Ideal Protein Fall 2021 Chat Thread (Oct-Dec)
 

Just a new chat thread for the season!

Hey IPeeps - So it's been a month or 2....I was going down my "Round 3" for the however many times and I blew out my knee! I pretty much stopped IP and I've just had knee surgery Friday before last (10/1). Needless to say - I'm really starting over again and don't really have the option to cheat since I'm literally bedridden and can't move around much. I'm finally off crutches, but it will be ~2-3 months until I will be 100% so Phase 1 is the best and only option for me. I've gotten rid of all wine in the house and honestly can't really drink anyways since the last thing I need is to trip and hurt myself even worse!
I'm trying my best to channel LizRR from 2012!!!

I am on Day 3! Again! No cheats! I made it back to Onderland this morning (barely), but yeah...7lb in 2 days...I always get amazed at the first big drop. I'm planning all my meals on the "What Are You Eating" thread, that always helps me to lay out my day, then I log it on myfitnesspal.com Food Diary now to track everything. One of my good friends lost 40lb over the past 18mo quarantine because she logged every-little-thing she ate and DRANK - that's not something I did wrt my wine.

I still have knee pain from my surgery on 10/1 and will be out of commission for 2-3 months. Since I can't really do any exercises I went ahead and bought a Vibration Platform for recovery type exercises. We'll see how it goes - my neighbor got one and gave good reviews, I found one online with damaged packaging and 1/2 off so I snagged it. We'll see how it goes!
https://lifeprofitness.com/products/...ation-platform

Hey Liz,

I started last Wed. I have too many IP rounds to count. I committed fully to keto in 2018 but have more success with IP version of keto so doing that. I need a good 6-8 months hard core.
I had knee surgery a year ago that really sent me for a tailspin as I was in PT for a year and now it’s time for me to undo the weight damage that caused.
I’m not weighing or measuring as I’ll just go by how my clothes fit for now. I’ll start weighing later but I don’t want the mental anguish of the scale right now.

Good luck on your surgery recovery!

Thanks Ro!

Yeah....this Round #3 has had too many restarts to count, this one HAS to stick! I didn't handle my pandemic stress very well and admit that I started using alcohol and eating as a mental/emotional crutch. I haven't had a drop to drink since last Saturday when I drank the last of the wine - sadly that's a record for me the past 2 years. And then Sunday I had a pig out meal because I set Monday as my Day #1. Story of my life lately, I'm either at 0 or 100 - I need to find the balance again.

The one "good thing" about this knee surgery is I can't drink, since my balance is off already and the LAST thing I need is to stumble around even more! I'm walking around without crutches now and drove for the first time today!

My Waver vibration plate came in today! That sounds so dirty, lol. I just stood on it at the lowest setting for 15min with knees slightly bent and I can definitely feel some overall fatigue (I also haven't done anything in over a month).

This isn't something to replace a "real exercise routine", but it's great for me, since I can't really move, and my knee felt fine after! I'm going to try it 3x/wk and increase intensity as I step through. It also should comply with the IP "no strenuous exercise" rule.

Same thing for me - this must stick but I’m so sick of myself that I know it will. I had so many false starts this year but first time committing to IP this year. It always works.

I’m an extremist too so sounds like we have that in common.

It feels so good to be committed!

Well, week #1 down with No Cheats! 12.4lb gone in 7 days...I know this is the first big week whoosh, but very motivating still! Sad to say this is the longest streak in any of my Round #3 restarts, but good news is Week One Done! Started at 206.4 last Mon AM, weighed in at 194.0 this morning. On to Week #2!

No exercise besides using my Waver vibration plate 2x/day @ 15min each, I just stand on it though vs exercising with it. Still recovering from knee surgery, but feeling better daily. I'm off painkillers/ibuprofen and going upstairs & driving now, so my independence is back!

My son is off school today, so trying to figure out my meals and getting him out and about and staying OP!

Awesome job Liz!! How exciting!! I am starting tomorrow on 10/19. Thanks for keeping things going here!!

Week 2, Day 2 - still moving along - having any wine in the house is absolutely not an option for me right now. This is my longest streak and definitely alcohol is my trigger. I went ahead and did a few things to motivate me through Phase 1.

