I was getting ready for church today and put my watch on, which I haven't worn in lately and it actually spins on my wrist

Hi Everyone. I don't post often but thought I could get some feedback. I have been on IP for 4 weeks now. I feel as though I'm losing weight at a very slow pace. I started at 173 and am down to 160 (down 13 pounds and 6 inches) in 4 weeks. I have been getting a little frustrated because I was awesome with not cheating through thanksgiving (here in Canada) and the festivities that happened with my brother and sister's birthdays. It's been tough and i've been trying to make good decisions in getting better results.
last week I lost only 1.2lbs and gained an inch. I have been drinking A LOT of water and my coach said that I could be retaining water. This week I also started eating the bars and I have read posts where people swear the bars have limited their weight losses. I'm not close to the TOM yet so that wouldn't effect my loss. I'm hoping this week will be better. Any suggestions? I eat salad for lunch and dinner. Should I try not having the bars for a week and see if that makes a difference? Any thoughts?

Has anyone noticed since starting IP that their teeth seem... furrier? I swear, I brush my teeth more now than I ever did before! I'm trying to decide if it's all the protein or the ketosis or what...

Hi everyone --- we had a beautiful fall day today in southwestern Ontario --- high of 72 -- loving it!

I had a hayride/BBQ yesterday afternoon/evening and I did not too bad.

I have been on the IP program for 8 weeks and have lost 43-1/2 pounds of which I am very proud! I have struck strictly to the program and have not "cheated."

However, last night was very, very tempting. They had a bbq of hot dogs and hamburgers. My coach had told me just to have the burger, which I did, with some veggies (cucumbers and green peppers).

But, they had a popcorn machine which I could not resist. I had about a cup of popcorn. Then they had a massive table of appetizers (talk about the deveil and temptations). I ended up eating some pinwheel sandwiches (rolled up flour tortillas with cream chesse spread inside). They were sliced in about 1/4" pieces. I had about 10 of these.

Can anyone tell me what the "price I will pay" will be for having consumed these "taboo" items.

I was VERY disappointed in myself for not resisting these foods, but had a very weak moment. Trying to get over it today and have stuck to the IP program.

Any words of scolding or comfort are allowed --- lol!!!

Lorrie

It is funny. I've had just the opposite experience. My teeth no longer get that "furry" feeling since I've been off real sugar. The only thing that even comes close to giving me that feeling is the soy puffs, but that is minimal. I guess everyone's bodies react differently to IP.`

Lorrie, The "price you will pay" will probably be being kicked out of ketosis for a few days. If I were you I would do IP boot camp for a few days to get you back into ketosis as soon as possible. Worst case scenario you set back your weight loss back a few days.

When I get the urge to cheat, I remember if I kick myself out of ketosis I just wasted $36 in packets plus the cost of vitamins. Some posted this a couple months ago and it has really stuck with me. I try to pack extra lettuce, cucumbers or celery if there is going to be munchie food out at an event. Then, I have my own "safe" munchie food. I had a party a few weeks ago and had celery sticks and dipped them in salsa all night. I probably had a little too much celery and salsa but it was a safer choice than splurging on high carb foods. Hang in there. You are strong enough to resist, just get back on the wagon and continue your weight loss.

Does anyone know where water chesnuts fall in the IP spectrum of veggies?

Anyone know why the Wildberry Yogurt drink is not considered a restricted item? It has 14 carbs!

Wow! I didn't realize my little rant would attract so many replies! The great thing is that now I have a dozen creative ways to handle those drink mixes. Honestly, if this forum didn't exist it's hard to imagine how much more challenging going through the IP process would be. Because although the results are wonderful, having access to this level of knowledge and support is just amazing, especially on rough days.
So thank you for the suggestions - and the general level of support!

Yup I am with you....I brush my teeth all day long. I am constantly feeling like I need to brush.

I've been to a ton of weddings on plan and here's what I did: Hoped there were things that I could eat, but always had my IP dinner with me just in case. There were a bunch of times I had to pull it out of my 'mary poppins' purse, and there were a few times I didn't. At least I had it, I didn't go hungry, and didn't miss a beat on plan.

Yep. Had the same thing happen to me. Good news: i lost lots of weight those weeks. It goes away, really. I had waves of it throughout the six months I was on plan.

Ok, YES! I thought I was the only one! I have no idea what it was, but it does go away. I'm in phase 3 and my teeth feel totally normal again. It actually decreased later in the diet, too.

Blustery and cold here in the Pacific NW...so, it's a couch, heat up, tv watching day. Normally, I'd be baking chocolate chip cookies on a day like this too (eating the batter and countless cookies warm out of the oven in the process.) My (skinny) husband did mention that he missed the cookies. (Oh, co-workers miss them too!)

JC

YUM! I am having the Cinnamon Hot Chocolate from HealthSmart with dinner (I had a chicken salad for lunch) and I think I am in love!
http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store...&product_id=51

Are you at all concerned with the aspartame in it? Have you been having aspartame all along and it didn't impact you? For some reason I thought it was a no-no, but I could be totally wrong. Would be interested in your thoughts.

How about changing your tag line to I WAS my worst enemy?

My coach has said nothing against aspartame (well, Crystal Lite) as long as "I didn't go overboard". My general thought has been that half of the water I drink over the course of the day is Crystal Lite. I've only been at it for 2 weeks, so I don't know if it's an issue for me. Maybe I should let it go for a week and see what happens...

They do have some aspartame-free products available, so I go with those when I can. But I have also been having their products that contain aspartame since September and my weight loss hasn't slowed or increased at all.

I got the impression that the whole "no-aspartame" thing was because of how bad it is supposed to be for you, and not because it will affect your weightloss.

The Dr. Bernstein diet is a ketogenic diet as well, and you are allowed items with aspartame on that program.