Nope - never had a problem either way. I tend to split my protein lunch / dinner because I was crashing too hard at work and needed more to keep me running. Occasionally I know we're having a favorite, like steak, and will eat a free salad with an RTD - and almost always do this on the weekends. I do like a full plate

Kdl - so sorry you're feeling ill! Get well soon! (And listen to your body - sounds like though yours is saying rest for now, as opposed to 'eat'. RTD's and organic chicken broth sustained me during the worst of the cold I had last month
Long day - may or may not be around much until Friday. Hope Everyone is having a good week.

Congrats on the loss, Gem! What the Tanita scale ACTUALLY shows is loss of lean mass. This isn't specifically muscle - it can be tissue, too. (Edit: As you lose weight in general, you will of course have less tissue as well as less fat - it's logical, Spock!). I'll be taking a look at your macros on MFP when I finish with 3FC this evening, to see if I can spot any glaringly obvious misnomers.

Are you exercising at all? Gentle strength training (even doing planks, squats, push ups - not even with weights) will slow the rate of actual muscle loss. Any own body weight resistance will help. Wall push ups are good. Sitting on a chair and rising repeatedly is good. After the age of 40 most non-active people lose muscle because they are not using (aka developing) it.

Many reasons for a slow down on loss. Could be that you are actually not getting enough nutrients, could be that your macros are out of balance, could be that your body is sensitive to a reduction in a specific macro (very often fat!) or it could be that you are eating higher sodium content options and having water retention issue, could be hormone fluctuations.

When you phase out of IP you will probably continue to lose weight as your body remains in ketosis, despite having an extra carb in the morning, then increasingly more carbs during the day. The reason for a phase out is so that your body doesn't instantly replenish the glycogen stores in the liver and muscles (which makes up about 50-60% of the first week's loss, incidentally, as we shed that first on our way to ketosis) and it avoids people freaking out about weight gain.

I had a week off IP when my brother-in-law visited. I regained exactly 8lbs that week. At the end of an IP compliant week after his departure I had lost it all on the next WI, + an additional lb. This was a good reminder to me that IP has phases for a very good reason.

Protein, like carbs and fats, can (AND will) be used to convert to glycogen in the absence of other macronutrients. Beware of eating too much protein, as well as eating too little. Every one of us has thresholds at which our loss slows down or stops. Many people advocate 100% compliance throughout P1, but there are a few of us who like to push the boundaries and see where our thresholds are.

It's actually glycogen store replenishment in the liver and muscles. In the first week of ketosis your body uses that "reserve tank" as a fuel before it goes on to cannibalising your fat store. It averages 4-8lbs. However, what your coach is not telling you is that if you phase out properly (as per the IP protocol) this replenishment should be gradual enough that you do not see a big "gain". The reintroduction of carbs allows your body to gradually refill its energy reserves and so you should balance out the final pre-maintenance losses with the gradual replenishment.

One of the things you will notice on your clinic scale WI, is that your water percentage should be increasing with time. This is a good sign for your weight loss and also your general health. Fat burning takes water, muscle repair takes water, good digestion takes water. This is why the 64 oz minimum daily water intake is essential, more if you can manage it.

AmberI see now you have that info posted in your stats, sorry I missed that. So was your original goal 150 and you adjusted to 155? I have 9# to goal (my goal is 150, I'm 5'7), but lately I'm SO hungry! Plus losing slowly. I'm still on protocol but feeling like I need to adjust something.

ME TOO, Destony!! I have no difficulty downing the 8oz of natural protein every evening, along with a large salad of romaine and jicama, as well as my 2 cups of veggies. Despite my losses with IP, I still LOVE FOOD and enjoy eating.

Here's one for everyone...I have to have a procedure in 2weeks. One of the things I have to do is stop asprin/ibuprofen stuff 5 days prior. Okay, no problem..however, they also don't want me to have any vitamin c, multi vitamins, omegas 5 days prior either. Anyone else have to deal with this and if so, what did you do? I have emailed my clinic so that Saturday when I go to WI they will hopefully have the answer. I'm still phase 1 with about 50lbs more to go. I don't want anything messing with my focus.

destony I have seen it advised to phase off if you are having surgery. Not sure if that is what you are doing or something less intense. Keep us posted how you are doing and best wishes!