I got some "reward points" from work that I can use to redeem gift cards before Nov when they expire. I've decided I'm going to redeem them all for Express (the only women's clothing store option) so I can go on a $300 shopping spree when I meet GOAL! I thought about getting restaurant or gift cards for others - but decided I'm going to spend them on ME!

I also updated my signature to keep me motivated to keep up my WIs here. I figured with "usual P1 losses" it should be 18-21 weeks for me to reach goal. It also reminds me to keep up recording of my WIs to keep track. I log it on MFP too, but this is a more static way to keep on track.

Excellent!!! 👏👏👏

Today finishes week 2 for me. I’m not weighing- just going by how I’m feeling and I have way more energy than when I started.
I’m really enjoying what I’m doing so I’m committed for the long haul.

The past 2 days my WI hasn't moved and I was puzzled, then realized two things...First, I think my latest batch cooking has more "extras" than normal (might be pushing some carbs, "Sugar Free" doesn't always mean 0.0), Second it's almost TOM. I know it's not recommended to WI daily, but I've never been too emotional over the daily fluctuations and I want to make tweaks sooner than later if I can.

I made 3 batches of Shepard's Pie today and it is So Satisfying! Definitely going to add this in the meal rotation! I'm pretty basic, the other 3 "meals" I'm fine with same old, same old (Vanilla Premade, Bar, Soup). I still have a few more real meals in the fridge I need to eat too, so this week is set!

I moved my "real meal" to be at late lunch vs. dinner - it keeps me satisfied longer and I need that during the day to keep me from snack/cheating. I'm WFH currently and the fridge is Very Close. I'm also going back to drinking cups of hot herbal tea before bedtime to keep the night time munchies away.

Woo-Hoo! Let's keep up the mojo Ro!!! Week 2, Day 3 is moving along today for me - I can't wait to say I've got Week 2 licked!

Week 3 started today

Maybe try drinking sparkling water in the afternoon- that’s what I do. It helps.
Plus, I’m doing intermittent fasting as part of IP so I try and keep my meals within 8 hours so I usually eat between 10 and 6 - that way I’m getting extended fat burning and eliminates cravings. I’ve been keto since 2018 so incorporated my keto/IF lifestyle into this which is same thing I did last summer.

Week 2 Day 4 success! And as I thought, my TOM started today, we had last minute plans that kept us out too late for me to make dinner - I had another "snack" vs my planned dinner - but better than binging on something "illegal" while we were out and about.

Excellent! Great job!
Isn’t it funny that we have had so many false starts and now I know I’m committed for the long haul and it sounds like you are too.
I know some switch got flipped and it feels good.
I wrote down the months as I’m tracking by months so I’m already in the how many months will this take headspace so I’m in it now for a while.

Silly me…I just realized that Ideal Protein is really what is called in the keto world Protein Sparing Modified Fast diet. I saw a recipe by Maria Emmerich for PSMF egg white bread. I’m going to make it and use it as a meal - one of my packet replacements.
I’m also going to get her 2 ebooks for PSMF and the Art of Fat Loss as she says she was asked to modify keto for bariatric patients that need higher protein and low carb and low fat. I’m sure I’m going to pick up recipes from these. She even has a PSMF chocolate ice cream recipe.
This is how I’m modifying things to keep good ingredients as I was always uncomfortable with the IP or alternative Protein packet ingredients. I’m happy I found this because it makes me that much more comfortable in finding packet replacements.
I’m going to cut out the protein cereal as that as 5 g of fat that I don’t want.

Hi everyone,
I've been lingering on here over the last week. I have used Ideal Protein in the past, most notably in 2012 when I lost about 35 pounds after 3 pregnancies/babies back to back. Over the years, and especially over Covid, I've definitely found myself at a weight I am not happy about and started Ideal one week ago. I want to lose at least 40lbs, 60 would get me to an ideal weight. Scary to hear/admit that number.
So one week in and I've lost 6 lbs. I wish it was more but I am happy with that. Hoping week 2 I see a similar number.
I was pleasantly surprised that my first week wasn't too bad at all, I think I jumped into ketosis quite easily.
Just wanted to say hi, I always enjoyed this board in the past and find the support is great.
Hoping we can all stay strong together!

Hi Tanga,

Glad you decided to join the conversation!
Good start - keep going!

Hey Tanga,
We have a lot in common! I'm also a 2012 IPer with 60lb to make goal weight. My last round I stopped short a few pounds, but am sticking to my guns this 3rd round.

