Hello all,

I've been on IP for about 4 weeks and loosing just fine - except when I exercise.

I know you are not suppose to exercise very much in P1 - but I think a few on the forum do.

If you do - how do you compensate? An extra bar that you split - half before and half after? A 5th cup of veggies?

I'm at the point where I do an extra bar on days I workout - with limited success, but wanted to see if there are better/different ways to find that balance.

Thanks for your help!

This is a topic I'd like to see addressed more, as I think IP clinics don't encourage enough exercise. Note that I did the protocol on my own, using alternative products, so I had to figure it out for myself. There are professional athletes who work out in ketosis, so there must be a way of making it work.

I started with just vigorous walking, at about 4 weeks. Then went to the Couch To 5K program at about 10 or 12 weeks. On the days I only walked, I did not add any additional foods. When I started C25K, I added only 1/2 of a RTD shake before exercise, then had my regular protocol breakfast afterward. I lost 3 pounds per week pretty consistently until the last month, when it slowed down quite a bit. I don't know if that was because of exercise or just because that's what happens when you get close to goal. C25K is a fairly slow progression up to lengthy running times, so I'm inclined to think that the exercise didn't really have anything to do with the slower weight loss.

Having said all that, the caloric intake in P1 is very low: 650-900 calories a day. A vigorous bout of cardio can burn 300+ calories, so we do have to be careful about getting ourselves into starvation mode, when the metabolism will slow way down for self preservation.

I totally agree....you really do have to be careful about not shutting down your metabolism any more than the diet is going to do anyway. Sometimes the more you try to push the more your body resists and hangs on to it's weight.

I did not do any exercise when I was on P1, but there were certainly a lot IPers that were exercising. I personally didn't have enough energy. I did go to Disney World when I was on P1 and added an extra pack every day to make up for all the walking that I did every day. Seems like I remember a lot of the exercisers would add an extra egg white or egg into their meal plan.

I exercised throughout The year I was on IP. on days I worked out, 4-5 a week, I would usually have a restricted and the other 2 IP products plus added an extra pack. There were times I would sub for an hard boiled egg. When I was 1/2 marathon training I added I pack of instant oatmeal (before run) plus IP manga shake for breakfast and the extra IP shake in the day. I think it helped with with inches

I remain in complete disbelief about how any diet that proclaims to be healthy can advocate no exercise so my hat off to those of you that stick it to the man and find a way to. Kudos.

I discussed this with my coach before I started. I exercise - close to daily. I will take hikes (it's hilly here) for an hour or so a day with my dogs, and I also do exercise programs (beachbody stuff) to supplement. I've been on a 21 day fix (or extreme) kick for workouts lately, so I was doing 3 weeks on, 3 off plus daily hikes prior to P1. My coach asked me to give her a month w/o the added tough workouts, so for now I'm doing the daily hikes. I have no added anything to my diet, but I suppose I may need to if I do doubles again.

Ian, I agree that there needs to be SOME incorporation of gentle exercise or at least more movement.

I was looking around online for long-term success rates of this diet protocol, and in the process, discovered that the Protein Sparing Modified Fast (PSMF) diet has been around since the late 1970's. It's virtually identical to the protocol used by Ideal Protein and other clinics. Some of the PSMF research showed that metabolism was actually slowed by vigorous exercise while on the diet. And if I understood it all, they also asserted that metabolism slowed significantly as body mass numbers changed - which may explain why so many IP clients complain about their weight loss slowing down so much as they get close to goal.

If I were in charge, , I'd put some exercise recommendations in the protocol, including intentional walking, and the duration would be based on the client's weight and other health indicators. Because many IP clients are in the morbidly obese or super obese categories, they need an exercise "prescription."

Just my thoughts.....

Contrary to popular belief, IP does not discourage gentle or even brisk exercise. When I first started in 2013 I was encouraged to keep up my brisk walking and even had a plan for weight training available. The daily videos from IP head office even discussed how to incorporate continued exercise in this diet. What IS Discouraged is heavy exercise & weight training as this phase of the diet cannot support muscle building (or rebuilding in the case of higher intensity aerobic exercise). If your coach is giving you outdated info or their own opinion, you'd better tell them to get in touch with the IP head office and get with the program. That being said, for those that have never exercised or are morbidly obese with issues around movement this phase of the diet will work to lose fat without exercise.
Exercise does not do much for weight loss BUT it is necessary for maintenance and that can be the next 'project' for a person to work on if they aren't used to exercise before the IP diet.

Liana

I exercise daily and have been for years. I am doing a reboot right now, but I exercised both this time and my first time on IP almost 5 years ago. I do 5x a week Crossfit, then I do 1x week yoga and 1x week just leisurely walking (for active recovery).

I have found (through experience) that I actually lose BETTER when I exercise in P1 than if I don't. I work out first thing in the morning, so I usually have (2) egg whites about 20-30 minutes before I exercise. It gives me a little bit of protein and gets something in my stomach, but it is not too heavy that it just "sits".

