[Destony]

Missy I have been told by my coach (a 3 year maintainer) that muchrooms, when you cook them need to be counted as a veggie. Cooking changes them- think onions. Personal experience- be careful of the soy sauce- I won't eat it within 2 days of my weigh in because it causes me to retain fluid. Sounds delicious though! Have you tried Jicama yet? My very favorite veggie!!
HIS 2 lbs!!!! Wow girl! You'll be there soon!! I will probably be in phase 1 still, but not sure. I plan to stick with white breast meat, mashed cauliflower, maybe some green beans. I'll bring some WF cranberry to dinner to have with my turkey. I'll also bring a brownie or something like that for desert time- Oh, I still have some Quest Apple Pie bars (old style) THAT'S what I'll have. I'll probably have the majority of my veggies at dinner.
BethP3 breakfast is right around the corner. I was reading something in a waiting room recently Jennifer Anniston has a poached egg ( I think) but more imprtantly she has whole wheat toast with coconut oil instead of butter- sounds YUM-MY!
BlueCongrats on the steady losses!! Do tell, what have you tried from Nashua. I'm slowly trying more and more alternative stuff- but its mostly restricted things.
Hope everyone is well- Happy Wednesday everyone!!

[hysteria_625]

L13!!!!!

Blue - congrats on the loss happy you continue seeing such terrific losses - goal will be here before you know it! I too have enjoyed Nashua's products & service and actually plan to continue ordering the puddings into maintenance for a lower calories, higher protein snack - and it makes terrific "IP ice cream"

HIS - I can just see you gazing longingly at the jar I've continually had peanut butter in the house - both powdered (pbFit) and regular. I've used the powder a handful of times recently and find I really like it now - before, it was mostly for baking.
Now, almond or cashew butter would be a HUGE problem. My boss has a jar of cashew butter at work right now...
ETA - Thanksgiving...I am planning to fix mashed rutabaga with WF maple syrup in place of sweet potatoes & some brussel sprouts...I will probably just do 2 shakes, or a Quest Bar and a shake for breakfast / lunch & like you, save my veggie allotment for dinner. I am also not going to be overly concerned when / if I step on the scale Friday morning...since I do all the cooking & cleaning, I am sure a couple extra pieces of turkey are going to end up in my belly

You have me thinking about my homemade stuffing though I've never measured anything when making it, relying on taste-tests...guess it will be a crap-shoot this year

Hadn't seen my chiropractor in a month and she commented on how much smaller I looked. She was shocked when I told her I was only about 5 pounds lighter and we discussed how my body is desperately holding onto whatever it can. Fwiw, she thinks part of it is muscle and told me she would bring down the calipers she has at home to use at my November appointment.
She also told me I've been an interesting "study" for her and that I'm one of the most successful patients with my weight loss she's had in her 30 years of practice

I switched things up a little this morning too since my appointment was later - when I came back to work (got in at 7am ugh!) I went straight to the gym and worked out - had a Quest bar post-work out, and now have had lunch and feel pretty good. 3 hours to go, but maybe I've keyed in on something - ie, eating something immediately post-workout

Fat experiment is going ok - scale moved, down -1.2 from yesterday and I am down another digit in the ones column - 146.8. Slowly, but surely Cutting back today (regular P1 w/ extra workout snack) and will see how I feel tomorrow.

[Grateful4Health]

HIS when I was on P1 for Thanksgiving my clinic suggested I exercise on that day and add a potato. That was all I needed. I also had cheese with crudites (celery/etc. plate of things I could eat) that I shared with everyone and snacked on through the day.
I'm sure whatever decision you make that day would be fine.

[blueskiesahead]

Originally Posted by Loser13

Day 1 done...thanks again ladies!

That first step is the hardest! Keep going, you can do this!!

Originally Posted by HereIStand

Sigh. These last couple of pounds just don't want to budge. Stayed OP yesterday (although I ate two cups of asparagus, which is crazy high in carbs - why is that not an occasional veggie??), and drank my water.... and the scale crept up a bit more. I didn't get enough sleep, though, so maybe that's a factor. I might try going back to shakes twice a day to see if I can get something going in downward direction.

I am definitely waiting until later in the day to do my running. The wind is blowing at 20 mph right now, which makes for a miserable running experience. I need to order a good waterproof, windproof jacket, but am loathe to spend the money.

