I have a few strange weeks coming up.

I am going to WI (#6) tomorrow (Fri) rather than my normal Saturday and next week I am going to WI on Thursday. I hope that I still see decent numbers and that the change doesn't mess me up too much. I am 21.8 down as of my last WI (#5) and I was hoping to hit 30 by The 26th (WI #8).
Has anyone been "thrown off" by changes like this?

I don't know if you have access or visit my idea protein portal. They have daily coach video there which I found very helpful. Last night I finally had some time to watch couple of them, and one of them was about exercise. Basically the rule of thumb is exercise as long as you are not panting as panting is a sign of your body looking for energy from the protein source. It also talks about that you cannot lose weight through exercising, but toning is always good.

I haven't had a chance to check out the portal yet! I really need to do that. Hopefully I can find some time this weekend. I'm glad to hear about the exercise thing though. I love love LOVE lifting weights and I can't wait to get back to it. If I can get back to it sooner than later that would be great! I would imagine hot yoga is still going to be a bad idea until I'm out of P1 though.

Hmm123 I'd imagine the different weekdays will throw out what you register for your official weigh ins seeing as you'll be weighing in after less than seven days. Though seeing as they are each just six days apart I would imagine it wouldn't skew the numbers too much. Congratulations on 21.8 lbs lost!!

Check out the video's, they are amazing!

Definitely off today. Lost 1.6 when my average was over 4! In addition to the 6. Days, I am completely bloated. Bah humbug! Lol

1.6 is a darn good loss deary, don't get down over that!

Kimo - I was wondering about hot yoga too, I would love to start but wonder if P1 is a bad time to do it?

Fluffy (Cause I can never spell it right! LOL!) - Thanks for the tips on the videos, I will for sure check them out.

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Weigh in for me tomorrow, I am nervous as always! I was soooo tempted to weigh myself this week but am sticking to the only at weigh in rule. I think I would get disappointed and let it affect my moral, and I don't need that!

I am on week 6 and I am having more bleh days recently. Not sure if it's a combination of my Dad being ill or just me feeling deprived at all these parties and events. I am growing tired of salad and we have another potluck at work today where everyone is bringing stuff and I'm stuck eating just a salad. Ugh! Any words of encouragement??

1.6 lbs is a great loss! IMO any loss is a great loss!

Teags - There's a lot of parties, events, etc that are going on that aren't exactly IP friendly (can you say wine and cheese night!) I just keep telling myself that this is a period in my life, it won't last forever. Next year I can participate in all of these things (and do it in moderation of course). I also tell myself that I feel much better than everyone who's eating and drinking all the bad stuff! Oh, and losing weight and looking better is always a good motivator. Maybe that will help you! You can do this, we'll push each other through the holidays! If we can get through the holidays we can get through anything!

Very true!! The holidays are hard, but that much more rewarding when we make it through them.

I think we should make a mini goal to lose over the Christmas week. It can be done and I would love to have some extra motivation to stay OP!

We just had our appy day at work. There are like 10 appetizers on the table and I had NONE, so proud of myself. They were all talking me into having a little bit, but stay OP is stay OP and with a bit willpower and thinking of the reward and compliment later, we all can do it!


BTW TeagsC I like Fluffy

I guess I just said something for that. Just think about how much calories your co-workers are taking and you are on your way to be fabulous. Test your will power and be proud of yourself. I cannot say much about the salad. All I do is focusing on not being hungry not enjoying the flavor. I use to munch when I am bored, angry, depressed, and I tend to overeat. Now staying OP seems have corrected all the bad habits. Savor every bite of an IP waffle can be quite satisfying too!

TeagsC, what are you doing for your other veggies throughout the day? I actually rarely eat a salad on IP. Maybe once or twice a week? I should probably eat more salads to fill up on unlimited veggies, but anyway… For lunch veggies, I've been roasting a whole cookie sheet of broccoli and/or cauliflower with evoo, cumin, coriander, and chili powder on Sunday and then divide it into tupperware to grab on my way out every morning. I'm telling you, it is DELICIOUS. And it doesn't taste at all like you'd expect. Something about the coriander makes the broccoli taste kind of caramelized and sweet, not at all like chili. Just 20 mins in an oven at 425F and it's perfect. I've also done mashed cauliflower for the week in tupperware, fajita-style veggies (peppers and green onion) tossed with cumin, chipotle, onion powder, garlic, and oregano, and stir-fry style veggies tossed with ginger, garlic, soy sauce and olive oil. That's kind of the full extent of my make-ahead rotation, but it all cooks easily in a large batch and all re-heats well at lunchtime, so I've found that that works well for maintaining my veggie intake without resorting to many salads. If you use Pinterest (I'm addicted), there are tons of recipes there, too.

Good luck mixing it up! Hope this helps some!

Love the mini goal idea of committing to lose over Christmas week, Teags. I'm in!

MaPetiteChoux -- I am also a half-way through November starter. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could be wrapping up this phase right after the holidays?! When everyone else in the world is just getting started on their New Year's resolutions?! Yay for all of us!

Fluffy and hmm -- I really enjoy the videos too. Especially the ones that explain what exactly is happening in our bodies. And it was helpful to see the one about how dangerous alcohol can be while on this kind of low-carb diet.

On the make-ahead veggies, I also roast cauliflower in advance. I also always have steamed broccoli in a tupperware in the fridge. Both of those are good on their own if you are on the run or in an IP soup. I'm also hooked on the cauliflower rice (grated, steamed in microwave, then sautéed with spinach, onions, garlic and various spices).

I think because it's winter and so cold outside, I have little interest in cold salads or raw celery sticks. Ain't gonna lie -- parties are tough! But I keep picturing that 5-lb hunk of fat that my coach showed me when I started IP, and I just want to lose another one of those before heading to the beach this Christmas! If I have to munch on salad and sip sparkling water for a few more nights in order to do that, so be it.

Thanks for the feedback ladies, you girls are so great and really motivate me to stick to it!

Mimi - isn't that chunk of fat insane??!? I liked it too.

MaPetiteChoux - I never thought of roasting the veggies in advance, I am having roasted caulk and broccoli now and it's a great idea to prep some for lunches. Thanks!

Fluffy - You're right, I do feel a heck of a lot better that I didn't eat anything crappy. Good for you to navigate away from it too!

On the ideas for veggies and "do ahead", I have been roasting radishes (425 for 18 minutes. Toss with evoo, salt, and lemon.) Even if you don't like radishes try it because they taste totally different this way. At the same time, I roast cauliflower. To me, it tastes better mashed after it's been roasted. For the cauliflower, I add an IP chicken soup mix and it's fantastic. I also make a roasted pepper and tomato soup with paprika. Another thing I make is a frittata with roasted veggies, egg whites, eggs. The frittata is not something that I would eat once phased off because it's missing something but when I eat it with a salad or soup it gives me enough satisfaction and variety for now. Once I phase off, I"ll play with some of my quiche recipes to add more veggies, less dairy, and come up with a version that balances well. All the other things I describe are keepers forever for me, they're that good!