Quote:
Originally Posted by Coqui
I was hoping to start Phase 3 today, but my coach is a bit concerned about it. She thinks I should reset my goal to 135 because I didn't loose as much on Phase 2 ( 3 pounds in 2 weeks). Her rationale is that between Phases 3 and 4 some people might gain up to 5 pounds due to the body's reaction to the change and it's adjustment to glycogen levels. As a prevention meassure she thinks if I go on Phase 3 at 137 and gain 5 pounds I will be above goal. For my age and height I should weight no more than 140. So I think I will do it for another week and see what happens. If I survived 14 weeks without the big breakfast (no bread , no fruit, no dairy), I can survive another one. I have to be positive and think that Phase 4 is around the corner. I can do this.
My coach said the same thing, you tend to gain about 5lbs in the transition, so she also wants me to get 5lbs below my goal. The only reason I am going to phase II now is cause I am going to Mexico in the begining of March and want to enjoy it!

I think you can do it... seems like you have a good outlook!

Same here...my coach is keeping me on ph 2 another week to ten days to get a few lbs. below goal weight, so when I gain the glycogen and water weight back I'll be right in the zone. I am also chompin' at the bit for fruit and my beloved cottage cheese, but will wait and do this right. It's so much harder the closer you get. I'm also aware of old sabotage thoughts coming around. This is really the time for brain re-patterning!

You can use canned tuna, egg whites or eggs, vegetarian style proteins, edamame or black soy beans, other fish, shrimp, etc.

If I may make a suggestion, try finding the tuna and fish on sales. I often find tilapia for 2.00 a pound. You may also buy the frozen bulk packages of fish or chicken tenders at Costco. I just picked up some frozen tilapia there, it was lightly seasoned, and had less than one carb from seasonings. There were 6 servings in the package and I paid 12.99 for the whole lot. It seemed fairly reasonable. I also get the chicken tenders for around the same amount. I get about a 10 servings per bag.

Remember you are trading 1 IP packet per day at 4.00 usd per day for 7.00 a day so, you will have about 28.00 a week to put toward that extra serving per day of protein.

Thanks for the tips... I guess I never really thought about the price of the IP packs, I just always paid for them cause they are working why question it kinda attitude. Makes sense when you say it that way, I have $4.00 to spend on protein for lunch!! WOW!! hehe

I'm not a big fish eater, can you do veggie burgers without the bun of course? And what are chicken tenders? I shop at Costco quite a bit but don't think I've seen these?

There are some varieties of veggie burgers are good. I would have to review the forum to see what advice our past vegetarians were given to help answer your question. Maybe someone currently vegetarian would have the answer.

Chicken tenders are that tender, slender portion inside the chicken breast. It is about a 2-3oz piece of meat. The chicken tenders are frozen in large bags in the freezer aisles of costco. They are really convenient to cook up. You'll find them near the frozen chicken parts (wings, breasts, thighs) that are not prepared or breaded in anyway.

I buy some fish like that too. They have really nice tilapia tenderloin (individually wrapped and frozen), mahi, salmon, tilapia (seasoned with herbs only or a pesto (less than 1 carb per serving). Explore the frozen aisle and read labels. You will find many thing.

A tip my nutrition coach gave last night was to buy up a pack of chicken breast, broil or bake them, then keep a few in the fridge and, tightly wrap (saran) and freezer bag the rest. As you need them, take out a breast or so, defrost and rewarm. It is a quick meal.

I woke up this morning with a better attitude towards continuing on Phase 2 until I reach 135. I have to thank Carla for her post in the OOPS!! thread regarding the importance of transitioning through all phases. I am changing my goal to this number and wait patiently until my body adjusts and is ready to move on. I want to share with everyone on this thread what she has posted, so here it is:



Coqui,

First, I'm sorry. I know what it is like to have a plan and feel that is not being permitted or supported to develop as you want it.

Second, and I know you may cringe to here this, in terms of how this program works (that is key) your coach is right. The goal of IP is to allow your body time to heal what went wrong physically. It will not stop the natural body chemistry and processes. Therefore, when you go back to eating carbs you will, to some degree or other gain back weight in the form of fluids associated to eating carbs (This is a bit fuzzy but roughly, the body can hold a little less than four pounds of glycogen stores. It can also hold 4g of water for every 1 gram of glucose. That capacity is to some extent determined by the individual. On average, another 3 pounds, IF I remember correctly.) SO, you could end up with upwards of 7 pounds new fluids. Your coach just wants to see you meet a goal and be satisfied, no, HAPPY, with the end result of your work.

Don't be too eager to end a phase. You have a great opportunity to learn to use food to fuel your body and not feed your emotions. This experience was an example of emotional eating. You were hurting and disappointment and frustrated and sought food to manage the resulting feelings and stress. WE DO THAT! You feel upset again because it happened and maybe because there you were wishing for phase 3, being told to stay in phase 2 and now, because of the inappropriate food choices considering phase 1.

