Mezmerelda, I'd love to hear what you think of the cookbook, I keep thinking about ordering it but I'm in Canada so it's kind of a pain with the exchange rate being so poor and everything.

I know the coaches say it doesn't really matter if we are using sweet or savoury packets, but my personal thought is that it worries me that I will still need to work hard to get away from such sweet tastes once I'm in maintenance, I don't want to rely on so much sweetener for the rest of my life. I try to make sure I have at least one savoury packet a day, and two a few days a week (eg I have something like crisps or soy nuts for my snack).

Nicole, congratulations on your loss! I wonder if your coach doesn't typically measure on the first visit, or perhaps you guys ran out of time if you had a lot to discuss. Overall it would probably be just a couple inches total the first week and you should see nice drops throughout, but I'm sure it just would have been nice to have it done.

Welcome :)
I don't know about the 50lb in 15 weeks, that seems like a lot but maybe. I guess it is an average of just over 3lb a week (unless my math is off, which is always possible lol). Man, I really hope that is in fact possible, that means I'd be about halfway to goal in just 10 more weeks!

I know its a lot, but even if it is just about 3 pounds a week I would be happy with that too!. I can't remember some of the rules about exercise from last time, - is it acceptable at certain weeks? like the elliptical machine?

Are you using a coach or doing it on your own? From what I see on here, it seems like people get varying answers on every topic. My coach told me to just do light weight training and some walking. Not that I have time for more than that anyway, with a couple little ones at home and a husband who works long hours. From what I can tell, elliptical should be fine as long as you keep your heart rate low.

thanks for the response! yes I am being supervised by a coach so I will see what she says:smug:

I started IP on 1/12/16 and have lost 21.6lbs. I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I am getting to the point where I am tired and frustrated so I figured support would be good! Last week I lost 1lb but it was all muscle. This week isn't looking good either but I don't weigh in until Friday. I also have been mood swinging like crazy, I haven't stopped spotting (not full period) and it is driving me crazy. Not to be all negative though! My cravings are completely gone and I don't struggle too much with food cravings. I mostly have more energy and when I am not mood swinging it has actually helped my anxiety. Not to mention the pants fitting and are lose now! I look forward to getting to know all of you! :)

2nd weigh in and I dropped 4.6lbs. I am excited but a little part of me was expecting it to be a little higher. But hey I'll take what I can get! It's so hard not to cheat but I'm staying strong (although I've had dreams where I'm eating Cocoa Puffs and they feel very real haha). I have noticed that I'm getting fuller faster. As someone who never ate vegetables EVER, I am really starting to enjoy them. Of course green beans are still gross and I'm glad that those are limited to 4 cups a week because ew. I hope everyone is doing well :) let's keep up the good work!

Hi, Hope it's ok to drop in & add my 2 cents :) I lost a bunch of weight on IP on 2013, now rebooting. If you are over 200 lbs, you should be eating an extra packet. A lot of people are reluctant to do this, and I think coaches don't always make that clear. Your mood swings could be low blood sugar. Also could be from hormonal shifts. As you burn fat, the hormones that have been stored in fat cells are released into your bloodstream--that might also explain the spotting, (though I'd get it checked out to be on the safe side).

Your weight loss is fantastic, and it's normal for your body to have pauses her and there. And 1 lb is hardly a pause! But again, sometimes the remedy is to give your body a little more nutrition, like the extra packet, to keep your metabolism going strong.

Best wishes to you--looks like you are doing fantastic, and I hope these things clear up soon. :bravo:

Thanks! I appreciate all advice and wisdom! I am on 4 packets a day. Blood sugar is good, I check it a few times a day as I am type 2. I should have also said that I was taken off some meds already which is another win!

Also, yea, my hormones are a wreck right now! I really appreciate the encouragement. It was a rough day and it looks like I made a good choice to come post here! Thanks!

Hi there. I started IP Jan 2015 and rebooting now. I just wanted to let you know that the worse part of IP for me is the spotting or random, irregular bleeding. This was a problem for me last year and this time around. I get headaches with my period so that's going on too. It sucks, but it's worth it. If you stay the course, this diet really works, and Phase 1 doesn't last forever. I am only rebooting because I made the mistake of going back to bad habits, but at least I caught my weight before it got out of hand...at least I had Phase 1 to go back to when before I felt lost. Wishing you the bet of luck. You can do this.

I ran upon this forum when I did a google search for others who had had success on IP. I had no idea there was such threads, but so glad to have found so many wonderful positive stories for motivation. I am just on day 3 of the IP and yesterday was really discouraging, but after reading through so many posts here and seeing so many success stories I'm determined I can do this. I have had success on good ole diet and exercise but I'm a busy working mom and I keep falling off the wagon and giving up. When I heard many people were seeing great results without exercise on IP, I decided to give it a try!

Thank you! I appreciate the motivation. Nice to know I am not the only one. haha! I just keep telling myself that I am crazy and spotting because I am burning all that fat! :D

Happy Friday! I lost 2.2 lbs which brings me to 23.8lbs lost in 6.4 weeks which averages to 3.7 lbs a week so far. These last two weeks have been hard to focus but feeling good today! I also tried the mango drink for the first time and it tastes like a real smoothie! Trying the trail mix later! I hope you all are having a great day!

Welcome Kelly and lish (and I hope I didn't miss anyone!)

I tried the trail mix today and really liked it. I expected to, since BBQ soy nuts are my favourite ip pack. I think it only said 11g protein on the package though, I need to double check that but if it's correct, isn't that kinda low for ip?

Are you feeling better today? Hopefully day 4 for you into ketosis and you're feeling like yourself again!