3bigdogs I went through a month of weight loss and gain with a total of only .5lb lost, frustrating I know. Last week my coach had me switch all of my products, and I eliminated the restricted item. I also eliminated tomatoes, green beans, milk & jicama as there was some question as to whether the daily spike in sugar was playing a role. WI yesterday was my largest in 12weeks -3.2lb. So I wouldn't give up yet, I'm sure others that have been on the program longer can give some advise. I would say to switch things up a bit. Fingers crossed for a good WI for you!

Destony Hope it's nothing serious. As if having a procedure isn't stressful enough, you have to juggle the diet issues as well. Hope you get the answers you need.

Amanda You're a plethora of knowledge!

It makes sense to me that the Tanita would include lean tissue in the muscle #. My coach seems concerned thought, she said that it is typical for a small loss in the first few weeks but then the number show even out. Each WI I lose "muscle", currently down 4.8lb from my initial WI, body fat is down 12.4lb. My muscle mass is at 80lbs and she said I can't go any lower than that.

I'm not doing any exercise, started walking a few days this week (moderate pace, not out of breath at all).

I've gone back to weighing/measuring everything individually. After a few weeks on the diet, I would make up a cruet of dressing for the week etc. I now making the dressing without the oil & adding the oil to the salad so that I am ensuring that I get the 2 tsp. I'm glad you suggest the my fitness pal, I like seeing the whole picture.

I also have a ketosis question. I use the keto stick, which I've heard are not completely accurate, but it's all I have. I have never been more than middle of the color chart in ketosis, is this normal? I never at a lot of carbs prior to the diet (not this restricted, but usually only a few times a week), would that play into how restricted I would need to be in order to get into ketosis? Would someone who ate a carb heavy diet see a higher ketosis reading once they started the diet?

3bigdogs, here was my situation. I likely am about to give you more information than you need. However I will echo again the discussion about reaching maintenance is more than just the logistics - for me the transition was actually far more to do with the mental part - the nutrition/food has not been too hard for me, and I find it really nourishing and good.

I originally thought my goal would be about 160. About half way into the program I changed it to 149/150 as in my 20s that seemed a good weight for me. I wanted to get there so also I would have maybe 5lbs "wiggle room" for the few pounds weight gain that I anticipated would come with glycogen stores, TOM, etc.
When I got to 160 the doctor did many tests and told me that basically I was very healthy and could definitely stop if I wanted. However, they had gotten to know me very well and how I also functioned mentally, and could tell I wouldn't feel complete with the protocol unless I tried to get down further, and they didn't want me to keep trying for another year after I finished P1.

However, once attempting to get there, as I wrote, my body just didn't want to do it. The doctor also reminded me of a few things: 1. That goal weight was something I chose when I was in a 22 year old body, and I am now in a 47 year old body. 2. I do have a little hanging skin which could be causing a few extra pounds. 3. That may or may not have even been the right weight for me at that time. 4. Likely what I really wanted was to start toning up - the only place on my body that I wasn't pleased with was my tummy, which is where I have always carried my weight, and they said that what I was seeing was actually the skin, not fat, and that it may tone up over the next year, or I may consider surgery in a year if I still feel uncomfortable (I am not sure that is something I want to do, but I don't need to worry about it for a year anyway).5. I have a big larger bone structure and seem to be need to carry a little more weight than some that are my height, and also I exercise regularly and may have more muscle now than then (I'm not sure about that because I was working out intensely all my life).6. They said I would very likely lose weight in P2, 3, and 4 (I did). They also said they have patients that lose up to 10lbs under goal over the year after P1 is over.

I do see now even in just 6 weeks into P4 that my body is still redistributing and as my abs get stronger my tummy is also changing a little. I am also not clear, and that is something I will take this year to sort out, what is a form of body dysmorphia, what is related to unreasonable expectations or some form of vanity or unneeded perfection, what is just something I need to face about aging, etc. Is there somewhere in my mind where I think if my body looks just as I think it should, that I will be "happy" or at peace, or that bad/stressful things won't happen as often? Having been overweight a lot of my life on and off, I have a habit of "future" thinking - things will be better when my body is better. Things like that.

As far as the being hungry at the end of P1- for me, it was just that my body was ready for the next thing. It's a question of how long you want to hold out. P2 didn't change much for me so I only stayed on for a week, but within two days of P3 I felt really great again, and my body was really pleased with the extra calories and the addition of fats and a little carb.