I have an extra packet each day, immediately following my workout. I do not count this towards my allotment. So my day looks like this:

5:30 am- 2 egg whites
6:00- workout
7:15- protein packet
10:00- protein packet
1:00- 8 oz protein, 2 c. veggies, 1 portion fat (olive oil)
4:00- protein packet
7:00- protein packet, 2 c. veggies, 1 portion fat (olive oil)

Sometimes, I will have another packet if I am really hungry that day. But once I am in ketosis, I pretty much lose my appetite and have to set reminders that it is time to eat.

This regime has worked wonders for me. I lose inches almost as fast as l lose pounds by exercising and following IP. I know not everyone has success with exercising, but I am just giving you MY personal experience with it.

One more thing, I get my body fat tested every month and my lean mass has stayed consistent and all of the pounds that I have been losing are fat. This is exactly what this diet was intended to do, which is all outlined in Dr. Tran's book.

I am on Week Six, Day Seven if P1. Before IP, I was taking 3-4 Orange Theory Fitness classes per week (treadmill/rower/weight-training circuit) and was upset at the idea of giving it up. My coach gave me the Alternate (Alternative?) Plan to follow on days that I work out. But then, the idea of "straying" from the program as written, freaked me out, and I skipped Orange Theory weeks 1-4. Week 5 I went twice and stayed for only half a class, and this morning I did 3/4 of a class.

I MISS MISS MISSED my gym! I plan on getting there at least twice a week for the next couple weeks and if the scale is still moving in the right direction, and inches lost, I'll continue to work out/add work outs. Like, HIS and IanG mentioned, it is the ONE part of the plan that really made me raise an eyebrow. I mean, I understand The Science of it, but am too anxious to give it up entirely.

Liana - I've never set foot in an IP clinic so take what I'm saying with a grain of IP salt.

1. Judging from the conversations in the various FB IP groups, coaches seem to be very confused about IP guidelines for exercise. On top of that, the guidelines are vague. What's the difference between "heavy exercise" and "brisk exercise?" People are told, "Don't get your heart rate up," or "Don't get out of breath." Well, gosh, for some people, just walking to the bathroom makes them short of breath. IMO, there need to be more specific guidelines, like, "Don't go over this target heart rate: _____" or "If you exercise at this effort ____ for more than this amount of time _____, add an extra packet." Of course, the coach would have to have some training in assessing fitness or figuring out target levels for each individual client.

2. I think what most of us are really saying above is not that IP discourages exercise (although I think some coaches DO do this), but that it doesn't encourage exercise enough. It should be part of transitioning people to a new lifestyle. That's why I think there should be something in the protocol that's required. Like walk 20 minutes/day in weeks 4-10, then increase by 5 minutes/day each week until they can walk 3 miles. Or something. I know IP clients love that they lose weight without exercise, but it's not doing them any favors in the long run.

jenny i have been following your lead and decided to have my protein meat at lunch. What a diiference. I have so much more energy all day and dont come hone after work starving.

I used to eat it at six or seven but then would feel blah...not much going on at that time...so nut much calorie burning going on. Now i have my veggies and protein pack and i am not hungry at night.

That is why I love this site....so many ideas and you can try what tounwant and see if it works for you.

I agree that people should be encouraged to exercise from the start, but being realistic, it is easiest to change one thing at a time and most successful that way. Once people start to lose weight and feel better with more energy they are more likely to look seriously at adding exercise. For those who were exercising before they started the diet, this is a moot point - just eat enough to keep your energy levels up and don't work out so hard that you are damaging your own metabolism by destroying muscle - you will know if you are overly fatigued and dizzy. Quite a few of us were already eating 'healthy' and serious about our exercise before IP and yet we still weighed too much/had an unacceptable percentage of fat. Exercise is not the total answer for fat loss.
If someone gets out of breath getting up and walking to the bathroom then for their body that IS exercise.

BTW Lynn, the Alternate plan is not straying, it is a healthier IP plan for those whose metabolisms need more food to run properly. So don't feel like it's a cheat.

Liana

Thanks, Liana! Having obsessively researched The Exercise subject, I mostly saw people adding an extra pack, or having a hard boiled egg, or as like MOST subjects, coaching advice ALL over the map! But when I really took a good hard look at the Alternate plan, it makes sense that the fat/carbs/protein from a grain/dairy/fruit, essentially, are nicely balance and make sense. My coach hasn't steered me wrong yet so I need to be all IN COACH I TRUST! Thanks for the advice!!!!! I LOVE THIS BOARD AND YOU PEOPLE!

I'm glad it is working for you! I have never done anything different so I have no idea if I would feel the effects.

When I initially started IP the first time in 2011, I decided to do my protein at lunch simply so I wouldn't have to explain to the people that I worked with at that time why I was having a shake for lunch. They were a very judgmental group of people so I didn't want to hear their negativity about the diet. I found I enjoyed that schedule, so I just decided to keep it during my reboot.