I have been super tired and cravy the last 2 days, I think some is my TOM and allergies mixed in. I've strayed some, not too terrible - I had protein chips and pickles vs making my veggie soup for dinner, which would have technically been okay, but then I had a handful of pecans. Similar yesterday, I had a more Phase 2 day with two proteins since I was hangry ...

I had my WI#2 today and officially another 3lb down! I'm going to get a good night's sleep tonight and start off fresh. The weather here has been gorgeous, but every time I step outside my sinuses explode!

Whew...glad I talked it out here tonight...mustered some energy, set out my food for tomorrow, prepped coffee, got my dinner protein planned for batch cooking and drinking some hot herbal tea to keep the munchies at bay...

That's funny that is a lot in common!
I am taking it a week at a time and thinking that Christmas time might be a time to slightly phase off and back on again in January if needed. That's my long-range thinking :) I will be happy if I can stick with things until then and I'll see where I am at and how I feel.
I really want to mentally get over my bad habits, which have included a lot of snacking and too much wine in the evenings after the kids go to bed. My husband and I got into a really bad habit and he is very supportive of me. He is a workout fanatic and a tall guy so he's luck he doesn't have weight to lose. He's also done IF for about 2 years. Darn men and their metabolisms!!!
I'm thinking of perhaps staying keto after phasing off IP as I love how I have been feeling over the last week. Although I love to run and workout so I am missing that a bit. I have been enjoying outdoor hikes (although it's getting cold here in Ontario, Canada) and yoga to keep moving.
Best of luck to everyone today!

Wow, the bad wine habit, tall husband with crazy metabolism... except I'm in Texas!
MY day pretty much fell apart, we had no power all day so had to improvise between IP snacks and out to eat. Again, not 100% but not terrible. I'm making today's plan for tomorrow! Off to make a cup of hot herbal tea!

Texas sounds amazing, beats the Ontario cold I am sure! Today the sun is shining though which is great.
Sorry to hear about your day but good for you for improvising. Staying on plan is tough, even without the challenges of when things aren't perfect. I am still battling the cravings a bit/the pull of those bad habits.
One day at a time....I am a daily-weigher. When I struggle in the evenings and my husband and kids are eating whatever they want I remind myself of the scale in the morning. Do I want to be proud of myself or disappointed? So far that has helped me stay on track but I have a long way to go.

Thanks Ro!

I have 6 months or so to go but finally after a year my switch has been flipped to keep me in it for the long haul. Today started week 4 for me.

That's great Ro, how are you feeling starting into week 4?

i feel great! And, my brother in law said he notices a difference. He said he wasn’t noticing a difference with just keto. And, I said, yes I know as my body liked high protein and low fat for fat loss so that made me feel even better.

Happy belated Halloween everyone. Hope you all had a nice weekend. I was busy, my kids were so excited yesterday and had a great time trick or treating. I was crazy busy yesterday, did a ton of housework, hiked with the dog, and was exhausted by last night. No weight change on the scale this morning from Saturday despite staying on plan. I figure perhaps it was because I was working up a sweat quite a bit, maybe I was a bit too active. Also, TOM is coming soon I think, and I think I'm fighting off a bit of a cold. I will be taking it easy today, enjoying sitting at my desk at work and not doing much else haha!

I tried konjac noodles yesterday mixed with Protidiet cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and riced cauliflower. It was great! Felt like a huge meal. I will be enjoying that new recipe. I ordered the Konjac noodles off Amazon as I wasn't sure where to get them around me. They didn't have a funny taste at all, rinsed them well. They were just a bit more chewy than a rice noodle but with everything mixed together I didn't notice at all.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and let's tackle this upcoming week!

Nice!
I just ordered Nature Heaven’s heart of palm pasta for the same reason.

These are limited to 4 cups per week.

Speaking of which, Asparagus seems to be removed from the vegetable list altogether. Does anyone have the updated list (2021) and know if true and if so, why?

Thanks for letting me know about the 4 cup weekly limit. I think I'll just have it once per week, only about 1 cup, as my lunch on the weekend. It is too hard to bring everything to make the soup while I am at work during the week.

