I began IP last week and scratched by during the "**** phase" and finally adjusted to the eating phases.

Here's the problem, even after doing it 6 days and having to supposedly be in the "ketosis" phase (which I did have a weird metallic taste in my mouth), I was still hungry. I drink about 2 gallons of water a day, took 2 multivitamins, ate my veggies (mainly pickles, hate veggies), yet I still felt hungry. Having finished my college football career and wrestled for 13 years I feel I can tell when my body is trying to talk with me and from what I've been hearing is that it needs a little more. Yesterday it was at its worse and my mind wouldn't shutoff it saying "YOU AREN'T GIVING ME ENOUGH FOOD. I WILL NOW START TO EAT AT YOUR MUSCLE" ...which scares the **** out of me. I don't want to sacrifice any lean mass...

I awoke today at 5 am to goto work at 5:30, waited til a little after 8 and had a packet. Then for lunch I had a packet, but instead of adding just some mushrooms I also added a 4 oz tilapia. Yesterday, I was shopping at wal mart and realized i forgot to eat my vegetables at lunch and felt hungry 2 hours after...i panicked and ate maybe ~4 oz of turkey jerkey to feed something in my stomach so it doesn't attack what's left of the lean mass from my college career.

I was really hoping I could get some input from everyone. Am I turning into a cheat? I started this with the hopes of losing 10 lbs of jiggle and don't want to deviate from something I started. But on the same note, should I still not completely block out what my body is telling me? I don't want to lose what I have left of my athletic build.

Please be as brutally honest as possible.

Welcome - I am really new to this, too, but I will throw in my two cents for what it's worth.

I *do* think you've been deviating from the plan a little bit.

The first thing I noticed is that you are waiting at least three hours before having breakfast. The instructions I received from my coach were to eat breakfast and start drinking water within 1.5 hours of waking. I'm not sure how that would relate to your being more hungry during the day, but could have something to do with it.

Secondly, you didn't really mention what you are doing for dinner, or how many packets you are using per day. Be aware that for the first week (or two? - someone more seasoned can clarify this) you need to have a minimum of three packets a day and can add up to two more if you are really hungry.

Also, the four ounces of tilapia is technically not a large enough protein serving. Seafood is listed at 7 oz. for a serving.

As far as hating vegetables, I am a picky eater myself, but I found that if I make a basic soup full of vegetables and let them really simmer down and season it up, I have no problem getting them in, and eating the soup seems to fill me up more than a salad would. Just an idea.

Also, again maybe someone else can clarify this, but my understanding is that when you are following the plan and are in ketosis, this signals the body to start burning specifically the fat stores for energy rather than the muscle mass. So I hope that your worries in that regard can be relieved.

It sounds to me like maybe you still need to adjust a little bit and organize yourself around the plan. May I suggest that you plan the night before what and when you are going to eat the next day ... so that you won't forget to eat your veggies with lunch. It's also a good idea to try to have something easy like the IP bars on hand in case you get stuck and need something to tie you over.

Finally, cut yourself a little slack - if you only have 10 pounds to lose, I, for one, am envious! I'm sure this can work for you if you stick with it. It takes a few weeks to really get into the groove. I hope that none of this advice sounded too judgmental ... I wish the best for you (and all of us!) Good luck!

Michelle

Thank you for the input!

Dinnerwise I've been having about 8 oz of tilapia with 2 cups of celery/mushrooms, whatever is on the menu for the night really.

As for the waiting til 8 in the morning, I was told by my clinic to do that. The most packets I've had is 3 in a day at there appropriate times as well. I'm just a little concerned because I'm pretty sure that my body requires a little more protein then say that of a middle aged woman that is following the same phase, you know what I mean?

My thinking was that as long as I kept the carbs/sugars/fats to there absolute minimum that adding more calories/protein for a young athletic male would fit better?

My husband and I are both doing IP and he had the same question you do ... shouldn't he have larger protein portions than I do. I am sure that someone else has more and better information that I do, but his clinic told him that the portions were the same for everyone, but that if he were hungry and wanted to add a few ounces of something, it should be protein rather than veggies. I don't know if that's much help.

meathead -- love the name, BTW -- the information sheets I received at my first visit suggested having up to 5 packets/day during the first week if I felt hungry. Did that!

I had the same concern about the amount of protein for my body. Although I am not a man, I am 6'2" and have more lean body mass than some women weigh. My coach has been great AND when I mentioned this to her she had look on her face that would best be described as crossed with .

So on my own, understanding that my results might be compromised for the better part of 3 months, I started having 4 or 5 packets a day. I have also added an extra tsp of oil (to 3 tsp/day) and often added an egg to the Ideal Protein omelet packet mixture. I'm satisfied with my weight. It may have been faster to do 3 packs/day but it would have seemed a lot longer, if you know what I mean.

I would recommend having your first meal within an hour of waking/getting out of bed. I never got when to eat instructions from my coach. I figure "I'm hungry, I eat." and then make a good choice -- protein + veg + a little fat. Unless my blood sugar is stable and ketosis is well established (think months), for me waiting to eat is a setup for hunger, cravings, and white-knuckle rides to resist a carb binge. There is something posted in another thread that talks about meal timing. I think might have been in one of the "Life after Phase 1" threads. I hope someone else remembers!

