I do believe that the old IP sheet that I had said 5 to 8 oz, 5 for meat and 8 for fish, while the new sheet I recently downloaded says 8oz for everything.

I will be starting IP the first week in Jan. I don't mean to be stupid but how do the coaches know if you are losing muscle vs fat?

That's not stupid to ask! There's a device that measures body fat, and other things...you hold it in your hands...it's used by insurance companies in wellness programs as well as physicians offices and in IP offices...if you google "device that measures body fat" you'll find all sorts of information on the web. Where I use to work we had one that was included in the scale so when you weighed yourself you also got a print out on your body "make up" i.e. body fat... Enjoy the diet and keep coming back here...there's a wealth of information regarding IP!

Ugh...it is alot!!! I like the idea of dividing it between two meals (lunch and dinner)...hopefully my coach will be on board with that idea.

Serious!!! Ugh..it is so much to eat! Can you upload the doc to this site for us to see??? Thanks!

Lucky you!!! I'm not a meat lover...was actually a vegetarian for quite a few years...but I'm weaving all sorts of meat back into my diet... well mainly chicken... I use to have no problem eating it fried! but I use to love anything fried...

I'm sure most of the clinics that do measure BMI are using some type of BIA equipment. Of course water testing is the gold standard, but really who is going to do that unless they are a professional athlete. Certainly not the average dieter. I don't think anyone can go 100% by these BIA machines, but as long as one is well hydrated, then at least they can give you a ballpark figure.

You got it! & I know they shouldn't be administered so frequently, and my coach does it every week...hmmm...maybe I shouldn't be so worried about my "potential" muscle loss...

The bioimpedance devices aren't as accurate as some other methods, but if you have your weigh ins at consistent times and such what you can see are trends. I have access to a BODPOD and so I did that and found slight differences but it wasn't huge.

When I began IP, I had a stress fracture in my foot, so I wasn't able to do much for the first few months. I had good weight loss and reasonable body fat loss. As soon as I started back dancing, I kept having good weight loss, but wasn't dropping fat... probably because I wasn't eating enough to compensate for the exercise. As soon as I increased my protein, the fat percentages began to drop again.

I wouldn't worry about it if it's just one week, but if it continues that way for a month, then, I'd be more concerned. Follow your coach's advice though.

Good luck.

I had the same concern over several weeks on plan. One or two weeks raises an eyebrow, but if its consistent then you should increase your protein as suggested. I was on 4 IP packets a day, plus 8oz of meat at night. I began adding in 1/3 cup of egg whites in the morning then I had my IP item about 1/2 hour later (to space things out) with this I began to regain my muscle mass and still lost weight.

So how often do your coaches measure your muscle vs body fat? I only had it done at the start of the program. Each week I am measured with a tape measure and weighed but no checks....

My coach checks every week. I always get checked first thing in the morning and with basically the same workout clothes on, so as Marionm suggested being consistent helps. I'm not going to hang my hat on those numbers, but they do tend to be consistent and not all over the place number wise. I also get measured and weighed of course each week too.

Personally, I asked to be measured monthly because there won't be significant changes week to week. Also the device should be done less frequently...again, just my personal opinion, I think it should be done monthly because it's not a exact science. And of course weigh-ins should be done weekly.

Thanks for sharing your experience with me...that made me feel more at ease (along with all the other posts). I've increased my protein intake. Unfortunately I was just told my thyroid isn't working properly and I'm getting more blood work done to determine how "off" it really is...but I'm so exhausted I can't do any exercising...oh, and my MS doesn't help either... woe is me!!!

Each week I get on a Tanita scale which kicks out detailed print out of weight (gives a 2# clothing allowance), my age/height/body type is input and then gives muscle mass, BMI, Fat, degree of obesity, and more. We usually then take a waist measurement as well.

Good news is that you've caught it and can treat it.