Quote:
Originally Posted by simplchaos
Are the actual IP foods higher calorie than the alternative (proti-thin etc)? I'm not able to reach 700 calories and everyone who follows IP via coach says there's no way I'm eating so low calorie if I'm following protocol. I'm finding people to be way more rude than helpful. I asked if I could add a 4th packet, have a 2nd snack, and they just insist I'm doing something wrong.
B-shake or omelet
L-shake or soup and 2c veggies
D-2c veg and 6-8 oz protein
S-bag of s&v chips
My calories this week--473. 623. 694. 501
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IP foods are often within +/-10 to 20 calories of the alternatives marketed as equivalents (HealthSmart, ProtiDiet, WeightLossSystems) and very similar in carb composition.
The low numbers could be as simple as you choosing packets with lower macros. It's not unheard of. Many people cut out restricted packs in the belief that they are somehow going to lose faster without the "extra" calories and carbs, but the reality is that we're on the lowest possible intake we can be without sacrificing health and lean body mass. The program was designed for the restricted product to be included on a daily basis.
It could also be that your personal taste is for vegetables that are lower calorically and in carbs than many of the high fiber veggies that some of us prefer. Traditionally broccoli, asparagus and dark leafy veg are fairly high carb and high fiber to offset it (net carbs), but if you prefer mushrooms, bell peppers, yellow squash or zucchini then you are going to be lower on the scale.
Ultimately it won't harm you to be on those veggies, but in the interest of avoiding constipation you may want to vary your veg choices and change it up every couple of weeks (helps with the boredom factor, too!).
Don't forget that if you are eating your freebie salad items (lettuce, cucumber, celery) they all count with your daily intake, but we tend to ignore them as they are proportionally low in comparison to our food packets. Are you including the macros for your 2 tsp of healthy oils? This puts the calories up, without boosting carbs (as it's fat).
Are you getting hungry between meals? If so, then add another packet in (or have one of the gelatin packs every other day as we are allowed).
The drawback with being so calorically low over an extended period of time is that you will slow your basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories your body burns just by being alive) and this will definitely lead to problems in maintenance. You want to keep your metabolism UP and you don't want to sacrifice muscle mass.
I'm surprised that people are judging you instead of trying to help you find a way forward.
EDIT: My SparkPeople nutrition page is open to public view
here. I started recording food on Sept 12. 2014 if you want to see what my macros and veggie choices came out as. I switched to alternatives (mainly protein powders) somewhere late Dec/early Jan so focus on the Sept/Oct/Nov for IP products. I think the lowest my calories went was around 650 but I had many, many days when it was just on 700 and that was with at least 2 of the 4 cups of veggies being relatively high carb.
Hope this helps!
Informative and interesting! At this point in IP, I don't have to force myself to drink water. I'm thirsty all the time! I think my kidneys are going into overdrive, trying to process all the extra ketones.
