Careful with the cornstarch though... technically not protocol as it is straight carbs. Just a heads up for newbies who are going 100%. An FYI for them, not dissing your choices ;).

For the gals needing a bit of will power there is an old 100%'er thread that can be motivating: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...lume-35-a.html

and here's some packet hacks for variety: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...n-packets.html
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...olumn-2-a.html

Liana

So, I broke protocol last night and early this morning with a cheese ball and crackers (weirdest craving I've ever had, and at 10pm too.). I had been 100% clean for about four days and now I'm suffering from the absolute worst stomach ache. If that's not enough to keep me from cheating ever again I don't know what is... ha ha.

Also, thanks for the links and recipes! I was reading over them today and they are just amazing.

Originally Posted by canadjineh:
Careful with the cornstarch though... technically not protocol as it is straight carbs. Just a heads up for newbies who are going 100%. An FYI for them, not dissing your choices ;).

Very good point I meant to mention that. It doesn't add any flavor and can be left out but for me the thickness it brings is worth the couple carbs it adds. :)

I made a potato purée "pizza" today. It wasn't pizza tasting really but it looked like pizza! I wish I took a pic but I ate it too fast. :lol:

I bought a pack of Wyler's lemon ice tea (packets you add to water bottles). It's sweetened with Stevia and has 5 cal/0 fat/1 carb in half a packet. This should be ok for a once-in-a-while drink, right? :dizzy:

Week 4 check in. This week down 2 pounds and only 0.1% body fat. I stayed in ketosis, but drank some vodka and seltzer with some cheese last weekend. Not good, but planned cheat as I was going away for my anniversary. I'm back on track and no further cheats until July planned. I find small planned cheats keep me sane when it comes to special occasions, but I won't jeopardize ketosis. Still, seeing the result this had on my (lack of) fat loss is enough of a motivator to not do it often.

Happy Friday!

Had weigh in yesterday and down 2.5. I like my coaches scale sooo much better as mine was reading a 2.5 gain. So weird. Still craving all the things. Facebook is SO not helping with all those Tasty videos popping up with Cheesecake. Ugh. Chug chug that water.

It is a long weekend here in Canada. Looks like some great weather to get out and do stuff with my kiddos! Hoping to get some bike riding in. I have not used my bike in years but hubby pulled it out and cleaned it up yesterday. The girls are still learning but I think they will get a kick out of watching mommy having to relearn how to ride her bike lol.

Rainy- Cravings are hard. I read somewhere that it's your bodies way of saying its bored, thirsty or tired usually. I try to chug some water or go to sleep! Hoping the rest of the week goes better for you!

Maybe face- my hubby looooves stir fry will have to try that out for him. Thanks.

Liana - thanks for the links!

Se72- I had done Atkin's a couple of years back so I tend to cheat with cheese as well. Happy Belated Anniversary!

Hello everyone!
I am starting IP tomorrow for the first time. It's kind of foreign to me , as I've mostly done low carb high fat before to lose weight. But I felt I needed more accountability and structure , so I decided to give this a go. I have a whole lot to lose, it's so embarrassing that I got this big.
Since I'm starting tomorrow and want my weigh ins to be Mondays, and this one is a holiday, I picked up 10 days worth of packets. Those , with the vitamins , the dressings , the amino acids and consultation fee- I'm feeling the sting!
I know I'm showing as a newbie but used to post under the username Natalia. I forgot my PW and the email addy I used I had closed, so had to rejoin.
I look forward to getting to know everyone, and enjoying the comraderie and motivation that comes from 3FC!

Eta: just struck me I'm starting a diet on Saturday of a long weekend! Lol I've always been one of those "weird ones" who never saw the benefit of waiting until Monday to start. I might be the only one in the world starting tomorrow!

At last week's weigh in I was down 1.7 lbs on the scale (total of 22lbs in 7 weeks), BUT, my fat mass was down 4 lbs from the week before! i was up on water and lean mass 2 lbs. the point is...the scale can be misleading. it's your fat mass reduction that is what you want.

Here's hoping for a good weigh in on Tuesday and then i am off on a 10 day vacation to Canada and taking my wagon of IP items with me.

Sorry to butt in here but it's an active thread. :)

Is the fat mass the measurement done with the handheld machine that the coach inputs your height/weight?

Also, do all of the coaches use the old fashioned type scale with the moving bar? I wish my coach had a digital scale.

Happy Sunday everyone!

The handheld thing is what measures your fat loss, hydration level, lean mass.
It's so neat to have a real picture and not just an arbitrary number on a scale.
I'm not sure if all clinics have the medical scale, but mine does as well. I like the old fashioned ones, they feel more reliable to me.

Just had my fifth weigh in. I lost 4 1/2lbs this week. Definitely a decent number, but had hoped for a higher number since I really buckled down and only had the one cheat this week. Beggers can't be choosers though, and it's been worth it being 100%. Anyway, that makes my total loss in four and a half weeks 12 1/2 lbs.

The office I go to uses the old scale, and I prefer it in some ways, but I also have my own scale at home that I use. I like to use both and compare the differences. Like, the one at the office weighed me in at 227, but my home scale has me at 222. It's eye opening that the only real difference is clothes.

Wow! 4.5lbs in week 5 and with a cheat?! I'd say that's pretty darn great!
Congratulations , I hope to be able to lose that kind of weight on IP!

@Pamela78, I found Atkins worked great the first time around when I did it in 2003 (I lost 95 pounds in a year and kept it off for 3 years, then gained half back, and long subsequent story). I tried it again a couple of times and it just didn't work as well. Last Summer, I did it for four months and only lost 12 pounds. I knew I needed something stricter. IP is like a low fat, low cal Atkins. I've never had anything work so well! Still, having done Atkins for so long helps me to know what will keep me in and drive me out of Ketosis.

the scale in the clinic i attend is an In Body composition scale. it provides a printout of the bodies water, fat and lean mass measurements.

i am at week 8 today and down 2.4 lbs from last week. this gives me a total of 25 lbs. i am right on track with the 2-3 lb average my coach says is typical.

Originally Posted by RealNatalia:
Wow! 4.5lbs in week 5 and with a cheat?! I'd say that's pretty darn great!
Congratulations , I hope to be able to lose that kind of weight on IP!

Seriously! I'm jealous. I haven't gone off plan for 1 bite and can't get anywhere near 4lbs! Maybe we need to know the cheat to see if it works for us! :dizzy:

Originally Posted by JillieMac:
the scale in the clinic i attend is an In Body composition scale. it provides a printout of the bodies water, fat and lean mass measurements.

i am at week 8 today and down 2.4 lbs from last week. this gives me a total of 25 lbs. i am right on track with the 2-3 lb average my coach says is typical.

That scale sounds awesome! I get awful anxiety when my coach pushes the bar across to balance it for my weight. And of course it's always someone much lighter who weighed last so you get the "clunk...clunk...." when she has to bump it over 200 then slide the little one up to the 40s. :(