I have no idea about the asparagus but that is too bad if it is removed. I have read a little bit about the new IP protocol but I am just doing it old-school, how it has worked for me in the past. I like my 8 oz of meat at dinner and am happy with how I am progressing. I am still feeling great and having no hunger at all. I am not seeing a coach as my old coach from years ago just sells me what I want as I need it, and I order alternatives for everything else.

Note - my note on 4 cups per week was for heart of palm.
It wasn’t in reference to the Konjac noodles so I’d say keep doing what you are doing!

OK thanks for clarifying!

Hey y'all - I dropped off for a week and didn't even realize it! My dad came into town and we had a BUSY WEEK! I had a few weak spots over those days, but I'm back on it today. I'm paying for it though as I'm a little up on the scale (weirdly a few days after), nothing was all-out binge crazy, but I did have a few drinks I shouldn't have had. It was out socially as I'm still not keeping anything in my house - I'm forgiving myself and moving on to today. I knew the holidays would be hard to get through - but so far going into Week 4-1/2 back to it. I'm trying to keep my "Rojo" (inspired by the Ro Mojo!)

I got these "Kibun Healthy Noodles" from Costco and they are part soybean fiber/part konjac (that's what I get for not checking labels). They have 30 cals, 0 net carbs (6g carbs/6g fiber + 1g protein). So not 100%, but I'll probably be looking on Amazon for something more compliant. I remember needing to rinse my Miracle Noodles well and I like to cut them up a little shorter with kitchen shears as they can come out like long ribbons! I've never heard of Heart of Palm noodles though. I'm pretty much just sticking to the Old IP sheet too. I got a message from my old clinic, thinking about going back - but so far I've actually been staying more on plan than either of my second, or many third round restarts so I'll just keep this up for now.

I was pleasantly surprised that I had a Week 3 loss - usually that's the slowest/lowest, but I think I "front loaded" before starting IP (I did a binge eat/drink weekend after a very indulgent pandemic, which is probably why my Week 1 loss was so big too). Week 4 will probably not be so hot - but I know to expect that at least, and I mean hey, 18lb in 3 weeks is pretty great! Week 3 WI is the lowest weight I've been at for all of 2021 (Week 1 was my highest). I could almost put on some old jeans - I mean, I did button/zip up, but it was a chore with some major muffin top!

My husband and myself both WFH and liked going out for lunch dates, I'm cutting it down some and making better choices. Luckily he is 100% supportive and understands when I want to try to stay home (although he'll still go out and eat what he wants). One challenge is that my mom is coming to stay with us for 10 days while my husband has surgery. I will say that she is a Big Drinker, so I'll have to be more diligent about keeping hands off anything in the house (but I think if I just stock her vodka/rum and no wine I'll be okay).

Hi LizRR, glad to hear you had a nice/busy week visiting with your dad. Go easy on yourself with the weak spots over the last week, it happens, and as long as you can get back into it no worries! I myself think about the Christmas season coming up, and knowing to achieve my goal I will likely be phase 1 til February or so. My husband and I booked a night away/wine tour the week before Christmas, which never happens for us. We have no family help with our kids so never get away. This is to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary so I plan on adding some carbs in a few days before we go and enjoying the Christmas season a bit, then Boxing Day (or so depending on social events) getting right back into Phase 1. I hope I have the strength to get back into it, and hope that my plan works. I want to enjoy the wine tour but have heard of the dangers of consuming any alcohol while on Phase 1. How did you find it Liz? I've heard you can have some scary reactions.

Anyways, that's a few weeks away so trying not to worry too much about it, but I am a "planner" lol.

I'm 2 1/2 weeks in and about 11lbs down so happy with that. This is the dreaded week 3 so I'll see on Monday how I faired, maybe I can still lose 3 lbs this week? So far down 1 lb since Monday this week so that is a good start. I know I shouldn't weigh daily necessarily but I get funny/excited right before I go to bed at night to see what the scale says in the morning and I think it really helps keep me from wanting to eat anything after dinner. I am happy today because I wear a uniform for work and fit into my smaller size pants with room to spare. Still want to go down another 2 sizes by the end of my goal.

Liz 18 lbs in 3 weeks is incredible, you should be super proud! Isn't it funny waiting for those weigh-ins? Good luck when your mom comes to visit, I hope it goes well.

Tanga - enjoy your vacation and get right back! As long as you get right back on you’ll be ok.