I think, if you just do phase 2, you'll be fine. You will enjoy losing and using real food. You will have a bit more variety. Appreciate that phase 2 has its purpose too. It isn't a worthless or stepping stone phase. Phase 2 PREPARES. It prepares your body to manage larger portions of real foods. It allows to body to get used to breaking its nutrition out of a more complex "package". You pancreas starts to make more of the enzymes needed in digestion. It has a definite albeit more minor purpose than phase 3.

Phase 2 is still a reduction phase you just exchange a prepared highly bio available protein for a real protein.

Let what happened go. Unless you are ok with the possibility of going to 145 when you go into phase 4 (may or may not happen but you should be prepared that it could) I would stay in phase 2 to finish the 2 pounds then go to phase 3 for 2 or 3 weeks. THEN hit phase 4.

As far as transitioning to phase 4 and the results, it isn't the transition that is the problem and, the answer is to some extent yes. You are supposed to have glucose, glycogen and a little more water in your body. (as explained above) so, when that is replaced you will see a drifting up of some kind (minor or a bit more) in your weight. It SHOULD happen.

IF you transition to phase 3 properly you will see better results in phase 4. The rest of what happens with phase 4 and long term is up to you.

REMEMBER, phase 4 is what your lifestyle diet should end up looking like.

ALSO REMEMBER, IP only gets us back to a place with knowledge where we can have a healthy trim body. If we go back to eating as we did, eating the foods we did, or using food the way we did we WILL get the same results. What we should have learned in the long run is that some bodies, ours in this case, respond better to diets with more protein, less carbs, few junk foods and more natural foods.
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Carla

Thank you, Coqui. I am glad I was helpful. I was worried as I posted that first then saw your other responses for the day. I was hoping I hadn't muddied the waters and confused you again.

I AM SURE you will have great success and that things will work out beautifully.

My posts were reflecting my frustration and confusion. All related to lack of understanding of the purpose of every phase. Now I'm set to do this the right way and be patient. Thanks again!!

Ana

It's another day in Phase 2 paradise! I have come to terms with the fact that this phase is as important as the others, so I'm following it until I reach my goal. Thank you Carla for all your support and motivation. Phase 3 is just around the corner, but I'm not going to get obsessed about it.

Great job and GREAT attitude!!

This is a life long path. You are just taking a few steps to a place where you will be maintaining your weight loss permanently. In the end, it all works out.

I am so glad you are having a great few days! That weight will be off in no time! THEN, you'll be bragging about that that big breakfast you ate!

Today is my 1st day on Phase II !! I'm kinda excited, kinda nervous for the change!? I brought 5oz of left over steak to go with my salad at lunch time!! I'm hoping that it's enough to keep me full, but I'm also worried that maybe it's too much and I'll have that "oh - I ate too much" feeling after lunch?!? I also think I'm going miss my afternoon chocolate shake!? I really like those shakes, they are sooo convienent, it's going to be weird now that I have to actually prepare my lunch!? lol

I hope your first day went well. I did feel full the first few days, like I had cheated, but then my body got used to it. Now I need both meals plus the two IP products. As you probably read on this thread I struggled handling this phase as I was getting anxious to get to phase 3. The key is to be patient, do it right and you will reach your goal.

I really appreciate this thread. I think I will be moving to Phase 2 in another week.

Day one on Phase II went well, I felt like it took me all afternoon to eat my lunch!? Partially because we were busy at work and partially because it seemed like sooo much food!? lol However it did keep me full for the rest of my day. I might try and postpone my morning shake and have it in the afternoon. I like to have my chocolate fix after lunch. We'll see how today goes but so far so good!!

I just realized I've been on IP for 14 weeks!!! Seems like I started last month. For the first time in my life I have committed to following a diet or eating program this long. It's true my journey hasn't been perfect but for every cheat and fall off the wagon, I have been able to jump right back and stick to the program. I have done so many diets and spent so much money in the past with no success, that I was skeptical at first. I researched and read about IP for two months. I didn't tell anyone about it, except my husband and my mom, until about week 8 when my sister and my girlfirends started to notice the weight loss. I was afraid of failure one more time, but this time I was successful. Today my WI didn't show any changes. I'm at 137 with 2 more pounds to goal. This means one more week on phase 2. Climbing a mountain isn't easy, but the hardest part is to get to the top. I can do this! We all can do this! Hang in there!!!

Not an easy day today. I think I have a stomach flu. My body ached all day and I have the Ds with horrible stomach spasms! I have not eaten much. I started the day with a chocolate shake. I had been dirnking water and lemonade with splenda all day. I ate a bar around 1:00 and now I'm about to have some homemade chicken soup with allowed veggies and white meat. I hope this makes me feel a bit better. I feel very weak.