In P4 have hit around 151 on my scale from time to time, but usually I'm somewhere around 153, sometimes up 2lbs and then back down. However, that is including adding muscle, and my inches have gone down.

Right now, for this year I really want my focus to be health - getting my body strong (not to lose weight but to be fit), nourishing it the way it wants (it wants a good portion of fat and gets upset if I try to do a P1 day without extra fat), and being at peace mentally and emotionally. I consider 155 to still be my goal, 158 caution, 160 scream and do something. That may change over time, as I may need to do more like 160 caution 165 scream, but we will see.

I am sure that was far more information than you were asking for, but I remember being in your shoes, and it's a very tricky time. The ladies on the Maintenance thread said "Just Breathe" as I started to get overly intense about it all. Feel free to ask more questions, I had a lot, and just needed (and still need) to write things out here, mostly for myself, but the feedback I have gotten has been invaluable to me, and has helped me stay calm and sort things out.

Destony= I would follow doctor's orders. Get back into p1 when they give you the green light. I hope it's not a major surgery but it could do with bleeding issues? I don't know but better to play it safe than sorry.

Developed a high fever last night but I feel better today. It's just my lack of voice that is keeping me home today.

Have a great day everyone!!

Nothing major- but a biopsy on one of my breasts. They say it's quick to remove some tissue for pathology.

Cardio burns muscle mass faster than strength training. This is why strenuous activities are frowned on. Strength training breaks muscle down, but if you eat properly and take in enough water those muscles will repair and do so in a stronger manner. You don't even have to go mad with a gym membership - grab a couple of soup cans in the pantry and do some curls, some squats, some bending from side to side, reach them down towards your toes and straighten up slowly. Anything that is USING the muscle will help keep it stable.

If you make up salad dressing in advance don't forget that some foods degrade once they are outside of their storage packets, so you lose nutrients from vitamins and minerals more so than the macros. If you choose your veggies based on what vitamins they give you, be mindful.

Ketostix are only accurate for a limited period of time. Once your body becomes accustomed to running on ketones it will learn how many are needed for your standard life, and stop over producing them.

Remember your first week on IP? That nice weight loss? That was your body stealing all the reserve glycogen stores in the liver and muscles. As a result your body went "oh no, I have no reserves and we may need some fuel, let's ramp up the ketone production to be on the safe side". Once it has a pattern of ketone use to work with it will slow it down (which is why post-3 first weeks you see the amount you lose decline) and only kick into a higher gear if more is needed.

If you are the type of person who absolutely needs to know that you're in ketosis, spring for a blood ketone meter (like the insulin version for diabetics) which has a considerably more realistic accuracy rate.

Amanda I didn't think about food degrading (yikes). I usually make 3-4 salads at a time so I don't have to do all of the chopping at lunch every day.

My coach told me that the body can't build muscle & burn fat at the same time. She said it was better to simply focus on the weight loss/fat burning & skip the exercise. I have a gym membership that is just sitting there waitin' for me to be done -lol. A friend of mine who is very health conscious & a bit of an exercise freak, told me he thought I should do some lifting (nothing crazy), but I've been worried about stalling/slowing the weight loss down.

Not worried about ketosis so much as wondering if I every went as deeply into it as I should have. I used the sticks every couple of days the 1-2 weeks and never got into the dark purple range (only middle of the road). I've didn't a couple of times since and it is always the same.

Destony hoping all goes well with your biopsy!

kdramalover hope you feel better; being sick stinks! Get rest & drink some hot tea.

Thanks all- unnerving to say the least, but I'm sure everything will be fine. I just don't want it messing with the protocol! I need to stay focused

Thanks all- unnerving to say the least, but I'm sure everything will be fine. I just don't want it messing with the protocol! I need to stay focused

Thoughts to you Destony

Kdl- glad you are feeling better today!

Gem - welcome and thanks for asking so many great questions. I still have 50ish pounds to go but it will be here sooner than I think

Grateful - been wondering where I will end up...145 is my goal, but see many 5'6 ladies aiming lower. I also hope I will be accepting if that makes sense.

Work is nuts but got 10,000 steps in today!
Tomorrow is it and I really want to take a mental health day on Friday - except we have a stupid (but important) Friday meeting - who schedules meetings on Fridays??? Ugh! Lol
Excited for the weekend - DD10 has a performance of Annie on Saturday and planning an outdoor mom-daughter day for Sunday