My American friends, how are you going to handle Thanksgiving? I will be on P3 at that point, and my daughter will still be in P1. (She's lost 12 pounds in two weeks, BTW!) I don't know how I feel about eating just turkey and mashed cauliflower. Would it be okay to have all 4 cups of vegetables at that meal, just for that day? Then I could at least make a variety of things for her & I to eat. I might also make "rolls" with a pancake mix.

HIS - in another post, Ro22 mentioned doing a "boot camp" week, (replacing dinner protein with 2 packets) and had a 5lb loss for the week. Might be a thought, even if not for a week, maybe a few days? Might be enough to shake those stubborn lbs loose.

We had our Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, and that's what I did, saved my veg for dinner. Instead of mashed potatoes, I made pureed celery root with roasted garlic, a bit of oil. Quite good, I like it better than the cauliflower, and I didn't miss the potatoes.

[blueskiesahead]

Originally Posted by Destony

Do tell, what have you tried from Nashua. I'm slowly trying more and more alternative stuff- but its mostly restricted things.

Linda, I wanted a good selection to try out, so I ordered the Quest and Syntrax protein powder samples, the Proti-thin choc RTD, some of the Protithin shakes/puddings, and Protdiet blueberry pancakes. Only bar I got was the caramel nut.
I haven't tried them all, just trying to space them out between the IP ones.
But so far, I've tried and liked
-Quest chocolate milkshake powder
-Quest chocolate milkshake powder with Quest peanut butter powder
-Protithin caramel cafe latte
-Syntrax Nectar Cappucino - blend w 8oz water, 1/2 c ice ….. good taste. medium thickness

I tried to make the mug cake with Quest salted caramel powder (2T egg white, 1T water, 1T WF caramel.) Came out kind of tough, maybe I should have added baking powder. Nice taste tho
Also tried to make a mug cake with the blueberry pancake (w 3T water). Ok, but kind of so-so. Must have not done it right.
(If anyone can help with how to make a good mug cake, I'd love to know!!

Oh, and I also tried the EAS Carb Advantage Choc. I blended it with a bit of ice, which I do with all my drinks, but it stayed liquid, did not thicken. tasted OK, but I probably won't get any more

Ro22 posted in another tread about making cookies and pudding with the Quest powder, I'm going to try that.

I know you've gone over to the "dark side" recently too ... what have you found that you really like?

[hysteria_625]

Blue - the pancake mug cake trick is to use an egg white (and a drop of water if it's still too thick) - I sometimes also put a very small amount of WF syrup in & microwave for 55 seconds - so moist!

[Destony]

bluethanks , I am going to have to try some of it. I have the Carbvantage chocolate also. I wish it were more chocolately.
I still have to try the mug cake. I've stayed away from restricteds this week because of my apples. We will see on Saturday maybe I'll have it for breakfast tomorrow.
Struggling to help my diet buddy. She is going off the rails, binging, *****ing about it and now up 10 lbs. I'm trying to be helpful and supportive, but getting ready to scold her. It's getting to be 2 weeks she's lost or had lost 78 lbs. she was the reason I decided to do this. She needs to take responsibility, and I've been gentle with her-but ....any thoughts??

[hysteria_625]

Originally Posted by Destony

bluethanks , I am going to have to try some of it. I have the Carbvantage chocolate also. I wish it were more chocolately.
I still have to try the mug cake. I've stayed away from restricteds this week because of my apples. We will see on Saturday maybe I'll have it for breakfast tomorrow.
Struggling to help my diet buddy. She is going off the rails, binging, *****ing about it and now up 10 lbs. I'm trying to be helpful and supportive, but getting ready to scold her. It's getting to be 2 weeks she's lost or had lost 78 lbs. she was the reason I decided to do this. She needs to take responsibility, and I've been gentle with her-but ....any thoughts??

Linda - the mug cakes (using pancake mix at least) are unrestricted

Unfortunately, as a co-dependent who's been through a lot of therapy, the only person you can control is you...that said, it is your friend. How does she normally respond to other types of criticisms? Has "tough love" worked with her in other situations that you are aware of? I am not one who believes in continually blowing smoke up someones rear-end, but it sounds as if she is beating herself up already.
Remind her again how much $$ she has spent losing this weight (if you think that will mean anything to her...some people have enough $ to not have to worry about it...lucky them ).
Maybe a shopping trip? It could prod her to realize how much nicer it is to shop in the regular sizes (even up 10 pounds).
Or have her over for a nice, compliant dinner? Chat...discuss your concerns - maybe there is more going on than meets the eye? Or she just finally crossed that "line". Or she may just be done - but if she is done, she really, really needs to take the time (3 weeks or so) to phase off correctly.
I can only speak from my feelings as they stand, right now...but as much as I would like to see 138 before entering P3, all hells chariots couldn't change my mind from the 11/21 date I've set. I am done, BUT I am happy.
It doesn't sound like your friend is very happy - but if she's done (for now...) she needs to reboot for a week and phase off - if she started right now, she could be P4 by Thanksgiving. (((Linda)))

