Hi everyone my name is Tami and I am going to my initial IP today.

Good luck, Tami! I had my initial session last week and I was nervous, not sure why other than not wanting to see the numbers.

Can't wait to hear all about it!

knm, I had the exact same thing happen! I lost 6.5 in week 1. Then my weigh in after week 2 was the one following Thanksgiving where my coach didn't bring his scale. So finally today I had my 3rd week weigh in and over the last TWO weeks, I'm only down another 4 lbs, even having been entirely OP through Thanksgiving. My bathroom scale is apparently a liar because it told me I was down more like 6. Last week was TOM and everything just stopped, so here's to you and me (and everyone!) having an extra productive week!

Good job on staying away from the treats. I found it hard to say no to the goodies in the first week, basically I wanted to eat everything the other people having, but after couple weeks, it gets easier to stay away from all the temptations. Its all about will power and positive attitude, and a goal you want to achieve such as looking goood in a bikini.

Reality check - you lost FOUR POUNDS IN TWO WEEKS! Two pounds a week is FANTASTIC! That is within range of what the average losses are on IP. Weight loss is a journey, you are going to have big loss weeks, and lower loss weeks (maybe even a NO loss week here or there if your body needs to adjust to everything that's happening to it) - all of that is part of the trip.

I'm curious why you said everything has stopped? You have lost EVERY WEEK since beginning IP, and lost more than you would on just about any other program. Make sure you are setting realistic expectations for yourself, no need to get stressed out or disappointed when you're right on track!

WELCOME TAMI .... When I first saw your post I had to double take because I thought to myself when did I write this post ... Im in week 3 then I remembered I didn't use my name as my screenname on 3FC .....

Feel free to jump in ... everyone on this site is EXTREMELY HELPFUL AND KIND.

Your new friend ... Tami

Thanks for the reality check, Scorbet. The reason I say things stopped is that I watched my scale sit at the same number through the whole week of TOM, but it sounds fairly typical, and you're totally right that 2 lbs/ week average is a major success! I also know I shouldn't get on the scale every day because that will only make me more focused on the number, not the overall progress, but I was kind of fascinated that the stop in weight-loss movement tracked so directly to the TOM. So now I guess I just know that that might be expected for me each month and I won't fret over it.

Hi all -- Glad to hear everyone's doing well. Happy not to have any big parties this coming weekend -- though it is my bday week. I've told my family that this is all a present to myself (and told them I do not want a cake!). Very pleased with the change so far and looking to knock off about five more pounds by the time I hit the beach in two weeks (though at almost 50, I will not be in a bikini )

LOL, I say go for the bikini, Mimi! I'm 50 (51 in March) and I still wear 'em!
Liana

Ha ha! Looking at your great pics, I'm sure you could really work 'em! Would be a mistake on me, with my c-section abs!

Tami, how did your initial meeting go?

Had my third weigh in yesterday. And for the second week, no weight loss on the scale, but my muscle mass is up 1.6 lbs. My coach was very encouraging, trying to get me to focus on the fact that my muscle went up in weight but the number on the scale didn't move, so I did lose fat. I wish my coach had this scale the first time around. I got to 123 lbs, but was only doing pilates at the time. Now that I'm doing weight training I know I've gotten a lot stronger, but now I don't know what a reasonable number on the scale is. Oh well, I'll just keep trucking along until I am happy with the results!

knm -- Does your coach's new scale give you a print-out which has bar graphs with Body Composition Analysis, Obesity Analysis, etc.? Mine has those plus a little section that is is about Body Fat & LBM (Lean Body Mass) -- that part suggests how much Fat I still should lose and how much LBM (muscle) I should try to gain.

I need to start regular strength training. Was also planning to start pilates after the new year, but thank you for reminding me that the weights should probably take priority.

I thought I read some where about not doing weight training in P1?

Cardio is not recommended in Phase 1 because you simply are not eating enough calories to support vigorous exercise. If a person was very active prior to P1, their body can tolerate a bit more and they could potentially resume MILD exercise after about week 3 with an additional packet on workout days.

Strength training does not raise your heart rate in the same way or burn calories at the same intensity as cardio, and can actually be good on P1 by helping to increase lean muscle mass. The trade off is that any exercise you add has the potential to slow down losses a bit if you only go by what the scale says. But building lean muscle can improve inches lost, and lean muscle %.

Any exercise should not be added into your routine until after week 3, once your body has settled into ketosis.