ThatRuralLife, yay for taking control of your weight, and for joining us here!

The holidays are scary for me. I'm a carb addict, and what's around during Thanksgiving and Christmas? CARBS, in a big way. I will still be in Phase 3 at Thanksgiving, so my plan is to eat my healthy breakfast, then just protein at lunch, and save all 4 of my cups of veggies for the big meal. My daughter is in P1, so we'll plan some dishes we can both enjoy with the rest of the family.

Christmas is a little more daunting, and I don't have a plan for it yet. I know that I I won't be able to have Christmas candy in the house this year, and might have to ban cookies as well. We'll see how well I'm managing myself at that point.

Hi,

I have decided to give this program a try. I have my initial meeting scheduled for Thursday. I have read alot on this forum and believe that I am ready to take this program on during the holidays. I am wondering if anyone has any tips for the few days prior to starting the program. Do you start cutting back on carbs? Do you start to clean out your house? Any suggestions welcome.

Welcome smdawheel - it sounds like you've done a lot of reading, so you probably have a pretty good idea of the basics.
When I started, I found reading through the recipe threads was very helpful (a LOT of info, it will take you at least till Thursday )
They are on page 1 of this thread

There are great ideas on how to use the IP packets in other ways, I know for me, I don't use most of them following the directions
Also, some people find it challenging at first to get all the veggies in, the recipes are full of ideas.
If you can make your meals easier and more interesting, it will help you stay on track.

You might also look at this thread
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...ht-i-will.html

- make your own list, and keep it somewhere to refer to on your journey.

Lots of people here are happy to help, we've all lived through week 1, so come back and ask, and let us know how you're doing

Hi there, smdawheel! I think two easy things to start with are

1) begin drinking enough water NOW. You need to drink about half your body weight, in ounces. So if you weigh, say, 200 pounds, you should drink 100 oz per day. If you're not a water drinker, this can be tough at first.

2) Start cleaning out your pantry and cupboards. One reason: you don't want to be tempted by foods you can't eat on protocol. Another reason: you're going to need space for all your protocol foods.

Other than that, enjoy the next couple of days, and mentally prepare for the work - and rewards! - that are ahead.

Go shopping for your vegetables, etc so you are prepared starting day 1.

There is a thread I started a while back called Tips and Tricks (use search to find it) that you might want to peruse through. For example, I bought some steaming microwave dishes on Amazon that are perfect for steaming 2 c vegetables and very portable. There are a bunch of suggestions like that as well as how to make it easier to drink the water, etc.

Here is the thread that Ro22 was talking about http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...ps-tricks.html

For me, planning, focus and reading EVERYTHING I could/can find has kept me on pace since February 2015-I love this diet!!!

Welcome wheel

The folks here know what they are talking about! This is a wonderful, intimate support group.
I am 39 years old and have been overweight my entire life! I successfully lost 89 pounds over the last 10 months (234 start / 145 current) - my average was 2.8 #'s a month until I got to these last 5 and that's not unusual.

IP is more than just an investment in the products, it is an investment in YOURSELF!
As others have noted, planning and preparation are KEY to success. Please believe me when I say there have been plenty of nights I would have fallen back into old habits had I not had pre-cut / pre-cooked / frozen meals at my disposal.
Some additional advice:
- Buy Janeva Eickhoff's IP cookbook: http://www.janevasidealrecipes.com/store/p2/Janeva's_Ideal_Recipes.html
- the crock pot is your friend
- If you are limited for time, as many of us are (work, kids, friends, etc), find a handful of favorite recipes and make one or two of them every weekend & refrigerate or freeze them for easy dinners.

You can do this!

Beth - thanks for the book reference. I wasn't aware of it. I had seen some vague references to it in some of the posts and never knew what people were referring to. I just ordered the book. I doubt I'll like many of the recipes as is as I am pretty picky, but I ordered it to give me ideas to doctor my own recipes to things I like.

Hi All, I've been doing IP for a few months now and have had success. However, it's becoming quite costly. I've read through the posts and have downloaded the phase sheets. My question is, when the phase sheet for alternatives say 1 IP product, does that mean a true IP product or an alternative?

