Carla, you are such a wealth of information!! I think I have been having way more veggies than I should because I usually do a brief measurement after they have been cooked. One of my favourites is mushrooms and we all know how much they shrink! I hate raw mushrooms unfortunately so I only want them cooked but will have to cut down on the quantity. The others I eat regularly; asparagus, zuccini, broccoli and cauliflower don't shrink too much but again, I don't really like them raw. I guess I need to do a lot more reading cause I THOUGHT I was doing everything right..I guess that is why I'm having problems with hunger.

Just another thought. If you are someone who likes garlic keep an eye on the quantity you use when cooking. Garlic, and to some extent Ginger, are "spices" that can add carbs very quickly.

My suggestion is get a carb counter book or spend time reviewing the carb counts of your most commonly used ingredients on a nutrition data site. I like nutritiondata.com I believe Linden uses an entirely different one that is very good.


In my experience, it is the hidden carbs and over sized portions that don't look it when cooked down that sometimes can throw you off and make you "want" a little more throughout the day.

Mmm...forbidden garlic. (Said in my best Homer Simpson voice)

[QUOTE=showgirlaz;3464430]I believe Linden uses an entirely different one that is very good. /QUOTE]

Here you go. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Debora, thanks so much for asking this question! I just started today and was trying to find out when to measure the food. I was almost in a panic that I couldn't find it when I found this!

Hi, all. My first post. hopefully it is okay to write on Debora's thread since it is another question from a newbie!

I have not yet begun IP. I have contacted my coach (the same coach a friend used and my friend looks and feels wonderful after being on IP since Mayl!!). The coach requires bloodwork and health profile completed before I can meet with her and then I presume I get all the packets and supplements, etc. Can't see my doc to do the bloodwork until Friday Sep 10, so I guess I'll be starting mid-September or so. In the meantime, I have read a bunch of the sticky threads for beginners (not all of them yet). Two questions for you experienced IPers:

Do I set my goal weight or does my coach set it for me? I don't want to have unrealistic expectations (and therefore set myself up for "failure" even though I know I will be healthier). I would imagine my weight loss goal will be in the neighborhood of 20 - 40 lbs. I'm around 160 right now, but being perimenopausal, not sure I should aim for 120 lb (what I weighed when I was 20 years old) or 140lb (what I weighed after losing the last of the pregnancy weight 21 years ago). Just not sure how one sets the goal weight (me or coach) and if you use a formula (like, BMI?)

other question is, having read Dr Chanh's book, all the pdfs that posters have linked for us newbies, and so much here on 3FC, would you recommend I make or not make any changes to my eating plan until I meet with my coach? Should I start drinking more water now and make changes to my food choices now or wait? I did SBD a number of years ago (and Atkins even longer ago) for long enough to lose 15 lbs or so, so I understand the fundamentals of ketosis. In the past, I always went off the wagon so to speak, as I transitioned to adding more carbs. I just didn't make long-term changes. [well, marriage troubles and eventual divorce affected my focus on taking care of myself, too.] It seems from reading here that one can learn and navigate the return to less restrictive choices with IP, so that is why I am willing to embark on this program - long-term results so I don't find myself here yet again. But, should I wait to jump in with both feet or perhaps start sticking my toes in the water now? Carpe diem and all that.

Any opinions/advice you have, I will read and consider, so Thanks in advance! I am looking forward to being a support and being supported here (and getting my 20 posts)

Hi! I bumped a thread for you about selecting a goal weight, so check it out. The one thing I would say up front, is that you will probably find the fat burning will leave your body smaller at a higher weight than in the past. I have been in maintenance for 3 months, and wear a smaller size now than I ever have, even than when I was at a lower weight. I started less optimistically, then settled on the BMI calculation, which turned out to be pretty good for me (and my sister).

I started pretty quickly after deciding to do IP, but it's really up to you what you do between now and then. I signed up on a Saturday, and started the next day (having already shopped appropriately.) I had pizza those last couple of nights, then went for it. You can either get in the things you'll miss most, or start tapering off. I wouldn't recommend gorging yourself, and it's always good to drink lots of water, so that won't hurt if you want to crank it up. I don't now if cutting back on carbs would make the first three days needed to get into ketosis easier or not... sorry.

It's a great diet and the health benefits are wonderful, so congrats on making a smart decision. And if you want to see how my sister and I fared on IP, check the photos in my public profile.

See you on the boards!

Hi, Wonder Cat, I'm glad you're joining us. I think your post is the most thoughtful newbie post I've read. I also think you've done the VERY best thing you can do to get prepared: You've read and digested. (Sorry, I wasn't trying to be punily cute. That's a paraphrase of Frances Bacon.)

“It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.” Isn't that great?

thanks, Novak for the bump and the existential thinking about setting a goal weight and the wisdom you have learned from your experience (wise you are, yoda ) I read the link to your old post, too. Your affirmations about deserving this body and never giving this up? Fabulous!
Good to know that my "goal" might be a moving target and that that's okay. BTW, I have been gluten-free since mid-July, only as an experiment; I'm not gluten-intolerant that I know of. But in not eating bread/pasta, I have been going overboard on potatoes/rice/corn. I'll be interested to see if I have an easier transition than some or maybe it won't make any difference. I have started to drink more water already. And you and your sister will be some of the many inspiring photos - hot, hot, HOT!!

and thanks Linden for the welcome and the great quote. There is deep stuff there to chew on (er,... digest). I will continue to learn from you all until my day one and beyond.

Thank you for your kind words.

