good for you with the eating out! I've found its not as hard as I thought it would be most places are able to subsitute and make changes as you need it. Whats really hard is going over to ppls houses for dinner!
Also Red Peppers are not restricted anymore...on the new protocal sheet it says you can have bell peppers all types

I too have dinner with the in-laws tonight!! I'm a bit worried as they also don't know I am on IP....so we'll see what happens....
I LOVE the nestea with splenda it almost tastes like juice! makes drinking water so much easier to drink

Hi Everyone! Hope you all are having a blessed day!
I am at the end of my second week, actually 2nd weigh in if you don't count the initial one, and have lost almost 11 pounds, and about 8 inches.

Hope everyone is enjoying his/her weekend! I'm putting off doing homework and have been super hungry all day. I decided to try the recipe for kale chips and wow....those and turnip fries are my new fav thing!!

Do you have a coach???? Typically coaches suggest you not work out for at least the first 3 weeks, if at all, because your body is going through a major change and it is hard enough to adjust without adding the recovery of exercise. There are a few threads dedicated to this topic which you may want to check out. I do yoga and pilates 2 times a week which seems fine. I was swimming competitively on a triathlon relay team prior to starting IP but decided I needed to give it a rest for a few months to just let my body heal and loose. (not to mention I was not able to swim at my regular pace and it was putting my team in a less then stellar starting position). I have lost 40 pounds in 11 weeks without doing exercise which for me is a HUGE victory. Talk to your coach and see what he/she says -- for me my recommendation would be to see how it goes without the exercise (I am not including yoga and pilates in this - I think they are fine) first -- if you start to stall (meaning not loosing anything for 2 or more weeks) it might be worth trying something new like exercising. Personally, I will resume exercising once I am at goal and eating in phase 4 - until then I don't want to do anything to mess up my momentum. Welcome and good luck---- this is an awesome plan

I do the Alternative Plan and I exercise about 30 min 4-5 times a week. I'm ok with that, but my coach did say to keep my heart rate down basically so you only go to about60-65%, no higher, you still get a good workout.

You know, in general I really like my coach, but she really does say the craziest things... First, she is 100% convinced I'm cheating because my losses have been inconsistent. I'm not. I'd tell her if I were because it does me no good if I lie about what's going on.

She also keeps saying I am 'guaranteed' to lose 4-5 pounds per week on IP. What a crock. I know more about this than she does from this forum alone. I just don't know how to ramp up my weight loss. I've gone back to one restricted per day for this week to see if it helps.

We'll see how this week goes. My Mom comes into town on Wednesday. I'm not sure if I'm more concerned about her making a big deal about the fact I'm doing IP or that she might not notice the 17 lb loss. (I know, very similar to what others have posted over the past few weeks...)

Hi! I'm new to IP (day 3 here) and just have to say that the weight loss I've seen the people on this forum have is truly inspiring!

It hasn't been that hard yet, just getting used to not eating 6 small "meals" a day. That, and the mushroom soup I had the first day wasn't very good!

I had a couple of questions that I was going to call my coach about on Monday, but maybe could get some insight here?

1. How do you track your calories/carbs? I was using ************.com, but don't know if that's the best one. Plus it showed that I only had 774 calories yesterday after I input all of my food, and I'm worried that I'm putting my body into starvation mode.

2. Did you start with restricted foods right away, or did your coach have you stay off for a while?

3. What kind of soy sauce do you use and how much would be ok for a marinade?

Thanks so much! HOpe I can add to all the awesome weight loss!

The Ideal Protein program doesn't come with a guaranteed. How can it? I did not cheat and I did not loose 4-5 pounds a week. I had to loose a little over 20 pounds before people noticed and still some did not make a comment. To this day some people don't make a comment. Lol really go from a size 14, no fitted clothing to a size 6 and tops are fitted, tucked in pants with a belt. I can't figure that out and I have decided to move on like I don't know it. I have lost a lot of weight, feel great and that is all that matters. I appreciate the support and kind words I have received from my friends on this forum. Judy

Welcome!
1. Some chicks may track their calories/carbs, but I didn't. I weighed my meat and measured my veg. and stayed on protocol.

2. I started with one restricted food daily from the beginning. Talk with your coach.

3. I didn't use soy sauce. I used Worcestershire sauce in my stir fry. I used a variety of spices in my foods.

Asking questions, getting information is a good sign you will do very well.
Have a great weekend. Judy

Well, dinner at the in-law's went very well. I had some spinach salad (with bean sprouts, peppers, one little piece of tomato and a home-made dressing: oil, vinegar and lemon pepper seasoning. I also had some salmon. There were peanuts, carrots and sunflower seeds in the salad but I mostly ate around them. I may have had a few sunflower seeds and maybe a peanut that I actually ate accidentally but I think I did okay!


This is a very sad and very hard night for me. My father-in-law is in palliative care and we feel that tonight may be the night that he is going to leave us. I visited him this afternoon and now, I am home with the kids. My husband is probably going to spend the night, or however long he needs to, with his mother at the hospital. His sister did not want to go and see her dad but she ended up going. When she saw him, she broke down and is a total mess right now. I feel terrible for her as I was one of the people who suggested that she should go. I have regrets about my mom dying alone (several years ago... I was told to go see her in the morning but for her, morning never came).

Anyways, all of this to say that I am finding it VERY hard not to eat my emotions right now or have a good stiff drink (or two or three...). So far so good though... We'll see what happens. I'm taking it one minute at a time and I can't make any promises right now.


1. I don't think you should track calories. Just do the program and trust the program. I also listen to my body. My coach told me not to be hungry. She said that if I am hungry, I can have celery, cooked ham slices, hard boiled eggs (preferably just the white) or another protein packet. Different people/coaches differ when it comes to this though, so you may want to discuss with your coach, if you can;

2. My coach allowed me to purchase/have 2 restricted items the first week (I had the chocolate pancake/muffin mix and the salt & vinegar ridges). This week, I purchased three: the spaghetti bolognese (which I enjoyed with mushrooms added for dinner last night), the chocolate raspberry protein bar (I had it for snack tonight and found it awesome!) and more salt & vinegar ridges (I'm saving them for tomorrow). Next week, I will try more. I like to save the restricted for the weekends. They make me feel like I am having "junk food" and I like to "treat myself" on weekends (which for me include Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Again, you should check with your coach because I know that many do not allow any restricted items in the first two weeks.

3. I have not used soya sauce yet. I think I am going to buy some reduced salt (or low sodium) soya sauce for future use.

- I find most of the soups better with additions. To me, the mushroom soup is better with pieces of cooked mushrooms thrown in;

Best of luck to you!

Susie B---I am so sorry for what your family is going through right now. Hope you can find ways to be good to yourself that don't involve jumping ship off the diet---learning to sit with difficult emotions instead of eating them is hard. Sounds like you did great at dinner.

My sympathies are with you, I lost my mom and dad several years ago, three days apart from illness. Blessings, and have another cup of tea!! i love wine, but I find that when i am stressed, a good cup of tea in a pretty china cup does wonders.

OK I have a question. I am a total coffee creamer person. I love all the Coffeemate flavors with my coffee. Now that I have been doing IP I have been using skim milk. Well today at the store I found a hazelnut creamer made from coconut milk it is gulten free. There are 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, 0 sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, 0 sugars, 0 protein. Would this be OK to add to my coffee in the morning?

[B]SusieB[B],

My thoughts are with you and your family.

Lynn