Joysh -- What a wonderful sister you are. I agree with the suggestion to go with some of the high calorie, healthier foods. Working in a few things like avocados (mmmm... guacamole) and good quality cheese will be delicious for your sister -- and if for some reason you feel your resolve waivering, they won't take you out of ketosis.

I just got back from an unexpected trip to the midwest to take care of my mother, who is in a nursing home for rehab and not doing well. One of the issues is nutrition. She isn't eating much and all she wants to eat is unhealthy -- pepsi and dessert. Trying to get her to eat was such a challenge! She was looking at me with my protein bars and complaining that I wasn't eating. I explained that they are healthy and that in the evenings I was having a big meal. I was disappointed that I hadn't brought some of the more palatable packets with me on the trip -- I would have shared them with her to make sure that she got some protein.

I guess the victory is that, in spite of the unexpected trip and stress, I stayed 90% OP. Just 90 percent because at the end of a particularly stressful day, I ran a bath and fixed a vodka club soda. But today is a new day, I'm home and looking forward to a 100 percent OP week.

As I read through most of the threads the general theme seems to be that people are regaining because life got "stressful". I am a big time stress eater and every time I regain weight I go back to almost rewarding myself because I had been going through a lot of stress. The last time I was in to see my Dr she saw the weight gain and said "what happened, you looked and felt so good?" My first comment was that it had been a stressful year. She reminded me that life in general is stressful but we all need to learn appropriate ways to handle it and gaining weight and feeling unhealthy tends to make us feel more stressed.

That really resonated with me and is very true in my case. I need to work on changing the mind game I play with myself that causes the yoyo weight which the older I get the more unhealthy it is. One meal or one day not 100% OP doesn't need to lead us into multiple days/weeks off program. That is something I am reminding myself every day and feeling good about each day that I eat healthy and know that I am doing this for my health and so I can be the best me for my family.

Hi All!

Mars, Lisa, and Winewanderer, thanks so much for your support. And thanks to all of you for being here on this journey. Yes, I bought her an avocado, but haven't used it yet.

I don't have my home scale here, but I'm continuing to lose, slowly, here in Florida. I've got one more week here. I brought a bunch of IP packets and had a Nashua order shipped here before I came, so I've got lots of food choices, but I'm running out of my "favorite" IP soups and will need to eat the proti-thin ones in the coming days. I usually have a soup with sauteed veggies in it + a green salad for lunch.

I'm continuing to cook for my sis. It's mostly fine. I add mashed potatoes or some other carb and some fat for her dinners, but she eats the healthy meat (much smaller portion, of course) and veggies that I prepare for dinner. I've offered her tastes of my IP drinks and Quest bars, but she's not interested. That's fine.

Other than that, my other challenge is that I'm out of my work routine. There's a lot of sitting around, reading, watching tv, and not a lot of activity. I realize that activity is one of the best ways to combat food temptation! And that's my thought for the day!

Have a great day, everyone!

For those who are rebooting following something other than P1, my friend shared this guide to carb amounts with me today: http://s247.photobucket.com/user/MDA...color.jpg.html

I work so hard at keeping my carbs under 50 and usually always do but can never get the ketostrips to show anything. I know some people don't show it but i wish I did. Today my carbs are under 30 but still, a really slow move down the scale the second time around.

Hi Monica! Good to see you!

Just a brief hello today to all rebooters. Keep on keeping on. It's a slow go, but it will work if we stick to it.

Have a good day. Stay warm if you're in a cold climate. I've got a few more days here in warm Florida.

Hello everyone! I am sort of a newbie but sort of not. My first go round with IP was last June. I lost 23lbs from the time between June and August. I followed the diet very strictly and never cheated! In August I moved and went through a life change and it completely destroyed my diet and I gained 11lbs back.
February 23, 2015 I started IP again (using alternative products). I am using a combination of the Pure Protein shakes and the Lindora foods/snacks. I haven't gotten my Lindora products in yet, so I'm improvising at the moment, but I really like the Pure Protein shakes. They are very comparable to IP in my opinion but much cheaper. I am anxious to see how the alternative products compare to the IP products during the course of my diet as far as weight loss goes. From the research I've gathered, it seems it should still work just fine.