Hey, one of the newbies on the daily thread just reminded me of another diet prep activity: getting rid of the temptations you don't want to have in the house. If you live alone or others in your household are dieting as well, this might include pulling items from the pantry that can be donated to food drives, etc. You are already making changes in your diet, and believe me, you will be much more label conscious after this is over... so if you want to make some space in your cupboards for your IP food (and Walden Farms, if you use them), clear the decks of things you'll probably never use again. And if there are others around NOT dieting, it still won't hurt to convert them to a healthier selection of products...

Glad you are joining us, and look forward to many more posts from your end!

You're welcome, but I just realized we didn't answer your first question. I think most people set their own weight expectation, with advice from their coaches. Moreover, you can change it. Many people do -- downward. But inches and % body fat are probably better indicators, in the long run, of where you should be.

Water: A good hard and fast rule is 1/2 ounce water per pound of body weight. Cola (a no-no) doesn't count. Nor, by most interpretations, does the second cup of coffee. Coffee like cola and, to a lesser extent, tea dehydrate. You can start getting out of the habit of using canned (too salty) and prepared foods. Get free of corn oil and all corn derivatives, which are legion. Make sure you aren't food sensitive to soy. Unadulterated frozen foods are as good as fresh and, if you steam them while they're still frozen, they retain more nutrients than fresh foods. Strange but true. Find out what your coach thinks of artificial sweeteners. Is stevia allowed? Splenda.

Sorry, that's all I can think of. It's going on midnight here and I'm running out of steam.

Ideal Protein Coaches will NOT tell you what your goal should be. They may suggest healthy ranges for you but, this is your journey and you must be committed to it. It will be left to you to decide the goal and you ABSOLUTELY are allowed to adjust it up OR down as you realize what and where your body needs to be.

You may use any means you like to decide the goal weight. In my case, I have been severely overweight (obese by bmi) for so long, I couldn't picture what I would look like at a lower weight. I picked an arbitrary number to aim for (150) and intended to use it as a target where I would decide what my real goal weight would be. Just an aside, this plan really burns fat and inches so, I reached a size 8 at 162 pounds NOW, the caveat, I am a very large bone frame and worked out a ton before hand so, that is part of it for me. The point is, you will be surprised at how little the weight number itself may matter.

You certainly can use a body fat percentage you want to achieve.. some aim for 25% others 22%. Or, you can go for a healthy BMI. If you google BMI calculator you will find some great tools to determine your healthy range.
You can go by a size you'd like to be, or a particular measurement for waist, hips, chest. There are lots of methods, pick the one you will be most happy with and KNOW you can change it.

Regarding start now or not. WELL, if you do, you may not see or record the great WHOOSH of the first week. If that matters to you, having the recorded, high loss then wait. Otherwise, start tapering back on the carbs, increase the water, and get rid of the soda and alcohol. It will make a slightly better first week.

NOW... the possible bad news. Everyone thinks ketosis is achieved in 3 days. It isn't always the case. Some people can take 10 days to get into ketosis. Be patient if that is happening. This can occur more often with someone who has played around with ketogenic diets (atkins, south beach) in the past. There is a phenomena, not too uncommonly seen, and referred to as the "golden shot" by some who really know how ketogenic diets and low carbing works. This golden shot is the opportunity some people get to really drop the weight by shocking the body into ketosis. It lasts for them until they cheat. Once they cheat, the bodies memory of how to function fully in ketosis is there and it quickly goes into regulating blood sugar levels making it much harder to get into ketosis and stay there again. THAT CHEAT can be hugely impactful for some.

I am only sharing that because, if you find this is not starting the way you like, remember your body has a history with ketosis. You may have to be more strict to get the results. DON'T eat the restricted packets during the first week or 2, longer if you can. When you add them, add slowly, 1 restricted or 2 a week at most until you see how your body is handling them. Stay away from the occasional vegetable the first week or 2 if you find your body is not slipping into ketosis easily. DON"T over use splenda or other sweeteners. They have hidden carb values and, once you start using multiple packets or measures a day, you can pick up 3 or more carbs you didn't want.

Learn the carb values for ginger, garlic, spinach and other veggies you use often. You will be surprised how many carbs are unlocked when cooking a veggies.


Ok... enough of that.. I am so glad you are here and you will LOVE this program!

Carla.....is raw spinach okay? I have been using it in my regular romaine to add vitamins......I guess about 1 C raw.....would it be advisable to cut back on this? I haven't cooked it yet (only liked it with bacon, onions and vinaigrette- so that is out!). What do you suggest.

Yeah, and the whole garlic thing is a kill joy....it makes a lot of foods go down easier. Ugh.

Raw is GREAT!! it is nearly zero carbs. In cooked for it goes to 5 carbs.

I love to lightly steam my spinach with some olive oil, lemon and sea salt. It gives it a nice flavor, IMHO.

For garlic. USE FRESH. You end up with more carbs in garlic powder or dried/desicated garlic because it is so concentrated.

Thanks, Novak
Thanks, Linden and
Thanks, showgirlaz

you are all founts of good information and things I didn't even know I need to ask! I'll keep reading here and other threads

can anyone point me to a specific thread about exercise? I am active now (ride my bike to work everyday - only 12 minutes or so each way - and I play ice hockey - practice and/or a game weekly). I have read various posts that say, a few weeks in to the program, she starts to add in walking, but perhaps that is one who has not been active before starting the program. I have also read that, with more exercise, adding an extra IP packet is advised, but should I plan on being much less active?

in fact, I am off to a scrimmage right now, so I'll read any answers later!