super useful tool.
ANYWAY, thanks for any insight y'all might have
Thank you so much for the tips! I will give some of these a try!
[QUOTE=canadjineh;5146474]Hi everyone... MFP will always yell at you if you are doing IP P1&2. Best to not bother with it until you get to P3 and 4, then it's important. Or just ignore the 'yelling at you' part, lol. Useful things to log for macros are Protein grams, Fat grams, Carb grams, Fibre grams (since carb g minus fibre g = NET CARBS - what we actually are counting), and Calories (which MFP always counts anyhow). You will notice that there are also many choices for the same foods in MFP and not all are correct... some idiots just put anything they want into the list and screw it up for the rest of us. If you don't see any vitamin percentages when looking at the 'nutrition info', likely that is an incorrect choice and not taken from USFDA or off the Nutrition Facts on the package, just someone's guess.
Keep on going, group!
Liana[/Q
Thanks Liana - Yes - I think MFP used to be much more reliable - now its almost like Wikipedia and you have to sort through the junk but personally I still find MFP very useful for keeping myself accountable.
I have been using the app (off & on) since Spring 2013 and historically, when I was tracking every day, my weight loss was consistent and when I stopped tracking I'd go off the rails.
So I think Ive been on IP 7 weeks now and I have not cheated! Miracle!!!! This is huge for me. However Im disappointed with my results, I have like 60lbs total to lose and Ive only lost 15lbs in 7 weeks, I know its good Im losing every week, but wow I never thought it would be so slow! The other times I did IP I lost 5 lbs per week or more, but of course I always went nuts and binged after like 2 weeks. Im just not sure why my losses are so small, I dont have any hormone or thyroid problems, I had everything checked.
imvho, 2+ pounds per week is still awesome. Every pound gone is a win & it is great you've stuck with it now for 7 weeks!
I started at a much higher weight, and of the 27 pounds, 10 was gone in less than 2 weeks - and the majority of that was water! I had been drinking a ton of beer before IP and was bloated all the time
I've also wondered what shift you work as an RN?
I am currently up 1.8 #'s this week, but sleep has been sketchy at best as I am working until 11 / 11:30 at night (16 / 18 hours days to make up for all the time off last week) and then not falling into bed until after midnight. I am wondering if the gain isn't due to a combo of stress / lack of sleep...I guess I am saying that if you know there are no other medial issues (ie - thyroid) causing the slow weight loss, maybe its other external factors, such as sleep.
I've also been so busy at work that my daily water consumption is down and today I am going to force myself to drink my entire 33oz's before lunch and refill! How's your water intake?
AlaskanRN I'm in week 6 and have lost 12 pounds. It's slow, but it is coming off. I'm trying to view this as a 6 month journey towards a permanent attitude adjustment towards food, rather than a diet per se, so I'm not really in a hurry. Be patient and trust the process.
) I also switch up my main non-IP protein source--so if I've been having a lot of beef, I go with chicken, or vice versa. (Gosh, I should eat more fish. Fish is so good for you.) And, finally, I change my activity level. (I'm worried that all this walking and exercise video I've been doing--while being careful to keep my heart rate low enough--might stall me, so I may end up slowing down on that.) ... I have no idea if any of this will be helpful for you, but those are my strategies. ... This one, I don't feel right about offering as a suggestion, but I will share it in the spirit of honesty: I also drink detox tea when my losses slow down (Yogi brand tastes OK and doesn't contain anything I'm allergic to).