Scale was steady this morning (146.8) even with my peanut butter "ice cream" experiment last night (2T of pbFit).
Avoiding the gym today and no walking either as it is parent-open-house at DD10's dance studio. Normally parents are not allowed to watch practices, but we can this week.
Last night was her Hip Hop class - that was fun & I understand why she comes home hungry. Heck, I wanted to get up and boogie with the kids

DD19 came home last night and has her list of chores to get rolling with. A couple people are bringing side dishes now, so I only need to make deviled eggs for Saturday.

23 / 37 days, respectively

[HereIStand]

Linda, I'm very non-interventionist in most situations, except to tell the person I know they're struggling and I love them and will support them if they want help. Like Beth said, she really needs to find the motivation somewhere within herself.

Beth, my daughter took ballet and tap for 14 years. I remember those parents night observations. So fun!

I was really careful, diet-wise, yesterday, with no restricted. My calories were under 800. And it was a running day. Yet the scale didn't move (up OR down) this morning. I'm beginning to think this 157 mark is the point where my body wants to park, permanently. And I'd be fine with that if I didn't know that I'm going to gain some weight when I reintroduce carbs. Even if my clothes fit the same, I don't know if I can mentally handle seeing 160 on the scale.

I made a mug cake with Quest powder last night. I used 3 T egg whites and a dribble of water and a spoonful of WF strawberry jam. In my microwave, 40 seconds does it or the thing will be tough as leather. But it still had that gummy protein texture. I like the pancake mixes in a mug better.

3-mile walk this morning, and then a few appointments this afternoon. We're supposed to get some raging storms over the next two days, with the possibility of tornadoes, so I'll definitely be going to the gym tomorrow for my run.

ETA: Thanks, everyone, for the Thanksgiving day ideas. I'm going to talk to my daughter and see what she wants me to make. The girl LOVES our annual Thanksgiving Day meal, and I know she's going to be grumpy about not eating sweet potato casserole (loaded with sugar) and crescent rolls and pumpkin pie. It's a hard time of year to be on this diet. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, NY Eve, and we have several birthdays in Nov/Dec., plus the wedding in December.

[HereIStand]

Linda, I forgot to mention what I buy from Nashua.

PD chili - I doctor it up with extra chili powder.
PD oatmeal
ProtiThin soy puffs (I love these TOO much)
Weight Loss Systems puddings - my favorites are cocomint and the one with mini marshmallows
WLS chocolate cake - unrestricted and pretty tasty (better than mug cake)
Health Smart gelatin - I love these as an evening snack because they're not too filling, have only 60 calories and NO carbs. I plan to keep eating these in maintenance.
Protein pretzels (can't remember the brand) - I like these SO much more than Quest chips. They're very close to the real thing.

I just ordered some soup and Wonderslim cheesecake from Diet Direct; I'll try to remember to come back and let you know what I think about those.

[hysteria_625]

Wonked out at work again
Same symptoms as before including the muddled thinking - went straight to my doctors:
- not pregnant (lol)
- urine was fine (not in ketoacidosis - not that I thought I was)
- blood sugar & blood pressure were fine (I ate a Quest bar on top of lunch)
- outwardly I look fine
- blood work results will be in tomorrow morning - tested thyroid, b12, D, ferrin, and cbc to be sure I am not anemic

I think this was it though...I feel like I am okay where I am at right now - weight and clothes wise. Unless the blood work shows something, i.e. Thyroid numbers are high, iron is still high (that would suck...not sure what that will mean) or low , low b12 or d (doubtful...) then I will reevaluate but I think today may have been day 1 of P2. I went home and had a 10oz steak with brussel sprouts and feel so much better.

[jaimie1980]

Hi all! Hoping to join you in this thread. I am not on Ideal Protein, but a very similar plan in my local area branded Profile. It is a multi phase high protein diet with very little carbs (just whats in the shakes/bars/meal replacements) and no sugar, diet soda or alcohol allowed. It sounds very much like what you all are doing.

I am week 3, day 4. Weeks 1 and 2 were a breeze other than the 'keto flu" for a couple days. I lost 8 pounds in week one, and 3 in week two. This week, so far, is not going well even though I have not cheated. Hopefully I will get a whoosh later this week, as I weigh in on Monday.