Edit: I know there is a plan with modifications. A friend of mine was on it, another's husband followed a modified plan for men. Could you ask about the "athletic" plan?

Edit - v2: I was thinking about what I wrote here vs what I've written before (even on today's daily thread) about sticking with the program as it is written and not trying to find ways to squeeze in old favorites. I don't think there is a contradiction. Here I'm suggesting adding non-carb or very low carb items, which are consistent with the program principles, to satisfy the hunger. It's a "right-sizing" of the program as opposed to deviating from it.

I went back to your original post and I am not sure you saw my reply. Here is part of it:

You mention that you were 240 and are going, I think, for 195 with only 10 pounds to go. Next, I am wondering how tall you are. If you are very tall and have a large amount of muscle AND have an athletic background, you may have a faster metabolism and need to have more protein in a day. That said, I would add an extra packet of protein a day the first week or add an extra 3 to 5 oz portion of lean protein to your day. This will not effect your weight loss and will help manage the hunger. You should be in ketosis between today and Wednesday (if you are slow about this, I don't think you are). You may or may not notice a change in your mouth. You may find you have more energy, need less sleep, or just pee a lot. You may also start to have some light headed feelings next week. Make sure you get plenty of water and all you sea salt and supplemental potassium/calcium/magnesium.

...


Exercise. It really depends on you. If you have been recently very active, you may get away with it but, you must add an extra packet or protein portion. If you haven't been recently active keep it to low intensity (50 -75% of max heart rate) and ease into it slowly after week 2. If you ease in slowly you can see how much it boosts or slows your loss and know what is the right workout threshold for you.

NOW, addressing today's concerns, ...


Are you taking all of the supplements, potassium, calcium/magnesium, and multi vitamins? You do need them all.

You are getting a large amount of water. Unless you need it and are used to having it, it isn't that necessary to have 2gal a day. And, given that you are having so much, any hunger you feel is likely to be real.

You really need the veggies. Try experimenting and finding some you like. If not, take some other fiber supplement (metamucil) the fiber is essential. Also, be aware if you are not having your veggies, the supplements alone are not enough to complete your nutrition. You could need to take more so, talk to your coach.

PICKLES!! OH those pickles. You are eating a lot of them you say. Well, good news they are allowed. Bad news, they are only allowed if they are sugar free and very low carb. Unfortunately, most pickles have carbs and are cured in sugar. The more you have the more hidden carbs you are getting and the more you are confusing the process. SO, check your pickles make sure they are not sugar cured and have the minimum level of carbs.

Eating! Do not wait so long to eat. I am not sure why your coach said you should. Eat in the first hour or so after you become active and then eat again every few hours if you need too. My coach had me add a few extra veggies to breakfast, split my lunch veggies out as a snack, eat lunch, break out some veggies for an afternoon snack and have a packet if needed, then have dinner, then have a pudding snack. I was eating from about 7am to 11pm.

DEFINITELY add some extra protein. Don't over eat protein at the same sitting though. The protein or extra packet will not slow you down, especially as a man and knowing how many calories your body will need at your weight. Having around 1000 calories may not be feasible for you. You will still lose even if you add lean protein. Do the plan as written but add an extra packet if you need it or, add some additional lean protein. Appropriate snack sizes are about 1 egg or 2 egg whites, 3oz chicken or meat or, 4 oz fish. Try to avoid to much jerky it is quite salted and could effect how much water you retain. If you keep the fat to a minimum and make your added protein of a lean quality source you should continue to see good results and feel better.

Lots of great advice above. the only thing I would add: ketosis is a balance of low carbs and low calorie so adding more calories is a delicate balance. That is why it is better to have another packet rather than whole protein: lots more protein to very low calorie ratio than you can get in most whole protein.

Also, cannot stress enough that the veggies and salad (with some EVOO) are a big part of keeping you feeling full. So, I agree you most likely need another packet (or 2) each day, you DEFINITELY need to have 4 full cups of veggies every single day. GOOD LUCK!

Thanks guys! I wanted to go through and quote everyone and say thanks for all the helpful advice but out here in the oil industry I'm lucky to have a few minutes here and there, so from the bottom of my heart I thank all of you for your advice.

Based on what everyone is saying I think I will add an extra protein packet to my day while I'm on the remainder of this program. Each packet is what ~110-120 calories? I will be sure and eat enough rations of veggies, I think I've definitely short-changed myself a few times and payed for it.

In good news, even though it's only been a little over a week...I feel like my clothes are little more loose and that there's a small noticeable difference in the mirror test!

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to help me out!

I was told .5 grams of protein for every lb. of your ideal weight. So if my ideal weight is 210-220 (I'm 6' 3"), then I need 105-110 grams of protein per day. I was told by my doctor that I needed 4 packets a day, consistently, plus my lean meat meal. As cost is a concern, I use 3 IP packets a day plus one extra (lots of options here -- a pouch of tuna, 1 whole egg, an EAS carb control shake). It hasn't affected my loss, and I feel better when I'm getting 4 as opposed to 3.