Actually the two egg whites are not a cheat. My coach told me to consider them a pure protein bonus. They are invaluable once you start experimenting with the recipes with the packets.

You can consider all unrestricted packets as an equal choice, they were designed that way for the program.

Fascinating about the imitation crab meat. I always wondered what it was made out of. Thanks for sharing that article!

Good luck! The first week is the hardest. It gets easier after that. I still eat an extra egg white, or hard boiled egg if I'm hungry in between meals, and I have had days where I've had 2 oz extra of meat with lunch, just to mix it up a little. But I make sure it's lean and on plan.

Yes, my husband did it for 4-5 days before he realized it and he lost just fine that week. Just don't worry and move on.

I have a problem with your "therefore, if one must cheat" statement. As Yoda said, "Do. Or not do. There is no try." Everything is a choice. Must one cheat? I would say no.

If you look at K/Fat/Carbs, packets range from 80 to 200 calories, 0 - 8g of fat, 0 - 15g carbs (these numbers aren't exact, but you get the idea). So if drank 2 Mango RTD and had orange wafers for a snack, I'm already at 500 calories before adding veggies and protein.

I don't manage the numbers, but that might change if my weight loss slows down.

Exactly.. This is why looking at the spread sheet with each IP item from your coach with the nutritional info on each IP packet lets you learn and have some management of the day to day caloric intake and things like sodium if you are sensitive. If you are trying to limit or balance which protein source is used (example: if you are hypo thyroid.. Best to not use mostly packets with soy isolate. There are other choices from IP and you may want to be sure you're not overloading on soy since there are also whey and albumen proteins used. We may not have to "count" calories or points on IP...but for many of us pretending it is not something to be concerned or knowledgeable about only ensures that down the road we have not taken ownership of what and the content we are eating. That for the most part is a really big problem that 6 weeks or 6 months on IP won't fix.

Must take a minute to offer apologies to any and everyone who find my attitude too regimented, but failure for me is not an option anymore. I recommend Al Roker's book..."Never goin' Back"... His very public struggle touched me. there is nothing new in his book...just an honest and poignant tale of how he took control...after multiple attempts..very public failures and a lot of heart break. His dragons were not the same as mine.... we all have our own, but his final victory at slaying the beast...well... Identity factor ...very high. Plus some good recipes for the future! After all..it is Al Roker!!

This.

Excellent points regarding the imitation crab meat. I never even thought about fillers...I am going to eat up my package to avoid waste and then never buy again! Lol

I think I lucked out. My Coach plans our meals like 65x65 said for the first two weeks. I think this makes it easier, and shows you how the program works. I have 21 different food choices for the first week, and I didnt have to try and figure out how it all goes together. She had a menu and calendar all ready for us. I wonder if other coaches do this.

Lucky you!! That sounds like a well run IP place. Rare. I remember muddling through all of this the first days and weeks. Having clinical laboratory training.. I had to dig through it all til I knew everything about what was in each packet.. Made my own spreadsheets because of sodium and wheat/ gluten sensitivity.. Soy worried me a lot because of my own 30 years of thyroid problems and documented evidence soy can inhibit thyroid function and meds. Lucky for me, I have not had a soy problem. I recognized early on though, I was on my own trying to get that right for me...and did not want to fail because of something I could work out on my own. Early on I became QUITE disillusioned with how IP handles their coaches after initial training. Glad some sites offer this kind of guidance.

I think comparing all the nutrients in the packages would be very overwhelming for newbies. The protocol sheets have been carefully planned to be correctly balanced and simple, just follow them exactly.

I accidently ate 2 restricted items on a single day in my first week and I still lost 7 1bs that week. Although I am careful now. I put a little red sticker on the restricted items and try to plan my week out making sure that I don't eat more than 1 in a day and don't eat all of my favorites in the first two days so that I have something I really like everyday.
I felt ill my 2nd and 3rd day on IP and my coach had me eat 1 additional packet each of those days.
Even if it was a slip up, it shouldn't take more than 2 days on program to set it right.

Something that has helped me avoid having two restricteds in one day...I store my unrestricteds in a cupboard and my restricteds in a completely seperate "treat drawer"...then it's more of a conscious effort when I'm choosing my one restricted for the day. Just a tip from a fellow newbie.