My goal for this program is to get to 149, which won't necessarily be thin, but I will be 'normal' and I don't expect a model type body. I have had three kids, and haven't been thin since 2000. I weighed around 130-135 most of my teen/early adult years, so i figure a little over that will do me just fine. I can always adjust later if needed. I will need to lose a total of 58 pounds to get there, so I have 47 to go!

I hope I can join you all for some motivation, since there is no thread for my plan. It is a regional thing, and not very big yet.

[Loser13]

Day 4 ...almost done...have had some bad headaches...tired and a little on the *****y side...

Blue..I saw you were from Canada ...which province...I saw you ordred from Nashua which is in the States...can you give me an idea of price difference with exchange and shipping?

Thanks for your support ladies...I know in Few days I will feel great!

[HereIStand]

Beth, my goodness, I'm glad you went right to the doctor. And, yes, it sounds like your body is trying to tell you something. I guess it decided to hurry your countdown along.

Jaimie, welcome! Yep, it sounds like another business that's using the ketosis protocol. You can certainly join us in these threads - some of us are doing the protocol without a clinic at all, so really anyone on protocol is welcome. 58 pounds was my goal! I'm at the -56 mark and trying to shed the last two very stubborn pounds. Mondays are my "official" weigh in days, too, although I weigh every morning to keep myself on the straight and narrow.

L13, a headache was my only keto flu symptom, but it was a doozy. Here's hoping tomorrow is better for you!

I found a set of those Pampered Chef microwave dehydrating trays at my thrift store today for only $7. Even though I have a dehydrator, I decided to give these a try with a zucchini. Because of the high water content of the squash, I first salted the slices and let them sit, then soaked up a lot of the water with paper towels. Then pressed more water out with more towels. After about 8-10 minutes in the microwave (with one flip of the slices about halfway through), they were getting VERY brown, but not completely crispy. I didn't want to cook them more because they would have been charred. So they kind of had the texture of semi-crispy beef jerky. The dehydrator definitely does a better job. I'll keep the trays and use them in maintenance to make dried fruit and other things.

I also found out today that Target carries their own brand of 0-0-0 coffee syrups. I bought French Vanilla, Caramel, and Pumpkin Spice. My evening snack was Quest vanilla powder made into pudding, with 2 T. of the pumpkin spice syrup. The vanilla flavor still overpowered the pumpkin. I might try it in the unflavored Quest powder next time.

[blueskiesahead]

Beth - Oh yeah, I agree, your body has been trying to tell you something lately. Hope the rest of the tests ore OK. Glad to hear that the steak got you back to normal
Let us know if you decide to go ahead with P2 today. Interesting to see how your body will react!

Originally Posted by jaimie1980

Hi all! Hoping to join you in this thread. I am not on Ideal Protein, but a very similar plan in my local area branded Profile. It is a multi phase high protein diet with very little carbs (just whats in the shakes/bars/meal replacements) and no sugar, diet soda or alcohol allowed. It sounds very much like what you all are doing.
........................
I hope I can join you all for some motivation, since there is no thread for my plan. It is a regional thing, and not very big yet.

Welcome Jaimie - hope you can find the support you need here. We're all here to help. Does your plan use the coach/clinic approach like IP? In any case, there is a LOT of info here, and recipes.
You're off to a great start with your losses

Originally Posted by Loser13

Blue..I saw you were from Canada ...which province...I saw you ordred from Nashua which is in the States...can you give me an idea of price difference with exchange and shipping?

Thanks for your support ladies...I know in Few days I will feel great!

That keto flu can be nasty , but it will be over soon, and smooth sailing after that!
I'm in Ontario too, near the Michigan border, there are places that provide a US mailing address for us Canadians, so I just have things shipped there.
Nashua often has free shipping. I pay in US$, but exchange rate has been about 1.30 these days.
Are you close to any borders?

---------------
Had a nice lunch out with my aunt yesterday (last aunt living on both sides). She lives in a nearby town, and we had a great visit. Great lady!! Ordered a chicken Caesar salad (hold the dressing, cheese, crouton)...whoops, forgot to hold the bacon but I ate around most of it. Didn't get home till about 4. Meant to have some rhubarb to get my lunch veg in, but forgot, so had that as dessert for dinner
Tried the Quest PB cookies, pretty good, but I made 5 small ones instead of one big one. Not bad. Next time I will make one big one per scoop, and try it with egg white and water, just to see the difference. Will try the mug cake again today.