Something that I learned about a good while into phase 1 the first time I did the IP diet, was Lavash bread. I found I was able to eat a half to a whole slice and still lose weight. My coach actually told me it was acceptable. Has anyone else used Lavash in the first phase of the IP diet? Going into my second time on the diet but using alternative products, I would love to know others experiences or knowledges with this bread. Lavash bread truly saved me when I was on IP and there are so many options with it. It can make you feel you are not on a diet!

I am very excited to be back on the diet and hoping to go the long haul and finally reach my goal weight! Thanks for any input!!

And might I add, even though I know its a no-no, I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 3lbs already since Monday! EXCITING and it is definitely motivation to keep going!

Hello Back Enjoy your time in Florida and with your sister.

Cant help you with the bread as I can't have gluten. But I say weigh yourself when ever you want if it helps keep you motivated. I weighed daily the first time around and am doing do again. I helps some of us seeing that weight come off each morning, no matter how small. Just don't get discouraged if and when the losses slow as they always do.

Hi Tessalynn, it is good to get back sooner an later. I have tried the pure protein as well and like it. I also weigh myself everyday but unfortunately my loss is not happening so am trying to sort that out. I did amazing the first time on IP And lost almost every week. It was harder the closer I got to my goal. I guess we just have to really stick to it because it does eventually work.

Tessalynn -- Lavash is clearly not on the allowable list, but we're rebooters, so we may not be 100% OP, but looking for a plan that works for us. I would look up the carbs for lavash and just ensure that you are under 50 grams of carbs (or 25 grams of net carbs) for the day. That way you can ensure you are in ketosis.

I'm thinking Lavash Bread ( very thin wrap type thing. Consist of Flax, Oat Bran and whole weat) may be a little loop hole. The wrap is very large so you can half it. Half is only 4G of carbs, 0g of sugars, 50 calories and 5g of protein. When you compare it to a restricted item it is wonderful! Lol. I have replaced my restricted items with the lavash bread. I achieved ketosis in 2 days so I'm thinking it's OK for phase 1. I use it for so many things! I make wraps, pizza, chips to bring to restaurants to eat with salsa, crackers...you name it! Between my espresso/vanilla shake latte and my lavash bread, I'm feeling very satisfied! But I do limit the bread to only a half once a day.
But like you said this isn't my first rodeo so I'm OK with going off plan (if it works of course). Hoping the Lindora product work well too!
Trial and error I guess! Lol. I must say it's more relaxing this time around!

Tessalynn -- Let us know how it works! It sounds like substituting the lavash for a packet and then upping your protein would totally work within the IP guidelines (loosely for a rebooter). And it sounds really satisfying! I may try it myself. Thanks for the tip.

Cant help you with the bread as I can't have gluten. But I say weigh yourself when ever you want if it helps keep you motivated. I weighed daily the first time around and am doing do again. I helps some of us seeing that weight come off each morning, no matter how small. Just don't get discouraged if and when the losses slow as they always do.[/QUOTE]




It's awesome to see the numbers on the scale drop. Not so much when they dont. I've hit plateaus too and it was very discouraging. My goal weight hopefully is obtainable. I'm trying to keep in mind I'm no spring chicken anymore and it's going to take a little more work to get there. I will say that this has been the only diet to work for me though. So knowing it works and knowing the lbs have come off in the past, it's encouraging. Also having this forum and others to talk with is awesome. People who have not done this diet do not understand just how difficult this diet can be! It's definitely not a diet for the faintest of hearts. It's a daily, hourly, every minute mental challenge! Everyday OP is a huge accomplishment.

Isn't that the truth I have the same mentality and I'm enjoying changing things up a bit.

Even though sometimes I am harder on myself than my coach ever was, I still feel like if it's not a sustainable change to my diet, what's the point??