Liz - It’s good to be busy while doing this! Good luck with your husband’s surgery. Wishing you the best outcome! Stay committed with your Mom in town. I don’t drink but a tip I do with family is I have my large bottle of sparkling water that I add lemon juice to and I pour it into a wine glass and that is what I drink in the evening. I find it discourages them from commenting on the fact that I don’t drink so maybe try that.

Today started Month 2 for me.
I’m going super strong! I’m really enjoying this protocol and enjoying the meals I make and especially feeling good about the clean ingredients so I’m thrilled I’ve figured out how to do the protocol with foods that fit my health choices.
I have 55 more pounds to lose…ugh…but, it is what it is.
I am sleeping great and waking up refreshed.
I have more energy so doing home reorganization projects. That’s making my doing this easier as I used my pressure cooker, I got for Christmas a few years ago, for the first time today. I made soup which I make weekly but this time I could just set it in there and work while it cooked.
I bought a Ninja grill so I can grill with the weather turning here.
Basically, I reorganized everything so it’s easier to get at my appliances that make my meals easier to prepare.
And, I am getting better results compared to One Meal a Day on Keto.
I did a 7 day water fast and then 4 weeks of OMAD at 1100 calories with 75 g fat and my only carbs coming from my salad.
I just completed 4 weeks of IP where I eat 4 times per day.
In one less week and no fasting, I am down an additional 1.6 lbs compared to where I was after 5 weeks of fast+OMAD strict keto. And I’m sleeping better and waking up more refreshed.
This just proves to me again that my body prefers higher protein and low fat to lose fat the best.
I’m feeling great and committed for the long haul.
I am planning to have a keto Thanksgiving and I do plan to participate in our Christmas cookie baking party in mid-December.
I will have my one day events for these and get right back on IP protocol but I’ve done IP through the holidays when I first did IP and it wasn’t worth it so I’m planning to do my usual keto thanksgiving and keto cookie bake.
The key will be not turning this into an extended holiday which I won’t.
In fact, keto Thanksgiving may give me a boost because it will just be around 2 months IP so a feed day could spur a bigger loss the following week. Regardless, I’m going to have my 1 day each month and the additional Christmas keto so in next 2 months I’ll have 4 keto days. I’m planning that and with that plan I won’t stray.

Congrats on starting month 2 Ro, it sounds like you have a good plan with all the holidays coming up. It’s important to figure out how to get through them! just think once we are into January it is smooth-sailing into the spring.
looks like I will be home again today with two of my three daughters sick. They are fighting a cold. So it’ll be a low key day but that’s alright with me.
Hope you have a great day!

I hope the kids are feeling better, Tanga.
Yes, I have a definite plan and I’m good with it. It’s going to take me 6-8 months to get where I want so a couple of days over that timeframe will not derail me. It could though trigger consecutive days but I won’t let that happen and I feel it’s mitigated by having a plan. I’ll need to cut my recipes down so I don’t have tons of leftovers but that’s easy enough to do. My friend, who started keto 3 months ago, is going to come and cook with me so I may just leave recipes in tact and give her half. I don’t know how much she needs so I need to discuss with her but having just enough for Thanksgiving without leftovers is a key part of my plan.

I have so much energy!!!
I had some work done on my house where I had shelving units put in my garage for better organization. I have now cleaned out every drawer and cabinet in my house and cleared out my storage space making it all so much easier to access and getting rid of clutter. This has allowed me to access appliances that I had in inconvenient storage locations which are now easily accessible so enjoying concocting recipes using these convenient appliances plus going to make holiday prep easier as well.
I fear I’ll run out of projects for this energy I have lol!

Oh, and one other thing we haven’t discussed…
I’m also carrying over my intermittent fasting from keto to IP. I eat in an 8 hour window and fast for the other 16 hours so that means either 10-6 or 11-7.

Interesting Ro! I’ve found I’m not hungry for my first packet of the day until past 9 or 10am….I’ve thought about pushing it longer to incorporate IF as my husband has fasted for years. I think it might come in handy once phasing off to help limit food intake. Do you find it easy to do? I don’t snack in the evenings so am pretty much doing a 8-9 hour eating window anyways, I might try to push it a bit longer.
So great about the extra energy! Way to get things done! I bet that feels amazing and helps to prepare for things down the road.
hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Super easy to do, Tanga.
I find it easy with the protocol too because when you have compressed the eating window, it feels like you are eating more than when spread out over longer hours.