Tasha, I was told by my doctor no cheese . as for the saurkraut that question is on my list to the doctor on wednesday I was told by my doctor that it reads less then 1 gram of carbs ,sugar and fat it's ok to eat.
don't go by your scales because of all the water intake it's going to weigh you down besides the doc says don't worry to much about the scales it will show in inches. When my doctor went on it she said for 2 weeks she didn't lose but 3 pounds but her inches showed a loss then she said her 3rd week she lost 9 pounds. Just hang in there and you are doing everything then it will show somewhere.
Good Luck

Hi eveyone, I'm new to the IP diet....going on 6 days and pretty much loving it. Weigh in tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed for me! Anyway, I read through the posts and get inspiration...keep up the good work y'all. And thanks to all who post on the recipes page, they are VERY helpful. Hopefully you'll enjoy the one's I've found.

Has anyone experience motivational issues? The results are showing (-45 pounds), I have about a month to go on the program but any food seems tempting now! (Even the ones I didn't like before going on this diet are tempsting me!) How do you fight cravings?

I "tasted" mashed potatoes, cake icing and bacon ths weekend... Though they were very small bites (let's say about 1/2 inch square), I am worried it will show up on the results...

Thank you in advance for your tips!

I don't know, SylvieG, I'm still in the early stages of being happy with the diet. Did you take a picture of yourself before you started? Maybe looking at that can get you through this. You're doing SO well.

Think about all the other diets you did where you quit before the end, never doing transition phases, and ended up back at square one. At least that was my M.O. before. Of course this is easy for me to say now, only being on week 2. I HOPE I get it this time that transition is the key to keeping it off. I hope I remember how I felt about myself before when I erased any progress I made by being impatient. I hope and pray.

You are an inspiration to us. You've done a fantastic job. Keep it up!

TashaW - I'm sure you're going to have a GREAT weigh-in. A 1/2 tsp of cheese is not going to do much damage. My husband also does this when making omelettes. I really believe that you have to find ways for the program to work for you ultimately. Also, I was looking at the Ideal-to-Go recipes, and noticed a few that had cheese included. They had noted that up to one oz of cheese could be used - this was the equivalent of the dairy you're allowed in your morning coffee / tea. My husband also enjoys in Saurkraut - keep looking!

On the topic of ketchup - I think the issue is that tomatoes have naturally occurring sugars. I'm not sure that it's possible to have a completely sugar-free ketchup. I think that's why tomatoes are a restricted vegetable.

I think someone had also posted about canned mushrooms, and finding a lot of carbs in them. Same thing - mushrooms have some naturally occurring carbs. If you compare equal weights of canned vs fresh mushrooms, their nutritional info (at least with respect to sugars, fibers and carbs) seem about the same. I like the fresh, but sometimes substitute the canned if I'm out of fresh.

SylvieG - I think this is going to be the hardest part about the program - how do we live and keep the weight off? I think little bites isn't going to destroy your progress. But maybe balance that with some extra exercise.

I had a few cheats last week (travelled internationally - was good until my last night). I think the worst thing about cheating is that when you do it, you make it easier and easier to continue to cheat. If you hold strong and it's months without cheating, it's hard to make you crack. But if you just had a cheat the day before, the decision to cheat again is so much easier. It's a slippery slope!

Weigh in day yesterday! Down another 6 lbs, makes 16lbs in past 2 weeks on IP! I haven't been under 160 in 10yrs and can't wait! My goal is to fit into a beautiful dress for my renewal of vows in Feb. Married for 20years.

Hubby made me the choc muffins with WF choc sauce. Texture was great but the taste was not! Any idea how to tweak this to get it more palatable?

Hello!
I am new to this forum and the Ideal Protein diet (first day today). I have to say I love this forum already.

Not so sure about the diet yet. It is only the first day and I have a terrible headache and naseau. I am a big sweet lover but I am going to try my hardest to stick with it. I think these boards will help!

I swear by a 1/2 tsp seat salt in 8 oz of water. My headaches were gone in 15 min and after the first week, never had them again.

I do"cheat" a little with a bite here and there, and a sprinkle of cheese on the omelette in the mornings. When I do cheat with a bite, I make it low carb. Its my way of staying on plan; otherwise I would go crazy. It hasnt slowed me down and seems to help me in the long run. The other thing about a very small cheat is that I personally believe those few extra calories get my body out of the "rut" it is in on a low calorie diet. If you ever did WW, you may have heard of the "Wendie" plan where you alternate days of high and low calories. On the weekends, I have one day where I sneak a few bites of salami, lunchmeat or cheese etc., and then then next day I have no restricted packets and exercise more. Im still playing around with it but I am hoping it helps keep my metabloism going.

Day 4 for me! I feel good and feel we all can do this. My husband is on it too and in 5 days has lost 11 lbs. I haven't felt tired like I thought I would, but did have a major headache on morning of day 2. I did the water and sea salt, but in 15 min the headache was worse, so I took 2 Excedrin Migraine and went to bed for 1 1/2 hours. Afterwards the headache was history!

Thanks for the info I will try the water with salt

Just give it a few days and it will pass.. I didn't get the headache until my 3rd and 4th day today is my 6th day and it has passed.
good luck you can do it

4th weigh in tomorrow. I don't know why i am disappointed with only 3# a week - a guess after seeing a lot of you post that you lost 6# or more/week is a little frustrating. I did just try on some slacks that were way too tight before and now they are almost loose. YEAH!! I usually wear jeans so i didn't notice the inches too much. (jeans seem to be very forgiving and able to hide weight)
Congrats everyone on a job well done.
If feeling unmotivated, try on some clothes that were too tight and see if that doesn't keep you on the straight & narrow.

Back in the March timeframe, I picked up some bins to get the clothes that were too tight out of my closet. Last night I checked, and found 6 pairs of pants that fit great! It was such a nice boost to my evening - like a shopping spree without spending any money!

I also had bad headaches etc days 2 and 3 and I was told to try lemon juice in my water and having a bath with sea salt (epsom salt would probably work too). Do not give up because once the headache is gone it will be worth it!!!!

Hi, Feverfixer. I've never tasted the WF chocolate sauce(the dressings were enough for me!), so I can't help you there. BUT, this weekend I tried the same fix for the choc. cake that I use for the choc. pudding.

add:
1 1/2-2 packs Splenda
splash of real vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt(maybe 1/8 teaspoon)

It was really good with my coffee. Keep up the good work.