The Phase 1 protocol sheet is from IP so they mean an actual IP product... HOWEVER if you choose to use alternatives, then that is what it would mean for you! 😃

Hi Everyone! This is a repost since I put it in the wrong thread originally. I'm starting the Ideal Protein diet next month (after the holidays and a half marathon). I'm starting to wrap my mind around it and lower my carbs.

What would you recommend a person new to IP get? I know I'll need a scale.

Also, what sauces/dressings/spice brands are ok? I've seen posts about Walden Farms and Flavor God, but I've also come across Simple Girl products. Those seem to have better reviews but I wasn't sure they were ok.

What products would you recommend for Week 1? I'm thinking Vanilla RTD, broccoli/cheese soup, and vanilla crispy squares.

Welcome beaka I see that Beth answered you on the other thread, and had some great suggestions.
BTW, you're welcome to post on either thread we're all very friendly here!

If you look back on this thread and read, oh, maybe the last 10 or so posts, there is a lot of good information there on getting started.

Definitely get rid of any sugary/carb-y foods now. Start drinking water.
Read the recipe threads (links are on page 1 of this thread) - lots of great ideas there.
Plan several meals now, including ways to get your veggies in (this seems to be a major challenge for many people at the start)

Are you doing this with a coach/through a clinic? If so, and you're using just the the IP products, ask your coach if you can try a variety of single packets (my clinic does this) - then you'll know the ones you like. My go-to's are the drinks and puddings, I like them blended with water and ice. The vanilla crispy squares are also good (and not restricted). A lot of the packets are not great as is, but you can use some of the packets to make bread, pancakes, muffins...see the recipe threads.

Come back and ask questions, we've all been where you are!

Thank you! I've called a couple of places and have two consultations this month. i'm pretty sure which I will pick though. The coach told me they only sell individual packets of those items that have nutritional information on the individual packet, so I'm not sure how limiting that will be. I'll be starting mid-January. Vegetables aren't a problem for me- it's the staying away from sugar.

Welcome Beaka,

Since we are similar in body size and weight I am guessing we will be doing this journey together. I decided to start before the holidays. Good luck on the 1/2 marathon. I started mid-November and the clinic sold me a starter pack with 28 different items and gave me a print out of the nutritional information. I have noticed that more items seem to have the NI on them. (I have not found a bar that does).

I did not find any of the soups very filling. With the broccoli and cheddar soup adding my 1 - 2 cups of veggies to it made it feel more like a meal.
(it is individually labeled)

A few things I have found. A good food scale is a must. I also like my Ninja -- I do wish I would have purchased the IQ model with the 24 oz cup as I find the 16 oz cup a little hard to get the ice, spinach, water, and packet in (this order works best for me).

I have also found that good flavored olive oils are helpful (We have an olive oil store here in town). I was able to make a chicken salad with my 2 tsp of oil on Thursday.

Planning ahead for events is also a big one for me. Another Christmas party tonight and I was asked to bring a veggie tray (Yay, I know I can eat that) and I think I will bring along the soup I made last night in case I can not eat anything else.

My personal favorite currently is the wild-berry yogurt drink mix (with spinach and ice in the Ninja) - It is labeled with Nutritional Information on the package).

I also like the vanilla pudding mixed into a shake with cinnamon (not labeled individually). I find this makes a bigger / thicker shake.

You may want a few extra packets the first week as you can take extra packets if hungry. Pickles were helpful for the sodium and as a quick and crunch snack.

I would also recommend a pancake mix (is labeled) so that you can make some muffins - I add zucchini to mine. I find these are great snacks a good way to add vegetables. The ones made with the pancake mix have a better texture. I would also recommend the Janveas cookbook as a week one or 2 purchase.

I have a good selection of packets as I bought more than 3 boxes on visit 2, 3 and 4 (I like variety), I am missing my visit this week do to traveling, but my supply is sufficient that I won't run out of food. (If you want to know if a packet is individually labeled I can check if I have it and let you know).

Sue

I want to get that tracker on my signature so I better start posting .

I started IP about two weeks ago .. I've lost about 6 pounds in those two weeks and I am pretty discouraged. First week I lost about 5 and then this last week only 1. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong. I thought, looking at other posts and talking to other people, that the weight would come off more quickly.

Anyway, I'll continue to read more and see if there is something I should be doing or doing differently.